It's been a while!

It's been a year since I have posted any reviews, I haven't been reading as much as I used to. I apologize for this. I'm hoping to get back into reading more. I love reviewing and giving my honest opinion on the books that I read. I have also been in the mind set of actually finishing some books I have started writing (been at least 8 years), and adding another to the list. Fingers crossed! Thanks for sticking with me!
Colleen

Sleepless Beauty/E.M. Tippitts

Synopsis: 

     "Chloe could have had the perfect childbirth…If only the baby hadn’t come two weeks early
If only Jason wasn’t working overtime to save his new television series
If only the television crew wouldn’t antagonize the archaeologists working next to the set
If only the archaeologists hadn’t found that dead body
If only the main suspect wasn’t the beloved boyfriend of sweet Lizzie Warner, a girl who deserves to have it all…
Chloe’s first week of motherhood isn’t going at all how she hoped, so she is determined to solve the murder, no matter what it takes. Perhaps then the second week can be magical."

Review:

     This is book 6 in the "Someone Else's Fairytale" series. Chloe finally has baby Vanderholt! It is actually taken place in less then a 5 day time period for this whole book (There is to be another one!) so things move quickly, and anxiety ridden for poor Chloe. Emily has also brought in Lizzie Warner from another spinoff of this series called "A Safe Space". So you move forward a little with Lizzie and Devon's story. (Kyra also makes an appearance with her relationship status). You get a little more of Steve (Jason's little brother) and his lawyer talents as well as some brotherly back and forth that we haven't seen in previous books.
     Everyone seems to come to Chloe to solve their problems, and why not? She seems to have put herself in that position, being someone that can be trusted, isn't judgemental (on the outside) and cannot seem to let her natural instincts of being a forensic scientist pass. To have a friend like that would be a treasure indeed. To be that person though, is costing Chloe her beauty sleep. Then add her precious baby Bethany and the first days of motherhood, she's a wreck.
     You also get a look into Jason's pilot series at the beginning of each chapter. You get to see him being a doting first time dad, as well as a tag a long in Chloe's investigation.
     To get into the mind of Emily (the author) would be something! She always has the most interesting plots and fascinating information I wouldn't even be able to know or think of on my own! She is an amazing writer and person in general. Thanks Emily!
    

Road to Gretna Green/Lucinda Brandt, Julie Daines, Heather B. Moore

Synopsis:

                 SAVING GRACE by Lucinda Brant
"When widow Helen, Lady Dysart, returns to the English border town of Carlisle for a family wedding, she decides to confront local physician Royston Meredith, the man who broke her heart. Royston has loved Helen since they were teenagers. He thought the feeling mutual until she up and married the local MP. While everyone around them hopes this reunion will see Helen and Royston sort out their differences, of more immediate concern is Royston’s youngest sister Grace, when she elopes with the steward’s son. Helen and Royston dash after her, determined to save her from scandal and an imprudent match. But in saving Grace the couple may very well be saving themselves.

                   FOOLS RUSH IN by Julie Daines
Richard Arden needs a wife in order to collect his inheritance. Eliza Barnes needs to escape an arranged marriage to the odious Mr. Barrington. When Richard overhears Eliza’s plight at the coaching inn, he does the most reckless thing he’s ever done—he proposes to a woman he’s never met before. What begins as an easy solution leads Richard and Eliza on a journey across the country with Mr. Barrington at their heels, complicated even more when their fake engagement leads to feelings that are very real.

                  A LADY OF SCANDAL by Heather B. Moore
Unfortunately, Bridget’s marriage is over in four hours due to her husband’s tragic death. Fortunately, Bridget is now free from her distasteful marriage of convenience. When her year of mourning passes, and she meets her former husband’s cousin, Bridget discovers that her difficulties are far from over. Lord Hugh Wilde blames Bridget for his cousin’s death. But when Bridget’s sister elopes to Gretna Green with a man of questionable reputation, Lord Wilde is the only one who can help, and they both have to set aside their pride to rescue the errant sister."

Review:

     Just the words Gretna Green led me to believe that these stories would have scandal and intrigue in them! If you don't know about Gretna Green it is just over the border into Scotland where, if you wanted a quickie marriage/elopement, that would be the road you take.
     Pride, anger, misunderstandings and some comedy are throughout these three novella's. Romance of course! They are all greatly written, and I have enjoyed other books by each author. I took this book in stride and read one story a night for three nights, took me about an hour and a half to read each book. I couldn't start one and not finish it.
     Great Characters and story lines!

Searching for Irene/Marlene Bateman

Synopsis:

    "Anna Coughlin is a modern 1920s woman armed with a college education and a partiality for numbers. Now, within the walls of a fantastic castle-like mansion in the hills of Virginia, her skill will be tested as never before. Hired to serve as financial advisor to wealthy Lawrence Richardson, Anna finds the welcome she receives anything but warm. Lawrence’s handsome but antagonistic son Tyler wants nothing more than to send her packing. The household staff isn’t much better, but who can blame them, considering the way Lawrence’s last advisor, Irene, disappeared . . . Convinced that one of the enigmatic members of the household had something to do with Irene’s disappearance, Anna doesn’t dare trust anyone—not even temperamental Tyler Richardson, who, despite her best intentions, is beginning to steal her heart. A series of frightening incidents ensnare Anna in a maze of intrigue, putting her life in peril. But even as Anna begins uncovering the secrets hidden within the mansion’s stone walls, she harbors a secret of her own. Now, the only question that remains is whether she will disappear as mysteriously as Irene. . . ."

Review:

    This is a great who done it mystery novel. The more Anna digs into Irene's disappearance, the more danger she puts herself in. Anyone who lives in this mansion is a suspect. It seems to Anna that the police aren't doing their job in finding Irene, and whom ever she disappeared with. Anna then takes the job into her own hands!
    Mystery, Romance, and Drama are battling each other in this novel. It is close to 300 pgs, yet once you start reading it, it keeps you in the story and you wont want to put it down, even down to the last page. I was only hoping for an Epilogue to get a little more of what happened after.
   
Links:
Amazon: https://goo.gl/zAQVFd
Goodreads; https://goo.gl/avXj2E
Marlene’s website: www.marlenebateman.info
    
    

Whatever After/E.M. Tippetts

Synopsis:

    "Chloe’s got it all: a happy marriage to Hollywood A-lister, Jason Vanderholt, her first child on the way, and the chance to be the maid-of-honor in her best friend, Lori’s, upcoming wedding. The stresses of the past year are behind her… almost.

    Chris Winters, Chloe’s half-brother, still isn’t in jail, even though he’s the main suspect in a double homicide. The police don’t have enough hard evidence to charge him with the crime, but Chloe is certain it was him. After all, he tried to kill her when she was a child.

    When Chris begins to stalk Lori, Chloe is furious and decides it is past time he was locked up for good. She has the best security team money can buy, yet she knows they’re missing something, and mistakes in this business can be deadly. The deeper she digs, though, the less the facts add up.

    Chloe’s got mere weeks to figure out how to keep her best friend safe, save the wedding from disaster, and get Chris back in jail where he belongs. That is, if she can gather enough evidence before he strikes again."

Review: 

    This being the 5th book in it's series, answers questions we have been waiting for, yet leaves us with a new round of questions by the end. Which leaves us with hopefully book number 6 in the wings.

    Still the main focus is on keeping Chloe safe from her brother Chris who now is the focus of murder and stalking.
    Chloe is still as tough as ever, and will put her life and her unborn baby's life in a bit of peril by the end of this book.
    Friendship is the root of this story. How far will Chloe go to keep her best friend and her wedding safe?
    All of the characters are strong in their own right. I know I want their a happily ever after. I'm ready!

Condemn Me Not/Heather B. Moore

Synopsis:

    "Susannah North Martin, accused of witchcraft in 1692, joins five women in the Salem Jail, all sentenced to death for their crimes. Amidst tragedy, Susannah finds hope and compassion as she remembers a well-loved life, and readers discover that love reaches far beyond the grave as Susannah faces the magistrates in Salem."

Review: 

     Susannah in her old age has been condemned of Witch Craft. This book takes you from her early years, where she meets and falls in love with her new neighbor George. Then you find her in a prison cell at an old age, being put on trial for crimes she would not/could not commit.
     A love story is where Susannah's life begins, and that love stays with her even through her last days. That is what gets her through the trials she finds herself in.
     A truly real look into the life of a woman who had the courage to go to her death with her head held high, her thoughts on her family, and the peace that awaited her.
     Another great story taken from history!

For Sale By Owner/Marlene Bateman

Synopsis:

    "McKenzie Forsberg is headed home. She’s quit her big-city job to return to her roots in the small town of Lake Forest. Kenzi hopes to buy her childhood home from her brother, Tom, as a way of revisiting the peace and security she’s been missing in her life. But soon she is shocked to discover that the house has a pending sale, and Tom won’t budge from the sale—not even for his sister.

    Handsome widower Jared Rawlins catches Kenzie’s eye until she realizes that he’s the one who is buying her house—but he can only close the deal if he sells his own house by Christmas Eve. Jared is more than a little interested in Kenzie but has second thoughts when it seems that she may be sabotaging the sale of his home. Slippery feelings of animosity and distrust ensue, with both Jared and Kenzie denying the chemistry between them. But then an unexpected discovery about their connected past puts a new twist in the dynamic. Now, can they set their differences aside and come to terms on a relationship that could last forever?"

Review:

    A boy and girl, friendship is forever right? Until the boy moves away and life takes them both in two different directions. Years later Kenzie and her daughter make a surprise move home with intentions of buying her childhood home.
    Enter Jared and his son, who have already made a deal on the home. When Kenzie finds out, she will do what she needs to, to find a loophole and finally get her home. Meeting each other for the first time, sparks fly (attraction) but must fight it, and let the battle (for home) begin.
    A fun romance with a bit of mystery. If you want a home town feel for your reading pleasure, then this is a great one.