Melina's Book Blog

Friday, May 20, 2022

Beach House Summer

BEACH HOUSE SUMMER

Author: Sarah Morgan

ISBN: 9781335462824

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: HQN Books

Buy Links:

Social Links:

Twitter: @SarahMorgan_

Facebook: Sarah Morgan

Instagram: @sarahmorganwrites

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of contemporary romance and women's fiction. She has sold more than 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe. Sarah lives with her family near London, England, where the rain frequently keeps her trapped in her office. Visit her at www.sarahmorgan.com

Book Summary:

USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan returns with the ultimate beach read, as one woman forges the most unlikely friendship of all, and embarks on a summer of confrotning her past in order to build the future she wants...

When Joanna Whitman's ex-husband, one of California's most beloved celebrity chefs, dies in a car accident, she doesn't know what to feel. Their dysfunctional marriage held more secrets than she cares to remember, but when she discovers a young woman was with him in the crash--who's now in hospital, on her own, and pregnant --Joanna sees red. How dare he ruin yet another woman's life? More than anyone, Joanna knows the brutal spotlight this girl is going to find herself in...unless she can find a way for them both to disappear?

Ashley can't believe it when Joanna shows up in her hospital room and offers to spirit them both away for the summer to her secluded beach house on the Californian coast. Joanna should be hating her, not helping her. But orphaned and pregnant, Ashley can't turn Joanna down. Even though she knows that if Joanna ever discovers the real truth of why Ashley was in her ex's car, their tentative bond would never hold.

Together, they escape to the beach house, nestled high above the sleepy Californian town where Joanna grew up, and left without a backward glance. Joanna's only goal for the summer is privacy, but her return creates waves in the community, not least for the best friend she left behind. Both Joanna and Ashley are hiding secrets, but as they fall under the spell of their summer home - and draw on each other's courage - these unlikely friends realise that to seize the futures they want, they must step out of the shadows and into the sunshine.

one

ASHLEY

She slid into his car, hoping this wasn’t a mistake. It hadn’t been her first choice of plan, but the others had failed and she was desperate.

He smiled at her, and there was so much charm in that smile that she forgot everything around her. The way he looked at her made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world.

To add to the charm he had the car, a high-performance convertible, low, sleek and expensive. It shrieked, Look at me, in case the other trappings of wealth and power hadn’t already drawn your attention.

Her mother would have warned her not to get in the car with him, but her mother was gone now and Ashley was making the best decisions she could with no one close to offer her advice or caution. She remembered the first time she’d ridden a bike on her own, unsteady, unbalanced, hands sweating on the handlebars, her mother shouting, Keep pedaling! She remembered her first swimming lesson where she’d slid under the surface and gulped down so much water she’d thought she was going to empty the pool. She’d been sure she was going to drown but then she felt hands lifting her to the surface and a voice cutting through water clogged ears: Keep kicking!

She was on her own now. There was no one to tug her to the surface if she was drowning. No one to steady the wheels of her bike when she wobbled. Her mother had been the safety net in her life and they’d grown even closer after her father died. But now if she fell she’d hit the ground with nothing and no one to cushion her fall.

He turned onto Mulholland Drive and picked up speed. The engine gave a throaty roar and the wind played with her hair as they sped upward through the Hollywood Hills. She’d never been in a car like this before. Never met a man like him.

They climbed higher and higher, passing luxury mansions, catching glimpses of a lifestyle beyond the reach of even her imagination. Envy slid through her. Did problems go away when you had so much? Did the people living here experience the same anxieties as normal people or did those high walls and security cameras insulate them from life? Could you buy happiness?

No, but money could make life easier, which was why she was here.

Spread beneath them were views of downtown, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.

Stay focused.

“I know the best place to see the sunset.” His warm, deep voice had helped propel him from yet another TV personality to a megastar. “You’re never going to forget it.”

She was sure of it. This moment was significant for so many reasons.

What would happen to that confidence when she told him her news?

Nausea rolled in her stomach and she was relieved she’d been unable to eat breakfast or lunch.

“You’re quiet.” He drove with one hand on the wheel, supremely confident. One hand, his eyes mostly on her. She wanted to tell him to keep his attention on the road.

“I’m a little nervous.”

“Are you intimidated? Don’t be. I’m just a normal, regular guy.”

Yeah, right.

He was driving fast now, enjoying the car, the moment, his life. She knew that was about to change. She’d rehearsed a speech. Practiced a hundred times in front of the mirror.

I’ve got something to tell you.

“Could you slow down?”

“You prefer slow?” His hand caressed the wheel. “I can go slow when I need to. What did you say your name was?”

He didn’t recognize her. He didn’t have a clue who she was. How could he not know?

She sat rigid in her seat. Was she really that forgettable and unimportant?

In this part of town, where everyone was someone, she was no one.

She fought the disillusion and the humiliation.

“I’m Mandy. I’m from Connecticut.”

Her name wasn’t Mandy. She’d never been to Connecticut. Couldn’t even put it on a map.

He should know that. She wanted him to know that. She wanted him to say, I know you’re not Mandy, but he didn’t, of course, because women came and went from his life and he was already moving on to the next one.

“And you’re sure we’ve met before? I wouldn’t have forgotten someone as pretty as you.”

She’d had dreams about him. Fantasies. She’d thought about him day and night for the past couple of months, ever since she’d first laid eyes on him.

But he didn’t know her. There was no recognition.

Her eyes stung. She told herself it was the wind in her face because her mother had drummed into her that life was too short to cry over a man. She wouldn’t be here at all except that she’d felt alone and scared and needed to do something to help herself. She was afraid she couldn’t do this on her own, and he had to take some responsibility, surely? He shouldn’t be allowed to just walk away. That wasn’t right. Like it or not, they were bonded.

“We’ve met.” She rested her hand on her abdomen. Blinked away the tears. The time to wish she’d been more careful was long gone. She had to look forward. Had to do the right thing, but it wasn’t easy.

Her body told her she was an adult, but inside she still felt like the child who had wobbled on that bike with her ponytail flying.

He glanced at her again, curious. “Now I think about it, you do look familiar. Can’t place you, though. Don’t be offended.” He gave her another flash of those perfect white teeth. “I meet a lot of women.”

She knew that. She knew his reputation, and yet still she was here. What did that say about her? She should have more pride, but pride and desperation didn’t fit comfortably together.

“I’m not offended.” Under the fear she was furious. And fiercely determined.

She wasn’t going to let this guy ruin her life. That wasn’t going to happen.

They were climbing now. Climbing, climbing, the road winding upward into the hills while the city lay beneath them like a glittering carpet. She felt like Peter Pan, flying over rooftops.

Should she tell him now? Was this a good moment?

Her heart started to pound, heavy beats thudding a warning against her ribs. She hadn’t thought he’d bring her somewhere this remote. She shouldn’t have climbed into his car. Another bad decision to add to the ones she’d already made. The longer she waited to tell him, the farther they were from civilization and people. People who could help her. But who would help? Who was there?

She had no one. Just herself, which was why she was here now, doing what needed to be done regardless of the consequences.

Thinking of consequences made her palms grow damp. She should do it right now, while half his attention was on the road.

She waited as he waltzed the car around another bend and hit another straight stretch of road. She could already see the next bend up ahead.

“Mr. Whitman? Cliff? There’s something I need to tell you.”

Sunday, May 15, 2022

On a Quiet Street

ON A QUIET STREET

Author: Seraphina Nova Glass

ISBN: 9781525899751

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: Graydon House Books

Buy Links:

Social Links:

Twitter: @SeraphinaNova

Facebook: Seraphina Nova Glass: Author

Goodreads

Author Bio:

Seraphina Nova Glass is a professor and playwright-in-residence at the University of Texas, Arlington, where she teaches film studies and playwriting. She holds an MFA in playwriting from Smith College, and she's also a screenwriter and award-winning playwright. Seraphina has traveled the world using theatre and film as a teaching tool, living in South Africa, Guam and Kenya as a volunteer teacher, AIDS relief worker, and documentary filmmaker.

Book Summary:

A simple arrangement. A web of deceit with shocking consequences.

Welcome to Brighton Hills: an exclusive, gated community set against the stunning backdrop of the Oregon coast. Home to doctors, lawyers, judges--all the most upstanding members of society. Nothing ever goes wrong here. Right?

Cora's husband, Finn, is a cheater. She knows it; she just needs to prove it. She's tired of being the nagging, suspicious wife who analyzes her husband's every move. She needs to catch him in the act. And what better way to do that than to set him up for a fall?

Paige has nothing to lose. After she lost heI fr only child in a hit-and-run last year, her life fell apart: her marriage has imploded, she finds herself screaming at baristas and mail carriers, and she's so convinced Caleb's death wasn't an accident that she's secretly spying on all everyone in Brighton Hills so she can find the murderer. So it's easy for her to entrap Finn and prove what kind of man he really is.

But Paige and Cora are about to discover far more than a cheating husband. What starts as a little agreement between friends sets into motion a series of events neither of them could have ever predicted, and that exposes the deep fault lines in Brighton Hills. Especially concerning their mysterious new neighbor, Georgia, a beautiful recluse who has deep, dark secrets of her own...

What I Thought:

This is the first book by Seraphine Nova Glass that I have read, but it will not be the last. This book kept my attention from the start till the finish. I thought the characters were well developed and the plot was well thought out. This book was so well written, I felt what the characters were feeling. I was totally blown away by the outcome of this one and actually did not see it coming at all. This was a quick read for me because it was so entertaining, and I could not wait to see what happened next. This was one I did not want to put down.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Knit or Dye Trying

Knit or Dye Trying (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery) by Allie Pleiter

About Knit or Dye Trying

Knit or Dye Trying (A Riverbank Knitting Mystery) Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Setting - Maryland Berkley (April 5, 2022) Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593201809 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593201800 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B093YRVK42

Business is booming for Libby Beckett and her fabulous Maryland shop, aptly named Y.A.R.N., but when a town festival brings a fatality with it, Libby gets all tangled up in murder.

As spring comes to Collinstown, the village launches a food festival to draw a new group of tourists. Libby, the proud owner of Y.A.R.N., has planned a yarn event to provide an alternative option to a foodie weekend. Artisan fiber dyer Julie Wilson—known for her work with animal-friendly, plant-based knitting fibers such as bamboo and hemp as well as her brilliant use of color—will hopefully draw a crowd with a special dyeing workshop.

The festival begins, but it draws more than crowds. First, a flock of sheep parades down the street, herded by farmers protesting Julie’s antiwool stance. Then Julie’s celebrity chef sister appears, and the siblings resume a long-standing rivalry. Despite all this, Julie’s workshop has sold out. Libby is thrilled, and they’re preparing for a full house. But the night before the event, Julie is found alone in the warehouse event space—dead. The witty “Watch Julie Wilson Dye” workshop title now has a terrible new meaning—and it’s up to Libby to catch a crafty killer.

What I Thought:

This is the second in a Riverbank Knitting Mystery Series. While I read the first in the series, I would not have been lost had I not read it, therefore this could be read as a standalone. I feel that I liked this book a little better than the first in the series, though both were good. In this one, the town of Collinsville is having a See More than Sea Food Festival. Libby is having an event at her shop Y.A.R.N. to coincide with the festival. Libby is bringing in a plant-based fiber dyer to give a demonstration. Libby learns that Julie's, the fiber dyer, sister Monica, a chef, is also in town for the festival, and it is clear the sisters do not get along. Julie is found dead in the old factory where the demonstration is to take place, overcome by fumes. Libby swears this time she is not going to get involved, but of course she does. I enjoy the setting of this series. And while I am not a knitter, I enjoy reading about the different yarns and I like how the author uses the art of knitting to forge friendships in the book. There is a little romantic element in this one between Libby and the town Mayor, which is sweet and enjoyable to read about. The characters are developing as the series and stories flow along and most are well rounded. The plot of this one was well thought out and the story flowed very well. It is a quick read that kept my attention from the time I started it until the very end. I look forward to more in this series.

I receivecd a complimentary copy of this book.

About Allie Pleiter

An avid knitter, coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four novels at a time. The bestselling author of over fifty books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-year career with over 1.5 million books sold. In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management for writers.

Author Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliepleiterauthor/ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/alliepleiter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allie-pleiter-6a021b139 Twitter: https://twitter.com/alliepleiter Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/alliepleiter/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453346.Allie_Pleiter BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allie-pleiter Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Allie-Pleiter/e/B001H6IEUO/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1 To subscribe to Allie’s newsletter: http://www.alliepleiter.com/subscribe/ Purchase Links Link on my webpage Amazon (including Kindle and Audible) Barnes & Noble (including Nook) Apple Books Google Play Kobo IndieBound

Monday, April 11, 2022

Art of the Decoy

The Art of the Decoy (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery) by Trish Esden

About The Art of the Decoy

The Art of the Decoy (A Scandal Mountain Antiques Mystery)

Traditional Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Vermont Crooked Lane Books (April 5, 2022) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643859641 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643859644 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098PXZNDF

Perfect for fans of Jane K. Cleland and Connie Berry, Tricia Esden's series debut is sure to please.

After her mother is sent to prison for art forgery, Edie Brown returns to Northern Vermont to rebuild her family’s fine art and antiques business. She’s certain she can do it now that her mother is gone. After all, butting heads with her mom over bad business practices was what drove Edie away three years ago, including a screwup that landed Edie on probation for selling stolen property.

When Edie scores a job appraising a waterfowl decoy collection at a hoarder’s farmhouse, she’s determined to take advantage of the situation to rebuild the business’s tarnished reputation and dwindling coffers. In lieu of payment, Edie intends to cherry-pick an exceptional decoy carved by the client’s renowned Quebecoise folk artist ancestors. Only the tables turn when the collection vanishes.

Accused of the theft, Edie’s terrified that the fallout will destroy the business and land her in prison next to her mom. Desperate, she digs into the underbelly of the local antiques and art world. When Edie uncovers a possible link between the decoy theft and a deadly robbery at a Quebec museum, she longs to ask her ex-probation officer, and ex-lover, for help. But she suspects his recent interest in rekindling their romance may hide a darker motive.

With the help of her eccentric uncle Tuck and Kala, their enigmatic new employee, Edie must risk all she holds dear to expose the thieves and recover the decoys before the FBI’s Art Crime Team or the ruthless thieves themselves catch up with her.

What I Thought:

This is the first in a new series, Scandal Mountain Antiques, and is more traditional mystery than cozy. In this one, Edie is called back to Scandal Mountain Antiques by her uncle to help with an appraisal show. Edie's mother has been sent to prison for forging a painting. When a woman brings a decoy to be appraised by Edie, Edie thinks this is what Scandal Mountain needs to get back on track. Scandal Mountain is given the job of appraising this collection, but the collection goes missing. Edie finds a link between this missing collection and theft at a Quebec Museum and she enlists the help of her Uncle Tuck, their new employee, Kala and her ex-probation officer/lover to help her solve the crime. This one was different than most mysteries I read, but that was not a bad thing. While it was different, it was still an enjoyable read. The author is very knowledgeable about antiques and folk art and I learned a lot about those two things from reading this book. I enjoyed the setting of this book, as New England is a setting I enjoy in any type of book. The plot was well thought out and the story flowed well. The characger of Edie was a little hard to warm up to, but she was well rounded. I did not have the "mystery" figured out and was left guessing to the end.

I received a complimentary of this book.

About Trish Esden

Trish Esden loves museums, gardens, wilderness, dogs, and birds, in various orders depending on the day. She lives in northern Vermont where she deals antiques with her husband, a profession she’s been involved with since her teens. Don’t ask what her favorite type of antique is. She loves hunting down old bottles and rusty barn junk as much as she enjoys fine art and furnishings.

Author Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Trish-Esden-author-108247488016132 Twitter: https://twitter.com/patesden Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trishesden/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/patesden/_created/ Website: https://trishesden.com BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/trish-esden GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21662893.Trish_Esden Purchase Links - Amazon - IndieBound - Barnes & Noble - Books-a-Million - Kobo

Monday, March 14, 2022

Body and Soul Food Spotlight

Body and Soul Food (A Books & Biscuits Mystery) by Abby Collette

About Body and Soul Food

Body and Soul Food (A Books & Biscuits Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Timber Lake, Washington (Near Seattle) Berkley (November 9, 2021) Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593336178 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593336175 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08YWW1DCH

In this page-turning new mystery series, fraternal twins Keaton and Koby will pull double duty when they take down a killer while preparing to open their new bookstore and soul-food café, Books & Biscuits.

When Koby Hill and Keaton Rutledge were orphaned at age two, they were separated, but their unbreakable connection lingered. Years later, they reunite and decide to make up for lost time and capitalize on their shared interests by opening up a well-stocked bookstore and cozy soul-food café in the quaint Pacific Northwest town of Timber Lake. But this new chapter of their lives could end on a cliffhanger after Koby's foster brother is found murdered.

The murder, which occurred in public between light-rail stops, seems impossible for the police to solve. But as Keaton and Koby know, two heads are always better than one, especially when it comes to mysteries. With just a week to go before the grand opening of their new café, the twins will use their revitalized connection with each other to make sure this is the killer's final page.

About Abby Collette

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Abby Collette loves a good mystery. She was born and raised in Cleveland, and it's a mystery even to her why she hasn't yet moved to a warmer place. As Abby Collette, she is the author of the Ice Cream Parlor mystery series, about a millennial MBA-holding granddaughter running a family-owned ice cream shop in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and the Books & Biscuits mystery series, starring a set of fraternal twins who reunite and open a bookstore and soul food café. Writing as Abby L. Vandiver, she is the author of the Logan Dickerson Mysteries, featuring a second-generation archaeologist and a nonagenarian, as well as the Romaine Wilder Mysteries, pairing an East Texas medical examiner and her feisty, funeral-home-owning auntie as sleuths. Abby spends her time writing, facilitating writing workshops at local libraries and hanging out with her grandchildren, each of whom are her favorite.

Author Links – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram– Website –

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo - Google Play - IndieBound - Alibris - Penguin Random House -

Monday, February 21, 2022

A Dash of Death

A Dash of Death (A Cocktails and Catering Mystery) by Michelle Hillen Klump

About A Dash of Death

A Dash of Death (A Cocktails and Catering Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Texas Crooked Lane Books (February 8, 2022) Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1643859374 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643859378 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B094GN846Y

A Houston reporter-turned-mixologist mixes it up with murder in this series debut from Michelle Hillen Klump, superbly catering to fans of Diane Mott Davidson and Lee Hollis.

Bad news for Samantha Warren: The plucky Houston, Texas, reporter lost her job and her fiancé in rapid succession. But Sam has a way of making lemonade out of the bitterest of lemons. At a meeting of the local historical-homes council, she serves up the homemade bitters that she made as gifts for her wedding party. She intends to use that as her “in” to become an in-demand party mixologist. But the party’s over for one of the council members, who keels over dead soon after he sips the bereft bride’s bitter brew.

It turns out that the victim, Mark, was poisoned—his drink spiked with oleander. Since Sam mixed the drink that Mark imbibed right before his demise, she finds herself at the front of the suspect line. Now, she’ll have to use all of her reporter’s wisdom and wiles to clear her name.

Who could have wanted Mark dead? His wife, Gabby? His girlfriend, Darcy? Someone who wanted his seat on the council? Or another citizen of this sweet Texas town that holds some seedy secrets?

Job hunting, building her mixology business, and fending off late-night phone calls from her nearly betrothed don’t leave much time for sleuthing. But if Sam can’t “pour” over the clues to find the killer, it may soon be last call for her.
What I Thought:

This is the first in the Cocktails and Catering Mystery Series and the first book I have ever read by this author. This was the first time I have read a cozy in which the protagonist makes "bitters", and I am still a little confused about what they really are. In this one, Samantha has been jilted by her fiancé, and has lost her job as an investigative reporter. Her friends encourage her to start selling her "bitters". When Samantha steps in to serve her bitters at a Historic Commision Benefit meeting, a member is found dead with an oleander blossom in his cup of bitters. Of course, his wife decides to sue Samantha, so Samantha becomes the main suspect. Samantha uses her skills as an investigative reporter to prove her innocence. I thought this was a fast-paced mystery that kept me turning the pages. The plot was well thought out and I liked the protagonist and her friends that were introduced in this book. There were many twists in this book that kept me guessing. Again, the protagonist had a hobby that she made into a career that was new to me, even though there are books out there about breweries, I had never heard of "bitters" before. And it is refreshing to see new hobbies/careers in a book. I was left guessing until the very end of this one. I look forward to more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

About Michelle Hillen Klump

Michelle Hillen Klump is a former newspaper reporter who covered government, courts and crime throughout Arkansas and Central Texas. Still a working journalist, she is also a member of Sisters in Crime. Her short fiction has appeared in Crimson Streets and Tales of Texas, volume 2, a Houston short story anthology.