Sydney Winward's Blog, page 19
June 5, 2020
Book Review of The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
My Review
This book is not a happily ever after. It is a tragedy. I really liked it up until page 265. Everything was promising and perfect up until then. And then tragedy. Such a major let down as a reader. I had literally 20 pages left, and I almost couldn’t finish it, such was my disappointment at the turn of events.
The ending sounds like it promises a sequel, in which that might hopefully have a happily ever after. I think I will read the second when it comes out, as I have a pretty good idea where it might lead.
My rating: 3 stars
Favorite Quote
I sighed. “I think I might be forced to agree with you. The most valueable thing you can own is the assurance of your place in someone’s heart. It is far better than any necklace, far better than any apartment.”
We shared a quiet look.
“Would you exchange your crown of gold for one of flowers, then?” he asked with a smile.
“I think I just might.”
“I think it would suit you,” he commented, and I found myself holding eye contact with him for just a moment too long.
Blurb
A would-be queen. A handsome young king. A perfect match…or is it?
When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.
But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.
June 4, 2020
Book Review of Solving Sophronia
My Review
“Perhaps the real mystery wasn’t the murders but the man solving them.”
Not all detectives wear pants. In fact, some even wear skirts. Detective Jonathan Graham’s new murder case has him stumped, that is before a pretty face and an inquisitive mind barges onto his murder scene.
From the very first page, I couldn’t put this down. I love that although Jonathan had been very against the idea of sucking up his pride and allowing a woman to help with his investigation, he started to trust Lady Sophie Bremerton’s judgement and her ideas. He even sat back a few times just to watch what she might do or say. I think he found her amusing and delighted in her company.
There was great chemistry between the hero and heroine, with hilarious interactions between the characters. I loved Sergeant Lester and his interesting quirk. It brought out a surprising comic relief I did not see coming.
It was so fun to go along on a journey to solve a murder mystery with three awesome characters along every step of the journey. I highly recommend this book, and I’m crossing my fingers that there is a second one in the works.
My rating: 5 Stars
Favorite Quote
As she served the tea, Sophie took the opportunity to study the detective through glances . Her grandmother’s assessment was not wrong. Detective Graham’s hair was dark and his jaw strong, and if Sophie was a romantic person, she’d say his eyes were the deep blue of a clear sky on a late summer evening. But she was definitely not a romantic person, and the color of a man’s eyes did not compensate for his patronizing manner. And she’d had enough of that for one day.
Blurb
Lady Sophronia Bremerton is a far cry from the typical debutante, but she’s the toast of London’s upper class for one simple reason: she’s a society columnist for the London Illustrated News, and the gentry loves seeing their exploits printed in the gossip pages. But Sophie has bigger plans—she aspires to be an investigative reporter. When a stuffy ballroom during yet another Season proves to be nothing more than the usual rumor mill, Sophie seeks respite in the library, alongside four other young women who, for their own reasons, are also looking for escape. As the conversation turns to their secret ambitions, the women form a sisterhood and a bold plan: they will make their dreams a reality, no matter the obstacles. Thus begins the Blue Orchid Society.
Hearing of a murder in a London rookery, Sophie seizes the opportunity to prove her skills. Detective Jonathan Graham doesn’t believe a civilian, a noblewoman at that, should be anywhere near a murder investigation, but Sophie insists on helping bring the killer to justice. Her investigative prowess doesn’t go unnoticed by the police, especially Jonathan, who can’t decide whether this intrepid reporter is a thorn in his side or the woman of his dreams. But as the case grows more complicated and dangerous, their very lives—and their hearts—may be at risk.
June 3, 2020
News! Just Submitted Book #3 in the Bloodborn Series!
I just submitted book #3 to my editor in the Bloodborn Series! So nervous! I’m crossing my fingers it will get accepted. The story is about…drum roll please…Dracula! It’s his and Elisabeta’s love story, which takes place 1000 years prior to Bloodborn. Out of the 6 books (and yes they are all written, now I just need to get them through the publishing process!) Dracula’s story is one of my favorites.
Onto other news, #2 in the series, Bloodbond, is seriously “this” close to getting a release date! I’m so excited to release it into the wild, but nervous all the same. Stay tuned for a cover reveal! I am so in love with the cover. It’s a perfect rendition of what I have imagined for the story, down to the red nettle flowers in the background, which are the only flowers that can grow in Ichor Knell due to a lack of sunlight.
Things I Wish I Were Better At
Cooking Chicken
My chicken always comes out dry. Always. I am so awful at cooking it, it’s not even funny. I can even botch up “juicy, not dry” chicken recipes. Well, I guess I’ll just stick to baking. I’m better at it and it’s a lot more delicious.
Remembering Where I Put Things
Is it just me? Or does having kids erase about half your memory? I can’t remember things for the life of me after kids, and that includes where I put things. One of my biggest pet peeves is losing something, and I will tear the house apart until I find it. If only my toddler could remember where he last put things too!
Making Adult Friends
Something I have noticed is that adults are lonely! At least half the adults I know. Everyone wants to make friends, yet no one really wants to put the effort into keeping and maintaining a friendship. That makes it hard for someone who does want to make that effort.
Dressing Myself
Anyone else super lazy when it comes to getting dressed? I’ve made new year resolutions to dress cuter and nicer, but what happens? I dress in jeans and a t-shirt. With my hair in a side braid to contain my wild curls. Comfortable but nothing too exciting.
Sleeping
Who wakes up at all hours of the night for no apparent reason? This gal! What I wouldn’t give to be such a deep sleeper like my husband who doesn’t wake up for anything except his wife screaming at him to wake up and drag his butt out of bed. Jk! Sort of.
June 2, 2020
New Release From Julie Howard!
I’m so glad to have you on my blog today, Julie! Tell us more about your book in the One Scoop or Two Series!
Nearly every summer of my life, I’ve taken some type of beach vacation. Even if it’s been the shoreline of a lake or along a river. (And yes, any sandy stretch along any body of water counts as a beach!) There is something about peeling off my shoes and that first dip of a toe in the water that is wonderfully refreshing. For me, this means summer.
I do prefer the ocean, especially when it involves hunting for shells, sea glass, or tiny crabs in the rocky surf. I love the excitement that comes when we spot the black nose of a seal as it pokes up from the water, or on rare occasion, a whale’s spout in the distance.
Some years, like this one, a trip to the seaside – either a 10-hour drive or an airplane trip away — isn’t likely. This Covid summer has dampened my enthusiasm for travel. However, I won’t be deprived of the beach! In defiance of the virus that is circulating, I bought a couple of kayaks this spring. So far, they’ve remained stacked in the garage, a symbol of better times ahead. Boating is allowed in my state and many parks are open. The single kayaks make social distancing easy, and so even Covid won’t keep me from a beach visit this summer. Every time I go in the garage, I see the kayaks and I’m filled with optimism.
I’ve mapped several lakes within an hour’s drive, and am now waiting for a nice warm day. My beach vacation this summer will be a series of day trips. The anticipation of my upcoming “beach” vacations provides some normalcy in an otherwise difficult year. We all need our own versions of a beach vacation, don’t we?
My new release out this week brings the beach home. Sea Salt Lavender for Aphrodite is part of The Wild Rose Press’ series called One Scoop or Two – with all stories set near a river, lake or ocean. Here is more about my release:
Blurb
Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.
Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there’s no time for romance when danger lurks.
Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.
Excerpt
The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach.
“Mick?”
A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.
She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”
The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.
Author Bio
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Julie Howard is the author of the bestselling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.
Social Media Links
Website: http://juliemhoward.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07D6CS4NQ
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward
Buy Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xdqkl3
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/sea-salt-lavender-for-aphrodite/id1508636065?ls=1
June 1, 2020
New Release from Judith Sterling!
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Who was your favorite character to write in The Sword Unsheathed?
It’s a tie between the two Donoghue sisters. Ashling is the protagonist, and I love sharing the adventure through her eyes. But Deirdre’s sassy, straight-talking personality is also fun to write. Their dialogues just flow!
Where did your inspiration come from?
My inspiration for the Guardians of Erin series was a set of circumstances similar to what Ashling Donoghue experiences at the beginning of the story: (1) sudden and inexplicable homesickness for Ireland, a country I hadn’t visited or even considered before opening a simple Irish picture book; (2) speaking Irish, a language I’d never learned, in my sleep; and (3) total certainty that I would–and in fact HAD TO–travel there. I was 17 at the time, just like Ashling.
Was there anything you changed from one revision to the next?
A minor character’s name, and I added/changed a few words here and there. Otherwise, the scenes were the same.
How does this series differ from your Novels of Ravenwood series?
This series is young adult paranormal fantasy, featuring sweet romance that hints at something more. The Novels of Ravenwood are medieval/time travel romances with paranormal elements and plenty of spice!
What is your current writing project about?
At the moment, I’m writing Return of the Raven, the fifth and final book in The Novels of Ravenwood series. My hero is an expert in medieval studies in 1957; my heroine, an English noblewoman with psychic gifts in 1081. Both travel through time, and their love sets the stage for the entire series.
Blurb
Ashling Donoghue is no closer to finding her parents than she was the night they disappeared. But hope returns as her brother Kian channels the Sword of Light, revealing past-life secrets and truths long suppressed.
The more she learns, the greater she fears the darkness that drowns the Netherworld also drives her. Is Aengus her true love, or is it Lorcan? Does her future wait in shadow or the light?
One point is clear: the threads of her past-self are woven inextricably into the tapestry of her soul. An impossible choice looms before her, and all the while, evil is poised to strike.
Excerpt
“Close your eyes, and don’t open them until I tell you.”
Nerves atwitter, I did as Aengus asked. A brief, subtle tingling sensation swept through my body as we slipped into the Otherworld.
A moment later, he released one of my hands but held fast to the other. “All right. You can look now.”
I opened my eyes. We stood before an immense, grass-topped mound surrounded by a multitude of tightly-packed, white stones.
It looked familiar. “Wait a minute. This is a famous prehistoric tomb. What’s it called? Newgrange?”
Aengus nodded. “I call it Sí in Bhrú, and it’s part of Brú na Bóinne, or the ‘Palace of the Boyne’ in County Meath. We’re in the valley of the River Boyne.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “Did you say ‘palace’?”
“In the physical world, this is an ancient temple and passage tomb, more than five thousand years old. Here in the Otherworld…well, it’s best to show you.”
The next instant, we stood inside a grand, circular hall, far larger than the mound we’d viewed outside, with a high, domed ceiling. Tri-spiral designs covered the walls, but the space was empty except for a five-tiered fountain at its center.
My gaze locked onto the trickling, golden liquid. A feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed me, and I shivered. “Is that…mead?”
“You remember!”
I turned to him. “Remember what exactly?”
“This fountain flows eternally with mead. My parents gave it to us as a wedding gift.”
“To you and Caer, you mean.”
He squeezed my hand. “Does anything else spark your memory?”
“The spirals seem familiar.”
His blue eyes shone. “They should. We lived here for centuries.”
“Caer lived here, not me.”
“But you were Caer.”
My insecurities ganged up on me and knotted my stomach. Is that the only reason why you want me? Because of who I once was?
Could I ask that out loud? What if he said yes?
Yes or no, I had to know. A lasting relationship required honesty and communication. My parents’ love had taught me that, and I wanted nothing less.
I pulled my hand from his grasp and took a step back. “Maybe you wish I still was Caer.”
His blissful expression devolved into a frown. After a heart-stopping moment, he found his voice. “What?”
“Sometimes I wonder whether you like me or just who I used to be.”
“You can’t fight your soul’s history.”
“Especially when everyone keeps shoving it down my throat.” My gut tightened further.
“Who’s everyone?”
I huffed. “Kian. Robin. Deirdre. Lorcan. And now—”
“Lorcan?” There was an edge to his voice.
“Yes, Lorcan. I’ve seen him a couple of times, but not because I went looking…” I couldn’t finish that sentence. My soul had obviously sought Lorcan the night I traveled to Dun Aengus.
“Ashling, you know how I feel about him.”
“Yeah, well, you weren’t around to stop me, were you?”
His frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to have a relationship with someone who’s never around.”
“And Lorcan is around. Is that what you’re saying?”
“He’s always there, waiting in the wings, ready to take your place.”
Aengus slammed a fist into his other hand. “It’s time I showed him—”
“No! It’s time you showed me whether you want me or Caer, because I’ve had it with ghosts from the past messing up my—”
He grasped my arms and pulled me close. His mouth came down on mine in a searing kiss. Releasing my arms, he stole his own around me, and I responded in kind. Bodies and tongues entwined, we rode the wave of the kiss for a blissful moment that seemed as eternal as the bubbling fountain beside us. Nothing else mattered.
When at last he pulled back, he gave me a tender smile. “Does that answer your question?”
“Um…” My head still spun from the kiss.
“I kissed you, not Caer. I brought you here tonight because I wanted to share a piece of myself with you. It’s only natural I wondered if you’d remember it. After all, a part of your soul lived here for ages.”
I scanned the vacant, cavernous space. “If we lived here so long, where’s all the furniture?”
The light in his eyes dimmed. “Once upon a time, this place brimmed with beauty…with rare treasures, music, poetry, and the laughter of friends and courtiers. But when you left…when Caer left…nothing was the same. I couldn’t stay.” He squeezed his eyes shut, as if to block out painful memories.
Thick tentacles of worry and guilt wrapped around my heart as though a legendary kraken sought to drown me in a sea of regret. I placed a hand on Aengus’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”
His eyes opened, and he covered my hand with his. “Don’t be.”
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Books 1 and 2 in the Guardians of Erin Series Now Only 99¢ for a limited Time! Click on the Images Below to Learn More
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Blurb for Book 1:
Ashling Donoghue never dreamed moving to Ireland would rock her perception of reality and plunge her into a mystery that brings legend to life.
At seventeen, she’s never had a boyfriend, but she feels an immediate connection to Aengus Breasal, the son of the wealthy Irishman who’s invited her family to stay at his Killarney estate. For the first time in her life, a guy she likes seems attracted to her.
But Aengus is secretive, with good reason. He and his family are the Tuatha Dé Danann, ageless, mythical guardians adept at shifting between this reality and the magical dimension known as the Otherworld. Evil forces from that world threaten the Breasals, the Donoghues, and all of Ireland. Ashling must open her heart, face her fears, and embrace a destiny greater than she could ever have imagined.
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Blurb for Book 2:
Since moving to Ireland, Ashling Donoghue has tackled one challenge after another. Now the mystery of her parents’ disappearance seems unsolvable. Are they dead or only missing? No one—not even the godlike Breasals—has a clue. Hope and fear war inside her, but she’s determined to find answers and stay strong for her siblings. Even as she hones newfound powers, her banshee-in-training sister Deirdre needs her support.
Ashling could use a little help herself. She’s struggling to navigate her first romance, and while Aengus Breasal stirs her body, mind, and soul, his nemesis Lorcan does too. Both men harbor secrets about her past life as Caer. One has ties to Aoife, the scheming wind demon whose influence is on the rise.
As the Stone of Destiny awakens, so does the conflict within.
About the Author
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Judith Sterling is an award-winning author whose love of history and passion for the paranormal infuse everything she writes. Whether penning medieval romance (The Novels of Ravenwood) or young adult paranormal fantasy (the Guardians of Erin series), her favorite themes include true love, destiny, time travel, healing, redemption, and finding the hidden magic which exists all around us. She loves to share that magic with readers and whisk them far away from their troubles, particularly to locations in the British Isles.
Her nonfiction books, written under Judith Marshall, have been translated into multiple languages. She has an MA in linguistics and a BA in history, with a minor in British Studies. Born in that sauna called Florida, she craved cooler climes, and once the travel bug bit, she lived in England, Scotland, Sweden, Wisconsin, Virginia, and on the island of Nantucket. She currently lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and their identical twin sons.
Buy Links
Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon CA ~ Amazon AU ~ Barnes and Noble ~ Apple Books
Social Media Links
Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Amazon ~ The Wild Rose Press ~ The Captivating Quill
May 31, 2020
Book Review of Will O’ the Wisp
My Review
A past filled with love and heartache. A secret that will change the future forever.
Will O’ the Wisp strikes at the very center of the heart of horse-lovers and brought back a sense of nostalgia for me. In this western romance, the author wove plenty of mystery and secrets that kept me guessing throughout the entire book.
I love the cover. I love the characters. I love the heartbreak and emotional ties between Allison and Shane, and I especially love the relationships formed throughout the book. The ending was so intense that I couldn’t put the book down, not even to sleep! If you haven’t read Will O’ the Wisp, do it! You definitely won’t regret it.
My rating: 5 Stars
Favorite Quote
Shane downed the coffee she’d brought to the barn for him. He’d spent the night there, keeping watch over the two, and she could see by his reddened eyes he hadn’t slept much. In her mind, he couldn’t have done more to prove how much he loved her.
Blurb
In spite of a broken heart, Allison Delaney carved out a life for herself and her young daughter on her grandparents’ farm. Her child and the horses she rescues are all that matter. Then a sudden threat to their safety puts her back in touch with Shane McBride, the man she never thought to see again.
Returning to the small town of Silver Creek brings back a lot of memories for Shane, ones he treasures haunted by the ones that made him leave, but this time he is determined to stay and make things right.
Trusting Shane may be her only choice, but now Allison fears not only the threat against her farm but the risk of losing her heart again.
May 26, 2020
Book Review of Stracciatella Gelato: Melting Time
A very short read, but definitely worth it! I love the idea of going back in time and reliving some of your best memories, which happened to be a college trip in her twenties in this book. A fun read! And I definitely want a scoop of gelato now.
Celebrating Colleen L. Donnelly’s New Release!
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I had the pleasure of reading Letters and Lies, and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit! I loved all the descriptions, details, and themes throughout the book. Louise’s heartache bled onto the pages, an intense hurt that I could feel as a reader.
When our heroine boards a train headed west where her ex-fiancé lives, she plans to force open the door that had closed to her after being jilted by the man. Only, when she meets his friend, Everett, on the train, her life begins to spiral out of control as she digs herself deeper into a hole with each lie she tells. What had begun as an innocent alias turned into something far more dangerous such as fraud and possibly even an accomplice in murder.
I absolutely loved the comparison of words to bullets throughout the story. Although Louise doesn’t need to shoot a gun, she has plenty of ammo on the tip of her tongue.
One of my favorite relationships in the story was the platonic one between Louise and Cook. Cook’s bark was as bad as his bite, but Louise never backed down, and although it took time (a lot of it), they came to eventually respect one another. The interactions between Louise and Cook show just how fearless she is and how far she is willing to go to make a good change in someone else’s life, or in this case, lots of people’s lives. Although her motive behind helping Lizzy with her restaurant had been selfish at first, it quickly turned into a desire to do good.
This book held me on the edge of my seat as I wondered what would happen next, what the reactions would be when people learned of her lies, and especially the mystery between her, Everett, Jim, and six powerful, heart-wrenching words: Don’t come. I can’t marry you.
My rating: 5 Stars
Bonus: Favorite Quote
(Oh, I had so many favorite quotes! But my most favorite ones would give too much away. Here’s one I really liked.)
“That’s better. And I have soft maroon aprons for each of us.” I went to a package I’d kept to the side and drew out sensible but elegant aprons for us three women, a long and thin one for Les, and a snug one Cook couldn’t possibly conceal a pistol under.
“Pink?” Cook roared.
“Soft maroon. Now put this on.” I handed his to him. “And cinch it tight.”
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Colleen, thanks so much for joining me on my blog today! Tell us more about your new release, Letters and Lies.
“Letters and Lies” is an abrupt about-face for me, most of my books serious with a distinct moral value at stake, whereas this one is light and fun. Sometimes you just need to smile, and I believe I accomplished that through the determination of my heroine, Louise Archer, who refuses to accept that the open door to marriage she has always waited for, has closed. In a flurry of humiliation that she tries to cover with a little lie or two, she boards a train west to find the homesteader who jilted her, and wedge that door back open again.
Louise is a wonderful character, probably worthy of a sequel or a series, but she is also surrounded by a colorful cast of others who bring out the best and worst in her. I don’t know if I could single out my favorite scene, but imagine a desperate young woman on a mission to find and secure her better half, when all along it is her better self she needs to discover. Like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” except laughable in between the touching moments.
I’m excited about this book because, in my and my editors’ opinions, it came out extremely well. Enough so, that I might apply my dry sense of humor to some other character in the future.
The release date for “Letters and Lies” is May 25, 2020, and I’m sending it out into the world with high hopes.
Blurb
Louise Archer boards a westbound train in St. Louis to find the Kansas homesteader who wooed and proposed to her by correspondence, then jilted her by telegram – Don’t come, I can’t marry you. Giving a false name to hide her humiliation, her lie backfires when a marshal interferes and offers her his seat.
Marshal Everett McCloud intends to verify the woman coming to marry his homesteading friend is suitable. At the St. Louis train station, his plan detours when he offers his seat to a captivating woman whose name thankfully isn’t Louise Archer.
Everett’s plans thwart hers, until he begins to resemble the man she came west to find, and she the woman meant to marry his friend.
Excerpt
“He wrote and changed your plans? Why didn’t you tell me? You know I love hearing his letters.”
Everyone loved hearing his letters. Or at least they’d pretended to. I glanced at my friends, especially the one who’d first suggested I correspond with her husband’s homesteading friend in Kansas who was ready to look for a wife. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief while she flicked the fingers of her other hand in a weak wave. I dredged my soul in search of a smile. The man she’d introduced me to truly had penned everything I’d ever wanted in a husband, months of letters which convinced Mama Jim was my open door. Letters I’d foolishly carted from family to friend to blather every word like a desperate spinster. Drat.
“He didn’t send his change of plans in a letter, Mama. He sent them in a telegram.” Don’t come, I can’t marry you. The only words I never shared.
“Well I imagine your Jim has a surprise for you and didn’t have time to send a letter before you left for Crooked Creek. How thoughtful to wire you instead.”
Thoughtful…I felt poisoned and Mama would too if she ever found out Jim had shut my open door. Which she wouldn’t, since as soon as I got out there and found him, I’d wedge it back open again.
Buy Links
About the Author
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Born and raised in the Midwest, Colleen studied and worked in science, using that career to travel and explore other parts of the country. An avid fan of literature, both reading and writing, she loves tales involving moral dilemmas and the choices people come up against. A lover of the outdoors as well as a comfy living room, Colleen is always searching inside and out for the next good story.
Social Links
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Page ~ Goodreads
May 23, 2020
Book Review of An Agent for Dixie
My Review
Although short, I do think this story was very cute. I really enjoyed the romance between Alexei and Dixie. They balanced each other out pretty well. There was just enough romance to be satisfying, combined with an intriguing detective case.
My rating: 4 Stars
Favorite Quote
“Heated paraffin wax is painted on the affected area and left to cool and harden.” She pantomimed the action. “After peeling off the wax, Matilda follows the treatment with her exercises and says she gets up to two hours of relief from the aches and pain. I bought supplies and brought them along. I thought maybe you could combine the wax treatment with your massage work. We should practice tonight.”
“We should?” Dixie could be bossy?
Blurb
Foreign diplomacy is the Zivon family business but Alexei resists the polite constraints, not lasting a year in law school. The four successful years working as a Pinkerton agent prove he was meant to follow a different path. Now, he’s faced with the biggest challenge of his career—training a female agent who has no practical skills. Alexei figures he can convince her to just observe as he solves the case, because nothing will interfere with his success rate.
Since childhood, Dixie LaFontaine lived in her older sister’s shadow but applying to become a Pinkerton Agent is her first major decision. Being matched with confident Alexei is intimidating, especially when the assigned case involves them pretending to be brother and sister at a health spa where jewelry has gone missing. Dixie has no qualms about pretending to be a French heiress needing care for her arthritis. Soon, she falls victim to Alexei’s charm and realizes that hiding her feelings might be as hard as ferreting out the thief among the spa’s clientele.
Will Dixie focus on learning the skills of an agent, or will she concentrate on turning her marriage of convenience into a lasting love?
