Category Archives: Bell Bridge Books

October 31, 2013 · 3:58 am

Review: Carly’s Rule by Vickie King

Title: Carly’s Rule by Vickie King
The Braddock’s Series Book One
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: 174 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Can they find a second chance for love?
It’s been years since their teenage romance broke her heart and he disappeared from her life. Now Luke Donovan walks into Carly Braddock’s West Virginia bakery, and all the old feelings resurface. He’s in town for his work as a preservation specialist hired by the local historical society—but also to fix his relationship with his rebellious daughter, whom Carly doesn’t know exists—until now. With so much baggage between them and so many bittersweet memories, can she break the rule she created to protect her heart?

The Review:

The first installment in Vickie King’s The Braddock’s series, Carly’s Rule is a sweet and heartwarming second chance at love romance. Fourteen years after their teenage romance suddenly ended, Carly Braddock and Luke Donovan rekindle their relationship but will secrets tear them apart?

Following the breakup of a long term romance, Carly returns to her hometown where she now owns Sugar Plums, a thriving bakery business. She is close to her family and enjoys spending time with her brothers and various nieces and nephews. Carly has not seen Luke since he abruptly left town with no explanation years earlier but when he unexpectedly re-enters her life, will she be willing to risk her heart again?

Carly and Luke are realistic and well-drawn characters. They are both still dealing with the emotional baggage from their pasts and they are each harboring some pretty serious secrets. Carly’s revelation stems from their failed teenage romance while Luke’s is pretty much a deal breaker for Carly. Carly calls a halt to their reconciliation but an unexpected crisis and surprising conversations provide Carly and Luke with new perspectives on some of their long held beliefs.

The conflict between Luke and Carly is believable and their responses to their current situation ring true. They face their problems head on with maturity and very little angst. Despite the nature of their issues, there is surprisingly little recrimination from either of them with Luke and Carly accepting their fair share of the blame for their earlier break up. It is very refreshing to see each of the characters reflect on past mistakes with such honesty and admit their actions or inactions are partially to blame for the failure of their previous relationship.

Carly’s Rule is an easy to read and engrossing novel. Carly and Luke are well-developed and sympathetic characters and it is delightful to watch their romance unfold. Vickie King puts a fresh spin on familiar storyline and the resulting story is an absolute joy to read. The introduction of Carly’s brother, Dusty, adroitly sets up the next installment of The Braddock’s series and I am eagerly anticipating the release of his story early next year.

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Filed under Bell Bridge Books, Carly's Rule, Contemporary, Rated B, Review, Romance, Vickie King

July 15, 2013 · 3:57 am

Review: Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn

Title: Left Hanging by Patricia McLinn
Caught Dead in Wyoming Book Two
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books/BelleBooks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 272
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A Rodeo Producer, Dead in the Bull Pen. Accident or Murder?

From the tip of the rodeo queen’s tiara, to “agricultural byproducts” ground into the arena dust, TV reporter Elizabeth, E.M., Danniher receives a murderous introduction to the world of rodeo.

Elizabeth, until recently a top-flight TV journalist on the national stage, has been making strides in getting her footing after a dizzying demotion to tiny—and entirely foreign to her—Sherman, Wyoming. But that equilibrium faces a major challenge.

The apparently accidental death—under the hooves of rodeo bulls— of a rodeo producer preparing for Sherman’s annual Fourth of July Rodeo catches the attention of Elizabeth and her KWMT-TV colleague Michael Paycik. Not only is it a major story about the region’s biggest event, but it’s being outrageously mishandled by the station’s egocentric anchor.

As Elizabeth and Michael start to dig, area rancher Thomas Burrell joins the investigation, providing background on the rodeo and suspects—and there are plenty because the victim had many enemies. But Tom has loyalties to some suspects as well as to the rodeo, so Elizabeth doubts his commitment to finding the truth no matter what. Not to mention that both Mike and Tom have indicated an interest in her . . . they might be okay with working together in a peculiar triangle, but the points of that triangle are starting to get under her skin.

The Review:

Left Hanging, the second installment in Patricia McLinn’s Caught Dead in Wyoming series, is another fascinating mystery that is full of twists and turns.

When stock contractor Keith Landry’s trampeled body is discovered in the bull pen days before the annual Fourth of July Rodeo, local TV journalist Elizabeth Danniher and sportscaster Mike Paycik cannot resist taking a closer look at his untimely death. Was his death a tragic accident? Or something far more sinister? Aiding them in their investigation is local rancher and rodeo insider Tom Burrell but his close friendships with some of the possible suspects cast suspicion on the reliability of his information.

The rodeo setting is a fascinating backdrop for the unfolding mystery. Ms. McLinn does an excellent job explaining the various rodeo events and she provides a detailed behind the scenes description of the inner workings of rodeo production. The history of rodeo and its role in the Western lifestyle are beautifully depicted and the storyline dispels many of the common misconceptions about the sport.

Lead protagonist Elizabeth Danniher is still struggling to adapt to life in rural Wyoming and her demotion to the small television station in Sherman. While she has no regrets about her divorce, her professional confidence is shaken and she is now questioning the role her ex played in the success of her career. Elizabeth’s investigation into Landry’s death provides some interesting insight into the doubts that are plaguing her.

The plot of Left Hanging is a bit sluggish for the first half of the novel. The circumstances of Landry’s death are unclear and the investigation is slow moving. There are a lot of characters and it is difficult to keep all of them straight. But once the clues and various relationships begin to fall into place, the story picks up speed and gallops to a spectacular conclusion.

Droll humor, colorful characters and a Western setting prove to be an irresistible combination in Left Hanging. This latest installment of the Caught Dead in Wyoming series is sure to thrill old and new fans and leave them eagerly anticipating what Paticia McLinn has planned next for this intrepid trio of amateur sleuths.

Read my review of the other books in the series HERE.

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Filed under Bell Bridge Books, BelleBooks, Caught Dead in Wyoming Series, Contemporary, Left Hanging, Mystery, Patricia McLinn, Rated B, Review

November 8, 2012 · 3:58 am

Review: Sign Off by P.A. McLinn

Title: Sign Off by P.A. McLinn
Caught Dead in Wyoming Series Book One
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books/BelleBooks
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 232 pages
Book Rating: B+

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The last time anyone in Cottonwood County, Wyoming saw Sheriff’s Deputy Foster Redus, he was bloody, cussing, and driving his pimped-out pickup into the November darkness. A week before Christmas, rancher Thomas David Burrell was arrested for the assault and charged with the deputy’s murder, since neither Redus nor his truck had been seen since the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The prosecutor later set Burrell free due to insufficient evidence, but with the whole county still suspecting him of the crime, his ex-wife refused to let their daughter visit him anymore.

“You’ve got to prove my Daddy didn’t kill anybody,” second grader Tamantha Burrell tells KWMT-TV’s consumer affairs reporter, New York transplant Elizabeth Danniher.

“Now wait a minute . . . ” the startled journalist begins.

“You’re the ‘Helping Out’ lady,” Tamantha insists. “You have to help me.”

Until a few months ago, Elizabeth “E.M.” Danniher investigated high crimes and national cases. Now, a messy divorce from her network-TV-exec husband, combined with her no-longer-quite-perky-enough sex appeal, has banished her to Wyoming, where she has to fulfill the remainder of her contract. She handles the “Helping Out” segment at Sherman, Wyoming’s only news station. Her latest assignment:assisting an elderly woman who wants her faulty toaster replaced.

But Tamantha needs her, and so Elizabeth goes back on the crime beat, trying to unravel the mystery of the missing deputy and track down a killer who intends to make sure she doesn’t live to go Live At Five with the scoop.

P. A. McLinn, after spending twenty-plus years as an editor for the Washington Post, now writes full-time.Her books have topped bestseller lists and been translated into more than twenty languages.

The Review:

Sign Off, the first book in P.A. McLinn’s Caught Dead in Wyoming series, is a fast-paced and intriguing mystery. Unable to resist her curiosity (and Tamantha Burrell), Elizabeth Danniher and sportscaster Mike Paycik look into the disappearance of Deputy Foster Redus. Did he leave under his own volition? Or did Foster meet with foul play? Their investigation exposes corruption, dirty politics and secrets that might just drive a person to kill to keep hidden.

Elizabeth Danniher’s exile in small town Sherman, WY is only a temporary setback following her divorce and the subsequent loss of her network job. Dealing with the petty jealousies of an insecure anchorman and some of her co-workers, Elizabeth is trying to make a success of her “Helping Out” segment. When second grader Tamantha Burrell approaches Elizabeth and asks her to help prove her father’s innocence in Foster’s disappearance, Elizabeth is reluctantly drawn into investigating the unsolved case. The further she delves into the case, the more inconsistencies she uncovers in the original investigation and she easily slips back into full investigative journalist mode. Stonewalled by the police and hindered by interoffice feuds, Elizabeth is determined to uncover the truth surrounding Foster’s untimely disappearance. When Mike Paycik offers her an inside track to information, Elizabeth reluctantly joins forces with the ambitious sportscaster.

Elizabeth is a beautiful developed and engaging protagonist. She is caring and compassionate with an innate sense of justice. Trying to adjust to rural living is not easy and as she navigates uncharted territory, Elizabeth provides a humorous view of the inner workings of a television station, small town life and its politics.

Equally likeable is the charming and resourceful Mike Paycik. Mike is a local man who returned to Sherman after a knee injury ended his football career. His interest in Elizabeth is more than professional (much to her dismay) and I enjoyed the byplay between them as they delve into mystery surrounding the missing deputy.

Deputy Foster Redus is a completely reprehensible character. With motives and suspects quickly piling up, Elizabeth and Mike go round and round in circles trying to figure out who had the most compelling reason to get rid of the despicable deputy.

Sign Off is an entertaining story with a compelling storyline and a wonderful cast of characters. The mystery aspect of the novel is especially well done with many twists and turns and a suspect list a mile long. P.A. McLinn has a fabulous writing style and she brings the small town of Sherman, WY and its inhabitants vibrantly to life. I am eager to see what lies ahead for Elizabeth, Mike, and the other residents I met in this wonderful first installment of the Caught Dead in Wyoming series.

An excellent beginning to a promising new series that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Bell Bridge Books, BelleBooks, Caught Dead in Wyoming Series, Contemporary, Mystery, PA McLinn, Rated B+, Review, Sign Off

July 12, 2012 · 3:56 am

The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel

Title: The Sleeping Night by Barbara Samuel
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books
Genre: Historical, Romance
Length: 268 pages
Book Rating: B

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

An unforgettable romance in an unforgiving time.

They’ll need love and courage to see the dawn.

He’s a hometown native, returning from the war, determined to change the world he’d fought to protect. She’s the girl who’s been his secret friend since childhood, now a beautiful woman. Her war-time letters kept him alive. But he’s black, and she’s white.

In 1946 in Gideon, Texas, their undeniable love might get them both killed.

The Review:

Set in the racially charged and deeply segregated South in the mid 1940s, Barbara Samuel’s The Sleeping Night is a beautifully written story of forbidden love. Close childhood friends, Angel Corey and Isaiah High feelings for one another turn to love as they enter their teen years. In an attempt to protect the children he so dearly loves, Angel’s father Parker convinces Isaiah to enlist in the army as America enters World War II. With Isaiah’s return to Texas following the end of the war, he and Angel cannot escape the powerful emotions or the strong desire that draws them together.

Angel Corey is a strong and courageous young woman who has a stubborn streak a mile wide. She is independent and fights for what she believes in despite the overwhelming odds against her. She has a deep and abiding faith in God that is unshakeable. Angel is incredibly wise and despite the troubles facing her, she is unfailingly hopeful that one person can make a difference.

Having seen the possibilities that exist for a black man outside of the South, Isaiah High never intended to return to Texas. But being the kind-hearted and compassionate man he is, he cannot resist helping a friend in need. With his faith tested by the things he saw during the war, Isaiah is struggling not only with his feelings for Angel, but his very belief in God’s existence.

Although beginning and ending in 2005, the majority of The Sleeping Night is set in the 1940s. Current events are interspersed with the letters exchanged during the war between Isaiah and Angel. Through their letters, we gain invaluable insight into both characters. We see the atrocities of World War II that Isaiah experienced as well as the harsh reality of his homecoming. And through Angel, we see the toll the war takes on those left behind.

The Sleeping Night is a heartbreakingly stark but realistic portrayal of the racial inequalities and injustices that existed far too long in Southern culture. Although the story is sometimes slow moving, Barbara Samuel keeps the tension high with the reader wondering how this poignant romance will ultimately end. A moving and heartfelt story that everyone should read.

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Filed under Barbara Samuel, Bell Bridge Books, Historical, Rated B, Romance, The Sleeping Night