Pernette's bookshelf: all en-US Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:54:33 -0700 60 Pernette's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Testimony (Kindle County Legal Thriller, #10)]]> 32480883 In the bestselling tradition of Presumed Innocent--the 1987 debut novel that made him "one of the major writers in America" (NPR)--comes what may be Scott Turow's best thriller yet.

Bill ten Boom has walked out on everything he thought was important to him: his career, his wife, Kindle County, even his country. Still, when he is tapped to examine the disappearance of an entire Gypsy refugee camp--unsolved for ten years--he feels drawn to what will become the most elusive case of his career.

In order to uncover what happened during the apocalyptic chaos after the Bosnian War, Boom must navigate a host of suspects ranging from Serb paramilitaries to organized crime gangs to the U.S. government, while also maneuvering among the alliances and treacheries of those connected to the case: Morgan Merriwell, a disgraced U.S. Major General; Ferko Rincic, the massacre's sole survivor; and Esma Czarni, an alluring barrister with secrets to protect.

A master of the legal thriller, Scott Turow has returned with his most irresistibly confounding and satisfying novel yet.]]> 497 Scott Turow Pernette 0 to-read 3.81 Testimony (Kindle County Legal Thriller, #10)
author: Scott Turow
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/06/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Winter Dream 13547230
Joseph Jacobson is the twelfth of thirteen siblings, all of whom are employed by their father’s successful Colorado advertising company. But underneath the success runs a poisonous undercurrent of jealousy; Joseph is his father’s favorite and the focus of his brothers� envy and hatred. When the father seems ready to anoint Joseph as his heir, the brothers make their move, forcing Joseph from the company and his Denver home, severing his ties to his parents and ending his relationship with his soon-to-be fianceé. Alone and lonely, Joseph must start a new life.

Joseph joins a Chicago advertising agency where his creativity helps him advance high up in the company. He also finds hope for a lasting love with April, a kind woman with a secret. However, all secrets hold consequences, and when Joseph learns the truth about April’s past, his world is again turned upside down. Finally, Joseph must confront his own difficult past in order to make his dreams for the future come true.]]> 266 Richard Paul Evans 145162803X Pernette 0 to-read 4.07 2012 A Winter Dream
author: Richard Paul Evans
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mexican Gothic 52873094
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 304 Silvia Moreno-Garcia Pernette 4 3.76 2020 Mexican Gothic
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/21
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves:
review:
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic was not what I expected at all. Had somewhat of a hard time getting into it. Slow but entertaining. Would recommend it for those who enjoy Stephen King's books or a paranormal thriller.
]]> A Million Little Lies 53030992
When Suzanna Duff was ten years old, she lost her mama, and that’s when the lies began. At first, they were just harmless little fibs, a way to hide her unbearable loneliness and the truth about a daddy who came home rip-roaring drunk every night. But in time, the lies grew bigger and now, when she is a grown woman with a daughter of her own, they threaten to destroy everything she loves.

The irony of this situation is that Suzanna never planned to stay in Georgia, she was simply passing through, looking for a fresh start in New Jersey. Attending that wake with her daughter Annie, was a fluke. An opportunity to enjoy a free meal. It should have entailed nothing more than a solemn nod and a brief expression of sympathy but, Ida Parker, the grieving widow mistook her for her the granddaughter who was carried off as an infant. Too embarrassed to do anything else, Suzanna played along. What harm was there in pretending to be someone else for a few hours? Hours turned into days and days into weeks; strangers became friends, love happened, and before long a year had flown by.

Now the past is standing on her doorstep and Suzanna must decide to leave here and disappear as she has done before, or tell the truth and break the hearts of those she loves most.]]> 261 Bette Lee Crosby 0996080309 Pernette 4
Merged review:

Bette Lee Crosby's A Million Little Lies is a winner. When your life is bad and you want a do over like Suzanna Duff you will do and say a lot of things out of desperation. Suzanna has an eight year old daughter to think about and she wants a better life for her. When she accidentally stumbles upon that good life it is hard to say no. But the lies and deceit start to add up and Suzanna is at the point where she has to make some difficult choices.Will the truth hurt the people she loves? I would recommend this book for those that like women's contemporary literature and or Southern based fiction.]]> 4.21 2020 A Million Little Lies
author: Bette Lee Crosby
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/04/23
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
Bette Lee Crosby's A Million Little Lies is a winner. When your life is bad and you want a do over like Suzanna Duff you will do and say a lot of things out of desperation. Suzanna has an eight year old daughter to think about and she wants a better life for her. When she accidentally stumbles upon that good life it is hard to say no. But the lies and deceit start to add up and Suzanna is at the point where she has to make some difficult choices.Will the truth hurt the people she loves? I would recommend this book for those that like women's contemporary literature and or Southern based fiction.

Merged review:

Bette Lee Crosby's A Million Little Lies is a winner. When your life is bad and you want a do over like Suzanna Duff you will do and say a lot of things out of desperation. Suzanna has an eight year old daughter to think about and she wants a better life for her. When she accidentally stumbles upon that good life it is hard to say no. But the lies and deceit start to add up and Suzanna is at the point where she has to make some difficult choices.Will the truth hurt the people she loves? I would recommend this book for those that like women's contemporary literature and or Southern based fiction.
]]> <![CDATA[Killer Charm: The Double Lives Of Psychopaths (From The Files Of Linda Fairstein, #1)]]> 15814162 Linda Fairstein unmasks the true face of psychopathy, and reveals the warning signs that every woman should know

The 2009 “Craigslist Killer� murder case shocked America, not just because of the heinous nature of the crimes but because their perpetrator—a handsome young law student with an unsuspecting girlfriend—seemed a very unlikely suspect. This killer, like others before him, had learned to leverage his charm and golden-boy looks to lure his victims, a skill many psychopaths learn to master. In Killer Charm, legal expert Linda Fairstein draws on her decades of experience in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to uncover what traits psychopaths often share, and how to spot them. She illustrates these points with the stories of some of America’s most notorious sex criminals, such as Ted Bundy and Marvin Teicher.Originally published inCosmopolitan, this essay is now available in digital format for the first time andfeatures a new introduction by the author.]]> 8 Linda Fairstein 145327460X Pernette 0 to-read 2.52 2012 Killer Charm: The Double Lives Of Psychopaths (From The Files Of Linda Fairstein, #1)
author: Linda Fairstein
name: Pernette
average rating: 2.52
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[No Darker Place (Shades of Death #1)]]> 30836268
Detective Bobbie Gentry has one to stop the serial killer who robbed her of her husband, her child and her life. Nick Shade understands Bobbie's pain—and her desire for vengeance. He's on a mission of his own, and the murderer known as the Storyteller is next on his list. Nick knows that the best way to find his target is to stick close to Bobbie. But as she becomes more and more reckless in her attempts to lure the Storyteller out of hiding, he has to make a choice. Will he protect her from herself even if it means passing up the chance to take out one more monster? As for Bobbie, she's forced to decide just how much she can trust this stranger who knows so much about her. And both of them are about to learn whether or not two broken people can save each other.]]> 336 Debra Webb 1460396472 Pernette 0 to-read 4.45 2017 No Darker Place (Shades of Death #1)
author: Debra Webb
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Girl Who Loved Ghosts (The Unbelievables Book 3)]]> 52387077 She’d do anything to save her friends and family. But will that mean sacrificing the ghosts she’s grown to love?

Kat is trying to settle back into her senior year at McTernan Academy, but destiny keeps getting in the way of schoolwork and friendships. Continuing her magical training means abandoning her best friend, until an attack by a mysterious entity on campus proves that the only place they’ll both be safe is Dumbarton, the ancestral home of the Langley family.

Evan struggles with his coursework, a flirty new housemate, and his daunting responsibilities as the Kingsley heir and new owner of Ravenhurst manor. He tries to hold onto his normal college life, but he knows it’s only a matter of time before he and Kat have to travel into the past again� And Kat is in mortal danger every minute they wait to retrieve the last amulet they need to defeat the Dark One.

As her normal life slips further away, Kat must face the terrible cost that comes with time travel. Completing her quest in the present requires changing the past. She knows that the results of her actions can be disastrous—because the ghosts of her ancestors tell her of their tragic fates. A trip to eighteenth-century Connecticut might change everything. Kat tries to protect everyone she loves, but risks destroying every relationship that matters to her.


Short Summary:

The Girl Who Loved Ghosts, is the third installment in K.C. Tansley’s bestselling and award-winning The Unbelievables series. In The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts, Kat discovered her destiny. In The Girl Who Saved Ghosts, she learned how to fulfill her destiny. In The Girl Who Loved Ghosts, Kat reckons with how her actions in the past have changed the lives and afterlives of the four families. She has a relationship with the dead. Is she willing to sacrifice them to protect the living?



The Unbelievables series is The Haunting of Sunshine Girl meets Outlander. It’s a fast-paced YA time-travel murder mystery series that combines paranormal and gothic elements to create a story full of ancestral legacies, powerful spells, unexpected connections, and inherited destinies.



Related subjects include horror and ghosts, family saga, Connecticut, New England, paranormal mystery, series, young adult, time travel, romance, and historical fiction.
]]> 285 K.C. Tansley Pernette 4 4.53 The Girl Who Loved Ghosts (The Unbelievables Book 3)
author: K.C. Tansley
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/23
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves:
review:
The Girl Who Loved Ghosts by K.C. Tansley is book 3 of The Unbelievables. Kat is continuing her magical training while trying to complete her senior year of high school. She with the help of her friends and family must try to reunite the four families while studying for final exams. I found the fantasy theme reminiscent of the Harry Potter books. At times it was hard to keep up with who was who but overall it was a good read. Would recommend for those who like fantasy and magic.
]]> <![CDATA[Accidentally Perfect (Hideaway Harbor Book 1)]]> 60545428 290 Marissa Clarke 164937190X Pernette 5 4.45 Accidentally Perfect (Hideaway Harbor Book 1)
author: Marissa Clarke
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.45
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/04
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:
Accidentally Perfect introduces Lillian a workaholic who has created a cooking show with a huge following. But Lillian needs a break. Upon the urging of her sister, she goes to Blink on the Maine coast. There is quite a difference between the lifestyle that Lillian has lived in the city and the lifestyle of the residents of Blink. This is a funny, quirky rom-com. I enjoyed it.
]]> <![CDATA[Zero Hero (Kate Huntington Mysteries #6)]]> 19446515
When the first responder, already struggling with delayed PTSD and addiction, is accused of murdering his former drug dealer, psychotherapist Kate Huntington finds herself going above and beyond to help him. As she and her P.I. husband set out to clear him of the charges, they are thrust into a deadly world of drugs, prostitutes and hired killers, and end up questioning who they are and what it means to be brave.]]> 305 Kassandra Lamb 0991320808 Pernette 5
Merged review:

Pete is a Maryland firefighter that is in NYC on 9/11 2001. Ten years later he is dealing with delayed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kate Huntington and her friend Rob try to help Pete with his PTSD, drug addiction and his legal problems. They become personally involved and lose their professional perspective. Kate even gets her husband Skip and his partner Rosa and their private detective agency involved with Pete when he is charged with murder. Lots of twist and turns and soul searching by most of the characters. Most readers will be able to identify with this book on certain levels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but most importantly first responders, fire fighters, police, counselors and anyone that felt helpless as they watched the horror of 9/11 unfold.]]> 4.58 2013 Zero Hero (Kate Huntington Mysteries #6)
author: Kassandra Lamb
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2013/12/14
date added: 2024/09/25
shelves:
review:
Pete is a Maryland firefighter that is in NYC on 9/11 2001. Ten years later he is dealing with delayed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kate Huntington and her friend Rob try to help Pete with his PTSD, drug addiction and his legal problems. They become personally involved and lose their professional perspective. Kate even gets her husband Skip and his partner Rosa and their private detective agency involved with Pete when he is charged with murder. Lots of twist and turns and soul searching by most of the characters. Most readers will be able to identify with this book on certain levels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but most importantly first responders, fire fighters, police, counselors and anyone that felt helpless as they watched the horror of 9/11 unfold.

Merged review:

Pete is a Maryland firefighter that is in NYC on 9/11 2001. Ten years later he is dealing with delayed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Kate Huntington and her friend Rob try to help Pete with his PTSD, drug addiction and his legal problems. They become personally involved and lose their professional perspective. Kate even gets her husband Skip and his partner Rosa and their private detective agency involved with Pete when he is charged with murder. Lots of twist and turns and soul searching by most of the characters. Most readers will be able to identify with this book on certain levels. I would highly recommend this book to anyone but most importantly first responders, fire fighters, police, counselors and anyone that felt helpless as they watched the horror of 9/11 unfold.
]]> Blu Heat (Blu Carraway) 34031571
A man walks into a bar, and dies. It isn’t just any bar, it’s the Pirate’s Cove located on the Isle of Palms, a barrier island just north of the Charleston, South Carolina harbor. Marine veteran Brack Pelton tries to stop the murder and almost dies himself. The victim, Skip Romeo, has a shady past and some interesting friends. The friend he’d planned on meeting at the bar before he got shot was lowcountry Private Investigator Blu Carraway.

Brack Pelton hates that someone shot up his bar and Blu Carraway hates that someone gunned down his friend. Both want revenge and justice. And both tend to leave a lot of collateral damage in their wake. Their team-up is inevitable. Individually, they’re each a force to be reckoned with. Together, they’re like an atomic bomb blast at ground zero. Pelton and Carraway and Charleston will never be the same.

“Burnsworth nails the voice of new southern noir. This talented debut author will win you over with his engaging and multi-faceted hero--then keep you turning pages with his suspense, southern-voiced wit and sharp insight.� � Hank Phillippi Ryan, Mary Higgins Clark Award-Winning Author of Say No More

“Hop on board for a hard-edged debut that's fully loaded with car chases (particularly Mustangs), war veterans, old grudges, and abundant greed. A choppy start belies a well-executed plotline enhanced by the atmospheric Palmetto State setting.� � Library Journal (on Southern Heat)

“This second case for Brack is marked by a challenging mystery, quirky characters, and nonstop action.� ―Kirkus Reviews (on Burning Heat)

Related subjects whodunit mysteries whodunnit, murder mystery series, Southern fiction, Southern humor, private investigator books, amateur sleuth books.

Books in the Brack Pelton Mystery

SOUTHERN HEAT (#1)
BURNING HEAT (#2)
BIG CITY HEAT (#3)

Books in the Blu Carraway Mystery

IN IT FOR THE MONEY (#1) (September 2017)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all...
]]> 110 David Burnsworth 1635111862 Pernette 5
Merged review:

Blu Heat starts with a bang when 2 thugs walk in Brack Pelton's bar and start shooting the place up including Brack's only customer. Brack himself is unhurt but manages to kill one of the thugs but the other got away. Just as the shooting ends private investigator Blu Carraway shows up. Brack doesn't know him and holds him at gunpoint even though Blu says he is not a threat and is unarmed/He is there to meet his friend Skip who has just been shot and killed. The police arrive shortly thereafter and assess the scene. But there are a lot of unanswered questions. Blu doesn't trust Brack and Brack definitely does not trust Blu. Plus they have a little military and macho rivalry going on. Why was the Pirate's Cove Bar targeted and why was Blu's friend Skip shot? Great story and great location. David Burnsworth's books are very entertaining and I highly recommend them.]]> 4.26 Blu Heat (Blu Carraway)
author: David Burnsworth
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.26
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2018/07/08
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Blu Heat starts with a bang when 2 thugs walk in Brack Pelton's bar and start shooting the place up including Brack's only customer. Brack himself is unhurt but manages to kill one of the thugs but the other got away. Just as the shooting ends private investigator Blu Carraway shows up. Brack doesn't know him and holds him at gunpoint even though Blu says he is not a threat and is unarmed/He is there to meet his friend Skip who has just been shot and killed. The police arrive shortly thereafter and assess the scene. But there are a lot of unanswered questions. Blu doesn't trust Brack and Brack definitely does not trust Blu. Plus they have a little military and macho rivalry going on. Why was the Pirate's Cove Bar targeted and why was Blu's friend Skip shot? Great story and great location. David Burnsworth's books are very entertaining and I highly recommend them.

Merged review:

Blu Heat starts with a bang when 2 thugs walk in Brack Pelton's bar and start shooting the place up including Brack's only customer. Brack himself is unhurt but manages to kill one of the thugs but the other got away. Just as the shooting ends private investigator Blu Carraway shows up. Brack doesn't know him and holds him at gunpoint even though Blu says he is not a threat and is unarmed/He is there to meet his friend Skip who has just been shot and killed. The police arrive shortly thereafter and assess the scene. But there are a lot of unanswered questions. Blu doesn't trust Brack and Brack definitely does not trust Blu. Plus they have a little military and macho rivalry going on. Why was the Pirate's Cove Bar targeted and why was Blu's friend Skip shot? Great story and great location. David Burnsworth's books are very entertaining and I highly recommend them.
]]> <![CDATA[Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1)]]> 25908181
After serving his country in Afghanistan, Lucas Dwyer expected to return home to his family’s farm, but the bank foreclosed. Undeterred, he begins combining-for-hire to support his younger sister in college. His best friend convinces him to discourage local guys from dating Amelia. Craig wants her back in the city, farming is too hard for a woman alone. Only one problem—Lucas has fallen in love with Amelia.

With family, the bank, and the weather conspiring against them, can Amelia and Lucas ever hope to grow the love blooming between them?
]]> 326 Linda Joyce 0996581111 Pernette 5 4.66 2015 Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1)
author: Linda Joyce
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.66
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2017/08/19
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Linda Joyce's Her Heart's Desire is a winner. The first book in the Sunflower Series opens with a 28 year old woman Amelia Britton facing the upcoming harvest and the possibility that she may lose her family farm. Amelia is primarily an artist but she is working really hard to make the farm in Kansas succeed. Her brother has other ideas and though he wants what is best for his baby sister he forgets to ask what she wants. It seems that obstacles keep getting in her way. Lia (as her friends call her) is a strong woman and she is determined to get what she wants in life and in love. Good fast paced read. Love the Lia and Lucas characters.
]]> Starry Night 17927996
Carrie Slayton, a big-city society-page columnist, longs to write more serious news stories. So her editor hands her a challenge: She can cover any topic she wants, but only if she first scores the paper an interview with Finn Dalton, the notoriously reclusive author.

Living in the remote Alaskan wilderness, Finn has written a megabestselling memoir about surviving in the wild. But he stubbornly declines to speak to anyone in the press, and no one even knows exactly where he lives.

Digging deep into Finn’s past, Carrie develops a theory on his whereabouts. It is the holidays, but her career is at stake, so she forsakes her family celebrations and flies out to snowy Alaska. When she finally finds Finn, she discovers a man both more charismatic and more stubborn than she even expected. And soon she is torn between pursuing the story of a lifetime and following her heart.

Filled with all the comforts and joys of Christmastime, Starry Night is a delightful novel of finding happiness in the most surprising places.]]> 370 Debbie Macomber 0345545524 Pernette 4 3.89 2013 Starry Night
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2013/12/13
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Carrie is a society news reporter that is bored with that assignment and longs for a real news assignment and Finn is a best selling author that is pretty much a loner and does not wish to bask in the limelight of his book. Their meeting/interview become so much more and they are both left questioning the decisions they have made. A real feel good story. Debbie Macomber has done it again.
]]> No Witness But the Moon 28814311 “A tremendous talent.”—Lee Child

In this powerful novel from award-winning author Suzanne Chazin, a tense stand-off between a Hispanic police officer and an undocumented immigrant leads to the shooting death of one, the shattered life of the other, and the shocking connection between them. . .

On a clear, moonlit night in December, police detective Jimmy Vega races to the scene of a reported home invasion in an upscale New York community. As Vega arrives, he spots a Hispanic man who fits the description of the armed intruder, running from the victim’s estate. Vega chases him into the woods. When the suspect refuses to surrender—and reaches into his pocket—Vega has only seconds to make a life-or-death decision.

What begins as a tragic mistake takes an even darker turn when Vega uncovers disturbing links between the dead man and his own mother’s brutal, unsolved murder. Vega’s need for answers propels him back to his old Bronx neighborhood, where he is viewed as a disgraced cop, not a homegrown hero. It also puts him at odds with his girlfriend, Adele Figueroa, head of a local immigrant center, who must weigh her own doubts about his behavior.

When a shocking piece of evidence surfaces, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want Vega to put all the pieces together—and is willing to do whatever it takes to bury the truth. Only by risking everything will Vega be able to find justice, redemption, and the most elusive goal of the ability to forgive himself.

NO WITNESS BUT THE MOON

“Chazin delivers a complex, suspenseful story, with the grace of a ballerina and the impact of a boxer’s fist.� —William Kent Krueger

"A terrific mystery that keeps on surprising right to the end. Don't miss this series."
—Robert Dugoni

“Get ready for a roller coaster of emotions as you plow through this tense, timely novel.� —Julia Dahl

A BLOSSOM OF BRIGHT LIGHT

“A literary mystery at its finest—captivating, smart, romantic, and impossible to put down.� —Jacqueline Sheehan

“A compulsively readable police procedural that builds to the pace of a thriller with an explosive ending.� —Hallie Ephron

LAND OF CAREFUL SHADOWS

"This is everything a great suspense novel should be. First rate and highly recommended.� —Lee Child

“What a wonderful read!Suspenseful, involving, peopled with colorful, engaging characters. . . This fine novel will touch your heart.� —Julia Spencer-Fleming]]> 326 Suzanne Chazin 1496705181 Pernette 4 3.99 2016 No Witness But the Moon
author: Suzanne Chazin
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/10/18
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:
Suzanne Chazin's No Witness But The Moon was a very interesting book. The subject matter was very appropriate to today's police/citizen climate. An 18 year police veteran shoots a suspect who turns out to be unarmed. In this book we see the events from the police detective's point of view. Meanwhile, this shooting opens up pandora's box of multiple crimes and not all are related to the police detective. From Murder, shooting in self defense, illegal immigration, and abuse this is a convoluted tale. Keeps your attention and asking questions all the way from the beginning to end.
]]> <![CDATA[Murder Most Fowl (Local Foods Mystery,#4)]]> 27879667
With the weather getting warmer, Cam should be spending her days pruning blueberry bushes and taking care of the new batch of chicks that just hatched. But murder knows no season. So when her fellow fowl-raiser Wayne Laitinen is found dead at his breakfast table one morning, Cam must put down her trimming shears and put on her crime-solving hat.

The kind-hearted chicken farmer didn't have any enemies--or did he? A wealthy financier has been working hard to convince him to sell her his land, while a group of animal rights activists recently vandalized his property. Money troubles were threatening to sink his marriage. And a thirty-year-old scandal was driving a wedge between him and one of his oldest friends.

Murder, blackmail, cover-ups. There's a fox in the hen house. But where? With some help from her off-again, on-again flame, police detective Pete Pappas, Cam will have to crack this case before Wayne's killer flies the coop forever.

Praise For The Mysteries Of Edith Maxwell!

Farmed And Dangerous

"Quirky characters, lots of organic farming tips, and a well-developed mystery make this Cam's best outing yet."--Kirkus Reviews

"Enticing…Cozy fans will be able to relate to this spunky heroine." --Publishers Weekly

"Maxwell's feisty heroine and the interesting background detail on the realities of organic farming blend to deliver a clever, twisting mystery…Fans of other mysteries involving organic farming, or of foodie mysteries in general, will find plenty to enjoy here." --Booklist

"For all cozy readers, especially fans of Joanne Fluke and Diane Mott Davidson." --Library Journal

'Til Dirt Do Us Part

"There are plenty of farming-based cozies on the market today, but this one stands out." --Booklist

"Engaging…On top of the intriguing whodunit plot, Maxwell vividly portrays life on a small contemporary farm." --Publishers Weekly

"A most enjoyable look at organic farming with some charming characters and cooking suggestions thrown in." --Kirkus Reviews

A Tine To Live, A Tine To Die

"Another topically relevant cozy debut." --Library Journal

"With an insider's look at organic farming and a loyal, persistent heroine, Maxwell offers a series that cozy mystery fans will root for." --Lucy Burdette, author of Fatal Reservations]]> 283 Maddie Day 1496700260 Pernette 0 to-read 4.21 2016 Murder Most Fowl (Local Foods Mystery,#4)
author: Maddie Day
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Wife Between Us 37538890 The woman before . . .

Vanessa and Richard fell deeply in love and were married for seven years - until he left her for another woman, someone younger and more desirable. She now spends her days immersed in painful memories, trying to decipher how it all went so wrong. Of course, she isn’t blameless - she was never the woman Richard thought she was.

. . . the woman after

 Nellie is engaged to the man of her dreams. Caring, charismatic and accomplished, Richard provides her with the security she has always craved. But as their wedding draws closer, she can’t shake the sense that someone is watching her. That someone is following her wherever she goes.

The wife in between . . .

No one knows the truth about what really happens within a marriage, even a seemingly happy one. But Vanessa is certain of one She will do whatever it takes to stop Richard’s wedding before it’s too late . . .
"]]> 352 Greer Hendricks 1509842845 Pernette 0 3.94 2018 The Wife Between Us
author: Greer Hendricks
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at: 2017/10/27
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
After reading the brief description of The Wife Between Us I started reading and questioning each character (the ex-wife Vanessa, the young Bride-to-Be Nellie and Richard the Husband) and their parts in this scenario. There were clues in the first four chapters but were they trying to divert your attention and lead you away from the truth? It is truly an ominous beginning to a bigger story. I was drawn in and would definitely like to know who's story is the truth. Vanessa obviously is hiding something. Does she have a drinking problem? Then there is Nellie. Is she running away from her home in Florida and what is causing her insomnia. Is she as innocent as she seems? And of course lets not forget Richard. Is he the typical philandering husband whose career is on the rise and wants a much younger "trophy wife"? Or is he the innocent party in all of this? #Suspense #Thriller #Infidelity
]]> <![CDATA[Alexander Drake's Extraordinary Pursuit (Azra's Pith, Book 1)]]> 17852647
But secrets have a way of getting out. And a stay at his grandmother's cottage provides strange clues to his father's past. A past Alexander is determined to find out about.

With a mysterious key and several maps in his pack, he sets off on an innocent search for answers about his family.

The discovery of a secret passageway opens the door to dangers, and wonders, unimaginable. And each answer leads to more questions and the journey of his life.

Join Alexander for a thrilling adventure in Azra's Pith, a place of beauty and magic... but beware--something evil lurks in the shadows.]]> 112 Elizabeth Parkinson Bellows 1936222884 Pernette 0 to-read 4.11 2011 Alexander Drake's Extraordinary Pursuit (Azra's Pith, Book 1)
author: Elizabeth Parkinson Bellows
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bayou Beckons (Fleur de Lis #3)]]> 26140787 290 Linda Joyce 1509201238 Pernette 0 to-read 4.33 2015 Bayou Beckons (Fleur de Lis #3)
author: Linda Joyce
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Closer You Get 53615047 Is a marriage worth saving � whatever the cost?

Ruby didn’t plan to have an affair. She doesn’t love her husband, but wouldn’t set out to steal someone else’s. Yet when she met Harry they simply couldn’t keep apart. Now, she’s brave enough to leave her marital home and start again, as is Harry, or so she thinks.

Waiting at a hotel for her lover to arrive, Ruby realises she has made a mistake. Harry won’t come. He will never leave his wife.

What Ruby hasn’t worked out is that Harry’s wife Emma knows all about the affair. And she’s hanging on to her husband. Whatever the cost. But can she forgive and forget? Or is revenge the only way to settle the score?

Don’t miss this taut and gripping novel packed with edge-of-your-seat tension and a tale of love that goes badly wrong, perfect for fans of Shalini Boland and Lisa Hall.]]> 370 Mary Torjussen 1788631153 Pernette 4 4.34 2020 The Closer You Get
author: Mary Torjussen
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/03/25
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves:
review:
The Closer You Get by Mary Torjussen had a different plot twist and it drew the reader in almost immediately. Imagine having an affair only to get "ghosted". Then allegiances form from the most unlikely of possibilities. A good story and I zipped right through it. I would definitely recommend this contemporary mystery.
]]> <![CDATA[See Them Run (Lucy Kendall, #2)]]> 23967918
"I couldn’t erase the memory of the video. A little boy with dark brown skin, a little skinny but overall healthy looking, stood naked in the middle of a nondescript room. A disembodied voice ordered him to turn in a circle, to raise his arms over his head, to bend over. He obeyed with a glazed look in his eyes and tears running down his cheeks. A price was named just before the video ended.
I would kill someone for that little boy tonight."

Savvy undercover work leads Lucy Kendall to an underground child sex trafficking ring. But when her best lead is found dead, Lucy becomes a suspect in a murder she didn’t commit. Lucy barrels ahead, determined to take out the trafficking ring no matter the personal cost. Powerful outside forces intervene, and she finds herself on the run for murder.

Clearing her name means embracing her growing dark side. With Chris by her side, Lucy fights for justice. Is a monster from the past Lucy’s worst enemy, or will the blossoming evil in her own heart be her ultimate destruction?

Packed with suspense, See Them Run is a dark psychological thriller with a finely crafted mystery that takes readers into the deepest recesses of the human psyche.]]> 304 Stacy Green 0989137988 Pernette 0 The tension is palpable early on and you wonder when Lucy is going to get caught. Human trafficking is very serious and Lucy has a hard time letting it go. She is taking more chances and putting herself out there even more. Her friends are concerned about her and her reckless behavior. But they are her friends and they stick by her to the very end. This book is like a lit fuse until the very end...and then boom.]]> 4.10 2014 See Them Run (Lucy Kendall, #2)
author: Stacy Green
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at: 2014/12/21
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
Lucy Kendall connects with the readers right away as she picks up her "mission" from "All Good Deeds."
The tension is palpable early on and you wonder when Lucy is going to get caught. Human trafficking is very serious and Lucy has a hard time letting it go. She is taking more chances and putting herself out there even more. Her friends are concerned about her and her reckless behavior. But they are her friends and they stick by her to the very end. This book is like a lit fuse until the very end...and then boom.
]]> <![CDATA[Death at a Fixer-Upper (A Home Sweet Home Mystery, #1)]]> 25937646 In Sarah T. Hobart’s wickedly funny and fast-paced Home Sweet Home mystery series, small-town real estate agent Sam Turner discovers it’s bad for business when her clients keep dropping dead.

Newly armed with her real estate license, Sam Turner loves Arlinda, her quirky seaside hometown in Northern California. But life by the beach isn’t exactly a She and her teenage son, Max, are being evicted from their apartment, her long absent ex-husband unexpectedly resurfaces, and her possibly romantic relationship with sexy Chief of Police Bernie Aguilar is, well . . . complicated. All Sam wants is a quick and easy sale. What she gets instead is a killer headache—or three.

Sam’s trying to drum up interest in 13 Aster Lane, a rambling Victorian fixer-upper that’s more than a little neglected—and possibly haunted—so when a trio of offers arrive out of the blue, she can’t help thinking it’s too good to be true. But after a new client drops dead on the property, she fears she’s lost more than a commission. Before Sam’s out of house and home, she must unmask a killer targeting her clients, or the only property she’ll be moving will be plots—at the local cemetery.

Praise for Death at a Fixer-Upper

“Hilarious . . . This is an extremely entertaining mystery with a plot that grows more complex as it progresses.. . .Strong writing and realistic characters will have readers eagerly anticipating further installments of this promising, and always fun, new series. . . .Filled with dry humor [and] acerbic wit.�—Kings River Life Magazine

“Sam Turner is a wonderful breath of fresh air in the world of cozy mystery. . . . I love the way the mystery unravels and how all the pieces tie together. This wasn’t so much a whodunit, but rather more a well-crafted mystery set against the history of the house and its owners.�—I Read What You Write

“A delightful new series . . . fast-paced, often funny, suspenseful and intriguing . . . The mystery is well plotted and paced with plenty of suspects that kept me guessing. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.�—A Cozy Booknook

“[Death at a Fixer-Upper reminds] me of Marty Wingate’s books—easy to read, light, funny (even if death is the subject matter at hand) and very true to real life.�—Bless Their Hearts Mom

“Packed with wonderfully worded passages and some fun snarky dialogue!�—Classy Cheapskate]]> 267 Sarah T. Hobart 0399177841 Pernette 2
Merged review:

Sarah Hobart's Death of a Fixer Upper was an interesting book. I must admit that at times I forgot who was who and the some of the vocabulary wasn't necessary or needed for the "cozy mystery". All in All I enjoyed the story and the main character.]]> 3.70 2016 Death at a Fixer-Upper (A Home Sweet Home Mystery, #1)
author: Sarah T. Hobart
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2016/04/20
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:
Sarah Hobart's Death of a Fixer Upper was an interesting book. I must admit that at times I forgot who was who and the some of the vocabulary wasn't necessary or needed for the "cozy mystery". All in All I enjoyed the story and the main character.

Merged review:

Sarah Hobart's Death of a Fixer Upper was an interesting book. I must admit that at times I forgot who was who and the some of the vocabulary wasn't necessary or needed for the "cozy mystery". All in All I enjoyed the story and the main character.
]]> Unfinished Business 12412396

So Vanessa had finally come home, Brady thought. She could still turn him inside out with one of her sultry looks. He couldn't believe she hadn't forgiven him for that night twelve years ago—but he'd had his reasons for not showing up. He'd let her leave town then—but he wasn't going to let her get away this time…]]> 256 Nora Roberts 1459273702 Pernette 0 3.90 1992 Unfinished Business
author: Nora Roberts
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Promises of the Heart (Savannah Skies Book 1)]]> 42282561
Macey and Ben Samuelson have much to be thankful for: great friends, a beautiful—if high-maintenance—Victorian house on idyllic Tybee Island, and a rock-solid marriage. The only thing missing is what they want the most. After her fifth miscarriage in six years, Macey worries that the family they’ve always dreamed of might be out of reach. Her sister suggests adoption, but Macey and Ben aren’t interested in pursuing that path...until a three-legged Golden Retriever named Keeper wags his way into their home and their hearts.

Harper Wheaton just got kicked out of another foster home and it won’t be the last if she keeps losing her temper. She’s not sure why she gets mad; maybe because no family seems to want a nine-year-old girl with a heart condition. She loves her social worker, Cora, but knows that staying with her forever isn’t an option. Will she ever find a family to call her own?

As a physician’s assistant, Macey meets lots of kids. Harper Wheaton’s a tough one, but Macey knows the little girl has already struggled more than most. It gets Macey and Ben to thinking about all the children who need homes. Then Harper goes missing, and one thing is suddenly crystal clear: life is complicated—but love doesn’t have to be.]]> 382 Nan Rossiter 0062917749 Pernette 0 to-read 4.25 2020 Promises of the Heart (Savannah Skies Book 1)
author: Nan Rossiter
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Little Secrets 46219178 From the author of Jar of Hearts, a mother driven to the edge by the disappearance of her son learns her husband is having an affair with the woman who might have kidnapped him.

Four hundred and eighty seconds. That’s how long it took for someone to steal Marin Machado's four-year-old son.

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family. Up until the day Sebastian is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. The only thing keeping her going is the unlikely chance that one day Sebastian reappears. She hires a P.I. to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding him, she discovers that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman.

Kenzie Li is an artist and grad student—Instagram famous—and up to her eyeballs in debt. She knows Derek is married. She also knows he's rich, and dating him comes with help with bills, trips away, expensive gifts. He isn't her first rich boyfriend, but she finds herself hoping he'll be the last. She's falling for him—and that was never part of the plan.

Discovery of the affair sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix. But as she sets a plan in motion, another revelation surfaces. Derek's lover might know what happened to their son. And so might Derek.]]> 338 Jennifer Hillier 1250154243 Pernette 5 4.32 2020 Little Secrets
author: Jennifer Hillier
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2020/01/04
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:
Jennifer Hillier's Little Secrets: A Novel is truly a psychological thriller. A young boy is abducted while he is with his mother and she blames herself. Prior to the abduction, the parents had a perfect life. Now, their lives are changed forever. This plot is very twisted and unsuspected. it will have you sitting on the edge of your seats. I highly recommend it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Marine's Road Home (Match Made in Haven Book 8)]]> 54245353 His travels are over, but his journey is just beginning�

It takes a different kind of courage to open up to love.

An explosion ended Jake Kelly’s military career. Now his days are spent alone on his ranch, and his nights are spent keeping his PTSD at bay. But the former marine’s efforts to keep the beautiful local bartender at a distance are thwarted by his canine companion. Every time he turns around, Molly is racing off to the Circle G looking for Skylar Gilmore. Maybe the dog knows that two hearts are better than one?

From Harlequin Special Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

Discover more true-to-life stories in the Match Made in Haven series by Brenda

Book 1: The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise
Book 2: Her Seven-Day Fiancé
Book 3: Six Weeks to Catch a Cowboy
Book 4: Claiming the Cowboy’s Heart
Book 5: Double Duty for the Cowboy
Book 6: One Night with the Cowboy
Book 7: A Chance for the Rancher
Book 8: The Marine’s Road Home]]> 288 Brenda Harlen 1488069956 Pernette 0 to-read 4.34 The Marine's Road Home (Match Made in Haven Book 8)
author: Brenda Harlen
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Say You'll Stay (Wishing Tree, #.5)]]> 57186992 Welcome to Wishing Tree, where the magic of Christmas in July will bring you home in this heartwarming story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery.

Some heartbreaks hit harder than others. For Shaye Harper, the last one was so bad she swore off men for good. Wishing Tree, Washington, was supposed to be a pit stop on the road to a fresh start, but Shaye is swiftly drawn in by the quirky small town’s celebrations—and a handsome stranger she can’t resist.

After deployments around the world, army vet Lawson Easley knows there’s no place better than his hometown. And he’s determined to stay right here, forever. Too bad the first woman who feels like “the one� is just passing through. The more time he spends with Shaye, the more he knows that she’s the piece his heart’s been missing.

Swept up by the joyful summer festivities and Lawson’s obvious affection, Shaye starts to feel she belongs. Here, with him. She never meant to end up in Wishing Tree. Then again, she never meant to fall in love�

Don't miss The Happiness Plan, a new novel coming from#1New York Timesbestselling author Susan Mallery where three women experience hope, heartache, and the power of friendship as they search for true happiness!]]> 126 Susan Mallery 0369706269 Pernette 0 to-read 4.07 2021 Say You'll Stay (Wishing Tree, #.5)
author: Susan Mallery
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot]]> 58858616
Soon, her husband’s tragic death forces her to become Veuve (Widow) Clicquot and grapple with a domineering partner, the complexities of making champagne, and six Napoleon wars, which cripple her ability to sell champagne. When she falls in love with her sales manager, Louis Bohne, who asks her to marry, she must choose between losing her winery to her husband, as dictated by Napoleon Code, or losing Louis.

In the ultimate showdown, Veuve Clicquot defies Napoleon himself, risking prison and even death.]]> 295 Rebecca Rosenberg 1732969922 Pernette 4
Merged review:

This work of historical fiction takes place during the Napoleonic rule. The Law of the land said that when a woman became a widow she must give up her property and could no longer be a land or business owner. Champagne Widows tells how one widow Barbe-Nicole had Le Nez (The Nose) for wines and business. She was very good at developing vintage Champagne, in particular Veuve Clicquot. Other widows as well had to keep the vineyards and making of wines going in order to take care of their families. Very interesting book but I did not think the book cover picture was a good representative of the story. I would recommend this book.]]> 4.30 2022 Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot
author: Rebecca Rosenberg
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/19
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves:
review:
This work of historical fiction takes place during the Napoleonic rule. The Law of the land said that when a woman became a widow she must give up her property and could no longer be a land or business owner. Champagne Widows tells how one widow Barbe-Nicole had Le Nez (The Nose) for wines and business. She was very good at developing vintage Champagne, in particular Veuve Clicquot. Other widows as well had to keep the vineyards and making of wines going in order to take care of their families. Very interesting book but I did not think the book cover picture was a good representative of the story. I would recommend this book.

Merged review:

This work of historical fiction takes place during the Napoleonic rule. The Law of the land said that when a woman became a widow she must give up her property and could no longer be a land or business owner. Champagne Widows tells how one widow Barbe-Nicole had Le Nez (The Nose) for wines and business. She was very good at developing vintage Champagne, in particular Veuve Clicquot. Other widows as well had to keep the vineyards and making of wines going in order to take care of their families. Very interesting book but I did not think the book cover picture was a good representative of the story. I would recommend this book.
]]> Shift Work (Carus, #4) 28608037
In the interest of paying the bills, paying it forward, and keeping the Supernatural Regulatory Division off her back, Andy once again slips through the dark streets of Vancouver’s seedy underworld. In the process, she uncovers secrets that threaten to derail her love life and her investigation. Can Andy capture a murderer, solve a mystery, and forgive her lover’s past? Or will the grime of the criminal world swallow her whole?]]> 261 J.C. McKenzie 150920590X Pernette 3
Merged review:

Shift Work was the 4th book in the series Carus by J. C. McKenzie. I had not read the previous 3 books and felt slightly at a disadvantage. Shifter Andy Mcneilly loses her job with the SRD (Supernatural Regulatory Division). She also tries to deal with her missing friends, two deaths if people she knows, get a new job and commit to a relationship even though her boyfriend has a secret life. This book is set in Vancover Canada present day. The story was entertaining and held my interest.]]> 4.14 2016 Shift Work (Carus, #4)
author: J.C. McKenzie
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2016/06/06
date added: 2024/09/12
shelves:
review:
Shift Work was the 4th book in the series Carus by J. C. McKenzie. I had not read the previous 3 books and felt slightly at a disadvantage. Shifter Andy Mcneilly loses her job with the SRD (Supernatural Regulatory Division). She also tries to deal with her missing friends, two deaths if people she knows, get a new job and commit to a relationship even though her boyfriend has a secret life. This book is set in Vancover Canada present day. The story was entertaining and held my interest.

Merged review:

Shift Work was the 4th book in the series Carus by J. C. McKenzie. I had not read the previous 3 books and felt slightly at a disadvantage. Shifter Andy Mcneilly loses her job with the SRD (Supernatural Regulatory Division). She also tries to deal with her missing friends, two deaths if people she knows, get a new job and commit to a relationship even though her boyfriend has a secret life. This book is set in Vancover Canada present day. The story was entertaining and held my interest.
]]> <![CDATA[Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, #1)]]> 24582237 For a girl who is about to lose her family home,
Releases the ghost of a long-dead gangster,
And opens Verity Long’s eyes to a whole new world.

When out of work graphic designer Verity Long accidentally traps a ghost on her property, she’s saddled with more than a supernatural sidekick—she gains the ability see spirits. It leads to an offer she can’t refuse from the town’s bad boy, the brother of her ex and the last man she should ever partner with.

Ellis Wydell is in possession of a stunning historic property haunted by some of Sugarland Tennessee’s finest former citizens. Only some of them are growing restless—and destructive. He hires Verity to put an end to the disturbances. But soon, Verity learns there’s more to the mysterious estate than floating specters, secret passageways, and hidden rooms.

There’s a modern day mystery afoot, one that hinges on a decades-old murder. Verity isn't above questioning the living, or the dead. But can she discover the truth before the killer finds her?
]]> 320 Angie Fox 193966120X Pernette 3
Merged review:

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is a fun cozy mystery. Verity Long's fiance Beau Wydell does her wrong and she walks out of the wedding. The Wydell family makes he pay restitution for the wedding and she is in the process of selling off everything she owns to pay them back. However, with a little help from a ghost and the black sheep of the Wydell family her luck seems to change. Can Verity save her home? Without getting killed?]]> 4.23 2015 Southern Spirits (Southern Ghost Hunter Mysteries, #1)
author: Angie Fox
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/17
date added: 2024/08/13
shelves:
review:
Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is a fun cozy mystery. Verity Long's fiance Beau Wydell does her wrong and she walks out of the wedding. The Wydell family makes he pay restitution for the wedding and she is in the process of selling off everything she owns to pay them back. However, with a little help from a ghost and the black sheep of the Wydell family her luck seems to change. Can Verity save her home? Without getting killed?

Merged review:

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox is a fun cozy mystery. Verity Long's fiance Beau Wydell does her wrong and she walks out of the wedding. The Wydell family makes he pay restitution for the wedding and she is in the process of selling off everything she owns to pay them back. However, with a little help from a ghost and the black sheep of the Wydell family her luck seems to change. Can Verity save her home? Without getting killed?
]]> <![CDATA[Lost Luggage (Cyd Redondo Mysteries Book 1)]]> 52373596 Macavity Award 2018 nominee, Best First Novel
Left Award 2018 nominee, Best Debut Mystery Novel

"Thomas makes a rollicking debut with this comic mystery featuring an unconventional protagonist who proves to have the skills of MacGyver. With its sexy overtones, this fun, character-driven novel will appeal to Janet Evanovich fans." �Library Journal STARRED review

Cyd Redondo, a young, third-generation Brooklyn travel agent who specializes in senior citizens, has never ventured farther than New Jersey. Yet even Jersey proves risky when her Travel Agents' Convention fling, Roger Claymore, leaves her weak in the knees-and everywhere else-then sneaks out of her Atlantic City hotel room at three a.m.

Back in Brooklyn, when she reads about smugglers stopped at JFK with skinks in their socks or monkeys down their pants, she never imagines she will join their ranks. But days after the pet store owner next door to Redondo Travel is poisoned, Cyd wins a free safari. Her boss, Uncle Ray, wants to cash it in for computers, but Cyd is determined to go. When Roger turns up at the Redondo clan's door, Cyd invites him along as her "plus one." And just like that she is thrown heels-first into the bizarre and sinister world of international animal smuggling.

She and Roger arrive in Africa, luggage lost, to find two of Cyd's elderly clients in a local jail. She manages to barter them out, only to discover smugglers have hidden five hundred thousand dollars' worth of endangered parrots, snakes, frogs, and a lone Madagascan chameleon in the clients' outbound luggage. When Roger steals the bags—is the U.S. Embassy in on the contraband ring?—Cyd and the chameleon helicopter into the jungle to go after Roger on their own.

Wondering if "plus one" Roger is actually a minus, Cyd dodges Interpol, faces off with a cobra, steals a diplomatic bag, hijacks a FedEx truck, crashes an eco-safari, winds up in a leopard trap, and is forced to smuggle snakes in her bra. It's a scramble to find the smugglers, save her clients, and solve Mrs. Barsky's murder before finding herself at the top of the endangered species list.

]]> 258 Wendall Thomas 146420893X Pernette 5 3.92 2017 Lost Luggage (Cyd Redondo Mysteries Book 1)
author: Wendall Thomas
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/07/26
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves:
review:
Lost Luggage is a LOL funny read. Wendall Thomas writes of a travel agent who is very dedicated to her job and her company. She knows all the ins and outs and tips of traveling. There is just one little hitch, she has never traveled herself. When she wins a trip to Tanzania and an African safari, she jumps at the opportunity. But her vacation is not the dream she had in mind. Hilarious throughout the book also highlights a deadly problem. Readers who like comedy, traveling and entertaining books should love this book. One of the best books I have read in 2017, I highly recommend it. (ARC)
]]> The Woman in the Green Dress 41864599 Remarkable Creatures, The Naturalist's Daughter and The Birdman's Wife comes The Woman in the Green Dress... 1853 Mogo Creek, NSW

Della Atterton, bereft at the loss of her parents, is holed up in the place she loves the beautiful Hawkesbury in New South Wales. Happiest following the trade her father taught her, taxidermy, Della has no wish to return to Sydney. But the unexpected arrival of Captain Stefan von Richter on a quest to retrieve what could be Australia's first opal, precipitates Della's return to Sydney and her Curio Shop of Wonders, where she discovers her enigmatic aunt, Cordelia, is selling more than curiosities to collectors. Strange things are afoot and Della, a fly in a spider's web, is caught up in events with unimaginable consequences...

1919 Sydney, NSW

When London teashop waitress Fleur Richards inherits land and wealth in Australia from her husband, Hugh, killed in the war, she wants nothing to do with it. After all, accepting it will mean Hugh really is dead. But Hugh's lawyer is insistent, and so she finds herself ensconced in the Berkeley Hotel on Hunter St, Sydney, the reluctant owner of a Hawkesbury property and an old curio shop, now desolate and boarded up.

As the real story of her inheritance unravels, Fleur finds herself in the company of a damaged returned soldier Kip, holding a thread that takes her deep into the past, a thread that could unravel a mystery surrounding an opal and a woman in a green dress; a green that is the colour of envy, the colour buried deep within an opal, the colour of poison...
]]> 353 Tea Cooper 1489270698 Pernette 4 3.77 2018 The Woman in the Green Dress
author: Tea Cooper
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2020/06/25
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
Tea Cooper's The Woman In the Green Dress was a work of fiction. The time period is pre and post WWI. There are many characters and this book is well written. The story takes place mainly in Australia and most of the characters are convicts and or their descendants. The book switches time frames from mid 1800s to early twentieth century. Readers who are interested in Australia should find this an interesting read. ARC
]]> If I Could Turn Back Time 23127727 If I Could Turn Back Time is the fantasy of every woman who has ever thought, "If I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, I'd do things so differently..."

Thirty-seven year old Ramie Phillips has led a very successful life. She made her fortune and now she hob nobs with the very rich and occasionally the semi-famous, and she enjoys luxuries she only dreamed of as a middle-class kid growing up in Potomac, Maryland. But despite it all, she can't ignore the fact that she isn't necessarily happy. In fact, lately Ramie has begun to feel more than a little empty.

On a boat with friends off the Florida coast, she tries to fight her feelings of discontent with steel will and hard liquor. No one even notices as she gets up and goes to the diving board and dives off...

Suddenly Ramie is waking up, straining to understand a voice calling in the distance...It's her mother: "Wake up! You're going to be late for school again. I'm not writing a note this time..."

Ramie finds herself back on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, with a second chance to see the people she's lost and change the choices she regrets. How did she get back here? Has she gone off the deep end? Is she really back in time? Above all, she'll have to answer the question that no one else can: What it is that she really wants from the past, and for her future?]]> 335 Beth Harbison 1466842199 Pernette 0
Merged review:

4.5 Stars If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison was awesome. I won it in a contest on ŷ. Not only was it a fun read but it had a touch of paranormal as well. I loved the interaction between Ramie and the other characters. I don't believe in coincidences. I was pleasantly surprised to find two of the characters with unusual names, Ramie and Zuzu were also names of my cousin Rayme and a previous pet Zuzu. I thought the concept was thought provoking. Would definitely recommend it.]]> 3.32 2015 If I Could Turn Back Time
author: Beth Harbison
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves:
review:
4.5 Stars If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison was awesome. I won it in a contest on ŷ. Not only was it a fun read but it had a touch of paranormal as well. I loved the interaction between Ramie and the other characters. I don't believe in coincidences. I was pleasantly surprised to find two of the characters with unusual names, Ramie and Zuzu were also names of my cousin Rayme and a previous pet Zuzu. I thought the concept was thought provoking. Would definitely recommend it.

Merged review:

4.5 Stars If I Could Turn Back Time by Beth Harbison was awesome. I won it in a contest on ŷ. Not only was it a fun read but it had a touch of paranormal as well. I loved the interaction between Ramie and the other characters. I don't believe in coincidences. I was pleasantly surprised to find two of the characters with unusual names, Ramie and Zuzu were also names of my cousin Rayme and a previous pet Zuzu. I thought the concept was thought provoking. Would definitely recommend it.
]]> <![CDATA[Let the Dead Sleep (Cafferty & Quinn #1)]]> 17256601
One day, its current owner shows up at Danni Cafferty’s antiques shop on Royal Street, the shop she inherited from her father. But before Danni can buy the statue, it disappears, the owner is found dead…and Danni discovers that she’s inherited much more than she realized. In the store is a book filled with secret writing: instructions for defeating evil entities. She’d dismissed it as a curiosity...until the arrival of this statue, with its long history of evil and even longer trail of death.

Michael Quinn, former cop and now private investigator, is a man with an unusual past. He believes that doing the right thing isn’t a job—it’s a way of life. And the right thing to do is find and destroy this object weighted with malevolent powers. He and Danni are drawn together in their search for the missing statue, following it through sultry New Orleans nights to hidden places in the French Quarter and secret ceremonies on abandoned plantations.

Cafferty and Quinn already know that trust in others can be misplaced, that love can be temporary. And yet their connection is primal. Mesmerizing. They also know that their story won’t end when this case is closed and the dead rest in peace once again.]]> 336 Heather Graham 1460309723 Pernette 0 to-read 4.05 2013 Let the Dead Sleep (Cafferty & Quinn #1)
author: Heather Graham
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rowdy Coyote Rumble (Jackrabbit Junction #4)]]> 28434258 371 Ann Charles 1940364264 Pernette 0 to-read 4.53 The Rowdy Coyote Rumble (Jackrabbit Junction #4)
author: Ann Charles
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jingle-Bell Jam (River's End Ranch, #32)]]> 36585363 170 Pamela M. Kelley Pernette 5 4.39 Jingle-Bell Jam (River's End Ranch, #32)
author: Pamela M. Kelley
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.39
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/24
date added: 2024/07/07
shelves:
review:
Pamela M. Kelley's Jingle-Bell Jam was a sweet Holiday read. This book is part work and part fun and romance. I would recommend it.
]]> Window on the Bay 40554184 When single mom Jenna Boltz becomes an "empty nester", she begins to rediscover herself and her passions in this heartwarming new novel from bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Jenna's life is at a crossroads. She's spent the last twenty years raising her two children on her own, and she loves her job as a Seattle ICU nurse. But now that she's officially an "empty nester", Jenna can't help but wonder what her future holds.

Searching for a new source of fulfilment in her life, she turns to Paris--the magical city that shaped her as a young woman--for inspiration. With her dear friend, Maura, by her side, Jenna embarks on a journey of growth, love, and self-discovery that exceeds her wildest dreams.]]> 336 Debbie Macomber 1473544483 Pernette 5 3.85 2019 Window on the Bay
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/07/01
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:
Window on the Bay by Debbie Macomber is about two college friends Jenna and Maureen. Years after college they find themselves single and empty nesters. Jenna's mother falls and has to have emergency surgery where Jenna is employed as a nurse. When Jenna speaks to her mother's surgeon she finds a spark of attraction between them. But she has sworn off surgeons due to her first husband. Maureen is a librarian and finds herself attracted to one of the members. He doesn't really seem her type. But the attraction is there. Great contemporary storyline. Recommend Window on the Bay for contemporary fiction readers and Debbie Macomber fans.
]]> It's Better This Way 55951807 After her marriage ends, one woman's struggle to pick up the pieces finally leads to a new beginning but is the past truly behind her? #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber explores the powerful intersections of love and family in this poignant novel.

It's been nearly six years since Julia Jones had her heart broken. After her husband became involved with another woman, she did everything she could to save their marriage, to no avail. The couple's two daughters continue to stand by Julia in the wake of their father's behavior--and they've had a tough time getting along with the other woman who's become their stepmother. Distraught after selling the family home, Julia moves into a condominium complex that offers the warmth and charm of a fresh start. Now, having settled into her new community and sold her successful interior design business, she's embraced a fulfilling new life, one that doesn't seem to need a man in it. Her beloved father's trusty saying is ringing truer than ever: It's better this way.

But when Julia meets a handsome new resident in the building's exercise room, she can't help but be drawn to him. Heath Johnson is a welcome change from the men she's encountered on the occasional--mostly disastrous--dates her sister has eagerly planned for her over the years. As she and Heath, a divorcee himself, begin to grow close, their friendship blossoms into an unexpected love. However, they soon realize that combining families proves to be a challenge, even though their four children are adults.

When a dramatic revelation threatens the happiness they've found, Julia and Heath must reconcile their love for their children with their love for each other. If they can't, their bright future together may be nothing but a dream.]]> 320 Debbie Macomber 1984818791 Pernette 5 4.37 2021 It's Better This Way
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/25
date added: 2024/04/30
shelves:
review:
It's Better This Way by Debbie Macomber is a very realistic and contemporary story of families. What are the odds that this could or would happen? Loved how they managed to overcome the obstacles. Would definitely recommend.
]]> The Mermaid Broker 56872679
She finds herself prisoner in the dark bowels of an underground aquarium complex. Once used by the military for marine mammal research, dolphins are no longer denizens of the big tanks. Instead, a menagerie of freaky razor-toothed predators including Piscum Auratus, a genetically engineered gold shark the size of an SUV, swims in psychotic circles.

To her horror, Isabelle discovers that she and a group of traumatized young women have been trafficked to become mermaids for an international sex tourism ring working out of Southern California. They are only days away from being raped by men willing to pay huge sums for the mermaid experience. Worst of all, to eliminate her as a witness, when the tourists have had their sick fun, more obscenity follows. Isabelle will be tossed to the ravenous monsters in a snuff finale.

Tenacious news reporter Bea Middleton and savvy photographer Lucy Vega, team with Ventura Detective Macintosh Wu. Can they stop the insanity before Isabelle and the others become nothing more than blood in the water?]]> 223 Sue Hinkin Pernette 0 to-read 4.00 2021 The Mermaid Broker
author: Sue Hinkin
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)]]> 6251565 Alternate cover edition of ASIN B000FCK9D6

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: "I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger." Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems...]]> 333 Agatha Christie Pernette 5 4.14 1937 Death on the Nile (Hercule Poirot, #18)
author: Agatha Christie
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 2019/05/16
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves:
review:
You can never go wrong with an Agatha Christie book, and Death on the Nile is no exception. With a cast of characters or suspicious subjects and multiple motives, The Death on the Nile is full of suspense and mystery. I would definitely recommend.
]]> Dreamland 60279823 Dreamland is a love story about risking everything for a dream—and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

But when he meets Morgan Lee, his world is turned upside-down, making him wonder if the responsibilities he has shouldered need dictate his life forever. The daughter of affluent Chicago doctors, Morgan has graduated from a prestigious college music program with the ambition to move to Nashville and become a star. Romantically and musically, she and Colby complete each other in a way that neither has ever known.

While they are falling headlong in love, Beverly is on a heart-pounding journey of another kind. Fleeing an abusive husband with her six-year-old son, she is trying to piece together a life for them in a small town far off the beaten track. With money running out and danger seemingly around every corner, she makes a desperate decision that will rewrite everything she knows to be true.

In the course of a single unforgettable week, two young people will navigate the exhilarating heights and heartbreak of first love. Hundreds of miles away, Beverly will put her love for her young son to the test. And fate will draw all three people together in a web of life-altering connections . . . forcing each to wonder whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past.]]> 367 Nicholas Sparks 059344955X Pernette 0 to-read 3.82 2022 Dreamland
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> Neighbors 53540403
These people did not even realize that movie star Meredith White was living on their street. Now, they are sharing her mansion, as well as their most closely kept secrets. Without the walls and privacy of their own homes, one by one, new relationships are forged. For every neighbor there is a story, from the doctor whose wife and children fear him, to the beautiful young woman dating a dishonorable man, to the aspiring writer caring for a famous blind musician.

In the heart of the crisis, Meredith finds herself venturing back into the world. And thanks to the suspicions and the dogged detective work of a disaster relief volunteer, a former military officer named Charles, a shocking truth about her own world is exposed. Suddenly Meredith sees her isolation, her estranged family, and even her acting career in a whole new light.

Filled with powerful human dramas, Neighbors is a penetrating look at how our world can be upended in a moment. In a novel of unforgettable characters and stunning twists, acts of love and courage become the most powerful forces of all.]]> 270 Danielle Steel 1984821385 Pernette 0 to-read 4.09 2021 Neighbors
author: Danielle Steel
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Little White Lies 827483
Okay, so it isn’t that little. It’s kind of a whopper. It’s just that when Natalie Raglan ups and quits her job at a Bath advertising firm, breaks up with her loser-ish boyfriend, and moves–to London! Things don’t quite turn out the way she planned. Having made the brave move to the Big City, the lifelong country mouse finds that living chic is still a long way off. Even Cressida, the girl who used to rent her tiny flat, still gets more phone calls and mail there than Nat does. Come to think of it, Cressida Langdon’s life looks pretty appealing–especially when an invitation to the posh, exclusive Soho House club arrives, addressed to Cressida.

Before she really knows what she’s done, Nat has opened Cressida’s mail . . . and taken up her life. Soon Nat’s dating a gorgeous investment banker named Simon, giving “reiki healing sessions,� wearing wonderful clothes, and partying with the A-list at Soho House. But the best part really is Simon. He’s everything Nat has ever wanted. The problem is he thinks she’s someone else. And as her life and her lies begin to spiral out of control, Nat can’t help but wonder: Will she be exposed as a liar and a fake–or be saved from ruin by simply claiming good intentions . . . .]]> 320 Gemma Townley 0345467574 Pernette 0 3.66 2005 Little White Lies
author: Gemma Townley
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at: 2011/04/01
date added: 2023/07/30
shelves:
review:
Light, good hearted, fun novel.
]]> Love Around the Table 36395252
Second chance at love, second chance at life.
Six Southern authors share six great short stories of friendship, family, and romance, and six special recipes of love.

A life-threatening diagnosis triggers forgiveness and healing between two estranged sisters.
A Sister’s Quandary by Rachel Jones

Life shoves an award-winning pastry chef into a big career change where she discovers the depths of true friendship and love.
Layers of Love by Linda Joyce

In rural Mississippi, a ten-year-old black girl and white boy bond over fishing as they navigate the racial waters of the 1930s.
Mississippi Catfish by Constance Gillam

A caregiver son and an activities director at a senior living facility discover the magic powers of love.
No More Lonely Hearts by Marilyn Baron

A harried widower with four young mischievous daughters proves to a wounded woman there’s always room for one more around the table.
Table for Six by Melissa Klein

An unexpected Lazy Susan disaster splatters the news of a famous baseball player reuniting with his small-town sweetheart.
Turning the Table on Love by Ciara Knight]]> 244 Cheryl Walz 069295323X Pernette 5 Great Feel Good Stories

I enjoyed Love Around the Table. I am already a Linda Joyce fan but didn't know the other authors. I bought the book just knowing I was going to like Ms.Joyce's story best. In reality they were all quite good and heart warning. I give this collection high praise not only for the stories but the fact that all proceeds go to the Ronald house House in Atlanta. Bravo Ladies!]]> 4.84 Love Around the Table
author: Cheryl Walz
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.84
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2017/12/12
date added: 2023/07/26
shelves:
review:
Great Feel Good Stories

I enjoyed Love Around the Table. I am already a Linda Joyce fan but didn't know the other authors. I bought the book just knowing I was going to like Ms.Joyce's story best. In reality they were all quite good and heart warning. I give this collection high praise not only for the stories but the fact that all proceeds go to the Ronald house House in Atlanta. Bravo Ladies!
]]> <![CDATA[The Spring Cleaning Murders (Ellie Haskell Mystery, #7)]]> 808268 288 Dorothy Cannell 0140276157 Pernette 3 3.72 The Spring Cleaning Murders (Ellie Haskell Mystery, #7)
author: Dorothy Cannell
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2017/04/25
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves:
review:
Dorothy Cannell's The Spring Cleaning Murders is the 7th book in the Ellie Haskell Mystery series. This story is set in Chitterton Fells and Ellie decides to do a little spring cleaning. As so often happens when cleaning you end up making more of a mess before you can get it straightened out again. As if the mess isn't bad enough on it's own, Mrs. Malloy, Ellie's part time housekeeper quits to go take care of her new grandchild and Ellie's husband Ben's restaurant isn't doing well. Soon there seems to be a housekeeper shortage in Chitterton Fells and not because they are quitting, Who is murdering the housekeepers and why? Great cast of characters.
]]> <![CDATA[Final Circuit: "Who's There?!" Book 2]]> 53480841
When no trace of the car or the body is found—and no one is reported missing—the authorities dismiss Olivia’s claims as an attention-seeking ploy by an unstable young woman. Olivia, however, is anything but. She resorts to her own investigation and uncovers a growing list of elderly widows who have vanished without a trace.

With the police case languishing and a well-grounded fear that a serial killer is at large and is now stalking her, Olivia takes matters into her own hands. When the killer has her caged, it looks like it’s going to get lethally hot for Olivia�
Interview with the Author Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I'm an attorney and have done a lot of technical writing, but knew I wanted to write novels. I thought I'd find time when I retired. Fate stepped in, as it often does, and put me on this path sooner. I broke my neck in an auto accident and suffered from double vision for months. I couldn't read or watch TV, so I conceived the plot for my Rosemont series. Why did you decide to write a series?
I prefer television series to movies. The longer format of television allows for deeper character development. The same holds true for series fiction. I like to fall in love with a character or hate a character (but root for them to change their ways). I feel like Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi from Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency series are old friends. I wanted to recreate that sort of connection in the Rosemont series. What other authors do you read or admire?
I'm a fan of women's fiction, women's sagas, romantic suspense, domestic suspense, crime fiction, and romance. I love Rosamunde Pilcher's later trilogy -The Shell Seekers, Coming Home, and September . Jan Karon's Mitford series creates an enchanting world, as does Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove. My Rosemont series is set in the current day, but I've tried to capture a feeling of camaraderie and connection (among the good guys) that takes us back to a slightly simpler time and place. What are your favorite books?
In addition to the works I've already mentioned, I adored A Man Called One, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and A Long Way from Chicago. Who has had the greatest influence on your author life?
My dad--without question. He told me or read me a bedtime story every night of my childhood, often adding his own twists and turns to the plots or dialogue. He had an incredible, gentle sense of humor. He also wrote novels--who-done-its--when he retired. What are the high points of your author journey?
There are 3 things I hold very 1) hearing from readers--especially newly blind adults--that my Guiding Emilyseries has given then hope and provided comfort, 2) having my novella The Christmas Club made into a Hallmark Channel movie of the same name (2019), and 3) seeing my name on the USA Today Bestseller List. What of your own interests have you written about in the Rosemont series?
I love my home and all things related to cooking, gardening, decorating, and entertaining. I love
celebrating all of the seasons and I change my decor for Easter, 4th of July, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring.]]> 241 Barbara Hinske 0996274790 Pernette 0 to-read 4.90 Final Circuit: "Who's There?!" Book 2
author: Barbara Hinske
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.90
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Whistling Women 25703896
Addie isn’t the only one interested in a reunion. When her niece, Rumor, discovers she has an aunt, Rumor is determined to bring her family together. But it’s not so easy when the women are forced to confront family secrets, past and present.

Set against the backdrop of the 1935 world’s fair, Whistling Women explores the complex relationships between sisters, the sacrifices required to protect family, and the devastating consequences of a single impulsive act.]]> 404 Kelly Romo 1503948781 Pernette 2 3.55 2015 Whistling Women
author: Kelly Romo
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2015/09/15
date added: 2023/01/22
shelves:
review:
Set in 1935 in San Diego, California with the Worlds Fair as the backdrop, this is the story of estranged sisters. Wavey is the oldest sister and has daughters of her own that are very close. The story is a treasure trove of lies, secrets, choices. consequences and contrasts. Addie lives a somewhat wholesome, healthy life as a nudist in a nudist colony. Wavey on the other hand drinks and smokes and parties as she tries to raise her two daughters and tries to protect them.
]]> The Apartment 53271238 It’s an opportunity she can’t refuse. The woman before her tried�

Freya Miller needs a miracle. In the fallout of her husband’s betrayal, she’s about to lose her family home, and with it the security she craves for her five-year-old daughter, Skye. Adrift and alone, she’s on the verge of despair until a chance meeting with the charismatic Dr Marsden changes everything. He’s seeking a new tenant for a shockingly affordable flat in a fashionable area of London.

Adder House sounds too good to be true� But Freya really can’t afford to be cynical, and Dr Marsden is adamant she and Skye will be a perfect fit with the other residents.

But Adder House has secrets. Even behind a locked front door, Freya feels as if she’s being watched: objects moving, unfamiliar smells, the blinking light of a concealed camera� and it’s not long before she begins to suspect that her dream home is hiding a nightmarish reality. Was it really chance that led her here—or something unthinkably dark?

As the truth about Adder House starts to unravel, can Freya and Skye get out—or will they be locked in forever?

Revised edition: This edition of The Apartment includes editorial revisions.

]]> 266 K.L. Slater 1542023920 Pernette 3 3.76 2020 The Apartment
author: K.L. Slater
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/02
date added: 2022/08/15
shelves:
review:
If it seems too good to be true it usually is and that is the case in The Apartment by K.L. Slater. A young mother, Freya and her young daughter. Skye. must move after her husband's unexpected death. Out of nowhere she is presented with this offer of a great little apartment in an older home. And the price is "just right". However, her neighbors seem to be a little off. Her daughter, Skye, is unhappy in school. And strange things are happening at their home. She is unsure of who to trust and wonders if she can move before things get worse. If psychological thrillers are on your reading lists this one is for you.
]]> Christmas Castles 57747539
When Lily Weaver is asked to help Alec Thurston, the one man she’s ever truly loved, and to come to Palm Desert, California, she doesn’t hesitate. He’s dying of cancer and needs her help in overseeing the sale of his hotel, The Desert Sage Inn, to another hotel group. For five wonderful years, she was his assistant at the hotel until he kindly told her their relationship was getting too serious, and he helped her find other work. With her organizational skills and attention to detail, she’s his perfect choice to oversee the details of the sale to help make a smooth transition while maintaining the reputation of the upscale property. Unappreciated in her job with a law firm in New York State, she’s eager to leave it and the cold weather to head for the desert. Her only regret is leaving her sister and three-year-old niece behind. Lily arrives at Alec’s house to find two other women summoned to help him. Rose Macklin was once the social director at Alec’s hotel, and Willow Sanchez is like a daughter to him. They join forces to help him, lovingly accepting his nickname for them—the Desert Flowers, similar to the well-known Charlie’s Angels. As Lily forms her friendship with the other women, she becomes intrigued with the man the hotel company has put in control of the transition. Brian Walden is a war veteran who has never married and is someone who Lily finds, to her delight, she can talk to about most anything when they meet up for early morning walks. Disaster strikes them both as they’re falling in love. Lily ends up having to raise her niece, and Brian is left with a son he never knew he had. It seems only natural that they turn to one another for help, and Lily wonders if this is as Alec might have planned all along.
A series for those who love strong women coming together to help each other and someone they love. Be sure to read all the books in the series� The Desert Flowers-Rose, The Desert Flowers-Lily, The Desert Flowers-Willow, and Mistletoe & Holly.
Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings. Be sure to check out her other delightful books and series that readers adore.]]> 171 Judith Keim Pernette 5 4.60 Christmas Castles
author: Judith Keim
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.60
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/25
date added: 2022/08/09
shelves:
review:
Judith Keim's Christmas Castles was a bittersweet story of love and loss. Hailey befriends a young woman who is pregnant and has one young son. Hailey bonds with the little boy. Due to a tragedy, Hailey and her husband Nick's lives change on a dime. With the help of friends and family and love, Hailey and Nick are able to realize their dreams. I would definitely recommend this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Beach Babes (Seashell Cottage)]]> 59957843 Catherine “Cate� Tibbs, Brooke Ridley, and Amber Anderson, friends since they were awkward thirteen-year-olds who named themselves “The Beach Babes,� are about to face their 40th birthdays. Because they haven’t been able to get together for some time, Cate arranges for them to rent a house along the Gulf Coast of Florida for a long weekend. She hopes it will give them the opportunity to celebrate and re-ignite their friendship. Cate, an author trying to finish a book, doesn’t know that Amber, a model, and Brooke, the mother of a boy in college and younger twin girls, are as worried about their own futures as she. Together, the three women support one another as they each face a crisis in her life, proving once again the strength of women’s friendships.]]> 326 Judith Keim Pernette 0 currently-reading 4.37 2022 The Beach Babes (Seashell Cottage)
author: Judith Keim
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Musician (Emerson Pass Historicals, #5)]]> 59143291
Li Wu has fought prejudice his entire life. But he's always felt safe and protected within the fierce love of the Barnes family. If only the object of his desire were free to be his, all would be well. Will he risk everything to be with the one he loves or will societal pressures keep them apart?]]> 278 Tess Thompson 1951621581 Pernette 5 4.54 2022 The Musician (Emerson Pass Historicals, #5)
author: Tess Thompson
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/12
date added: 2022/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F]]> 58724858
Between 1886 and 1888, Sergeant James Brooks, of Texas Ranger Company F, was engaged in three fatal gunfights, endured disfiguring bullet wounds, engaged in countless manhunts, was convicted of second-degree murder, and rattled Washington, D.C. with a request for a pardon from the US president. His story anchors the tale of Joe Pappalardo's Red Sky Morning , an epic saga of lawmen and criminals set in Texas during the waning years of the “Old West.�

Alongside Brooks were the Rangers of Company F, who ranged from a pious teetotaler to a cowboy fleeing retribution for killing a man. They were all led by Captain William Scott, who cut his teeth as a freelance undercover informant but was facing the end of his Ranger career. Company F hunted criminals across Texas and beyond, killing them as needed, and were confident they could bring anyone to “Ranger justice.� But Brooks� men met their match in the Conner family, East Texas master hunters and jailbreakers who were wanted for their part in a bloody family feud.

The full story of Company F’s showdown with the Conner family is finally being told, with long-dead voices heard for the first time. This truly hidden history paints the grim picture of neighbors and relatives becoming snitches and bounty hunters, and a company of Texas Rangers who waded into the conflict only to find themselves in over their heads � and in the fight of their lives.]]> 400 Joe Pappalardo 1250275245 Pernette 0 currently-reading 3.09 Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F
author: Joe Pappalardo
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.09
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/13
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tea Leaf Secrets: Southern fiction (Temple Secrets Book 3)]]> 59664025
Although Old Sally has been gone a year, Violet still hasn't gotten over the loss of her beloved grandmother, with whom she shared the connection of the ancient Gullah magic. Mired in grief despite her thriving tea shop in downtown Savannah, what Violet wants more than anything is to hear from her grandmother—especially when her Gullah intuition indicates a storm is brewing.

Does it have something to do with the strange couple Queenie keeps spotting in the dunes? Or Iris's diary that Rose discovered hidden in the family bank vault, revealing a side of her aloof and aristocratic mother that she never knew?

But Old Sally remains silent as shocking secrets are revealed that will turn the lives of the Temple women upside down.

Now everything that Violet holds dear is threatened...unless she's brave enough to answer the call of her ancestors.

The ghosts of the past are laid to rest once and for all in the amazing finale of the bestselling Temple Secrets series, where Southern gothic mystery meets a heartwarming cast of unforgettable independent women in one immensely satisfying story of fate, family, and friendship.]]> 299 Susan Gabriel Pernette 4 4.44 Tea Leaf Secrets: Southern fiction (Temple Secrets Book 3)
author: Susan Gabriel
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.44
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/09
date added: 2022/05/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One Fine Day (Hearts Bend Collection, #1)]]> 61024340
Chloe Beason LaRue left Hearts Bend after high school, determined to never look back. She shed her unrequited crush on Sam Hardy, moved to Paris, went to pastry school, found a good job, fell in love, and got married. She was happy in France. Then her husband tragically died. Now, Chloe just wants to move forward…but when her mom’s health is in jeopardy, Chloe heads right back to Hearts Bend where she’s hired as head baker for Haven’s, the premier bakery in town. She has no idea that moving home will push her right into the arms of the man who broke her heart.

He's not looking to fall in love...

Tennessee Titans quarterback Sam Hardy has too many broken memories in Hearts Bend to Return. But when he’s sidelined by an injury, he desperately needs to invest in something to safeguard his future. Haven’s Bakery is up for sale—and his business partner believes the deal is too good to pass up. He has no idea that the owners have hired the one girl he can’t seem to forget…and the last thing he expects is to be her boss.

But it’s a recipe for romance�

Back in Hearts Bend for the first time in ten years and thrown together at Haven’s Bakery, Chloe and Sam have a second chance at first love. Indeed, the more time Sam spends selling pastries, the more he sees a new future. But when Paris beckons Chloe back, where does her heart belong? Can they find the recipe for leaving regrets behind and start something new?

Escape to Hearts Bend for a sweet story of romance, faith, and an unexpected happy ending.]]> 266 Rachel Hauck Pernette 0 to-read 3.80 2022 One Fine Day (Hearts Bend Collection, #1)
author: Rachel Hauck
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> One Gun 60581787
When Vivi and Ben Russo startle a burglar in their home, the young man flees. Ben gives chase. The thief pulls a weapon, aims it at his heart, and threatens to kill him. He doesn’t squeeze the trigger.

The burglar is later arrested, but not before he hides the gun. Facing a possible weapons charge that could add ten years to his sentence, he enlists outside cohorts to pick up his stash. His plan comes at a price that escalates toward personal tragedy.

Vivi and Ben, intent on seeing the thief prosecuted for armed robbery rather than a non-violent burglary, search for the weapon, putting themselves on a collision course with the burglar’s accomplices.

But two tweeners stumble upon the gun first.]]> 290 Vinnie Hansen Pernette 5 4.80 One Gun
author: Vinnie Hansen
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.80
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/04
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves:
review:
One Gun by Vinnie Hansen was an exciting read. I found it very thought-provoking. Addressed the pros and cons of owning a gun. I would definitely recommend this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Hold My Heart (The Laguna Beach #1)]]> 38742832
Travis Goldman’s dream is to become a bestselling author. Eschewing self-publishing, he is ready to submit his young adult fantasy manuscript to eager agents.

When they meet at a Bible study, sparks don’t exactly fly. Chloe is attending out of a desire to please her grandmother, and, if she must admit, out of her own (mild) curiosity. Travis thrives off the excitement of socializing with many people, and of delving a little deeper into the Bible. But the more he gets to know Chloe Savage the more he realizes she is a lot like the heroine in his book, and the girl of his dreams.

Whitney, Chloe’s quirky new friend with an adorable Australian accent, can see that Chloe and Travis are perfect for each other, but Chloe is determined to keep Travis at arm’s length. That is, until the unthinkable happens�.
]]> 253 Nikki Larson Pernette 0 to-read 3.81 2018 Hold My Heart (The Laguna Beach #1)
author: Nikki Larson
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Stranger in the Lifeboat 58678314
What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? In Mitch Albom’s profound new novel of hope and faith, a group of shipwrecked passengers pull a strange man from the sea. He claims to be “the Lord.� And he says he can only save them if they all believe in him.

Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, ten people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves. They pull him in.

“Thank the Lord we found you,� a passenger says.

“I am the Lord,� the man whispers.

So begins Mitch Albom’s most beguiling novel yet.

Albom has written of heaven in the celebrated number one bestsellers The Five People You Meet in Heaven and The First Phone Call from Heaven. Now, for the first time in his fiction, he ponders what we would do if, after crying out for divine help, God actually appeared before us?

In The Stranger in the Lifeboat, Albom keeps us guessing until the Is this strange man really who he claims to be? What actually happened to cause the explosion? Are the survivors in heaven, or are they in hell? The story is narrated by Benji, one of the passengers, who recounts the events in a notebook that is discovered—a year later—when the empty life raft washes up on the island of Montserrat. It falls to the island’s chief inspector, Jarty LeFleur, a man battling his own demons, to solve the mystery of what really happened.

A fast-paced, compelling novel that makes you ponder your deepest beliefs, The Stranger in the Lifeboat suggests that answers to our prayers may be found where we least expect them.]]> 249 Mitch Albom 0062888358 Pernette 5 To Folllow.<br /> 4.46 2021 The Stranger in the Lifeboat
author: Mitch Albom
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/06
date added: 2022/05/07
shelves:
review:
To Folllow.

]]> Beach Heart 60717688
As a child, Emma spent holidays and summers with her great aunt Eva at Beach Heart in Emerald Isle, NC and made many happy memories but high school, college, and then marriage, took her away to a different life. For undisclosed reasons, the distant relative who inherited Beach Heart from Aunt Eva has chosen to transfer the property to Emma and the attorney handling the conveyance will only say that the owner is in poor health and wishes to divest himself of the property. It’s a gift that Emma can’t quite trust � but a place at the beach � paid for and hers - as a soft landing place for her to hide while she regroups and gets her health back and finds employment � is too tempting to resist. At Beach Heart Emma sees no sign that this is a trick or a scam and she’s feeling almost as good as she did when she stayed here as a kid � and if finding recovery, in part, in the friendship of a handsome red-headed neighbor and his dog, Starfish, a golden retriever - along with finding a job at the Front Street Gallery in Beaufort.

Her life and health are rebounding more quickly than she could’ve imagined, until she discovers secrets about her past, and that there’s more to the property transfer than simple goodwill. The betrayal she experienced with her husband and then her stepson, comes back full force. Can she find forgiveness for those who have hurt her? And can she forgive herself?]]> 413 Grace Greene Pernette 0 to-read 4.36 Beach Heart
author: Grace Greene
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Islanders (1) 59365189
“Storytelling for young readers at its finest—equal parts summer adventure and environmental suspense…[a] love letter to family, friendship, and the natural world.� —Kwame Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The Crossover

From New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe comes a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the healing power of nature in her first book for middle grade readers.

Eleven-year-old Jake’s life has just turned upside-down. His father was wounded in Afghanistan, and his mother is going to leave to care for him. That means Jake’s spending the summer on tiny Dewees Island with his grandmother. The island is a nature sanctuary—no cars or paved roads, no stores or restaurants. To make matters worse, Jake’s grandmother doesn’t believe in cable or the internet. Which means Jake has no cell phone, no video games...and no friends. This is going to be the worst summer ever!

He’s barely on the island before he befriends two other kids—Macon, another “summer kid,� and Lovie, a know-it-all who lives there and shows both Jake and Macon the ropes of life on the island. All three are struggling with their own family issues and they quickly bond, going on adventures all over Dewees Island. Until one misadventure on an abandoned boat leads to community service. Their punishment? Mandatory duty on the Island Turtle Team. The kids must do a daily dawn patrol of the beach on the hunt for loggerhead sea turtle tracks. When a turtle nest is threatened by coyotes, the three friends must find a way to protect it. Can they save the turtle nest from predators? Can Jake’s growing love for the island and its inhabitants (be they two-legged, four-legged, feathered, or finned) help to heal his father?]]> 320 Mary Alice Monroe 1534427287 Pernette 0 to-read 4.36 2021 The Islanders (1)
author: Mary Alice Monroe
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Singing Trees 56806042 A young artist forges a path of self-discovery in an enriching novel about forgiving the past and embracing second chances, from the bestselling author of An Unfinished Story.

Maine, 1969. After losing her parents in a car accident, aspiring artist Annalisa Mancuso lives with her grandmother and their large Italian family in the stifling factory town of Payton Mills. Inspired by her mother, whose own artistic dreams disappeared in a damaged marriage, Annalisa is dedicated only to painting. Closed off to love, and driven as much by her innate talent as she is the disillusionment of her past, Annalisa just wants to come into her own.

The first step is leaving Payton Mills and everything it represents. The next, the inspiring opportunities in the city of Portland and a thriving New England art scene where Annalisa hopes to find her voice. But she meets Thomas, an Ivy League student whose attentions—and troubled family—upend her pursuits in ways she never imagined possible. As their relationship deepens, Annalisa must balance her dreams against an unexpected love. Until the unraveling of an unforgivable lie.

For Annalisa, opening herself up to life and to love is a risk. It might also be the chance she needs to finally become the person and the artist she’s meant to be.]]> 429 Boo Walker 1542019117 Pernette 5 4.23 2021 The Singing Trees
author: Boo Walker
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/30
date added: 2022/04/30
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gullah Secrets (Temple Secret #2)]]> 42348526 For the Temple women, the winds of change are blowing. And if they’re not careful, it could sweep them all away�

After rising from Temple servant to tea shop owner, Violet finally feels in charge of her destiny. While learning Gullah folk magic from her aging grandmother, she worries much of her cultural heritage will be lost to the grave. Is there enough time for Old Sally to pass down all her special wisdom?

Bride-to-be Queenie has never felt younger at heart. Engaged to the man of her dreams, the feisty sixty-year-old won’t let anything ruin her big day—not even ancestral ghosts or a mysterious wedding crasher.

Rose’s southern roots run deep. Even after three decades away, she can still feel the shadow of her deceased high-society mother watching her every move. Can she shake her ghost and find a place among her family?

With a storm of trouble brewing across the island, the Temple women will have to survive more than a force of nature to put their ghosts to rest�

Gullah Secrets is the sequel to the bestselling novel Temple Secrets. If you like Southern gothic literature, characters you won’t want to close the cover on, and locations steeped in history, then you’ll love this hilarious and warmhearted saga.

Buy Gullah Secrets today to unlock a compelling tale of family ties and tempests! ]]> 326 Susan Gabriel Pernette 5 4.32 Gullah Secrets (Temple Secret #2)
author: Susan Gabriel
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/25
date added: 2022/04/25
shelves:
review:

]]> The Wiregrass 26121423 306 Pam Webber 1631529447 Pernette 5 4.08 2015 The Wiregrass
author: Pam Webber
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/22
date added: 2022/04/22
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wishing Tree (The Wishing Tree Series, #1)]]> 58651890
Welcome to Linden Falls, a quaint Vermont town where friends, family, and guests put their trust in the local lore and branches of the Wishing Tree to bring their hopes to life.

Enjoy the introduction of Linden Falls and a peek into the lives of its residents and guests in this free prologue novella, then join six bestselling authors as they bring you six heartwarming stories of love, loss, and the hopes of turning of turning lost dreams into second chances.

Don’t miss a Wishing Tree book!
Book 1: The Wishing Tree � prequel/prologue book
Book 2: I Wish.. by Amanda Prowse
Book 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay Bratt
Book 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. Grace
Book 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara Hinske
Book 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di Maio
Book 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley]]> 81 Kay Bratt Pernette 5 3.99 2022 The Wishing Tree (The Wishing Tree Series, #1)
author: Kay Bratt
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/16
date added: 2022/04/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Things We Do in the Dark 58724802 Things We Do in the Dark is a brilliant new thriller from Jennifer Hillier, the award-winning author of the breakout novels Little Secrets and Jar of Hearts. Paris Peralta is suspected of killing her celebrity husband, and her long-hidden past now threatens to destroy her future.

When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom—covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her—she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.

Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is, and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.

Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.]]> 352 Jennifer Hillier 1250763169 Pernette 0 to-read 3.92 2022 Things We Do in the Dark
author: Jennifer Hillier
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Out of the Clear Blue Sky 59357139 496 Kristan Higgins 0593335341 Pernette 5 4.44 2022 Out of the Clear Blue Sky
author: Kristan Higgins
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/15
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
Being an empty nester is hard but when your husband tells you he is leaving also it complicates your life. Lillie is all set for her son to go off to college when her husband announces that when their leaves for college he will be moving out that day and will be filing for a divorce. This book has some very humorous moments as well as some awkward moments that can not be avoided. I enjoyed this book so much.
]]> <![CDATA[Muddled Through (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #10)]]> 59346439 Mud season takes on a whole new meaning in the coastal town of Busman's Harbor, Maine, when local business owners sling dirt at one another in a heated feud over a proposed pedestrian mall. Vandalism is one thing, but murder means Julia Snowden of the Snowden Family Clambake steps in to clean up the case . . .

When Julia spots police cars in front of Lupine Design, she races over. Her sister Livvie works there as a potter. Livvie is unharmed but surrounded by smashed up pottery. The police find the owner Zoey Butterfield digging clay by a nearby bay, but she has no idea who would target her store. Zoey is a vocal advocate for turning four blocks of Main Street into a pedestrian mall on summer weekends. Other shop owners, including her next-door neighbor, are vehemently opposed. Could a small-town fight provoke such destruction? When a murder follows the break-in, it's up to Julia to dig through the secrets and lies to uncover the truth . . .]]> 247 Barbara Ross 1496735706 Pernette 5 4.54 2022 Muddled Through (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #10)
author: Barbara Ross
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/29
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
A Maine Clambake Mystery was a slight diversion from the normal books I read. I really enjoyed this one. I would recommend this one.
]]> French Braid 57329182
The Garretts take their first and last family vacation in the summer of 1959. They hardly ever venture beyond Baltimore, but in some ways they have never been farther apart. Mercy has trouble resisting the siren call of her aspirations to be a painter, which means less time keeping house for her husband, Robin. Their teenage daughters, steady Alice and boy-crazy Lily, could not have less in common. Their youngest, David, is already intent on escaping his family's orbit, for reasons none of them understands. Yet, as these lives advance across decades, the Garretts' influences on one another ripple ineffably but unmistakably through each generation.

Full of heartbreak and hilarity, French Braid is classic Anne Tyler: a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humor that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives, the impossibility of breaking free from those who love us, and how close—yet how unknowable—every family is to itself.]]> 245 Anne Tyler 0593321103 Pernette 4 3.87 2022 French Braid
author: Anne Tyler
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/09
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
I thought this was a strange book. A family that only takes one vacation for years and years? They also seem to be individuals rather than a family. It is an original story and there are several feel-good moments. Awesome look at life as the baby boomers grew up.
]]> <![CDATA[Dessert at The Beach House Hotel (Beach House Hotel #6)]]> 58446296
Against their better judgment, Ann and Rhonda agree to help a young girl in distress at the request of the vice-president of the United States, Amelia Swanson. After almost losing their lives because of an earlier request of hers, they plan on being more careful.
Amanda Rogers was an intern for Senator Worthington’s office when she was drugged at a staff party and got pregnant. Now, alone without parental support, she and her friend, Jax Thomas, arrive at the hotel to wait out the last weeks of pregnancy in privacy. Senator Worthington and his wife want to adopt Mandy’s baby girl, but she’s made no promises. Jax would like to marry Mandy and raise the baby with her, but Mandy’s parents have made it clear that Jax deserves better than someone like her, and Mandy’s torn.
After vowing not to interfere, Ann and Rhonda find it more and more difficult to stay neutral. But they have other things on their minds. Aubrey Lowell, who almost ruined The Beach House Hotel managing it, their old nemesis, Brock Goodwin, and a couple of others have opened a nearby hotel called The Sand Castle, a playground for the hip, and have every intention of destroying The Beach House Hotel, no matter what it takes.
There is much to celebrate as happy news from both families and the hotel is shared by all. As Ann and Rhonda agree, life can sometimes be as sweet as one of Jean-Luc’s desserts at The Beach House Hotel.]]> 287 Judith Keim 1954325258 Pernette 5 4.53 2022 Dessert at The Beach House Hotel (Beach House Hotel #6)
author: Judith Keim
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/18
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
The Beach House Hotel series is one of my favorites. When a friend asks them to do a favor Ann and Rhonda reluctantly agree only to have their worst nightmares come true. Some twists and turns in this one.
]]> Woman of Light 59757371 There is one every generation, a seer who keeps the stories.

Luz “Little Light� Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors� origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion.

Written in Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s singular voice, the wildly entertaining and complex lives of the Lopez family fill the pages of this multigenerational western saga. Woman of Light is a transfixing novel about survival, family secrets, and love—filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, all of whom are just as special, memorable, and complicated as our beloved heroine, Luz.]]> 317 Kali Fajardo-Anstine 0525511342 Pernette 5 3.85 2022 Woman of Light
author: Kali Fajardo-Anstine
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/04
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves:
review:
Multi-generational and a multi-ethnicity novel spanning decades. A fictional look at how one family tried to survive the early twentieth century. They had a hardscrabble life with a little bit of romance mixed in. Interesting read.
]]> <![CDATA[Four Leaf Felony (Holiday Cozy Mystery, #1)]]> 60671230
Holiday Cozy Mystery Series is a spin off of Tonya Kappes's A Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery Series!

Smiling eyes aren't shining upon Violet Rhinehammer!

Violet Rhinehammer finally got the call! She's been working so hard in her hometown of Normal, Kentucky as a reporter for Channel Two News and the Normal Gazette to get the national attention to she believes she rightfully deserves!

Now is her time! Violet got an interview of a lifetime with a huge national news network. It didn't take her long to pack her bag and hop on an airplane leaving Normal, Kentucky behind!

While in flight she was so busy dreaming about her opportunity. The passenger sitting next to Violet yammered on and on about her grandchildren, Violet had to use her southern manners to excuse herself to the bathroom after the woman gave Violet a headache.

After all, Violet had to keep her head in the game because she was determined to get the job so she didn't have to go back to her small hometown.

Violet's moment of bathroom silence quickly turned to chaos after she found a dead body in the airplane bathroom causing the pilot to make an emergency landing in the small town Holiday Junction.

The NTSB has grounded any flights leaving in or out of Holiday Junction and every passenger is considered a suspect which means Violet Rhinehammer is stranded until the murder is solved. Y'all know Violet! She's not going to sit on her laurels, she's using her keen journalist skills and possibly a little help from the Laundry Club Ladies from Normal, Kentucky to solve the crime.

After all, she's got to show up for her big interview and her dream job is slipping through her hands.

Holiday Cozy Mystery Series is set during the holidays. Some of them will be released before the intended holiday but most won't because Tonya writes these exclusively for her Patreon group and releases them as she sees fit.]]> 164 Tonya Kappes Pernette 3 3.89 Four Leaf Felony (Holiday Cozy Mystery, #1)
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.89
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/02
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves: the-southern-cozy-mystery-shelf
review:
This is a spin-off of the Camper & Criminals Cozy series by Tanya Kappes. This time the main character is none other than the broadcast journalist Violet Rhinehammer. She is on the way to her dream job interview when she finds a dead body on the airplane and they have to make an emergency landing. I had a hard time remembering that this was Violet and not Mae. Original storyline and enjoyable characters. Can't wait to see what Tonya does with this series.
]]> <![CDATA[Adventure, Abduction, & Arrest (Camper & Criminals, #25)]]> 60447988
Welcome to Normal, Kentucky where nothing is normal!

When Hank Sharpe asked me in the laundry club ladies to join him in an undercover investigation to help find a missing person, me and ladies grabbed our sleuthing notebook without hesitation.

As undercover Forest Bathing Therapist trainees we were bound and determined to find out with happened to Kyra Tenney. When we did find her body in what appeared to be an accidental forest fire, we thought we were finished with our undercover act.

Only the coroner’s report came back that our missing person had been killed before the fire.

Put on your sleuthing caps and join Mae West along with the Laundry Club Ladies as they take their investigation skills to a whole ‘nuther level! Especially after Mae finds herself in the fire!]]> 186 Tonya Kappes Pernette 5 Review to Follow. 4.11 Adventure, Abduction, & Arrest (Camper & Criminals, #25)
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/18
date added: 2022/04/19
shelves: the-southern-cozy-mystery-shelf
review:
Review to Follow.
]]> Sweets & Treats 60732549
With Noelle at her side, she and her canine companion are settling into a new home and forming friendships. There’s even romance in the air.

Back in Glenn Hills, however, her husband is stirring up trouble and doing everything he can to derail their divorce. Eager to move forward with her life—both professional and personal—as a single woman, Clara is at her wit’s end. Sometimes, however, fate steps in to lend a helping hand.

Follow along as Clara forges her path in the warm community of Pinewood.]]> 196 Barbara Hinske Pernette 0 to-read 4.62 Sweets & Treats
author: Barbara Hinske
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.62
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Promise Engraved (Doors to the Past)]]> 59826061 Can Promises Made in Times of Struggle Endure 200 Years?

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Young, spirited Josie Wilkins life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love?

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hewland takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Mullins, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love?
]]> 226 Liz Tolsma 1636092519 Pernette 0 to-read 4.17 2022 A Promise Engraved (Doors to the Past)
author: Liz Tolsma
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love Child 60388962
Casey Hobbs has never met her father. She doesn’t know his identity or where he lives or whether he has children. She’s spent the past three years at her mother’s sickbed, watching cancer eat away her organs and their bank account. Upon her mother’s death, Casey receives a letter containing clues about her mysterious father. With nothing left for her in New York, Casey packs her meager belongings in her mother’s old convertible and heads off in search of Daniel Love.

Casey finds the Virginia mountains charming and the small town of Lovely quaint. Buying time while she determines how best to approach her father, Casey accepts a job as graphic designer with Foxtail Farm, a boutique winery conveniently located next door to Love-Struck Vineyard. On her first day, she discovers her new boss is at war with the Love children, Casey’s half siblings.

Weeks pass before Casey meets her father. Casey reminds Daniel of her mother, the true love of his life, and he welcomes her with open arms. But Casey’s half siblings want nothing to do with her. The stakes are high, and they want her gone. They’ll stop at nothing to protect the family dynasty.]]> 126 Ashley Farley 1956684042 Pernette 0 to-read 4.35 Love Child
author: Ashley Farley
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.35
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Wish You Were Here (The Wishing Tree Series, #3)]]> 59075076 Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone's hopes. Another's dreams.


Henry Harmon has been married more than sixty years to his bigger-than-life and talk-of-the-town wife, Greta, when he begins to see signs of a problem. When her diagnosis comes to light, he struggles to keep his oath of in sickness and health, and to do it alone.

On the other side of their small town is Neva Cabot, who many years ago put her own mental health first when she cut friendship ties with Greta. But Neva is the kindest of kind and has been the face of hospitality for their town for decades. Even so, it will take some soul-searching for her to be able to step up and help walk Henry through the hardest days of his life.

Janie Stallard and her two daughters have just moved in to the old Johnson's house when they can't make the next rent and will be forced to move out. Neva offers Janie a job and her family a safe haven while they figure out what they want to do, and Neva tries to figure out why they are really there.

Join Kay Bratt as she brings the latest book in the Wishing Tree series alive, featuring Neva Cabot, the owner of the Wishing Tree Inn and the Curator of Wishes.]]> 155 Kay Bratt Pernette 5 4.51 Wish You Were Here (The Wishing Tree Series, #3)
author: Kay Bratt
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.51
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/06
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves:
review:
Kay Bratt's Wish You Were Here (The Wishing Tree series0 was a bittersweet story with a happy ending. I enjoyed it very much.
]]> <![CDATA[Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation]]> 59585642
Her parents� divorce, when it came, was a relief. Still, her position at the intersection of her family bloodlines inspired in Newton inspired an anxiety that she could not shake, a fear that she would replicate their damage. She saw similar anxieties in the lives of friends, in the works of writers and artists she admired. As obsessive in her own way as her parents, Newton researched her genealogy—her grandfather’s marriages, the accused witch, her ancestors� roles in slavery and genocide—and sought family secrets through her DNA. But immersed in census archives and cousin matches, she yearned for deeper truths. Her journey took her into the realms of genetics, epigenetics, and the debates over intergenerational trauma. She mulled over modernity’s dismissal of ancestors along with psychoanalytic and spiritual traditions that center them.

Searching, moving, and inspiring, Ancestor Trouble is one writer’s attempt to use genealogy—a once-niche hobby that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry—to expose the secrets and contradictions of her own ancestors, and to argue for the transformational possibilities that reckoning with our ancestors offers all of us.]]> 378 Maud Newton 081299793X Pernette 3 did-not-finish 3.21 2022 Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation
author: Maud Newton
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/26
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
Maud Newton's dive into genealogy is very intense. She tries to reconcile past family experiences with genealogy history. She does a very thorough job. Her search and research were very informative but too involved for me. Ancestor Trouble is for serious genealogy readers only.
]]> <![CDATA[Careful What You Wish (The Wishing Tree Series, #7)]]> 59075077 Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone's hopes. Another's dreams.Mary May has lost her way. She’s husbandless, childless, and soon to be homeless. She’s lost her housekeeping job, and with no income, she can’t afford the repairs on her family’s dilapidated ancestral home. On a whim, she ties a wish to the town’s famous wishing tree. She doesn’t expect her wish to come true. None of her many others have. And she’s astounded when the maple tree in her backyard sprouts hundred-dollar bills.After making the house repairs, Mary goes on a spending spree, purchasing a new wardrobe and fancy automobile. While the money buys the material goods she covets, it can’t buy her the one thing she wants most. Friendship.Mary’s granted wish turns out to be both a blessing and a curse. Mary embarks on a journey to discover what message her Money Maple is sending her.Join Ashley Farley, bestselling author of Palmetto Island Series, as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heartwarming story of friendship and new beginnings.Book 1: The Wishing Tree � perma-FREE prologue bookBook 2: I Wish... by Amanda ProwseBook 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay BrattBook 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. GraceBook 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara HinskeBook 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di MaioBook 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley Farley]]> 120 Ashley Farley Pernette 0 4.24 Careful What You Wish (The Wishing Tree Series, #7)
author: Ashley Farley
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.24
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cocoa Beach (A Certain Age, #2)]]> 36039812 New York Times bestselling author of A Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this lush and enthralling historical novel—an enchanting blend of love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.]]> 392 Beatriz Williams 0062404997 Pernette 0 to-read 3.56 2017 Cocoa Beach (A Certain Age, #2)
author: Beatriz Williams
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.56
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bluestone & Vine (Blue Hollow Falls, #2)]]> 36402385 Pippa MacMillan is a legend on the Irish folk music scene. But when her voice requires a time-out, she’s left wondering how—and where—to find happiness in the silence . . .

Seeking answers, Pippa leaves Ireland in favor of a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Turns out lovely Blue Hollow Falls in the perfect place to heal—and solitary Seth Brogan is the surprisingly perfect host. After all, Seth is beginning again too: turning his renovated stone barn and beautiful hillside into a vineyard is the start of a whole new life for the former Special Forces soldier. Only Mother Nature keeps thwarting both their plans, leaving Pippa snowbound with unsettling thoughts about how life can take unexpected turns . . .
To Pippa’s surprise, she might actually fall for small-town living. She might even fall for Seth, whose quiet strength is a balm for her world-weary soul. But when the music starts once more, will she follow her fortune back to Ireland, or surrender to the call of her heart?]]> 235 Donna Kauffman 1420145487 Pernette 0 to-read 4.41 Bluestone & Vine (Blue Hollow Falls, #2)
author: Donna Kauffman
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Wish... (The Wishing Tree Series, #2)]]> 58894942 Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone’s hopes. Another’s dreams.

When heartache disrupts her world, Verity’s life in London's affluent Chelsea is blown apart.

Hiding from the press and the pain of rejection, she and her teenage daughter Sophie pack their bags and head to Linden Falls, a small town in Vermont. It is here in this quaint New England neighbourhood that her journey of self-discovery takes an unexpected twist.

Verity begins to feel at home in the close-knit community, and pretty soon realises that what she thought was an ending is about to lead to a whole new beginning. The question she asks the Wishing Tree is whether she will ever find the courage to listen to her heart and not her head...

Join Amanda Prowse the bestselling World Book Night author as she brings the latest book in the Wishing Tree series alive, featuring Verity who might find a new opportunity in Linden Falls…]]> 117 Amanda Prowse Pernette 5 4.38 I Wish... (The Wishing Tree Series, #2)
author: Amanda Prowse
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/02
date added: 2022/03/16
shelves:
review:

]]> Watch Out for Her 58466770 A tense psychological thriller about a mother who must keep watch at all times if she wants to keep her family safe.

Wherever you go�
she’ll be watching.

Sarah Goldman, mother to six-year-old Jacob, is relieved to move across the country. She has a lot she wants to leave behind, especially Holly Monroe, the pretty twenty-two-year-old babysitter she and her husband, Daniel, hired to take care of their young son last summer. It started out as a perfect arrangement—Sarah had a childminder her son adored, and Holly found the mother figure she’d always wanted. But Sarah’s never been one to trust very easily, so she kept a close eye on Holly, maybe too close at times. What she saw raised some questions, not only about who Holly really was but what she was hiding. The more Sarah watched, the more she learned—until one day, she saw something she couldn’t unsee, something so shocking that all she could do was flee.

Sarah has put it all behind her and is starting over in a different city with her husband and son. They’ve settled into a friendly suburb where the neighbors, a tight clique of good citizens, are always on the lookout for danger. But when Sarah finds hidden cameras in her new home, she has to has her past caught up to her, and worse yet, who’s watching her now?]]> 272 Samantha M. Bailey 1982155205 Pernette 5 3.86 2022 Watch Out for Her
author: Samantha M. Bailey
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/15
date added: 2022/03/16
shelves:
review:
Watch Out For Her lives up to all the media hype. Very Suspenseful and causes distrust among the reader as well as the characters. Great psycho-thriller. I never saw it coming.
]]> <![CDATA[The Pet Doctor (Emerson Pass Contemporaries #3)]]> 58244910
Breck Stokes is back where he belongs. After years at university, he’s returned to Emerson Pass and taken over his mother’s veterinarian practice. He loves the small ski community, spending time with his buddies and healing big and small animals. The moment he meets lovely but reserved Tiffany Birt, he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. Can he break through her walls to win her heart?

Tiffany Birt is Emerson Pass’s favorite wedding planner. She’s accepted she’ll never be a bride herself but loves helping couples plan their perfect small-town wedding. In addition, she has good friends and her precious dog, Muffy. However, her well-ordered exterior hides a painful past. One she must keep hidden or risk being pulled back into the cult she ran from as a teenager.

When her past explodes onto the national news, she’s forced to confront her demons and accept help from Breck and her two best friends. Will she at last be free or will the dangerous men she ran from ruin all chances for happiness and love?]]> 304 Tess Thompson 1951621514 Pernette 5 4.52 2022 The Pet Doctor (Emerson Pass Contemporaries #3)
author: Tess Thompson
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/13
date added: 2022/03/16
shelves:
review:
Original plot with believable characters. However, the story is more about Tiffany Birt and her life prior to Emerson Pass and all of her trials and tribulations, and how her past caught up with her. Entertaining read.
]]> <![CDATA[Heartless Intent (Detective Kacy Lang #4)]]> 53152494
It seems like a simple crime for Detective Kacy Lang and her partner, Dave Capello, to solve. The man was a pedophile, his wife knew and kept his secret. But when the body of the second in command of the Brave Hearts' gang is discovered with missing hands and the word thief burned into his forehead it sends a message they can’t ignore.

There’s a vigilante on their beat, and he isn’t finished yet. Tension increases with the local gangs in an uproar and the body count rising. A gang war is imminent. Dave is missing and Kacy has a price on her head. Can she uncover the truth before it’s too late, or will she become the next victim of the killer’s heartless intent?]]> 241 Linda S. Prather Pernette 0 to-read 4.58 2019 Heartless Intent (Detective Kacy Lang #4)
author: Linda S. Prather
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mad Honey 59912428
Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start. And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can't help but fall for him, too.

With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . . Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police.

Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn't acknowledge the flashes of his father's temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he's hidden more than he's shared with her.]]> 464 Jodi Picoult 1984818384 Pernette 0 to-read 4.04 2022 Mad Honey
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Best Is Yet to Come 59911514 When a woman alone in the world bravely chooses to open her heart, two lost souls have a new chance at belonging, in this intimate novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

A new beginning in charming Oceanside, Washington, is exactly what Hope Godwin needs after the death of her twin brother. There are plenty of distractions, like her cozy cottage with the slightly nosy landlords next door, and a brewing drama among her students at the local high school.

Despite having settled quickly into the community, something is still missing for Hope. That is, until her landlord convinces her to volunteer at his animal shelter. There she meets Shadow, a rescue dog that everyone has given up on. But true to her name, Hope believes he’s worth saving.

Like Shadow, shelter volunteer Cade Lincoln Jr., is suffering with injuries most can’t see. A wounded ex-marine, Cade identifies with Shadow, assuming they are both beyond help. Hope senses that what they each need is someone to believe in them, and she has a lot of love to give. As she gains Shadow’s trust, Hope notices Cade begins to open up as well. Finding the courage to be vulnerable again, Cade and Hope take steps toward a relationship, and Hope finally begins to feel at peace in her new home.

But Hope’s new happiness is put to the test when Cade’s past conflicts resurface, and Hope becomes embroiled in the escalating situation at the high school. Love and compassion are supposed to heal all wounds. But are they enough to help Hope and Cade overcome the pain of their past and the obstacles in the way of a better future?]]> 304 Debbie Macomber 1984818848 Pernette 0 to-read 3.94 2022 The Best Is Yet to Come
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses (The Wishing Tree Series, #5)]]> 58755545 Wishes in branches tied with string. Someone's hopes. Another's dreams.Pam Olson and Steve Turner—childhood friends turned work colleagues—are perfect for each other. They just can’t see it.The personal trainers, who both work at the local gym, have a lot in a passion for fitness, messy divorces and chemistry that neither will acknowledge. After a disastrous foray into online dating, Pam joins Steve in his no-dating pledge.A happily married couple whom they train recognizes the attraction between the two and enlists the help of the Wishing Tree. The covert love mission comes to a head with a pledge-breaking blind date on Valentine’s Day. Will tempers—or sparks—fly between Pam and Steve?Join Barbara Hinske as she brings the latest book in The Wishing Tree series alive, featuring a heartwarming story of love, family, friendships, and the hope of new beginnings.★★★★�� Don’t miss any of the books in The Wishing Tree Series - download them all today!Book 1: The Wishing Tree � perma-FREE prologue bookBook 2: I Wish... by Amanda ProwseBook 3: Wish You Were Here by Kay BrattBook 4: Wish Again by Tammy L. GraceBook 5: Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses by Barbara HinskeBook 6: A Parade of Wishes by Camille Di MaioBook 7: Careful What You Wish by Ashley FarleyBook 8: Gone Wishing by Jessie NewtonBook 9: Wishful Thinking by Kay BrattBook 10: Overdue Wishes by Tammy L. GraceBook 11: A Whole Heap of Wishes by Amanda ProwseBook 12: Wishes of Home by Barbara HinskeBook 13: Wishful Witness by Tonya Kappes]]> 145 Barbara Hinske Pernette 5 4.53 Workout Wishes & Valentine Kisses (The Wishing Tree Series, #5)
author: Barbara Hinske
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.53
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/04
date added: 2022/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> The Whispers 58438548 The internationally bestselling author of Her One Mistake, hailed by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell as “slick, gripping, and compelling,� explores toxic relationships, dark secrets, and a twisted web of lies in an explosive new novel about a woman searching for her missing best friend.

Anna loves Girls� Night with her friends. With the kids safely in bed, it’s a chance for the women to let loose, enjoy some wine, and just laugh. But after one lively evening, Anna doesn’t arrive for school drop-off the next morning—or the next, or the next.

Everyone, especially her husband and young son, are frantic with worry but none more so than Grace, her childhood best friend. Grace is certain that someone is hiding the truth about Anna’s unexplained disappearance. As rumors fly and accusations are whispered among neighbors, Grace decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what happened to Anna…or die trying.]]> 320 Heidi Perks 1982153253 Pernette 0 to-read 3.52 2021 The Whispers
author: Heidi Perks
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)]]> 52483192 An Alternative Cover Edition can be found here

A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.

Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.

When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.

But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.

An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.]]> 396 T.J. Klune 1250217318 Pernette 0 to-read 4.46 2020 The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)
author: T.J. Klune
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Other People's Things 56939414 365 Kerry Anne King 1542026237 Pernette 0 to-read 4.32 2021 Other People's Things
author: Kerry Anne King
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sugar and Salt (Bella Vista Chronicles, #4)]]> 57789627 The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop brings readers a can't-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between a San Francisco baker and a barbecue master from Texas.

Jerome Sugar learned the art of baking in his grandma's bakery, also called Sugar, on historic Perdita Street in San Francisco. He supplies baked goods to the Lost and Found Bookshop across the street.

When the restaurant that shares his commercial kitchen loses its longtime tenant, a newcomer moves in: Margot Salton, a barbecue master from Texas.

Margot isn't exactly on the run, but she needs a fresh start. She's taken care of herself her whole life, pulling herself up by her fingernails to recover from trauma, and her dream has been to open a restaurant somewhere far, far from Texas. The shared kitchen with Jerome's Sugar bakery is the perfect setup: a state-of-the-art kitchen and a vibrant neighborhood popular with tourists and locals.

Margot instantly takes to Jerome's mother, the lively, opinionated Ida. The older woman proves to be a good mentor, and Margot is drawn to Jerome. Despite their different backgrounds their attraction is powerful--even though Jerome worries that Margot will simply move on from him once she's found some peace and stability. But just as she starts to relax into a happy new future, Margot's past in Texas comes back to haunt her...]]> 368 Susan Wiggs 0062914227 Pernette 0 to-read 3.89 2023 Sugar and Salt (Bella Vista Chronicles, #4)
author: Susan Wiggs
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Relative Justice: A Legal Suspense]]> 58429260 464 Robert Whitlow 0785234691 Pernette 0 to-read 4.05 2022 Relative Justice: A Legal Suspense
author: Robert Whitlow
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them]]> 58724955
Love them or hate them, guns are woven deeply into the American soul. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, Winchester, and Remington are legendary. Yet few people are aware of the roles these men played at a crucial time in United States history, from westward expansion in the 1840s, through the Civil War, and into the dawn of the Gilded Age. Through personal drive and fueled by bloodshed, they helped propel the young country into the forefront of the world's industrial powers.

Their creations helped save a nation divided, while planting seeds that would divide the country again a century later. Their inventions embodied an intoxicating thread of American individualism―part fiction, part reality―that remains the foundation of modern gun culture. They promoted guns not only for the soldier, but for the Everyman, and also made themselves wealthy beyond their most fevered dreams.

Gun Barons captures how their bold inventiveness dwelled in the psyche of an entire people, not just in the minds of men who made firearm fortunes. Whether we revere these larger-than-life men or vilify them, they helped forge the American character.]]> 352 John Bainbridge Jr. 1250266866 Pernette 3 did-not-finish 3.72 Gun Barons: The Weapons That Transformed America and the Men Who Invented Them
author: John Bainbridge Jr.
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/28
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves: did-not-finish
review:
John Bainbridge Jr.'s Gun Baron's: The Weapons That Transformed America and The Men Who Invented Them Review was not what I expected. I was expecting an account of the major gun inventors and how they came about their inventions but was surprised that there was far more detail about the information that I thought was unnecessary. There was too much information regarding the families and not enough about the inventor and his gun invention. Though there was very much information and extremely detailed.
]]> <![CDATA[Barista Bump Off (Killer Coffee, #11)]]> 59562118
Robbery takes a deadly turn.

Dahlin' things can change in the blink of an eye. Even in an idyllic tourist destination like Honey Springs.

A string of purse snatchings along the boardwalk has left one victim dead.
locals, Loretta Bebe and Maxine Bloom, have joined forces to make Sheriff Shepard and the Mayor accountable for the crimes. After all, they too were victims.

Dedicated to her community and the safety of her customers, super sleuth Roxy Bloom is determined to track down this ruthless purse snatcher before someone else is bumped off.]]> 173 Tonya Kappes Pernette 5 4.57 Barista Bump Off (Killer Coffee, #11)
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.57
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/24
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves: the-southern-cozy-mystery-shelf, mystery
review:
The plot for Barista Bump Off was well thought out. The characters were ones that most of us could identify with. Except for maybe the killer and the victim. This Southern cozy mystery kept me guessing until the end.
]]> The Book of Cold Cases 58433666 A Most Anticipated Novel by PopSugar * Crime Reads * ŷ *A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel. In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect—a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases—a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?]]> 350 Simone St. James Pernette 0 to-read 3.90 2022 The Book of Cold Cases
author: Simone St. James
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Desolations of Devil's Acre (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #6)]]> 59989550 The epic conclusion to the #1 bestselling Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series. Now available in paperback with an exclusive map of Devil's Acre!

The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face.

Now Jacob and Noor have been inexplicably transported back to the place where everything began--his grandfather's house. He doesn't know how they escaped from V's loop to find themselves back in Florida. But he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned.

Risen from the Library of Souls and more powerful than ever, Caul and his apocalyptic agenda seem unstoppable. Only one hope remains--deliver Noor to the meeting place of the seven prophesied ones. If they can decipher its secret location.

The fate of all peculiardom hangs in the balance as Jacob and his friends race through some of the most dangerous loops in history and face the deadliest enemies yet in the epic conclusion to the #1 Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.]]> 512 Ransom Riggs 0735231559 Pernette 0 to-read 4.18 2021 The Desolations of Devil's Acre (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #6)
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Red Letter Slay (Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery #8)]]> 58871473
Wedding bells are ringing all over Sugar Creek Gap for Bernadette Butler and Mac Tabor.

Folks in Sugar Creek Gap, Kentucky are so excited for Bernadette Butler! She’s getting married to Mac Tabor, the man of her dreams!

Wedding week is nerve-wracking enough but add to that a murder of a local radio DJ with a nasty reputation was found stabbed to death with a letter opener days before Bernadette’s wedding and the DJ who Bernadette hired for the wedding is the number one suspect. Now Bernadette has not only possibly lost a big part of her dream wedding, she’ll have to solve a mystery with more layers than the five-tiered wedding cake!]]> 159 Tonya Kappes Pernette 0 to-read 4.68 Red Letter Slay (Mail Carrier Cozy Mystery #8)
author: Tonya Kappes
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.68
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Once Upon a Friendship 58998878 Ashley Farley Pernette 0 4.38 Once Upon a Friendship
author: Ashley Farley
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2022/02/21
date added: 2022/02/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Journey to Winter Garden (The Prodigy Slave #1)]]> 55927655
WARNING!!!! Please be advised that this entire series features the following material that some readers may find disturbing, inappropriate, or triggering:
Extreme profanity, racial slurs, extremely graphic violence, sexual misconduct, master/slave intimate relationships, explicit sexual content, violent mistreatment of slaves.
Reader discretion is advised!!!

NOTE: This book is recommended for those who are seeking a very raw, real, deeply emotional, and cerebral story. It is a very long continuous turbulent saga and is, therefore, not recommended for those who are seeking a storyline with instant gratification. It is also not recommended for those seeking escapism that only consists of joyous moments.]]> 479 Londyn Skye Pernette 0 to-read 4.13 2017 Journey to Winter Garden (The Prodigy Slave #1)
author: Londyn Skye
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Holy Ghost: A Novel of the Spanish Civil War]]> 57193680 408 K.D. Conway Pernette 0 to-read 4.25 Holy Ghost: A Novel of the Spanish Civil War
author: K.D. Conway
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Good Man, Dalton 41574678 257 Karen McQuestion 1542041449 Pernette 0 to-read 3.73 2019 Good Man, Dalton
author: Karen McQuestion
name: Pernette
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Attic on Queen Street (Tradd Street, #7)]]> 57122228 398 Karen White 0698193024 Pernette 5 4.53 2021 The Attic on Queen Street (Tradd Street, #7)
author: Karen White
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/11
date added: 2022/02/18
shelves:
review:
A wonderful ending to the Tradd Street series. Karen White has a way with Southern fiction and it keeps you interested until the very end. Great plot and wonderful characters as always. I can not wait until the next series.
]]> <![CDATA[Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House, #2)]]> 58772996 Charming, hilarious, and emotional...Starry-Eyed Love is Helena Hunting at her very best!

Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks�. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.

As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.

As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands - not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.]]> 344 Helena Hunting 1250624738 Pernette 5 4.01 2022 Starry-Eyed Love (Spark House, #2)
author: Helena Hunting
name: Pernette
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/03
date added: 2022/02/18
shelves:
review:
Cute Rom-Com with a few twists. The characters were likable and relatable. I would recommend this book.
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