Monday: Mailbox/What Am I Reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I did not receive ANYTHING!!

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

I am still reading Historical Romances!! And I am not blogging much. 

I finished reading the following:

129. A Sense of Belonging by Lilian Peake (Romance)
128. Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes (Crime Fiction)
127. Stranger Passing By by Lilian Peake (Romance)
126. When Marrying a Scoundrel by Kathryn Smith (Historical Romance)
125. The Surrender of a Lady by Tiffany Clare (Historical Romance)
124. Till the End of Time by Lilian Peake (Romance)
123. Seducing the Governess by Margo Maguire (Historical Romance)
122. The Rogue Prince by Margo Maguire (Historical Romance)

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I Reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I received the following two e-novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:

 New Orleans Requiem by D.J. Donaldson

A GAME OF MURDER — It's an unusual case for New Orleans medical examiner Andy Broussard and psychologist Kit Franklyn. The victim is found stabbed, one eyelid removed and four board-game tiles with the letters KOJE on his chest. — The second victim is also stabbed, discovered this time with only three letters. Broussard has no doubt as to the killers' intent, but the clues left behind in each case are purposely incongruous.

Broussard and Franklyn are certain of one thing: the killer has an uncanny knowledge of forensics. Also the murders are being brilliantly staged to lead the medical examiner to a disturbing conclusion -- the next two victims are to be Kit and himself.
Stranger at Sunset by Eden Baylee

Vacation can be a killer. 

Dr. Kate Hampton, a respected psychiatrist, gathers with a group of strangers at her favorite travel spot, Sunset Villa in Jamaica. Included in the mix are friends of the owners, a businessman with dubious credentials, and a couple who won the trip from a TV game show. 

It is January 2013, following the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. The luxury resort is struggling, not from the storm, but due to a scathing review from caustic travel writer, Matthew Kane. The owners have invited him back with hopes he will pen a more favorable review to restore their reputation. 

Even though she is haunted by her own demons, Kate feels compelled to help. She sets out to discover the motivation behind Kane’s vitriol. Used to getting what he wants, has the reviewer met his match in Kate? Or has she met hers? 

Stranger at Sunset is a slow-burning mystery/thriller as seen through the eyes of different narrators, each with their own murky sense of justice. As Kate's own psychological past begins to unravel, a mysterious stranger at Sunset may be the only one who can save her.

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

I am still reading Historical Romances!! And I am not blogging much. 

I finished reading the following:

121. Taken by the Laird by Margo Maguire (Historical Romance)
120. Beauty and the Duke by Melody Thomas (Historical Romance)
119. Carmichael's Return by Lilian Peake
118. Wild and Wicked in Scotland by Melody Thomas (Historical Romance)
117. Angel In My Bed by Melody Thomas (Historical Romance)

I posted a review of:

I Adored a Lord by Katharine Ashe

Tuesday Intro/Teaser: I Adored a Lord by Katharine Ashe

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.

The moonlight was a winter moon’s, aloof and chill, and her breaths clouded upon the air. But wrapped in her heavy cloak, she barely felt the cold.

“On nights like this, Beast and I used to wander the park at Shelton Grange searching for hare. We could see everything as though it were day. Sometimes better."
“But no longer?”
“He left me. I suppose somewhere up there”—she gestured to the heavens—“is a snowy park in which he hunts for hare in the moonlight.”


I Adored a Lord by Katharine Ashe


Ravenna Caulfield is fond of animals. She loves to treat their ailments. She has no time for high society. But her employers take her to a castle where a French prince is looking for a bride. Ravenna has no interest but indulges her employers who love her like their ward.

Now Vitor is present in the castle to babysit his half-brother, the prince. He has been a monk once upon a time. He meets Ravenna in the stable first. She mistakes him for a stable hand but he is a rich man.

A murder is committed, Ravenna is the first one to learn about it. She along with Vitor set about finding out the murderer. A lot of secrets are unravelled. Viror and Ravenna have a good chemistry between them.

This novel works great as a romantic suspense, historical though. I liked the mindset of both Vitor and the ever practical Ravenna. It is yet to be published. I got an e-galley free!

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I Reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I received the following novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:

I also received two e-books:

An Unwilling Accomplice by Charles Todd

Clam Wake by Mary Daheim

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

I have been not keeping well. I did not post anything on my blog. I am only reading Historical Romances. That means I don't have to think after finishing such novels. 

I finished reading the following:

116. Summer Moon by Jill Marie Landis. 
115. The Seduction of His Wife by Tiffany Clare
114. Bride for a Night by Rosemary Rogers
113. Protector by Diana Palmer
112. Captured by a Rogue Lord by Katharine Ashe
111. Caprice by Laura Parker

I am in the midst of reading:

Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I Reading?

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I did not receive anything in my mailbox this past week. But I did download a few free e books to read on my tab. Mystery/Suspense.

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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Our schools reopened after summer vacations. I was busy and I also fell under the weather. I read for comfort only...

 I finished reading the following (3):

110. Sunset by Sandra Brown (Historical Romance)
109. The King Of Threadneedle Street by Moriah Densley (Historical Romance)
108. Lady Danger by Glynnis Campbell (Historical Romance)

I posted reviews of the following:

The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton (Crime Fiction)
The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright (Crime Fiction)
Secret Nights by Anita Mills (Historical Romance)
Mine, All Mine by Ella J. Quince (Historical Romance)

Friday 56: Secret Nights by Anita Mills

With an effort, Patrick walked back to the hired coach and thrust the puppy inside. Then, catching the door frame, he pulled himself up after. "You, my miserable little whelp, are a sad case indeed," he told the cowering creature. "But I think I know someone who will doubtless welcome you."

Posted for The Friday 56, which is hosted by Freda's Voice

This novel is set in decadent Regency England. Elise Rand is the only child of a very wealthy merchant, Bart Rand. Patrick Hamilton is a rich and ambitious merchant. When Bart Rand is accused of murdering a prostitute, Elise goes to Patrick to defend her father. Patrick refuses to do that but agrees on one condition that she will give herself to him. Elise agrees to it.

However, there is more to it. Elise is a reformist. She is not above helping poor girls who have been forced to sell their bodies. She goes out of her way to get medical help for them. She is not from the nobility but she can stand on her own. She believes her father to be innocent although he refuses to reveal the truth. Patrick is not convinced of Bart's innocence. Yet he agrees to fight the case. 

In the midst of the case, we find out that many other prostitutes too have been murdered. Now who is the culprit? The novel keeps the suspense alive till the end. This novel is more like victorian suspense then a romance and that suits me fine!

Book Beginnings: The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.

Her name had been out of the headlines so long that he was sure no one was searching for her when he fit the key into the lock for the last time. The door swung wide on its hinges, but he felt no need to secure it behind him. The steps groaned beneath his weight as he descended into the basement and ordered her to stand and face the wall.

Title: The Edge of Normal
Author: Carla Norton
ISBN: 9781250031044
Publisher: Minotaur Books/2013
Pages: 308

Reeve LeClaire seems like any other young women, leading a normal life. But she is a survivor. She had been captured by a abusive kidnapper when she was 12 years old and was only found because of a freak car accident. Even after her escape six years ago, she is still undergoing therapy. Her psychiatrist asks for her help with another young girl who has been rescued from an similar experience as Reeve. 

Initially Reeve is reluctant but she travels to help the other girl Tilly. They bond instantly but Tilly has something to hide even now. When Tilly's kidnapper is found dead, it scares the girl even more. Reeve takes it upon herself to find out the truth. The real kidnapper too seems to know all the moves of the authorities and Reeves and always is a way ahead. 

The novel has a good pace. We get to read the minds of the kidnapped and the kidnapper by the alternate perspectives of the both. Reeve overcomes her own misgivings and is hellbent on helping Tilly to get over her fears. The novel kept me on the edge and I was with Reeve, Tilly and another little girl who was rescued in the midst of all this. 

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month---June 2014

Crime Fiction Pick of the Month 2014

The Crime Fiction Pick of the Month meme is hosted at Mysteries in Paradise. Bloggers link to a summary post for the month, and identify a crime fiction best read of the month. I know I am doing this late but better late than never!

I read 14 novels in June. Out of which, four are Crime Fiction. 

I read Literary Fiction, Historical Romances, Poetry etc.

The following six are Crime Fiction novels

The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton (Crime Fiction)
The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright (Crime Fiction)
Jaspar's War by Cym Lowell (Crime Fiction)
Ill-Gotten Gains by Ilsa Evans (Suspense)

I pick The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright as the Crime Fiction Pick for June 2014

In the world of To'aga, tradition co-exists with tribal followings. The world of the past present comes together. And there seem to be more ghosts than people. Enright, with his lyrical writing, has made the Samoan landscape and wildlife alive for us. Some of the characters are very interesting as is Apelu. 

It might seem slow but after a while I couldn't get enough of it. I got into the spirit of the place. This is one the best novels I have read so far. I am going to check out more of John Enright's Jungle Beat mysteries


Click on the title for my full review.....

Teaser Tuesday: Mine, All Mine by Ella J. Quince

Dewy was a very good rat; he was brilliant about finding information without ever being found seen or heard.

All Mine by Ella J. Quince

Lillian St. James is the daughter of a duke. Her mother remarries a seedy merchant after the duke's death. Her mother dies and Lillian St. James has so place to go to when a scandal erupts because of her stepfather's treason. She goes to work as a cook’s assistant in the kitchen of a mysterious aristocrat.

Dominic Coel, Earl of Redwick, is a spy and he must track down a young girl who has disappeared with stolen royal jewels. Meanwhile, he is distracted by the mysterious Miss Millie James who has joined his staff. 

As a regency romance, it had a good pace. Dominic is a good, protective hero. Lillian is not afraid of anything. She does not mind the work. The equation between them is good. 

The Dead Don't Dance by John Enright

What Apelu liked about walking down the road through To'aga was that nothing much ever changed. One end of the road looked pretty much like the other end, and both ends were like the middle, if you didn't pay particular attention and did not know the names and stories of each separate piece of land along the way.


Title: The Dead Don't Dance
Author: John Enright
ISBN:  978-1612185026
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer/2014
Pages: 252

Detective Apelu Soifua has come to To'aga to mourn the loss of his 11-year old daughter. He does nothing but drink and only a handful of people visit him which include, a shamanistic recluse and two marine biologists. 

He thinks it is so peaceful and brings his 16 year old son to be with him. He wishes for  his teenage son to learn about the roots of their heritage. Just then some surveyors arrive to spoil the landscape by building a hotel in the mystical place. His land to is one of the places landmarked for the hotel. Most of the natives are against the development and there are clashes. And a murder occurs. His son is found missing. He thinks the worst. 

In the world of To'aga, tradition co-exists with tribal followings. The world of the past present comes together. And there seem to be more ghosts than people. Enright, with his lyrical writing, has made the Samoan landscape and wildlife alive for us. Some of the characters are very interesting as is Apelu. 
It might seem slow but after a while I couldn't get enough of it. I got into the spirit of the place. This is one the best novels I have read so far. I am going to check out more of John Enright's Jungle Beat mysteries