#bookblogger – Page 45 – Rosepoint Publishing

Secrets of the Greek Revival by Eva Pohler – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

Like Nancy Drew meets The Golden Girls!

Ellen and her two best friends share a mid-life crisis by hatching a plan to renovate an 1860’s Greek revival in the nearby historic district of San Antonio. Although Ellen isn’t one to believe in ghosts, she comes face to face with something inexplicable in the attic. Her ghost-enthusiast friends convince her that they must help the spirit find closure, and as they dig deeper into the past, they uncover a shocking history that someone in the neighborhood doesn’t want exposed.

But Ellen and her friends don’t give up easily. They realize they’ve been called to give voice to the invisible women who suffered behind the walls of the house for decades.

The books in this series may be read in any order.

My Review:

You don’t get many books geared toward older protagonists, so the blurb got me. Yes, I do enjoy ghost stories and expected the “golden girls” to be well into retirement. They were certainly written as if they were, but surprise, still working in their fifties.

I was expecting a ghost story and got—well—sorta, but not. I was expecting wonderful description of the building’s architecture and features. Apparently, it didn’t have original kitchen cabinets and I still don’t know what it was really supposed to look like. I hoped the ladies might be intelligent enough to pull off a rehab—but it’s good they had more money than sense as they changed the original idea for the Gold House to a museum.

Ellen is the lead MC and we know little about her except that her sex life is almost non-existent and she is having marital problems. (Really.) Sue and Tanya are not wholly developed except that Sue is pro-ghost and enjoys a good séance. I was introduced to “Goofer Dust,” the first I’ve heard or read of it, an old Black American hoodoo formula composed mainly of graveyard dirt, snakeskin, and powdered bones.

The writing style is simplistic with a slow burn. Not a lot of description, background, or character development, and none of the three ladies were particularly compelling or engaging.

The plot shift from ghost to wild child to pregnant woman with a boyfriend is swift and head-spinning. No real sympathetic characters and some were downright distasteful. A lot of tell, not show and the plot bogged down more than once by reading portions of a journal. What was eventually disclosed was a downer as well as the shift (again) of what they were going to do with the place.

I received a free copy of this book from the author through a promo on Instagram and next time will research more before I bite. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Occult Supernatural, Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Occult Horror
Publisher: Green Press
ASIN: B019ATLCWG.
Print Length: 255 pages
Publication Date: December 12, 2015
Source: Free Instagram Offer
Title Link(s): Secrets of the Greek Revival [Amazon]

The Author: After earning her Ph.D. in English and teaching writing and literature for over twenty years, Eva Pohler worked diligently to become a USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels in multiple genres, including supernatural mysteries, thrillers, and young adult paranormal romance based on Greek mythology. Her books have been described as “addictive” and “sure to thrill”–Kirkus Reviews.

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Visit Eva’s website for FREE resources, such as a Greek names pronunciation guide, Underworld map, and a printable reading log. You will also find free ebooks and other cool stuff: http://www.evapohler.com.

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Rescuing Crockett: A Western Historical Fiction Epic by David Pyke – #BookReview – #WesternFictionClassics

A Silas Grant Novel Book 1

Book Blurb:

What if Davy Crockett survived the Alamo?

Silas Grant prepares for a future with the girl of his dreams. The resourceful sixteen-year-old is learning the blacksmith trade from his father and frontier skills from Texas Revolution veterans. But when a portrait of David Crockett triggers hope that the folk hero didn’t die two years earlier, Silas joins a quest for the truth.

Exploring a world healing from the war, Silas and his fellow Texians investigate the accounts of Alamo survivors and pursue a witness to the battle’s final moments. Their odyssey turns lethal as layers of the last stand’s legend peel away to expose a shocking secret.

Will the revelation stun a nation or ignite a fatal showdown?

Rescuing Crockettis the gripping first book of the Silas Grant western historical fiction series. If you like rousing adventure, immersive storytelling, and commitment to authenticity, you’ll love David Z. Pyke’s captivating tale of redemption that Kirkus Reviewshails as “A thrilling historical drama, as engrossing as it is edifying.”

His Review:

Mexico had just won its independence in 1821 from Spain after 300-plus years of colonialism. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836. The battle of the Alamo is one of the premier moments in Texas history and, according to historical records, there were no survivors. My recollection from history in high school noted the bodies stacked in the central area of the mission like cords of wood twelve bodies high.

General Santa Ana was President of Mexico and the head of the army during the attack on the Alamo. Santa Ana was a cruel general who accepted no prisoners and considered the Texas fighters traitors to the country. His orders were to leave no person alive after they conquered the fighters at the Alamo. Identifying all of the bodies was not foremost on his mind. (Mexican soldiers numbered 1500 to the Texan defenders of 200.)

David Pyke paints a very illuminating picture of the battle and the subsequent aftermath in San Antonio. A rumor that David Crockett may have survived the battle was the premise of this tale. At the time, the French had embargoed the Mexican ports and were not allowing any Mexican ships safe passage. The rumor was fueled by a drawing made by a gifted artist of someone near Vera Cruz who looked surprisingly like Crockett. Could he still be alive and be held captive by Santa Ana at one of his residences?

This book paints a very colorful and graphic analysis of life in the 1830s in the then Republic of Texas as well as Mexico. Because Crockett had been a U.S. Representative from the state of Tennessee, his history was very important to the population at that time. He became disillusioned with his political struggles in Tennessee and moved to Texas to join that new republic. He fought with the Texas dissidents at the Alamo and was either captured or killed outright. This alternative possible outcome is very fun to read. Enjoy! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four stars

Book Details:

Genre: Western Fiction Classics, Historical Thrillers, US Historical Fiction
Publisher: Leonard Street Publishing
ISBN: ‎ 1959440020
ASIN: B0C1824MVZ
Print Length: 380 pages
Publication Date: March 31, 2023
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: David Z. Pyke has always been a writer. His relationship with words began in elementary school, where he read Beowulf and Dracula by the time he was 10 years old. He wrote his first stories for newspapers when he was 15 and has written professionally for 47 years.

His passion stems from his heritage: Pyke is a native Texan related to one of the Alamo defenders. His great-great-great-great-great-granduncle, Isaac Millsaps, was one of the Immortal 32, the reinforcements from Gonzales who answered William Barret Travis’s call for help, rode to San Antonio, and died in the Alamo on March 6, 1836.

In 1991, a mutual friend introduced David to Suzanne, an English literature teacher from Missouri. Their first date was on a Friday the 13th. She later confessed that before that first date, she read some of his stories to make sure he could write. Apparently, he received a passing grade. They were engaged five months later, married four months after that, and in 2022 celebrated their 30th anniversary.

‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt- #AudiobookReview – #AnimalCozyMysteries

An Andy Carpenter Novel Book 28

in Animal Cozy Mysteries

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue—and their families—are invited to celebrate.

This year’s party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin the evening. Derek Moore, one of the foundation’s best foster volunteers, is arrested for murder.

Andy discovers Derek—whose real name is Bobby—is in the witness protection program after giving evidence against his former gang. The police believe Bobby murdered a member. But Bobby swears to Andy he didn’t do this. He’s built a new life, a new business, has two new dogs after being a double foster-failure.

There isn’t much Andy likes about this case, but he likes Bobby. If he’s innocent, Andy wants to help. Before Andy can settle down for his long winter’s nap, he has a client’s name to clear, a murderer to catch, and two new dogs to look after: a golden and a Dalmatian. Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, will have to adjust to not being the only golden at the house while Andy gets to the bottom of this one…

My Review:

Once a year the Tara Foundation throws a Christmas party for the people and their adopted rescue dogs. Andy Carpenter is NOT a fan of eggnog and is relieved when Pete Stanton, homicide detective (and an old buddy of his), calls him outside. The problem is that he warns him one of his party guests is about to be arrested. Surely they can’t be talking about Derek, a foster failure for having decided to keep the two dogs he was fostering.

Andy, though supposedly retired and avoiding working as an attorney, ends up believing Derek’s (Bobby’s) story, and agrees to represent him. Andy’s cases are never simple and neither is this one. The investigation will become complex and uncover some ugly issues from mobsters and drugs to murder.

Andy has an unusual crew that includes his wife Laurie (an ex-cop) and her K-9 team, as well as Marcus, and a guy he calls on for quiet IT work. (Laurie loves Christmas and starts the season by Halloween (which Andy tries to avoid as much as possible—especially the music), so this novel won’t be including a lot of Christmas detail.)

And then there are the dogs, Tara, for whom the rescue foundation is named, Andy’s pug Hunter, and Sebastian, who does little besides warm a bed. While Tara may have featured more prominently in previous installments, not so much in this one. Still, I love the stories of the doggos that this time includes Bobby’s two foster failures, Sasha and Jake. I always remember with a chuckle the times I went to the breeder’s house when we were waiting for Frosty to be released, and the hubby would answer the door to a cacophony of barking and dogs scrambling to see who was there. He would merely sigh—“We have dogs.”

As always, I enjoy the courtroom scenes with Andy doing his best to alienate everyone including the judge with his legal wrangling of appropriate precedent. While he worries about how strong he’s made his case, he always keeps his eye on proving a plausible alternative to his own client.

Along the way is the signature Andy Carpenter sense of humor, the wise-cracking, snarky observation of events, and his interpretation delivered beautifully as only Grover Gardner can do. He has sold this character many times over and the author’s love of dogs shines through every time. You gotta love them.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher. These are my honest thoughts. This series is an easy go-to. My only problem is that they are too short.

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Cozy Mysteries, Animal Fiction, Traditional Detective Mysteries
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0BV8X894N
Listening Length: 6 hrs 33 mins
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas [Amazon]
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: David Rosenfelt, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, is a graduate of NYU. He was the former marketing president for Tri-Star Pictures before becoming a writer of novels and screenplays. “Open And Shut” was his first novel; “First Degree,” his second novel, was named a best book of 2003 by Publishers Weekly. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and 35 dogs.

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The Narrator:

Grover Gardner’s narration career spans twenty-five years and over 550 audiobook titles. AudioFile Magazine has called him one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and features him in their annual “Golden Voices” update. Publishers Weekly named him Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2005. His recordings have garnered 18 “Golden Earphones” awards from AudioFile and an Audie Award from the Audio Publishers’ Association.
http://grovergardner.blogspot.com/

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

An Alex Delaware Novel

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis confront a baffling, vicious double homicide that leads them to long-buried secrets worth killing for in the riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling “master of suspense” (Los Angeles Times).

LAPD homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis sees it all the time: Reinvention’s a way of life in a city fueled by fantasy. But try as you might to erase the person you once were, there are those who will never forget the past . . . and who can still find you.

A pool boy enters a secluded Bel Air property and discovers two bodies floating in the bright blue water: Gio Aggiunta, the playboy heir to an Italian shoe empire, and a gorgeous, even wealthier neighbor named Meagin March. A married neighbor.

An illicit affair stoking rage is a perfect motive. But a “double” in this neighborhood of gated estates isn’t something you see every day. The house is untouched. No forced entry, no forensic evidence. The case has “that feeling,” and when that happens, Milo turns to his friend, the brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware.

As Milo and Alex investigate both victims, they discover two troubled pasts. And as they dig deeper, Meagin March’s very identity begins to blur. Who was this glamorous but conflicted woman? Did her past catch up to her? Or did Gio’s family connections create a threat spanning two continents?

Chasing down the answers leads Alex and Milo on an exploration of L.A.’s darkest side as they contend with one of the most shocking cases of their careers and learn that that some secrets are best left buried in the past.

My Review:

Okay, my turn for an Alex Delaware series novel by Jonathan Kellerman (the CE can’t have them all), one of my favorite series and authors. There have been almost forty installments but as numerous as that sounds, each is fresh (could be read as a standalone) and I never get tired of his descriptive writing style.

There are actually two threads in this one, a minor thread about an adopted juvenile whose parents decide they no longer want him. (Knife to the heart!) The major plot involves a double homicide. Alex is a child psychologist but is frequently pulled into an investigation by his homicide detective buddy, Milo Sturgis, as is this one after they discover the death of two persons poolside in the LA area.

Dr. Delaware is exceptionally observant and his training makes him uniquely qualified to get into the scene, postulate how and in what order the crime might have gone down. The lady in question is older and married (not necessarily to the young male found in proximity), extremely rich through her marriage. He is likewise embarrassingly rich, the young son of an Italian shoe empire.

No question there are negative feelings for both victims at the beginning of the book. Spoiled rich kid—mysterious lady, hidden past. Hmmm. So, who was the target? The collateral damage?

Obviously a layered investigation, more so on Alex’s side, that begins with the process of elimination and a lot of hours and manpower spent in mindless scouring of everything from phone calls to birth records.

[Side bar: Of course, Alex has green eyes—surprise!—so does another character along with the explanation that only two percent of the world’s population have them. Them and the CE! (It always frosted me that I never got my mother’s beautiful blue eyes. So what would be the odds that my son would have the CE’s green eyes? Despite my m-i-l declaring it would be impossible—apparently not.)]

As Alex and Milo progress through interviews, the sentiment gradually begins to sway just a tad to neutral and by the end of the book strongly sympathetic to both victims. Gees, can a person ever catch a break?

As always, I enjoy the aesthetics and atmosphere of the LA area and surrounds, and the characters, both main and support are well-developed, engaging, and magnetic. Of course, Alex and Milo spark off each other, the perfect antithesis and their dynamic works. The child custody case might be heartbreaking, but the conclusion is a positive one—a win when you need it. Now, the painting of the Ghost Orchid…

These installments always leave me anticipating the next one, but gotta say, I really enjoyed this one a lot! The CE last read City of the Dead and I The Wedding Guest but this one wins the five stars. Recommended—a don’t miss!

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author and publisher through @NetGalley that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Book Details:

Genre: Ghost Suspense, Ghost Mysteries, Murder Thrillers
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ASIN: B0C4JBJBFG
Print Length: 304 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Jonathan Kellerman was born in New York City in 1949 and grew up in Los Angeles. He helped work his way through UCLA as an editorial cartoonist, columnist, editor and freelance musician. As a senior, at the age of 22, he won a Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for fiction.

Like his fictional protagonist, Alex Delaware, Jonathan received at Ph.D. in psychology at the age of 24, with a specialty in the treatment of children. He served internships in clinical psychology and pediatric psychology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and was a post-doctoral HEW Fellow in Psychology and Human Development at CHLA.

IN 1975, Jonathan was asked by the hospital to conduct research into the psychological effects of extreme isolation (plastic bubble units) on children with cancer, and to coordinate care for these kids and their families. The success of that venture led to the establishment, in 1977 of the Psychosocial Program, Division of Oncology, the first comprehensive approach to the emotional aspects of pediatric cancer anywhere in the world. Jonathan was asked to be founding director and, along with his team, published extensively in the area of behavioral medicine. Decades later, the program, under the tutelage of one of Jonathan’s former students, continues to break ground.

Jonathan’s first published book was a medical text, PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER, 1980. One year later, came a book for parents, HELPING THE FEARFUL CHILD.

In 1985, Jonathan’s first novel, WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS, was published to enormous critical and commercial success and became a New York Times bestseller. BOUGH was also produced as a t.v. movie and won the Edgar Allan Poe and Anthony Boucher Awards for Best First Novel. Since then, Jonathan has published a best-selling crime novel every year, and occasionally, two a year. In addition, he has written and illustrated two books for children and a nonfiction volume on childhood violence, SAVAGE SPAWN (1999.) Though no longer active as a psychotherapist, he is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Jonathan is married to bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman and they have four children. [Goodreads]

#TuesdayBookBlog

Closure by Garrett Addison – #BookReview – #vigilantejustice

A page-turner psychological revenge crime thriller mystery

Book Blurb:

It’s hard to move on when vengeance takes over.

Bestselling author and clinical psychologist James Malter immediately attracts police suspicion when his terminally ill patients suddenly begin suiciding and harming others. His guilt seems even more likely when the seemingly innocent victims are found to be related to his sister’s acquitted killer many years earlier. With mounting casualties and a shadow threatening to derail his past and sully his career, Malter’s quest to uncover the truth will pit his longstanding belief in ‘moving on’ against his long-suppressed want for revenge.

His Review:

Regrettably, the police did not catch this despot in time. He spent a lifetime killing people in the most gruesome manner. The detective who finally outed him had found his sister’s body horribly mutilated with evidence of her horrendous execution. Pleads to let her die were ignored as the criminal reveled in his ability to make his victims writhe and suffer.

Finally captured, he is lying on his deathbed confronting his captor and some of the relatives of his victims. Oh yes, he was apologizing, but the deceased were given absolutely no mercy! How could anyone be so depraved as to subject other human beings to such cruelties?

This writer is very talented! He illuminated the subject with surgical precision and graphic detail. His writing would have garnered a five-star rating from me except that his topic was appalling! Writing with such illuminating clarity about a sadistic serial killer is, in my opinion, an unfortunate misuse of his talent. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book provided by the author. Unfortunately, this kind of subject is not for me.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Vigilante Justice, Vigilante Justice Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
ASIN: B0C3YNC8BJ
Print Length: 233 pages
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Source: Author

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-AU | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Garrett Addison is an Australian revenge author keen to bring something different to people’s reading. Forget your formulaic storylines and cliched characters, Garrett wants to sucker you in to something light, readable, enjoyable and ultimately help you discover (or rediscover) the joy of being totally immersed in a book.

Web: https://garrettaddison.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GarrettAddison
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/garrettaddisonauthor

Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose – #AudiobookReview – #TBT

Book Blurb:

Discover New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose’s brand-new series set in the sultry city of New Orleans and featuring a tough team of high-end private investigators who are after justice—no matter what they have to do to get it.

Good cops. Bad cops. Only one will win.

After completing her tours with the Marines in Iraq, Molly Sutton knew she could take down any bad guy she met. But when a family tragedy exposes the dark side of her local police, she joined up with her former CO Burke Broussard, who left New Orleans PD to set up a private investigative service for people who couldn’t find justice elsewhere.

Gabe Hebert saw the toll that working for the NOPD took on his dad and decided instead to make a name for himself as one of the best young chefs in the French Quarter. But when his father’s death is ruled a suicide after a deliberately botched investigation by his former captain, Gabe knows his dad stumbled onto a truth that someone wants silenced.

Gabe goes to his father’s best friend, Burke, for help. Burke assigns the toughest member of his team, Molly, to the case. Molly can’t believe she’s being asked to work with the smoking hot chef whose chocolate cake is not the only thing that makes her mouth water. Sparks fly as they follow the leads Gabe’s dad left them, unraveling a web of crimes, corruption, and murder that runs all the way to the top.

My Review:

I sure wish books came with the same kind of ratings as movies do. If they did, I might not have opted to listen to steamy sex scenes that greatly prolonged an already lengthy novel. This one went well beyond “romance” and straight to the sheets with sufficient description to curl your hair—or depending on who you are—heat in other places.

I chose the book because of the location, New Orleans, which I thought would be fun and reading the blurb, a good crime thriller mystery as well. There is suspense but after the hook and good start, high body count.

There is more than one POV that switches back and forth occasionally, putting you in the head of the perp, and in the meantime, the two main characters Molly Sutton and Gabe Hebert get to know each other really well.

An ex-Marine, Molly joined her former CO in his private investigation service. She is delighted when she is paired with Gabe, an accomplished chef, in the investigation of his father’s death. He is convinced his dad would never take his own life and neither could guess just where or how high this examination could take them.

Once again, the romance begins too quickly and escalates into the forefront of the storyline. When they surface, they pursue any leads that might have come their way even when it appears that the stakes are ever higher and they’ve ruffled feathers along the way.

Some very interesting support characters, although I also tired of the boy’s story of being saved during Katrina by the sacrifice of his mother, an oft-repeated backstory becoming very familiar.

Generally, it is fast-paced, well-plotted, descriptive, and atmospheric of the region. But Lordy, is it long! Could it be cut in half? If I hadn’t been multi-tasking as usual while listening, I’d have skipped through those graphic sex scenes. The narrator did a fine job with the accents and Southern drawl and I don’t think there are too many themes the author missed from murder to secrets and corruption.

I downloaded a copy of this audiobook from my local well-stocked library. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Publishing: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery Romance
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B09MDT37QL
Listening Length: 21 hrs 41 mins
Narrator: Lee Osorio
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Link: Quarter to Midnight [Amazon]

The Author: Internationally bestselling, RITA-award winning, author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn’t concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”

Her debut suspense novel, DON’T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published more than twenty-five novels and two novellas. Her twenty-sixth novel, QUARTER TO MIDNIGHT, will be released in 2022.

Karen’s books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London’s Sunday Times, and Germany’s der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa (#1) and Australia!

To date, her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than thirty years.

Autumn at Rosepoint Pub

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Book Blurb:

At a Texas county fair, amidst carousels and a bustling midway, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her favorite cowboy: her two-year-old son, Charlie. But just as they’re about to head home, the unthinkable happens: a shooter opens fire into the crowd, causing widespread panic to erupt all around them.

Also caught in the melee was corporate consultant Calder Hudson. Arrogant, self-centered, and high off his latest career win, he’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm. The doctor tells him that he was lucky—that as far as gunshot wounds go, he pulled through remarkably well. Others weren’t so lucky, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice . . . a goal shared by Elle.

Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another, but even as the attraction grows, Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain—especially while the shooter remains at large.

My Review:

Not like I haven’t read Sandra Brown before or was aware she’d throw in an unanticipated romance to mess up a good story, but somehow it just didn’t work at all for me in this book.

A random mass shooting at a county fair throws together Elle Portman and Calder Hudson. Elle has taken her two-year-old with her to the fair along with bestie, Glenda. When the shooting starts and the stampede begins, Elle loses hold of her son’s stroller. Calder, who sees the stroller tries to grab it and ends with devastating results.

Here’s where I have the first problem. Calder is a rich, arrogant narcissist. He is living with an ambitious TV reporter who is his narcissistic equal. I disliked both of these characters and thought Glenda was absolutely correct in her assessment of him. After a couple chance meetings, Calder turns macho protector, dictating her next movements.

For her part, Elle lost a son. A two-year-old. I couldn’t seem to get past that as the romance first blossomed then turned up the heat. She seems more than happy to be told what to do, be the object of hot pursuit, and become accommodating.

The police think they have the shooter, then they don’t, and Elle and Calder join forces to ferret out the culprit. But they keep getting distracted by the hormones shooting between them and the sex scenes get to be a bit much. Her loss and his injuries are a blink and they move on.

There are a number of twists and a big one at the conclusion. You gotta give it to the author for throwing another good zinger at the end. In the meantime, I wasn’t a fan of either main character and Glenda was a bit too good to be true, but then, that was another of those little twists. Overall, not wholly thrilled. I liked it (for the fast pace, well-plotted storyline), but I’m not in love.

I read and reviewed Overkill on June 15 of this year and had a few problems with it even though I enjoyed the unexpected twist at the end. This one just bogged down on the romance and for me a let down of what could have been more of a suspense thriller.

I downloaded a copy of this book from my local library that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts.

Rosepoint Rating: Three point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, Suspense Thrillers
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ASIN: B0BP2HW59K
Print Length: 417 pages
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), and the critically acclaimed RAINWATER (2010).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Constant Soldier by William Ryan – #BookReview – Historical World War II Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Paul Brandt, a soldier in the German army, returns wounded and ashamed from the bloody chaos of the Eastern Front to find his village changed and in the dark shadow of an SS rest hut—a luxurious retreat for officers recuperating from their injuries and for those who manage the nearby concentration camps of Auschwitz. The hut is run with the help of a small group of female prisoners from the camps who, against all odds, have survived the war so far. When, by chance, Brandt glimpses one of these prisoners, he realizes he must find a way to access the hut. For inside is the woman to whom his fate has been tied since their arrest five years earlier, and now he must do all he can to protect her.

As the Russian offensive moves closer and partisans press from the surrounding woodlands, the days of this rest hut and its SS inhabitants are numbered. And while hope for Brandt and the female prisoners grows tantalizingly close, the danger is greater than ever. In a forest to the east, a young female Soviet tank driver awaits her orders to advance . . .

His Review:

Brant is a soldier wounded badly at the Russian front and has been given a discharge from the German army. He is considered a hero by many because of the arm that was lost and terrible burns received in battle. Although discharged, he is responsible for a rest facility for Germans back from the front. Officers mostly, who are in desperate need of rest and relaxation.

Before the war, Brandt attended university in Vienna. At 25, with the war starting, he no longer wishes to continue at the university and is swept up in the expansion of the German army. Assigned to the facility he is running are a number of women who are charged with cleaning the linens and preparing foods and other domestic chores required to keep the soldiers on leave comfortable. Among the women is one who he was romantically involved with before the war.

The town where the facility is located is near his father’s old family farm in Ukraine. The local mayor of the town has taken it as one of his responsibilities to help run the retreat as well. He is overweight and vicious in his treatment of the women and anyone else that he can push around. He reports to the camp commandant and makes everyone’s life miserable.

The constant threat of the Red Army pushing through the area is a constant concern. Brandt and the others feel there will be no mercy shown by the Russians toward them. The people from the surrounding area are frantically trying to head west towards the approaching American army to avoid being captured by the Russians. The situation has become desperate.

William Ryan has spun a very believable story of the frantic situation lived by the people in Eastern Europe nearing the end of WW II. The struggle for the basics of life and just to be alive is continuous and unremitting. The mental images and development of the characters in this book is illuminating, revealing, and gripping. Putting myself in their shoes made my appreciation of the tragedy of war and their survival more personal. 5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These are my own thoughts. The novel is highly recommended.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical World War II Fiction, 20^th Century Historical Romance
Publisher: Arcade
ISBN-10: ‎ 1956763783
ASIN: B0BTZWD21K
Publication date: ‎ November 7, 2023
Date First Available: ‎ January 1, 1970
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

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The Author: William Ryan’s first novel in the Captain Korolev series, The Holy Thief, was shortlisted for a Crime Writer’s Association’s New Blood Dagger, a Barry Award, The Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award and The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. The second in the series, The Bloody Meadow, was shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and the third, The Twelfth Department, was also shortlisted for the Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year as well as the CWA’s Historical Fiction Dagger and was a Guardian Crime Novel of the Year..

The Constant Soldier, William’s fourth novel was described as “subtle, suspenseful and superb” by The Daily Mail and shortlisted for the HWA’s Gold Crown and the CWA’s Steel Dagger. A House of Ghosts, (as W.C. Ryan),was published in October 2018 and was described as “an intelligent, absorbing, exquisitely spooky mystery” by The Irish Times. The Winter Guest, published in January 2022, was called an “impeccably researched and utterly intriguing historical mystery that lays bare the societal fractures caused in Ireland’s fight for freedom” by the Irish Independent.

Visit http://www.william-ryan.com for more information.

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