Tropical Delusions……

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

In southern California, a voice on the airwaves is soothing everyone in its paths, and there is talk of syndication in the future. Naomi Hendrix belongs to that sultry voice and has her fair share of fans. Fan mail arrives regularly, but recently, a letter arrived that concerned her producers. Concerned them enough that they contacted PI Rick Cahill to assess the situation.

As Rick arrives at the radio station, he can’t help but notice the lack of security. As he peruses the letter given to him by station manager Chip Evigan, he too, becomes concerned for Naomi’s safety. Naomi, however, is unimpressed. Until her handgun is stolen from her car – a handgun that she isn’t allowed to have, and therefore cannot report missing – but she does tell Rick. Then things really start happening!

A kidnapping, and a visit from a Russian mob member looking to collect on a promise round out the drama, and have Rick running on empty as he attempts to balance mob demands against protecting Naomi. Mix in some club action and you have an adventure that you won’t want to put down!

This was my first book by author Matthew Coyle, but it certainly won’t be my last! Fast paced, with unexpected plot twists – all that keeps you coming back for more! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Rick Cahill series!

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Maxine Revere is a successful investigative reporter, with her own series on cable news. However, this journey is personal. Twenty two years ago, when Max was 9 , her mother, Martha and her boyfriend Jimmy, left her at her grandparent’s home, never to return, only sending the occasional postcard. Now, aided by her assistant, and law enforcement connections, Max is determined to find out what became of her mother.

The recent discovery of an alias used by Martha to purchase a car several years ago in Miami sends Max to Northampton County, Virginia, where the car was later discovered abandoned, and where Max suspects that her mother had died. Coincidentally, Jimmy’s family is from the same area of Virginia, and Max is hoping that Jimmy’s younger brother Gabriel can provide some information.
But Gabriel Truman has secrets of his own, and he’ll do whatever he can to protect them and his teen-aged daughter Eve…

I LOVED this character! Max is smart, savvy and in control, making this book a delight to read. It’s fast-paced, alternating between past and present as Max slowly pieces together her mothers past, and outcome. This was a quick read as I could not put it down!! Love, LOVE Max Revere, and look forward to many more adventures with her!

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Nicole Foster is a Detective with the Aberdeen, California PD, who, partnered with Carter Hanson, is called upon to investigate the death of a toddler left in a hot car. In a scene reminiscent of the Harris incident in 2014, a distraught driver has pulled over in a mall parking lot and is screaming. His baby girl, left in the hot car for the entire workday, is deceased.

Nicole has her own problems. As a mother figure to her niece Emma, and sister to a sociopath named Stacy, and provider for her Alzheimer’s afflicted father, she also has overcome a large career mis-step that resulted in a firing from a former law enforcement position, along with a gambling addiction that had left her homeless. Aberdeen PD is her chance at redemption.

As the investigation into the death of little Ally Tomlinson intensifies, it becomes quickly apparent that there is more to the story than a toddler forgotten in a hot car. Timelines don’t all match and cameras and computers hold hidden clues for the detectives.

Meanwhile, Nicole learns the hard way that her sister has returned, and has set her sights on Emma…

Another fabulous read from Gregg Olsen! I couldn’t put it down! A gritty police procedural about human relationships, the dynamics of sisterhood, and the dark recesses of the pathological mind.

From the Harlequin Romance Series… (4 stars)

I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Again, not a typical read for me, but occasionally, I need the break from the tedium of mystery stories, and police procedurals, to sneak in a quick romance or two.

Matt Harper is an Air Force veteran, turned pilot, hoping to start up his own airline soon. Raised by a dysfunctional family and forced to leave Plunder Cove – his home – for the Air Force Academy at a young age, he is returning home for the first time in 10 years to full a demand by his father, RW Harper – but he has no intention of staying. There is nothing there for him – not after the love of his life Julia, up and married a different man a scant few months after he left town.

Julia Espinosa was a young girl who lived in the village, controlled by Matts father, RW. Orphaned at a young age, she was raised by a trio of sisters, whom she calls aunts. When Matt met Julia it was love at first sight – and a forbidden love. When RW Harper discovered the love affair, he tried to forbid it – and then sent Matt away – leading Julia to believe that he had been killed in action a short while later. But unbeknownst to any of them, Julia was expecting a child – a child raised believing his father had died.

Now Matt has returned, and he is drawn to Julia once again, each believing that the other had left them behind. As the two rejoice in one another and gradually uncover the deceptions that forced them apart, another danger lurks in the background, threatening all that Matt & Julia hold dear…

A cute romance, with lots of sensuality and just enough drama to reel you in – now I will impatiently have to wait for the next installment of the Plunder Cove series to learn of Angel’s fate…