Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

A fantastic page turning time travel, historical fiction, romance and mystery novel!! There is so much to this novel that I did not want to stop reading.  I have read all of the books in the series and this was one of my favorites.  This novel follows Portia, the middle sister, as she attempts to find her youngest sister in the eighteenth century.  Portia goes through the time stitch and promptly lands herself into danger.  She is held up by highway men while traveling to find her sister.  Then she ends up helping the men who were attempting to rob her when one of them gets injured.  Unable to find her sister she ends up staying with the highway men who are definitely more than meets the eye.   I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed this book. It is the fourth in the series but I do think you could enjoy this book as a standalone.  The author does give a forward that helps explain what has happened in the previous books.  There was s...

  a cup of hot chocolate and be prepared to thank your lucky stars that you are not stranded on the side of a mountain in a horrible winter storm.  "North of Nowhere" is a fast paced thriller set in the rugged winter landscape of Montana.  Sixteen year old Kristen and her deaf younger brother Ryan are on the run from their biological father.  Their family is dangerous and involved in shady business.  Kristen and Ryan left 5 years ago after their mother was killed with a trusted family friend.  They have been on the run until their father finally caught up with them.  Now after trying to run away they have to use all their skills to survive in brutal conditions.   The novel was filled with excellent action and the reader was left guessing as to what would happen.  The chapters switched to different character points of views so there were cliff hangers which made me want to keep reading.  I thought this was an excellent thriller!!...

  This was one of the best books I have read this year!  I have absolutely fallen in love with this series and I hope there will be many more books to come.  This is the second book in the series and I would recommend reading the first book, "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries," before reading this novel.   This books is extremely unique in that it has a blend of so many different elements.  It takes place in the early 1900s yet the world is not quite like ours because people know that the fae exist.  Women also have more equality and rights in this world. Emily is a professor and scholar of faerie and has dedicated her life to studying them.  Not only does she study them but one of them is her friend, partner, and love interest, Wendell.   In this novel, Wendell, a faerie royal who has been hiding in the mortal world for ten years after his step mother took his rightful throne is trying to find his door back to his kingdom.  Hi...

Viking's Captive was a steamy time travel romance set in the 8th century in Norway. Donna is an attorney who works to secure women's rights in present day New York City. At a trial she sees an ex who burned her in the past and caused her to swear off any man that might take advantage of women. Before the trial begins a woman gives her a spindle and she finds herself transported to the time of Vikings. There she meets Sigurd the jarl of his community and he also dismisses women as being weak and distrustful. These two are an unlikely pair but we end up with an action packed novel with lots of romance. This novel is part of a series and I had not read the other books. It did not diminish my enjoyment of the novel. The novel was also a very quick read. There were times when I did find Sigurd an overbearing male and I wanted Donna to smack him over the head. I read a lot of historical fiction and I think the author did a great job with the time period. It was easy to visualize. Ove...

 It is impossible not to love "With Love, from Cold World."  It is a contemporary romance with unique characters that you will not want to stop reading about. The novel is set in a theme park in Florida which is all about cold weather.  I loved the irony here.   Lauren and Asa both work for the theme park but the two of them cannot stand each other.  Both of them have back stories that really make them easy to connect with. The writing alternates between Lauren and Asa so you find yourself wanting to keep reading to find out what the other character is thinking.  Lauren is a bookkeeper for the theme park but she is also a former foster child who wants to give back to other kids in the same situation.  Asa has worked at Cold World for ten years and considers it a safe place like a second family. Asa was kicked out of his house when he turned 18 due to his parents'strict values so Cold World helps fill a void for him.  These two characters have...

 I fell in LOVE with "Love, Holly".  This is a romance story that explores the power of fate and reminds you about the power of forgiveness.  Holly is driving with her sister and stops at a small cafe to get a coffee.  While there she randomly meets a handsome stranger.  Little does she know that her life is going to change dramatically in the next few hours.  This story had an emotional impact to me as I had a loved one in the same situation as Emma.  I did shed a few tears along the way but I really enjoyed this story.  It was a wonderful novel that had so many wonderful connections and I loved how the characters were all intertwined in ways I couldn't imagine.  A great read for anyone looking for a book that will touch your heart strings especially one set during Christmas. 

  This was a moving love story about a woman who has run away from a toxic relationship only to be left homeless and hopeless.  She finds shelter in a vacant house and fully expects to be kicked out any day while she scrambles to get on her feet.  She never expects the kindness that she encounters from the new owner of the home.  In an effort to still have an affordable place to stay, Jess agrees to help the new homeowner, Gethin, with his renovation projects.  What she doesn't expect is how she will be drawn to him as she tries to make her life right.  There were many things I loved about this novel.  Jess has an interesting back story and was a relatable character.  Both Gethin and Jess were in their 40s which always helps to draw me in because I feel like so many novels are written for 20 year olds. The setting took place in Wales and I loved reading about what life was like there.  The novel was very enjoyable and different from your typi...

 One Night is a thriller that will keep you wondering who really killed Meghan.  Megan died ten years ago and now her entire family and the man who spent 10 years in jail for her murder has been invited to their old family's summer house to get answers.  The novel switches points of view so you are constantly guessing as to who is guilty or who knows more than they are saying.  The end of each chapter is a cliff hanger so the reader wants to keep reading to find out what is going to happen.  I must admit that I definitely did not foresee the ending of this book. Overall I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a good thriller and something a little darker. 

This was an edge of your seat thriller which kept me guessing until the end.  Jade has recently been dumped by her boyfriend for her best friend.  She decides to go on her semester at sea trip even though she was supposed to room with Lainey- her ex-best friend.  There is no way Jade thinks that Lainey will show up.  However not only does she show up but she is with her ex-boyfriend as well.  Jade has to find a way to cope so she tries to focus on a new group of friends and tries to find a way to make her ex-boyfriend jealous.  Then the unthinkable happens and someone ends up murdered.  Things go from bad to worse and Jade has to do all she can to try and figure out what is happening.  I really enjoyed this young adult novel.  I could relate to Jade's situation at first having been betrayed by a friend as well.  I loved the action and there were some great twists that I did not see coming.  An excellent thriller that anyone will enj...

Would you move in to a murder house?  Sarah, an online influencer and therapist, thinks that the Black Wood House will be the answer to all of her problems.  The previous owner ended up killing his wife with a hammer and tried to kill his daughter so Sarah was able to get the house for cheap.  With her marriage in shambles and her online presence not drumming up the business like it had in the past; Sarah hopes that by fixing the house with her husband and posting updates both areas in her life will improve.  However there are skeletons in Sarah's past and her neighbors do not want her there.  She starts to get threatening notes, the house seems to be out to get her, and she feels constantly sick.  To top it all off there really seems to be something in the attic.  She hears noises and her cat seems to be telling her to go up there.  Will Sarah survive or will it all fall apart? This is a high intensity thriller that will keep you guessing.  ...