Lead Changes

 

RENEE ROJAS

Edition read: Pdf, independently published 2023.

How acquired: Discovery

First line: Her mother always said that she could ride before she could walk.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: The premise of the story is what drew my interest. Kelsie is divorced from a man who is cruel and very controlling. She’s made a life for herself and her son, Ryan, but her ex still uses fear and intimidation to try and control her, constantly threatening to take her son away from her, despite not bothering to exercise his visitation rights. Her best friend convinces her to take a vacation at a dude ranch, where she meets Chance, and begins to find herself again.

At times the writing, and more specifically the dialogue, felt a bit stiff and formal. The characters rarely use contractions when talking, which often disrupted the flow. I think that some authors feel that not using contractions gives a more literary illusion, but most people do not, or I guess I should say don’t, speak that way, and to me it makes the characters a little less relatable. If they were high society or it was an historical time it might feel more natural, but for everyday people in contemporary fiction it can sound awkward.

Regardless, Kelsie is an interesting and likable character. Throughout the book the reader is given glimpses of what her life was like with Tim, as he seemed to love and cherish her until they were actually married, and then skillfully chipped away at her self-confidence, isolating her from her friends and family, making her dread doing anything to anger him and eager to please him and keep him happy. I can’t speak to the authenticity of her character as an abused wife, having never been in her shoes, but she felt real, and her reactions to Tim’s actions felt realistic.

Chance was nice enough, though there didn’t really seem to be much actual chemistry between them. And for some readers, that may not really matter. My reading leans mostly towards romance, and I tend to look for it even in other genres. But while I would have liked for Chance to be more involved, ultimately this is Kelsie’s story, and the focus was rightfully on her and her journey to letting go of her ex, chasing her own dreams, and learning to be happy.

I’m not sure if this is the author’s debut, but she has crafted a nicely plotted story and despite my criticism above, shows promise.

*received a free ARC from the author via Discovery*

Goodreads Synopsis:

Trapped in an abusive marriage, Kelsie Harris had been forced to trade her dreams of professional barrel racing for a life filled with fear and intimidation. Even after her husband files for divorce, the continual chokehold that he has on her and their ten year old son doesn't fade.

But, when Kelsie wins a week long stay at a dude ranch in central Arizona in a raffle, she not only fears stepping out of her comfort zone, but also her ex-husband's wrath for disobeying his demands.

Afraid of trusting others, she has built a wall around her heart that she deems unbreakable. But, as she gets to know Chance Masters, her trail boss for her week at the ranch, she begins to question her belief that all men are cruel and abusive like her ex-husband

In just seven days, Kelsie not only finds her true self again, but is also reconnected with her love for horses. Most of all, however, she becomes faced with an opportunity to love again, and must decide if it is worth pushing her fears aside and take a chance.

The Swindler's Daughter

 

STEPHENIA H. MCGEE

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2023.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program.

First line: Her entire life was a sham.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: I’ve previously read one book from this author, THE SECRETS OF EMBERWILD, which I absolutely loved, so I was excited to get this book. This one started off a bit slow for me and took a little longer to get into, but once it picked up I was all in.

Lillian grew up with a very strict mother and believing her father was dead. As the story opens, she’s just learned that her mother lied to her and her father has actually been alive all these years, only recently passing away in a jail cell, and that he named her as his heir. When her mother sends her off to the small Georgia town where he lived, alone, to deal with his estate, she is angry and upset, and nervous, and scared, but also a little exhilarated. She’s never been away from home, from her mother, and thinking about selling off her father’s home and having money of her own reawakens dreams for the future.

But Lillian’s arrival in town dashes Jonah’s dreams for the future. His friend and boss has promised to sell the house to him, for they all believed his wife and her mother, the cousin and aunt Lillian never knew she had, would inherit. Jonah’s mother and younger sisters are already living in the house, and his mother planned to start her own bakery, which would hopefully provide enough support for her and the girls that Jonah could do something for himself now.

I grew to like Lillian more and more as she began to open herself to the possibilities of a future out from under her mother’s thumb, and discover the joy of having some personal freedom. While she’s not about to put Jonah’s family out on the streets, she’s also not prepared to just accept the plans already made for the house, and finds herself torn between selling it or keeping it for herself. I loved how her newfound family quickly accepted her, with her cousin Alma being thrilled to meet her and bring her into the bosom of the family. She loves her mother of course, and knows her mother loves her (while I quite frankly disliked her mother very much), but now she begins to see what a real family should be made of. It becomes a place where she feels welcome and valued for herself, not for what she can bring to the table.

I loved Jonah from the start. He feels animosity toward Lillian in the beginning. He dreamed of going to college to be an electrician, and then helping to bring electricity to his small town. But he’s also drawn to Lillian, and as secrets about her father come out and she becomes the victim of someone who does not wish her well, he can’t help but appoint himself to protect her.

This is an historical romance, but there are also suspense elements, and at one point in the back half things got pretty tense. It actually started to look like there would no happy ending for Lillian, as she finds herself suddenly the one being accused of committing crimes as the actions her father set into motion invade her life.

For a book that started out slow, it became quite fast paced, and thankfully ended with a perfect resolution.

*received via the publisher and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lillian Doyle has lived her entire high-society life with her widowed mother, believing her father died long ago. But when news arrives that her estranged father only recently passed away--in jail--Lillian is startled to find that the man has left a business and all of his possessions to her, making her a rather unusual heiress.

When she goes to take possession of her father's house in a backwoods Georgia town, the dilapidated structure is already occupied by another woman who claims it was promised to her son, Jonah. In her attempts to untangle the mess, Lillian will discover not only a family she never knew she had but a family business that is more than meets the eye--and has put a target on her back.

To discover the truth and take hold of the independence she's always dreamed of, she'll have to make friends with adversaries and strangers--especially Jonah, the dusty and unrefined cowboy who has secret aspirations of his own.

Identity

 

NORA ROBERTS

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, Pdf, St. Martin’s Press; expected publication May 2023.

How acquired: NetGalley.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: I’ve only previously read six books by Nora Roberts and for the most part I’ve enjoyed them (especially BLACK HILLS which I highly recommend). But this one...just wasn’t at all what I expected I guess. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it, but it was a bit of a slog to get through. I mean, when work is really busy it can take me longer to read a book, but this one took a month. Literally a month minus one day. Part of it was the writing style, which I do not remember from her previous books.

When she went over to join him, sat, she let out a sigh.

Smiling, Olivia reached down, gripped Morgan’s chin, gave it a gentle wiggle.

Those are just two small examples of the myriad sentences in the book with multiple commas and an absence of such words as “and” or “then”. I found it a bit jarring. And while I read an uncorrected digital galley of the book, meaning those quoted lines could of course be changed in the final copy, there are so many instances of the issue I’m complaining about that I’m confident they are not typos that will be edited or fixed but rather an artistic choice by the author.

I expected a romantic suspense story. There was very little suspense until the very end, and while there is a romance it wasn’t particularly romantic, other than the occasional passage here and there. I did quite like the hero, Miles, but as appealing as he was he didn’t seem fleshed out as much as the heroine. Which, of course it’s really her story, so that could have also been a choice the author made.

Overall, I enjoyed some parts much more than others, and I did love the relationship between the heroine and Howl, the hero’s dog. But I probably could have misplaced the book (or lost it from my Kindle app) at any point in the story and not been invested enough to really care if I never finished it. Regardless, I will continue to read Ms. Roberts’ books since I have very much enjoyed some of her in the past.

*received via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan's job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who'd been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. "Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn't his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan's nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother's home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn't flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn't forgotten the one who got away.

Better Late Than Never (A Huckleberry Ridge Romance, Book Three)

 

K.T. RAINE

Stats for my copy: Pdf, pub date 3/18/23.

How acquired: Received via BookSirens.

First line: Dawson turned his ball cap around backward and wiped an arm across his sweaty forehead.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This is the third book in the author’s Huckleberry Ridge series. I loved the first book, and realized when I received this one that I must have missed the release of the second book, but I bought it as soon as I finished this one!

While volunteering at for an annual forestry event that aims to teach kids about conservation and protecting natural resources, Dawson inadvertently sort of meets Kara. Sort of, because she stays turned away from him and then flees. Dawson is intrigued, and determined to learn more about her.

Kara has been living with her mother, and her father before he died, in the family home for some twenty years, but nobody in Huckleberry Ridge even knew she’d come home. Celebrating graduation with friends, she had suffered burns to one side of her face and down her arm. Her boyfriend at the time promptly dumped her, and she’s kept herself hidden from the world ever since.

It’s been about a year since I read the first book, but I believe there was quite a bit more angst in this one. Not that I’m complaining, I love good angst, and Kara deserves to have all the angst she wants. But there is also a lot of humor, and laughter, and some wonderfully funny and flirty banter between Kara and Dawson. I loved watching them get to know each other. Dawson was so patient with Kara, slowly drawing her out and encouraging her to face the world again, a little at a time. When his family finally met Kara, they too were all just wonderful to her, welcoming both she and her mother her to the fold. My heart broke for Kara and the pain she had suffered, not just physically but emotionally.

There’s a big misunderstanding on Kara’s part, which I did not see coming, that drives a wedge between them, to Dawson’s perplexion, and then a smaller misunderstanding, which I did see coming but which fortunately was resoled within a few pages. And some more angst over the difference between their ages, which I totally understood and was there for. And then of course the HEA, and it was all just so heartwarming and fun and delightful. And I don’t understand why the author’s books don’t have a bigger audience.

*received via Booksirens and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: If only she could be invisible…

Kara Grissom has spent twenty years in hiding. Ever since suffering a severe facial burn the night after her college graduation, her only refuge has been the childhood home she shares with her mother. She’s long since given up on any possibility of finding love, so when a handsome stranger suddenly invades her safe place, Kara’s stunned by the sudden awakening of desires she thought had died years ago.

Dawson Wickham loves life as a bachelor. With his own home, a great family, and the perfect job, he’s got everything he needs. But he also loves mysteries, and when he accidentally stumbles upon the reclusive Kara and she flees from him, her bizarre reaction is a mystery he just has to solve.

Kara knows that no man who sees her face could ever love her, so she does her best to rebuff Dawson’s interest. But he’s not the type to give up easily, especially once he begins to fall for her charm, wit, and intelligence. But will his love be enough to break through Kara’s phobia of rejection and convince her to trust him? Or is she destined to live out her days alone?

Cold Light of Day (Missing in Alaska, Book One)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2/7/23.

How acquired: Received from the publisher via Revell Reads Blogger Program.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: When this book came up for review, I didn’t even read the synopsis. Just the word “Alaska” and the author’s name were enough for me to know I wanted to read it. I’ve loved all of the author’s books that I’ve read so far, and lately I’ve been drawn to anything set in Alaska.

Autumn Long is the police chief in the small town of Shadow Gap, following in her father’s footsteps. Currently, the city council members are considering relieving her of her position, driving by Wally, who is pushing for his nephew to take over as police chief. On top of that, she’s suddenly faced with a small crime wave in her town, the likes of which Shadow Gap has never experienced before. So she’s got her hands full and plenty of stress on her plate.

Grier Brenner is an outsider who showed up in Shadow Gap to do some fishing, and then stuck around. That’s all Autumn knows about him, other than the fact that she finds him attractive and is drawn to him, feelings she does her best to ignore. I loved Autumn, but Grier was definitely the bigger draw for me. We know nothing about his past and can only speculate along with Autumn, who decides he must be former military at the least. But when the narrative is focused on him, we do start getting hints along the way. He’s a mysterious stranger, and we know he’s in hiding, as he keeps trying to remind himself he’s not in Shadow Gap to make friends and needs to keep to himself. But he’s also human, and with the townsfolk being so open and friendly, he can’t keep himself from visiting the Lively Moose every morning to eat breakfast with his new buddies. Whatever is going on in Shadow Gap, with two bodies, found near each other but seemingly unrelated, it’s nothing to do with him and he needs to keep a low profile. And yet he finds it hard to not get involved…

Memories that felt like they were from another life chased him. And here he was, running after danger again. For all the right reasons – again.

As the happenings in Autumn’s life and Grier’s life began to converge, the plot got a little convoluted, but the tenseness and suspense kept it moving at a brisk pace. Autumn and Grier are both being hunted, and find themselves thrown together in investigating, with Autumn offering to hire Grier since he obviously has skills, and Grier refusing the offers, because a background check might give her too much information about him, but then sticking close and working with her unofficially because he feels a need to protect her.

As I seem to say about every title I read from Revell’s romantic suspense line, the author’s writing is wonderful. I loved the detail about the Alaskan wilderness, and Autumn’s feelings about Shadow Gap and how much she loves her town and her work. The supporting characters aren’t fleshed out much, with Grier’s new friends being interchangeable to me, but this is about Grier and Autumn, and they were very real and believable and I was wholly invested in their story.

All in all, a great start to the author’s newest series. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book.

*received from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community. 

Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are--to disappear--when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he's not sure even Autumn could save him. 

As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.

Five Fortunes

 

BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Stats for my copy: Pdf, Next Chapter, 2023.

How acquired: Received from the author.

First line: “Don’t tell me you actually believe this stuff?” Megan said dismissively, tossing her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder in true drama queen fashion.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This was a quick and entertaining read. Five fourteen year old girls get their fortunes from a new arcade game at the mall. None of them are particularly impressed with their fortune, but from that moment on their friendships begin to erode after a series of misunderstandings between them. Which, as teenage girls are prone to, they each overreact to and read far too much into the actions, inactions, and believed slights of the others.

I don't read a lot of young adult fare, but I enjoyed the author's Jamie Quinn mystery series, so when she offered this to me I accepted. I found myself wishing my granddaughter was old enough to share this with to get the reaction of someone in the intended target's age, but at five, despite loving books, she's not quite ready for this story.

Oh, how I do not miss my own daughters being at the age of the girls in this book! Teen girls are just a bundle of emotions, and the author captured that perfectly in the five girls, as they moped and internalized and dealt with problems both real and perceived. And in the end everyone's story line wrapped up quite satisfyingly, with me even starting to tear up just bit as one mom rushed to her daughter's side after an allergic reaction.

I would say if there is a fourteen year old in your life, this would be a nice book to recommend to them, but I know from experience that girls of that age don't always take kindly to any kind of recommendation from an adult. Especially a parent.

*received from the author and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: When five fourteen-year-old girls get their fortunes from an arcade machine just for kicks, it turns their world upside-down and their close-knit group of friends starts to fall apart.

Misunderstandings abound as allegiances shift and outsiders start to come between them. The fortunes seem to be self-fulfilling prophecies - whether the girls believe in them or not.

Do our beliefs color our perception of the world? Do we ever see ourselves the way others see us, and why is change so hard?

Budding romance, angry bees, teenage fashion influencers, and parents who just don't get it make Barbara Venkataraman's 'Five Fortunes' a fun story you won't soon forget.

The Cowboy's Pride and Joy

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS INFORMATION THAT SOME MAY CONSIDER SPOILERS.

MAUREEN CHILD

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Harlequin, 2014.

How acquired: Bought.

First lines: “When Boston comes to Montana, it’s never a good thing.” Jake Hunter frowned into the distance.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: It’s been quite some time since I read a Maureen Child book but I’ve enjoyed them (I especially recommend SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL), so I looked forward to this one. And it did not disappoint.

Jake Hunter took over running the family ranch when he discharged from service. After having spent vacations at the ranch with his grandfather when he was a child, it and the mountain in Montana are the only home he ever loved, the only place he felt comfortable and at peace. His mother runs the other family business, a media empire started by his father’s family, and she has long been after him to take his rightful place there, but the last place Jake wants to live is Boston. His mother has finally agreed to let him completely off the hook for that business, and sends her assistant to Montana with paperwork for Jake to sign, which will absolve him of all dealings with the business.

This is a Harlequin (Desire), so of course Jake is wildly attracted to Cassie, said assistant, and of course a snowstorm rolls in, closing down roads so that Cassie cannot get back down the mountain to catch her flight back to Boston the next day. You can guess what happens between them, but once the weather clears up, it’s back to real life and they part company, because it was purely physical. No emotions involved. At least, none admitted to.

Fast forward fourteen months. Cassie is now a single mother to five month old Luke. Once she realized she was pregnant, she quit her job to keep Jake’s mother from finding out. Of course she didn’t notify Jake. He’d made it all too clear that he preferred to be alone on his mountain. But her sister has stepped in and taken the decision away from Cassie, going behind her back and telling Jake’s mother, and now Jake’s mother is threatening legal action. So off to Montana Cassie goes with Luke, to enlist Jake’s help in calling off his mother.

I’m always a little leery going into a secret baby story. I need there to be a compelling reason for the heroine to not let the hero know he’s a father. But again, Maureen Child, so I was curious to see how she would handle this. And I’ve gotta say, I totally understood where Cassie was coming from, and could sympathize with her reasoning for not telling Jake. Not saying it was right, but believable. But even more, after being lambasted by her sister and brother for keeping Jake in the dark, Cassie can admit she’s had some guilt over her decision. And after spending some time with Jake again, facing his anger but also seeing the hurt in his eyes, she’s finally able to admit she was wrong. And not admit it just to herself, but to Jake.

That doesn’t mean they’ll become a happy little family though. No, there’s still a lot to sort through and a lot of clashing with each other before they can finally get their HEA. I love a hero who is grouchy and angry and prickly, and the heroine has to get past his defenses, actually gets a little past them without even trying. I loved Jake and Cassie, plus Jake’s grandfather, loved their story, loved this book.

Goodreads Synopsis: All former marine Jake Hunter wants is peace and quiet. But when his business-minded mother sends her assistant Cassidy Moore from Boston to see him about a long-standing family dispute, chaos ensues. Their attraction rages out of control as a snowstorm strands them on his Montana ranch.

Flash-forward fourteen months: Cassie can't bring herself to tell Jake she's had his child. But when his mother interferes again, Cassie rushes back to Jake…just in time for another blizzard—and for the Christmas spirit to open one reclusive cowboy's heart. 

Critical Threat (Extreme Measures, Book 3)

LYNETTE EASON

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2023.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This series just gets better and better! A serial killer is on the loose, and the killings are reminiscent of an earlier serial killer who is now incarcerated. Supervisory Special Agency Grace Billingsley is a behavioral analyst – a profiler – called to the latest crime scene. Sam Monroe is an FBI agent and a prison psychiatrist, also called to the crime scene but in an unofficial capacity – he is the son of that incarcerated serial killer.

I loved Sam just about right off the bat. It’s been awhile since I read the previous books and I wondered briefly if we had already met him, but I don’t believe so. One of my first thoughts about him was what a gentleman he is. He and Grace met previously at a conference, where they spent some time together, but haven’t seen each other since. In a good romance, the characters usually have some baggage (don’t we all?), and with his infamous father, Sam has a lot of baggage. He and his now ex-wife had even changed theirs and their children’s last names in order to distance themselves from his father.

In the previous books, from what I remember, especially the first book, the action started right from the first few pages. This time around the book started off at a leisurely pace, though no less enthralling, as Grace and Sam, along with other members of the FBI, continue to investigate. Sam has a niggling feeling that his father, despite being in prison, is somehow connected to the murders. He and Grace visit the previous crime scenes as Grace gathers information to create a profile of the killer. There is some action, a car nearly running Grace over in a parking structure, but the real, pulse-pounding action starts around page 124. Not that I’m complaining, I was completely invested in the story from the first chapter.

As usual, the author’s writing is descriptive and flowing. Though I’d never read about characters heading somewhere as aiming themselves. As in, she aimed herself towards the door. I guess when we are going somewhere, we do aim ourselves in that direction. It just struck me as an odd way to describe it. Also as usual, all of the characters are well written. While we don’t see the main couples from the first two books until the very end, we meet lots of new characters, including Sam’s kids and mother-in-law, who all live with him, and both Sam’s and Grace’s coworkers. Sam’s 12 year old daughter is prevalent throughout the book, and I loved how she took to Grace immediately upon meeting her. There are plenty of twists, and while I suspected (correctly) that one plot point was going to happen, until it did I never knew where the story was going, and when it did I had no idea how the characters would get out of their predicament.

Another wonderful and suspenseful story, and I can’t wait for the next book!

*received from the publisher and voluntarily reviewed*

Goodreads Synopsis: FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn't mean they're not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer--in prison but certainly not out of Sam's life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter's MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They've met before--and though Grace thought they'd made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They'll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case--especially because it's about to get personal.