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Thursday, January 26, 2017

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A Fatal Romance
by June Shaw

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A Fatal Romance (A Twin Sisters Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Publication Date: January 24, 2017
Paperback – ISBN13: 9781516100958
E-Book ASIN: B01F0YVQEE
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Synopsis

Fixing up homes can be tricky.
Finding true love can be even trickier.
But finding a killer can be plain old deadly . . .
Twin sister divorcees Sunny Taylor and Eve Vaughn have had their fill of both heartaches and headaches. So when they settle down in the small Louisiana town of Sugar Ledge and open a remodeling and repair company, they think they’ve finally found some peace—even though Eve is still open for romance while Sunny considers her own heart out-of-business.
Then their newest customer ends up face-down in a pond, and his widow is found dead soon after. Unfortunately, Sunny was witnessed having an unpleasant moment with the distraught woman, and suspicion falls on the twins. And when an attempt is made on Eve’s life, they find themselves pulled into a murder mystery neither knows how to navigate.
With a town of prying eyes on them, and an unknown culprit out to stop them, Sunny and Eve will have to depend on each other like never before if they’re going to clip a killer in the bud.

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About The Author

From the bayou country of South Louisiana, June Shaw previously sold a series of humorous mysteries to Five Star, Harlequin, and Untreed Reads. Publishers Weekly praised her debut, Relative Danger, which became a finalist for the David Award for Best Mystery of the Year. A hybrid author who has published other works, she has represented her state on the board of Mystery Writers of America’s Southwest Chapter for many years and continued to serve as the Published Author Liaison for Romance Writers of America’s Southern Louisiana chapter. She gains inspiration for her work from her faith, family, and friends, including the many readers who urge her on. For more info please visit juneshaw.com.
http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31823


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This is my first time to read a book from this author. I really like her creativity and how the story flowed so easily. This cozy mystery was a bit more serious than I am use to and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The characters were great and I loved the twins so much. The author did a great job of describing them and I found them to be enchanting. It can be very hard to figure out who is who when you are dealing with twins. I remember in high school there were a set of identical twin boys. They loved to fool teachers and their friends.

Sunny and Eve have opened a remodeling and repair company together. They are very gifted at their work and have clients lined up.  I loved the spunkiness of one of the twins. She was very outgoing and looking for love. The other twin was a bit more reserved and not as trusting as her sister. The author really showed how close they were and I loved how they could sense when something was wrong with the other.

The story surrounds the mystery of who killed their client . What I really liked was the well meaning  neighbors,  and the detective who wanted them to stay out of the investigation. Neighbors love to think they are helping when giving information but sometimes they can really be well too chatty.   The police are suspicious of Sunny and Eve. What makes everyone suspicious of the twins? Why do they start losing business? They soon realize they are in danger when one of them is injured by an unknown person.

I loved the banter between Dave who comes  to install an alarm system in one of the twins houses. He seemed to be an honest person but when the alarm doesn't work he became my number one suspect. I loved how the author gave us several suspects and I had a hard time figuring out who the killer was. Before the suspect is caught another murder occurs. Who is the unfortunate person who becomes victim number two?

The twins will have to watch each other's backs as they try to stay one step ahead of the killer. Why does someone want one or both of the twins dead? It is a great mystery with twists that draw the reader into the story with action and intrigue. There was a part in the story that piqued my interest. Several times the author mentioned an older sister of the twins who was shot and killed in a drive by. This has bothered the twins for a long time because the murder was never solved. I'm hoping the author will write a story about this unsolved case and give closure to the twins. The ending is a shocker to me and I loved how the author was able to stump me on figuring out the killer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour . The review is my own opinion.


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WITH THIS RING by DEBRA CLOPTON

I love reading books by this author. They are always clean, nice and wonderful stories that  tug  on your emotions. Her characters are well developed and come to life. They are relatable and I love how she writes them with struggles that readers can relate to. This book is not only about finding love but having faith.

Jessica and her son Kevin have gone through a tragic loss. Losing her husband in a terrible accident was devasting and she decides she needs a fresh start. I loved revisiting Windswept Bay again. The town is quaint and full of delightful characters. Jessica takes a teaching job at her son's new school. She hopes the move will help Kevin adjust to the loss of his dad. Jessica is a sweet person who wants the best for her child. She is still trying to get past Christmas when Kevin asked Santa and God for a new daddy. The faith of a child is special and the author really showed how important Kevin's faith was to him.

Levi is the chief of police and through an unexpected invite, finds himself at Kevin's school for show and tell. I remember when I was younger kids would bring their favorite toy to share. Levi is doing a great job of interacting with the children until someone shouts out something that has him scrambling for words. What was said that have Jessica and Levi denying rumors? This makes for a fun adventure as  Levi  seems to get deeper in trouble with women in the town. He has become the number one bachelor in town and the single women are flooding him with homemade food to win his attention. This  makes for some fun moments in the story .

Jessica seems to be running into Levi everywhere and he starts to grow close to her and Kevin. The author does a great job of showing how Levi doesn't push or pressure Jessica. It must be hard to have feelings for someone and know their heart isn't ready. Will Jessica learn to trust Levi? Can he win her heart? Will Kevin get a new daddy?  Make sure you grab a copy of this book about loss, faith and learning to trust .

I received a copy of this book from the author . The review is my own opinion .

Wednesday, January 25, 2017


WEST OVERSEA by LARS WALKER

This is not my typical genre to read but I found the writing to be so descriptive I had to continue on. I love books that allow readers to travel to different eras and explore different cultures. I knew few little about the Vikings and what their beliefs were. The author does a great job of telling a story that makes you feel like you are  right there with the characters. They are bold, strong and fierce and have a determination to enjoy  their adventure on the high seas.

I am not a fan of the ocean and have no desire to ever travel on a ship. I don't even know how to swim. It was easy for me to sympathize with Father Ailiil who is not thrilled with the turbulent waves as the water splashed continually. He just couldn't get a break. It was intriguing to learn that he was willing to get on a ship when he gets news of his sister . He has long though to be dead but rumors have given him hope . It sure would have to be something really important for me to  want to step on a ship and travel . Will he find his sister? The story is captivating and really has some great action throughout the story. What object is discovered that will have an impact on characters?

I really found myself intrigued by the mystery in the book and the action that kept a great pace during the story. There are several characters in the book that I found to be interesting and at times a bit funny with a sarcastic tone. It made the story  lively and I have now found a new author to read .

I received a copy of this book from Bookfun.org. The  review is my honest opinion.

JUST A LITTLE GIRL by VICTORIA SARVADI

What an emotional book this was. The author did an amazing job of keeping readers interested as she told her story. There were times in the book  that I was able to relate to her and I loved her openness and honesty during her struggles.  The book is well written and takes us inside the life of a woman who sees her guardian angel and how her life was changed by the encounter. We hear all the time that people can see an angel or have an out of body experience during a life threatening event. I like how the author described her encounter and how encouraged she became from the words the angel spoke to her.

Throughout the book I knew she was a very strong and determined woman by never giving up. Her hunger to have a deeper relationship with God was very evident. There was one relationship that definitely had an impact on her life. Her father always treated her like she couldn't do anything right . She felt like she could never please him and was continually made to feel "like a little girl." I never had a good relationship with my dad and I could feel her pain as she tried so hard to repair that relationship.


I was very impressed by the success she and her husband have achieved over the years. It took prayer and perseverance to overcome some of the obstacles on their journey. I was very intrigued by her desire to learn about the Hebrew studies and to understand the Bible with a clearer understanding. There were times as I read all the different  responsibilities she had, that I began to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we think we are doing these things to honor God; we get involved in every ministry in the church and before we know it we have forgotten about our family . I loved how she realized that she was doing things for the wrong reasons and needed to get back to having a one on one relationship with God. I loved the book know that I I will reread  it because it has so many great nuggets of wisdom throughout the book. The book is a journey of family, business, emotional stress, success and healed relationships.  I wrote down a couple of things from the book that really touched me and I will end my review with those.

"Sometimes God puts us in places to intentionally shake things up."

Sometimes life is about filling -in-the-blanks-, and once that's accomplished you can move on.

I received a copy of this book from Bookfun.org. The review is my honest opinion.