Category Archives: Kensington

January 22, 2021 · 12:01 am

Review: Hopeless Romantic by Marina Adair

Title: Hopeless Romantic by Marina Adair
When in Rome Series Book Two
Publisher: Kensington Books
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 290 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A funny and delightful story from the New York Times bestselling author of the St. Helena Vineyard series that fans of Avery Flynn, Kristan Higgins, and Helena Hunting will love.

Set against the breezy backdrop of coastal Rhode Island, bestselling author Marina Adair’s latest novel asks whether two of a small town’s biggest hearts can learn to put themselves first—in the name of love. . .

As caregiver for her autistic brother, Beckett Hayes knows how meaningful a little extra help can be when life happens. Which is why she runs Consider It Done, a personal concierge service in her small town. Her job also gives her the flexibility to follow her passion, being Rome, Rhode Island’s unofficial special needs advocate, training emotional support companions in her spare time. There’s not much of that, though, and certainly not enough for serious dating. It’s always been family first for Beck. But one unquestionably gorgeous, good-natured man is suddenly a temptation that’s getting tougher to resist . . .

Sixteen years ago, Levi Rhodes was ready to sail off into the sunset—literally. But then his father’s death and his sister’s unexpected pregnancy postponed his sailing scholarship and the adventures he had planned. Running the family marina and bar was the least he could do for his grieving mother. Plus, his niece needed a father-figure. But now that she’s in high school and has her bio-dad in her life, Levi’s wondering if it’s time to get his sea legs under him again. Or he was wondering, until curvy, caring Beck showed up in his bar, and then in his dreams . . .

Review:

Hopeless Romantic by Marina Adair is an endearing romance. This newest addition to the When in Rome series can easily be read as a standalone.

Beckett Hayes has shouldered caring for her brother, Thomas and dad Jeffery ever since her mother abandoned her family. Both are on the autism spectrum and while Jeffery is also a composer and performer, Thomas requires more support. Due to her sometimes chaotic home life, Beckett has to drop everything when things go wrong. A bit scarred by her first serious boyfriend, she instead dates men from out of town so if their relationships blow up, she does not run into them again. Beckett has been fighting her attraction to local Levi Rhodes for quite some time but will he convince her to change her mind?

Levi understands Beckett’s devotion to her family. Years earlier, he gave up college to move back home to help his single sister raise her daughter, Paisley.  Now his niece is in high school, Levi is planning the sailing trip he also postponed. However, the family business is currently lacking a few crucial employees and his best friend is marrying soon. Then there is his fascination with Beckett.   Levi has not had a committed relationship for a few years and he would like to explore his desire for Beckett. But will she agree to give him a chance?

Hopeless Romantic is an entertaining romance with a quirky but loveable cast of characters. Beckett and Levi are beautifully developed with realistic issues to overcome. Thomas is easy to like but Jeffery is somewhat frustrating. Beckett and Levi’s relationship is quite touching with an underlying simmering sexual tension. With an unexpected conflict, Marina Adair brings this charming romance to a heartfelt conclusion.  Old and new fans will be eagerly awaiting the next installment in the When in Rome series.

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Filed under Contemporary, Hopeless Romantic, Kensington, Marina Adair, Rated B, Review, Romance, When in Rome Series

May 19, 2019 · 11:57 pm

Review: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea

Title: Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A modern master of suspense, critically acclaimed author Charlie Donlea returns with a taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets hiding in plain sight . . .

The truth is easy to miss, even when it’s right in front of us. As a forensic reconstructionist, Rory Moore sheds light on cold-case homicides by piecing together crime scene details others fail to see. Cleaning out her late father’s law office a week after his burial, she receives a call that plunges her into a decades-old case come to life once more.

In the summer of 1979, five Chicago women went missing. The predator, nicknamed The Thief, left no bodies and no clues behind—until police received a package from a mysterious woman named Angela Mitchell, whose unorthodox investigation skills appear to have led to his identity. But before they could question her, Angela disappeared. Forty years later, The Thief is about to be paroled for Angela’s murder—the only crime the DA could pin on him. But the cryptic file Rory finds in her father’s law office suggests there is more to the case, and Angela Mitchell, than what was fed to the public, the details of which have been buried for four decades.

Rory’s talents are tested as she begins reconstructing Angela’s last days. Making one startling discovery after another, Rory becomes helplessly entangled in the enigma of Angela Mitchell and what happened to her. Drawing connections between the past and present, Rory uncovers dark truths about the reclusive victim, her father, and the man called The Thief that send her down a twisting trail where things may not be as they appear. As she continues to dig, even Rory can’t be prepared for the full, terrifying truth that is emerging . . .

Review:

Weaving back and forth in time, Some Choose Darkness by Charlie Donlea is a spellbinding mystery.

Rory Moore is a very gifted forensic recontructionist who fully immerses herself in the cases she takes on. After taking six months off, Walter Byrd asks her to repair his slain daughter’s broken china doll. But what he really wants is Rory’s help in solving Camille’s still unsolved murder. She agrees to both requests but before she can begin, Rory is devastated by a personal loss. 

Although she has a law degree, Rory is not a practicing lawyer. But with one of her father’s clients, a notorious suspected serial killer dubbed The Thief about to be released from prison on parole, she agrees to represent him. The Thief was convicted of murdering Angela Mitchell forty years earlier and Rory is tasked with making sure the now 68 year old man integrates back into society and adheres to the conditions of his parole. While cleaning out her father’s office, Rory uncovers shocking information that completely upends her life.  As she tries to understand why her father represented The Thief for over thirty years, Rory is fascinated by the case but will she find definitive proof the soon to be released murderer is guilty of the other murders he is suspected of committing?

Rory is an extremely intelligent but highly regimented woman who sees connections others miss. She is somewhat socially awkward and she successfully distances herself from people around her. Rory works with the Chicago Police Department solving murders which have gone cold. She also partners with University Professor (and her longtime lover) Lane Phillips on their project which uses an algorithm that reveals links between seemingly unrelated murders. Rory turns to her china doll repair to calm her when she experiences sensory overload.

In 1979, the city of Chicago is in the midst of panic as young woman vanish without a trace.  Twenty-nine year old Angela Mitchell is obsessed with the case and she extensively researches the victims to identify a connection between their cases. Her in-depth examination has revealed what she believes to be a pattern of murders that stretches back a decade. Unable to give up searching for the truth, Angela uncovers evidence she sends to the police but she disappears before they can question her.  Although her body has never been found, The Thief was convicted of her murder and sentenced to a sixty year prison term.

Some Choose Darkness is an absolutely fascinating novel of obsession and murder. Both Rory and Angela are multi-layered characters who are incredibly intelligent.  The plot is tautly written and the story arcs diverge in a very shocking manner. With very intriguing red herrings and a few misdirects, Charlie Donlea brings this sinister mystery to an unexpected and stunning conclusion. An outstanding novel that mystery lovers do not want to miss.

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Filed under Charlie Donlea, Contemporary, Kensington, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Some Choose Darkness, Suspense

December 24, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Fractured Truth by Susan Furlong

Title: Fractured Truth by Susan Furlong
Bone Gap Travellers Series Book Two
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

When the mutilated remains of a young woman are found in an Appalachian Mountain cave, newly sworn-in deputy sheriff Brynn Callahan is forced to track down a killer driven by twisted motives . . .  

Not long after donning the uniform of the McCreary County Sheriff’s department in Bone Gap, Tennessee, ex-Marine Brynn Callahan faces her first official homicide. On a cold February morning, a lone cross-country skier stumbles across the mutilated body of a young woman. Sent to investigate, Brynn is shocked when she recognizes the victim as a fellow Traveller, Maura Keene.

Maura held a solid standing both within the Travellers’ insular community and among the settled townspeople—a fact that makes her murder all the more disturbing to Brynn, who also straddles the two worlds.  After her trained K-9, Wilco, digs up human bones, and then a scrap of paper scrawled with arcane Latin phrases is uncovered, Brynn finds evidence leading her to question those closest to her—and closing the case becomes a deeply personal matter.

While trying to suppress local superstitions and prejudices, Brynn discovers that Maura was keeping a dangerous secret. And as the bones Wilco found are analyzed by forensics, Brynn harbors the troubling suspicion that she knows who they belong to. Still struggling with PTSD, Brynn must put her career on the line and her life at risk to find justice for a woman not unlike herself—haunted by her past, and caught in a vicious cycle she may never
escape . . .

Review:

Fractured Truth by Susan Furlong is a compelling mystery which is set in a small community in the Appalachian Mountains in Tennessee. This second installment in the Bone Gap Travellers series can be read as a standalone but I also highly recommend book one, Splintered Silence.

Former Marine Brynn Callahan now works for the sheriff’s department but she still does not fit in with the townspeople or the Irish Travellers. She and her cadaver dog, Wilco, are a formidable team but Brynn’s substance abuse issues and post traumatic stress are becoming a problem on the job. The latest case she is investigating with her boss, Sheriff Frank Pusser, is the particularly gruesome murder of seventeen year old Maura Keene, who is from Brynn’s community. Brynn immediately runs up against her close-knit community who feel she has betrayed her clan by becoming a police officer. She does not fare any better in the “settled” world whose prejudices against the Travellers run deep. Brynn nonetheless presses on and with the help FBI profiler, Joe Grabowski, they follow the puzzling clues. Having infuriated the Mayor, whose son Hatch is a suspect in Maura’s murder, Brynn’s personal demons could lead to the loss of her job. Can Brynn kick the addictions that she relies on to make it through each day? Will she, Joe and Frank unravel the truth about Maura’s killer?

Brynn’s troubled history continues to plague her as she settles into her new career. Scarred both inside and out from her military service, she ignores the warning signs she is not as in control of her life as she believes. Her return to Bone Gap remains uneasy as she walks a fine line between life as a Traveller and her police career. Brynn is quite intelligent with superb instincts but her drinking and pill popping are definitely becoming a liability.  When her beloved Gran is caught in the crossfire, Brynn’s overwhelming guilt puts her in an increasingly downward spiral that could cost her everything she holds dear.

The investigation into Maura’s death reveals some very troubling details about the teenager’s life. When another young woman is reported missing, Brynn and Sheriff Pusser are fairly certain the two cases are connected. However, since the other teenager is from another town, they are at a loss as to find definitive evidence to link them.  As Brynn digs deeper into Maura’s life, she becomes increasingly unsettled by the prejudices expressed by both the townspeople and the Travellers. She is also reminded of her own unhappy school years as the investigation takes her into to orbit of her former friends from high school.

Fractured Truth is a fast-paced mystery with an interesting cast of characters, a unique storyline and an intriguing murder to solve. Brynn is a deeply flawed but incredibly likable lead protagonist. The mystery surrounding Maura’s murder is quite perplexing and the investigation is filled with unexpected twists.  An outstanding addition to Susan Furlong’s  Bone Gap Travellers series that I highly recommend to readers of the genre.

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Filed under Bone Gap Travellers Series, Contemporary, Fractured Truth, Kensington, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Susan Furlong, Suspense

August 27, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: Little Comfort by Edwin Hill

Title: Little Comfort by Edwin Hill
Hester Thursby Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating:

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In a brilliantly twisted debut set among Boston’s elite, Edwin Hill introduces unforgettable sleuth Hester Thursby—and a missing persons case that uncovers a trail of vicious murder . . .

Harvard librarian Hester Thursby knows that even in the digital age, people still need help finding things. Using her research skills, Hester runs a side business tracking down the lost. Usually, she’s hired to find long-ago prom dates or to reunite adopted children and birth parents. Her new case is finding the handsome and charismatic Sam Blaine.

Sam has no desire to be found. As a teenager, he fled his small New Hampshire town with his friend, Gabe, after a haunting incident. For a dozen years, Sam and Gabe have traveled the country, reinventing themselves as they move from one mark to another. Sam has learned how trusting wealthy people can be—especially the lonely ones—as he expertly manipulates his way into their lives and homes.  In Wendy Richards, the beautiful, fabulously rich daughter of one of Boston’s most influential families, he’s found the perfect way to infiltrate the milieu in which he knows he belongs—a world of Brooks Brothers suits, Nantucket summers, and effortless glamour.

As Hester’s investigation closes in on their brutal truth, the bond between Sam and Gabe is tested and Hester unknowingly jeopardizes her own safety. While Gabe has pinned all his desperate hopes of a normal life on Hester, Sam wants her out of the way for good. And Gabe has always done what Sam asks . . .

Review:

Little Comfort by Edwin Hill is a twisty-turny, suspense-laden missing persons case that soon becomes a murder investigation. This first installment in the Hester Thursby Mystery series is an outstanding debut that I HIGHLY recommend to readers who enjoy mysteries featuring amateur sleuths.

Harvard librarian Hester Thursby is currently taking time off from her regular job to care for Kate, the three year old daughter of her best friend Daphne.  She lives with her boyfriend, Morgan, a veterinarian who is also Daphne’s twin brother. In addition to her regular career, Hester also takes on the occasional missing persons case. Her latest client, Lily Blaine, requests her help finding her long missing brother, Sam, who along with his best friend, Gabe DiPursio, vanished twelve years ago. Armed with nothing more than a series of postcards Lily has received over the years, Hester quickly finds Sam, who is currently romancing socialite Wendy Richards.  She also locates Gabe, who lives a rather solitary life with his lifelong friend.  Just as she begins to uncover the truth about Sam and Gabe, Sam’s past crashes headlong into his present which puts Hester and her family in grave danger.

Hester is a smart and feisty woman who is quite resourceful due to her dysfunctional childhood. Despite all of her successes, her past still affects her since she remains afraid of commitment. Hester has no intention of becoming a parent and she does not want to admit how much she loves Kate. She makes some very questionable decisions throughout her investigation into Sam, Gabe and their past. Hester’s compassion and empathy are admirable traits that leave her in a very precarious situation when she offers friendship to the wrong person.

Sam is ruthless in his quest to move up the social ladder and he leaves a swath of misery in his wake. He easily sheds his old identity when he starts over in a new city and he adapts easily to his new surroundings. Sam is quite charming and charismatic which makes it incredibly easy for him to insinuate himself in his target’s life. He is also very manipulative with sociopathic tendencies that make Sam a very dangerous man to cross.

Gabe is incredibly loyal to Sam and he will do anything for the one person who has always been there for him. He does not seem to care that he lives in Sam’s shadow but he does yearn for a normal life with a  family.  Gabe is quite captivated by Hester and he builds an elaborate fantasy about a future with her. But as Sam’s current situation changes and he wants to tie up loose ends, will Gabe continue to blindly follow his orders?

While not a traditional mystery, Little Comfort is a tautly-plotted, tension-filled novel that is fast-paced and compelling.  Hester is an immensely appealing yet flawed lead protagonist who is impossible not to like. Gabe and Sam are well-drawn, eerily sinister characters who are absolutely ruthless when their appalling schemes are inevitably unmasked. Edwin Hill brings this spine-tingling novel to an action-packed, chilling conclusion. A marvelous first installment in the Hester Thursby Mystery series that is sure to be a hit with readers of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Edwin Hill, Hester Thursby Mystery Series, Kensington, Little Comfort, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

July 30, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack

Title: As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Five a.m.: Amanda Mallorie wakes to the knowledge that her son Robbie is gone. And a new chapter of her own life must begin. She has spent four years as her son’s only support, desperately trying to understand the actions that landed him on death row and to change his fate. Now Amanda faces an even more difficult task—finding a way, and a reason, to move forward with her own life.

Before the tragedy that unfolded in a South Dakota mall, Robbie was just like other people’s sons or daughters. Sometimes troubled, but sweet and full of goodness too. That’s the little boy Amanda remembers as she packs up his childhood treasures and progress reports, and discovers a class ring she’s never seen before. Who does it belong to and why did Robbie have it in his possession? So begins a journey that will remind her not only of who Robbie used to be, but of a time when she wasn’t afraid—to talk to strangers, to help those in need, to reach out. Robbie’s choices can never be unmade, but there may still be time for forgiveness and trust to grow again. For a future as wide as the sky.

Review:

As Wide as the Sky by Jessica Pack is an emotionally compelling journey of healing and new beginnings.

Amanda Mallorie is grieving the loss of her son, Robbie, whose time on death row has finally come to an end.  After her son decides not to file any more appeals for his conviction, Robbie’s sentence has been fast-tracked and his sentence has been carried out. Now it is time for Amanda try to repair her tattered relationship with her daughter, Melissa.  Finally going through Robbie’s possessions as she prepares to move, Amanda’s discovery of someone else’s class ring piques her curiosity and her resulting search for the ring’s owner is life altering.

In the years since Robbie’s inexplicable act of violence and incarceration, Amanda has become increasingly isolated as she continues to support her son. Understanding why he committed such a horrific act of violence is impossible, but Amanda still loves Robbie very much. She is quite reflective as she tries to move forward and she finally allows herself to look back on happier times. Compelled to return the ring to its owner, Amanda is hoping the story of how the ring came into Robbie’s possession will provide her with another positive memory to hold close.

Although mainly narrated through Amanda’s point of view, there are numerous chapters written from other characters’ perspectives.  These chapters provide an interesting peek into the lives of the people who have affected by Robbie’s crime and the continuing ripple effects his actions have on their lives. However patience is required since some of the connections do not become clear until closer to the novel’s conclusion.

As Wide as the Sky is a very touching, thought-provoking novel that is deeply moving. Jessica Pack presents a compassionate look into the struggles family members experience as they continue loving and supporting their loved ones in spite of their crimes. This beautifully rendered novel is poignant, heartfelt and brimming with strong emotions. A tear-inducing yet ultimately uplifting novel that I absolutely loved and highly recommend.

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Filed under As Wide as the Sky, Jessica Pack, Kensington, Rated B+, Review, Women's Fiction

July 29, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Her Sister’s Lie by Debbie Howells

Title: Her Sister’s Lie by Debbie Howells
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this riveting psychological thriller, the international bestselling author of The Bones of Youweaves a compulsive story about one woman’s death and the web of duplicity and fractured relationships that unravels around it . . . 

Remember the script. Sisters look out for each other.  

It’s been ten years since Hannah Roscoe saw her older sister, but that distance fades to nothing when she receives a call from the police saying Nina is dead. As a teenager, desperate to leave home and make her career in music, Hannah moved into Nina’s cottage in the English countryside. In that secluded setting, Nina was trying to give her children the freedom that she and Hannah never knew growing up.

Now Nina is gone, and Hannah is left to care for her young nephew, Abe, who’s remote and moody in the wake of his loss. But worse is to come, as Nina’s death, first ruled an accident, becomes a murder investigation. Hannah is drawn back into her past, forced to confront the ghosts of their unhappy childhood and the reasons she and Nina finally drifted apart. Nina’s dream of creating an idyllic existence didn’t quite work out for her two older children, Summer and Jude. As for Abe, Hannah suspects he’s hiding something, but whom is he trying to protect?

Through it all, Hannah can’t shake the feeling that someone else knows all about the secrets she and Nina shared—and the ones they kept hidden, even from each other. Perhaps Nina’s death is not a tragic ending after all, but the beginning of a new and twisted nightmare . .

Review:

Her Sister’s Lie by Debbie Howells is a suspense-laden mystery that is chock full of tension and secrets.

Hannah Roscoe is still dealing with the emotional fall-out from the inexplicable end of her relationship with her boyfriend, Matt when she learns her estranged older sister, Nina Tyrell, is dead. The two sisters were once extremely close but they have not been in contact for ten years.  Hannah suddenly finds herself the guardian of Nina’s fifteen year old son, Abe, and the two are soon uncomfortably sharing a home. After Abe moves in, Hannah gets the eerie  feeling someone is watching her and her fear intensifies after discovering a stranger lurking nearby. She grows more fearful after the police rule Nina’s death a murder and raises an interesting question: are the events occurring in Hannah’s life connected to Nina’s death?

Hannah and Nina’s childhood is an absolute nightmare of abuse and cruelty at the hands of their parents. Nina escapes as quickly as possible and she, along with her children, Summer, Jude and Abe, live a very unconventional and isolated life. Hannah, too, leaves home at a young age and Nina’s home becomes her refuge as she sorts out her future.

In the present,  Hannah is less than forthcoming about the rift between her and Nina. She is quickly frustrated by Abe’s moodiness and disdain for her and their relationship quickly deteriorates. Hannah manages to alienate just about everyone in her life and even when it is her best interest to tell the truth, she clings tightly to the pact she and Nina made before their estrangement.

Unfolding through Hannah’s point of view, a series of letters, and passages from other different characters’ perspectives, Her Sister’s Lie is an intricately-woven, riveting mystery. Hannah gradually becomes such an unreliable narrator that it is virtually impossible discern whether her version of events can be trusted. Abe is grieving, sullen and resentful as he thrust into life with a virtual stranger but is there more his antipathy than meets the eye?

With plenty of clever twists and shocking turns, Debbie Howells gradually peels away the mistruths and prevarications and exposes the stunning secrets the sisters have kept hidden for years. Savvy mystery readers will most likely guess some of the surprises that are revealed at the novel’s conclusion, but the ending is still quite satisfying. A well-written domestic mystery that fans of the genre will enjoy.

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Filed under Contemporary, Debbie Howells, Her Sister's Lie, Kensington, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense