Monthly Archives: October 2022
Review: Garrett’s Destiny by Rebecca Zanetti
Garrett’s Destiny
Rebecca Zanetti
Dark Protectors Series, Book 15
Love and danger . . .
For most of his life, Vampire-Demon Garrett Kayrs, nephew of the King of the Realm, has carried a heavy mantle of responsibility with ease and control. Fate declared him heir to the throne, Fortune marked him with the power of the mysterious circle of Seven, and Chance promised more surprises to come. Nothing deterred him from his path. Until the nightmares began–agonizing dreams of having a female, the female, his mate, on the back of his motorcycle—only to have her torn away from his protection. He feels the menace around her, the danger she’s in, and he can’t rest until he finds her . . .
Duty and desire . . .
Destiny Applegate bears the weight of her name with a respectful balance of fear and purpose. She has been given some direction, but not nearly enough to truly understand her duty, what she was born to do. Even as a child, she had a sense of him. The him, her mate. A dream moment or two with him that might have saved her—or possibly cursed her. So now, when he finds her, she has no choice but to jump on the back of his bike and do her best to hold on until she discovers her path—even if that means ending his.
Garrett’s Destiny is one of those books that is extremely hard for me to be able to give any kind of justice with a review. I feel like this is a very big moment within the series and going into too many details even slightly would give away something that I was very excited to read. With that being said, I absolutely loved this book.
Garrett is a character we have seen grow up throughout the series. His devotion and loyalty are some of the things that we absolutely love about him. Not to mention he is all alpha, he’s sexy as hell and what can I say? I wouldn’t mind riding on the back of his bike. He’s fierce, all alpha, but yet gentle, compassionate and cares so deeply.
Destiny was a mystery from the get-go. I found her extremely intriguing. Everything about her was mysterious, but yet the shining light came from within her and proved that something good lies within.
From the moment that Garrett and Destiny met it was intense. From needing to save her to wondering if she was out to get him. It’s an interesting roller coaster ride that all I’m gonna say is I enjoyed reading as they were experiencing it. Destiny and Garrett are well matched for each other. Their story has many ups and downs, but in the end they have each other.
As for the overall story arc of our beloved, Dark Proctors hang onto your hat readers, this is a big one. And with that I highly recommend if you like this series at all, you should definitely dive in quickly and hang on for the ride.
Review: A Trip with Trouble by Diane Kelly
A Trip with Trouble
Diane Kelly
The Mountain Lodge Mysteries, Book 2
When the ladies of the Dangerous Curves Motorcycle Club take over the Mountaintop Lodge for their annual autumn ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Misty Murphy couldn’t be more thrilled. Every room is full and the adventurous women even invite Misty and her assistant Brynn to join them on a ride to admire the colorful fall foliage. Hotel handyman Rocky Crowder is happy to keep an eye on the lodge for the day, and the ladies set out for a fun ride on the scenic road.
The skies are clear, the air is crisp, and the leaves are gorgeous. But what starts as a perfect ride turns worrisome when the tail gunner – the last rider in their group – fails to show up at the Craggy Gardens overlook. Cell phone service is spotty in the remote, mountainous area, and the group is unable to connect with their friend. Might the missing woman have simply run out of gas? Or is something far more sinister afoot?
The ladies are determined to locate their ride or die, and Misty is equally determined to help them. But will they be able to solve the mystery when the scenic route seems intent on hiding its secrets?
Diane Kelly combines the beauty of the outdoors, a cozy and comfortable lodge, and a good heaping of mystery to keep you entertained with A Trip with Trouble.
Returning to the Mountaintop Lodge is going to be a wild ride. Misty is sold out for the week. Dangerous Curves, a lady’s motorcycle group, has reserved every room in the lodge for a week. Misty can’t be more excited. Upon checking in the group of ladies seems to be nice, charismatic and genuinely a good bunch of people looking to have some fun. Misty and her assistant Brynn even get asked to accompany the group on a ride, which to my delight they did indulge in. However, things go south when one of the members does not show up at an overlook where everyone has stopped. Misty helps the ladies look for their friend and unfortunately find her dead. Was it an accident or was it foul play? Misty with the help of Brynn and her handyman Rocky, try to get to the bottom of what’s going on with this mystery
I love when I’m reading a book and a place that pops up in the story. The tail of the dragon is a fun and beautiful ride although I have never done it on a motorcycle I understand the thrill behind it. Now, with that being said, Diane Kelly knows how to bring the loveliness of the outdoors into the story. I love the fact that the majority of the story does take place outside. From fires and roasting marshmallows to fun motorcycle rides there is atmosphere all over this book. Now, there is kind of a twofold mystery within the story, and I enjoyed both of them. At one point I wondered if they were connected and was surprised when I realized the answer. The story told primarily from Misty’s point of view, but those few chapters that we get from Yeti make me laugh every single time. and I love every single one of them. Diane Kelly knows how to draw the reader into the story, keep them entertained all the while, making them laugh and enjoy the experience all in one.
Review: Live and Let Grind by Tara Lush
Live and Let Grind
Tara Lush
A Coffee Lover’s Mystery Series, Book 3
Laid-off journalist Lana Lewis is thriving as the proprietor of Perkatory, a coffee shop on quirky Devil’s Beach island, Florida. She’s juggling a relationship with police chief Noah Garcia, enjoying the company of her best friend, Erica, and relishing the companionship of her golden Shih Tzu, Stanley. Only problem is her neighbor, Gus, who incessantly uses his leaf blower, disturbing everyone in the neighborhood. Lana has learned to tune it out, but Erica’s rage boils over and she confronts Gus.
Then Gus is found dead, killed when his leaf blower explodes. Erica immediately becomes suspect number one. But there are plenty of other candidates as well: Gus’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Honey Bailey, who thinks she’ll be written out of his will; Mickey Dotson and Doug Beck, who were scalded financially after purchasing a pirate-themed tourist cruise business from Gus; and plenty of angry neighbors who’ve had run-ins with him.
As the clock ticks down will Lana get someone to spill the beans on the killer so she can clear her friend’s name, or will Erica go to jail for a crime she didn’t commit?
Live and Let Grind takes readers back to Devil’s Beach with our favorite barista Lana Lewis and her fun yet quirky friends for another fun filled mystery adventure.
It’s no secret that I love coffee and coffee related cozy mysteries are what got me started reading the genre. I have been fortunate enough to read every book in the Coffee Lover’s Mystery series. I am happy to say each one gets better as we go. Live and Let Grind has Lana and Erica rooming together, while repairs are happening on Erica‘s houseboat. Things that purgatory are fine and Stanley is as cute as ever. However things get shaken up when Lana’s neighbor, Gus is found dead. Gus has made a reputation for himself for being a nuisance amongst the neighborhood. Erica recently, having had a confrontation with Gus finds herself in the hot seat as a suspect. Lana does all she can to help clear Erica’s name and discover more suspects are popping up then she realizes.
Oh my latte. Live and Let Grind is a fun and entertaining, cozy history. With each book in the series is just getting better and better. Lana is a natural snoop, it comes with being a reporter. It’s kind of funny when she gets upset that she can’t do more than what she does. The cast of characters for the series is top notch. With a hippie father and a Goth for best friend it says it all right there. Tara Lash gives us another fast paced, caffeine infused entertaining read.
Steeped in Secrets by Lauren Elliott
Steeped in Secrets
Lauren Elliott
A Crystals & CuriosiTEAS Mystery Series, Book 1
Flat broke and divorced, intuitive gemologist Shay Myers has changed since leaving her artsy hometown of coastal Bray Harbor sixteen years ago. But when she moves back under strange circumstances, old instincts may be the only key to spilling the tea on a deadly mystery.
Even with her life in ruins in New Mexico, Shay feels uneasy about settling into the small seaside town where she grew up on California’s Monterey Peninsula and taking over an estate bequeathed to her by Bridget Early, a woman she had barely known. Her heightened senses—an empathic gift she’s had since childhood—go into overdrive upon touring Crystals & CuriosiTEAS, Bridget’s eclectic tea and psychic shop brimming with Irish lore and Celtic symbols. They reach a boiling point when Shay looks up to discover a stranger’s body sprawled across the shop’s greenhouse roof . . .
With her new business a crime scene and questions brewing over Bridget’s so-called accidental death, Shay fears she’s also inherited the attention of a killer. The terrifying realization sets her on an impractical investigation for answers aided by her sister, an elusive pure-white German Shepherd, a strikingly handsome pub owner who speaks in a gentle brogue, and a misunderstood young woman with perceptive talents of her own. As Shay struggles to figure out her true purpose in Bray Harbor and the powerful connection she has with the tea shop, she must trust her judgment above all else to identify a ruthless murderer and save herself from becoming victim number three.
4 Stars
Lauren Elliott’s new Steeped in Secrets is as warm and magical as it is mysterious.
I think I’m in love with just one book. Steeped in Secrets, the first book of the Crystals and CuriosiTEAS Mystery series by Lauren Elliott. Starting with the beautiful setting of Bray Harbour, California, a cozy little coastal town in the Monterey Peninsula. Then we have Shay. A woman, returning home after being robbed of everything by her now ex-husband, who not only ruined their marriage, but also her business as well. Her return to Bray Harbor comes with a little mystery herself. She has been bequeathed an estate from a woman that she barely knew. Then the secrets just start pouring out from there. I will admit it sounds like a hot mess but once you start reading it all comes together into a beautiful and magical story.
She quickly sees that the mysteries are piling up. From why she was left the estate, to a dead body found in the greenhouse on her roof to the secrets that keep on failing themselves, just as she thinks she’s got an answer to one of the previous secrets.
With the help and guidance of a beautiful, white German shepherd named, Spirit, a misunderstood teen, who may just understand things more than what most realize, and an Irish gentleman who believes in fairies, Shea begins to navigate her way through one mystery after the other.
Lauren Elliott has truly made a magical story with Steeped in Secrets. I eagerly wait to see what is going to happen with Shay.
Review: Iron Ember by Donna Grant
Iron Ember
Donna Grant
Skye Druids Series, Book 1
Skye isn’t just an island. It’s a home. A refuge. But not to Elodie MacLean. Not anymore. Tragedy tore her world apart and then took the one thing she felt made her whole. She vowed she’d never return, but that’s exactly where she ends up. Now, surrounded by the ghosts of her past, Elodie must navigate her version of Hell and try to make peace with herself and her family. But someone or something doesn’t want her on Skye, and she finds herself attacked—and this time not by her personal demons.
Scott Ryan has a mission: uncover who has been killing Druids and why. When his quest takes him to the beautiful Isle of Skye, he doesn’t think anything could captivate him more than the land itself—until he lays eyes on the breathtaking and confident beauty his leader sent him to find. However, it’s clear that she has trust issues, and he can’t reveal his plans—at least, not yet. But he’s always been sure of his ability to sway a person, and she’s a challenge he’s more than happy to accept, especially when he finds he will do anything to protect her.
With so much history and so many secrets, victory is anything but guaranteed for the couple and their allies. And the forces at work, those who wish to rule the Scottish isle and all those who reside there, have a plan that nobody will see coming.
The Skye Druids Series has a thrilling beginning with Iron Ember.
Elodie vowed she would never come back to Skye. Reaching the lowest point she’s ever been in her life has her returning home to regroup. Steps away from rock-bottom, and with nothing left to lose, Elodie returns to her childhood home. What should be a simple task of cleaning a home to get it to sell has Elodie facing her current predicament face on, but memories of things that happened in the house, are beginning to plague her more so than normal.
Scott has two objectives on his mind. The first to figure out who is killing the Druids. The second is to find a woman who was seen in a vision to help them complete their task. Scott truly believes in his cause, as he has lost friends near and dear to him. When Scott realizes the woman he was sent to find may not be able to do what his leader wants of her he realizes he is beyond protective of her and will do whatever he can to keep her safe.
The magic, the mystery and the secrets. Iron Ember is a thrilling beginning to what I am sure is going to be another fantastic series from Donna Grant. The Druids are the target and someone wants some dead. Skye is a place of refuge and sanctuary for those that follow the Druid path. Skye also holds a lot of secrets. One comes home and the other comes seeking a powerful druid hoping to make a difference. Little did they know what they could do and be for each other. I have to admit I was a little iffy on Scott at first, but he did come around. I do think that Elodie and Scott complemented each other beautifully. I love how the magic literally hangs in the air in Skye. The Druids are literally having their world rocked, there’s a power struggle in place. I can only imagine what the struggles for the Druids are going to be and can’t wait for the romances that will come within the series.
Hallow’s End by Kristen Proby
Hallow’s End
Kristen Proby
The Curse of the Blood Moon Series, Book 1
Returning to her beloved home of Salem after a trip away, Lucy Finch can’t shake the feeling of anxiety that suddenly plagues her. Nor can she shrug off her third eye’s urging that she has a mission she must undertake—a secret she must uncover.
As a green witch, Lucy has always felt strongest and the most at home in the forest, surrounded by nature. But when a disturbing dream wakes her and sends her fleeing into the woods, she isn’t prepared for what she finds. She expected her element. Perhaps a message from spirit. She didn’t expect to cross paths with a sexy-as-sin man, straight out of a movie scene.
Jonas Morley isn’t like the other residents of Hallows End. He knows the town’s secrets, as well as Salem’s, and it has been his honor and duty to protect them for as long as he can remember. But the gorgeous witch who graces the town’s hidden border shakes him and makes him second-guess his directive. She calls to him like no other. But can he save his home and those under his care and still make her his? Or will their union mean danger and destruction for not only them but also those who live within the town’s borders?
Curses don’t discriminate, and the curse of the blood moon is the most determined and dangerous of all.
Hallows End is the first book in the Curse of the Blood Moon Series.
Coffee Books Life 