Category Archives: Kensington

May 28, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea

Title: Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

From acclaimed author Charlie Donlea comes a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel of suspense in which a filmmaker helps clear a woman convicted of murder—only to find she may be a puppet in a sinister game.

The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history—a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.

As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence, additional suspects, and timeline issues that were all overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case. But as the show surges towards its final episodes, Sidney receives a letter saying that she got it badly, terribly wrong.

Sidney has just convinced the world that Grace is innocent. Now she wonders if she has helped to free a ruthless killer. Delving into Grace’s past, she peels away layer after layer of deception. But as Sidney edges closer to the real heart of the story, she must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career . . . even her life.

Review:

Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea is a compulsively readable mystery about a documentary filmmaker’s latest project that could exonerate a convicted killer.

Sidney Ryan has made a name for herself with her true crime documentaries that have exonerated three people wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit. So after months of letters from Grace Sebold, who is convicted of killing her boyfriend, Julian Crist, Sidney heads to St. Lucia to begin filming for an upcoming project. Grace’s claims of innocence are compelling and as Sidney revisits the ten year old case, she quickly discovers some troubling information about the original investigation.  Sidney soon wonders if Grace’s claims of innocence might just be true which raises the intriguing question about who, in fact, killed Julian.

Sidney is quite tenacious as she re-examines Grace’s case. She is not certain that Grace is innocent but she is not convinced she is a murderer either. She reviews the case files with an open mind but she is nonetheless surprised by medical examiner Dr. Livia Cutty’s findings after she looks at Julian’s autopsy report. This shocking discovery is a huge turning point in the documentary and Sidney doggedly continues searching for exculpatory evidence that could clear Grace’s name.

In the meantime, Gus Morelli is in a rehab facility where he is recovering from recent surgery. He stumbles across the documentary as it is airing on TV and he is very interested in the information that Sidney is uncovering. With the help of his physical therapist, Gus contacts Sidney and what he tells her about Grace is incredibly explosive and threatens to derail her entire project. Needless to say, Sidney is dismayed by these revelations, but she cannot in good conscious ignore this stunning information.

Don’t Believe It is an incredibly riveting mystery that is impossible to put down.  All of the characters are well-drawn and engaging with plenty of depth and relatable strengths and weaknesses.  The chapters weave back and forth between excerpts from Sidney’s documentary and the events unfolding in the present. With plenty of clever red herrings and cunning misdirects, Charlie Donlea brings the novel to a twist-filled and shocking conclusion that is completely unexpected.  Fans of the genre do not want to miss this spellbinding mystery.

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Filed under Charlie Donlea, Contemporary, Don't Believe It, Kensington, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense

May 21, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: It Started in June by Susan Kietzman

Title: It Started in June by Susan Kietzman
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Susan Kietzman’s engrossing and thought-provoking novel explores the choices and revelations that come with life’s most unexpected events.

Grace Trumbull’s after work drink with Bradley Hanover, a handsome younger colleague, on a warm summer night turns into an impulsive, intimate encounter. After a few weeks of exhilarating secret dates, Grace—forty-two and divorced—realizes she’s pregnant.

For Grace, whose estranged mother refers to her own teenage pregnancy as her biggest mistake, the prospect of parenthood is daunting. She’s just been made vice president of a media relations company and is childfree by choice. Still, something deeper than her fear makes her want to keep the baby. She knows she can be a better, more capable parent than her mother was to her.

As months pass and seasons change, Grace questions her decision to include Bradley in her plans. But they continue to navigate their complicated relationship, each struggling with what it means to make a commitment to someone. Most importantly, Grace begins trusting her instincts—maternal and otherwise—finding courage that will guide her through an uncertain future ripe with new possibilities .

Review:

It Started in June by Susan Kietzman is an engaging (but sometimes frustrating) novel about a surprise relationship and an even more unexpected decision about an unintended pregnancy.

Grace Trumbull is a forty-two year old vice president at a media company, divorced and childless by choice. She and thirty-year old Bradley Hanover are assigned to work together and a night of drinking leads to a very steamy encounter in the backseat of her vintage car. They decide to continue seeing one another outside of work and their fledgling relationship is rocked when Grace discovers she is pregnant. Even more shocking is her decision to have the baby but she leaves it is up to Bradley to decide what role, if any, he will have in his baby’s life.  Grace is surprised by his decision to stand by her and be an active participant in raising their child, but will their relationship survive such an inauspicious beginning?

Grace’s childhood was sadly lacking in love, encouragement or support yet she has managed to make a good life for herself.  She is extremely intelligent and dedicated to her job but in her personal life, she closely guards her heart.   Her difficult upbringing is the main reason Grace does not want children and in fact, her lack of desire for kids lead to her divorce years earlier.  However, she quickly discovers that a decision in the abstract is very different than when facing in reality. No one is more shocked than Grace when she decides to have the baby, but is she making this decision for the right reasons?

Bradley is a fun-loving man who is quickly moving up the career ladder. He is done with indiscriminate dating and one of the things he enjoys most about Grace is her lack of pretense and  her confidence. Bradley  is happy with their burgeoning relationship but he is definitely thrown by the pregnancy. His kneejerk reaction is to walk away, but he ultimately decides to stand by Grace and their unborn child. Unfortunately, Bradley is immature and he does not exactly handle his new reality with the same aplomb as Grace. He makes some very stupid decisions that could ultimately destroy what he is building with his new family.

The secondary cast of characters includes Bradley’s parents, Dorrie and Bruce, Grace’s best friend Shannon Greene and Bradley’s close friend, Kevin Bell.  Their collective reaction to Grace’s pregnancy is the pretty much the same and their lack of support is appalling. Not one single person is happy about the impending birth and they actively try to dissuade the couple from going through with their plans. It is impossible not to feel a great deal of empathy for Grace as she endures such negativity from the people whom she should have been able to count on for encouragement and help. This part of the storyline is a disappointment due to the continued lack of respect for Grace and Bradley’s decision.

Despite a few minor irritations and a bit of predictability where Bradley is concerned, It Started in June is a captivating novel. Grace is a wonderful lead protagonist who undergoes realistic growth as she embraces motherhood and attempts to reconcile with her estranged mother. Bradley has some very charming qualities but he definitely needs to grow up. Grace and Bradley’s future together hangs in the balance as Susan Kietzman brings the novel to a nail biting conclusion. Fans of contemporary women’s fiction are sure to enjoy this heartwarming novel.

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Filed under Contemporary, It Started in June, Kensington, Rated B+, Review, Susan Kietzman, Women's Fiction

March 26, 2018 · 11:56 pm

Review: Just in Time by Marie Bostwick

Title: Just in Time by Marie Bostwick
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In her most powerful novel yet, New York Times bestselling author Marie Bostwick weaves the uplifting story of three grief support group dropouts—women united in loss and rescued through friendship.

Fifteen years ago, Grace Saunders vowed to take her beloved husband for better or worse. Now she’s coming to terms with difficult choices as she crafts a memory quilt from scraps of their life together—a life torn to shreds by an accident that has left him in a coma. Enduring months of limbo, Grace is at least not alone.

Nan has been widowed for twenty years, but now, with her children grown, her home feels painfully empty. Even the company of her golden retriever, Blixen, and a series of other rescue dogs, can’t fill the void. Then there’s Monica, a feisty woman with a biting wit who’s reeling following her husband’s death—and the revelation of his infidelity.

As for Grace, a chance evening with a man she barely knows brings a glimmer of joy she hasn’t felt since the tragedy—along with feelings of turmoil and guilt. But her struggle to cope will force all three women to face their fears, share their deepest secrets—and lean on one another as they move from grief and isolation to hope, and a second chance at happiness .

Review:

Just in Time by Marie Bostwick is a heartfelt novel of healing, friendship and ultimately, love.

Grace Saunders never imagined she would meet her best friends through their failed attempt to find solace in a grief support group. Nan Wilja has been widowed for twenty years and she fosters dogs while also helping others try to deal with their grief. Monica Romano is a recent widow whose grief is tempered by anger at the circumstances surrounding her husband’s death. She is also raising her teenage stepchildren while working long hours at the restaurant she owns. Grace’s grief is compounded by the fact that her beloved husband is still alive but in a permanent vegetative state following a hiking accident. Although the three women could not be more different, their close-knit friendship sustains and nurtures them as they navigate through their lives.

Grace and her husband Jamie met in high school and although his accident was two years earlier, she is still deeply in love with him. They had not really settled into their life in Portland before her life fell apart and outside of her friendship with Nan and Monica, she does little except work and visit Jamie at the long care health facility. Grace is not crazy about her job, but she desperately needs to hold on to it because of her fantastic health benefits. Although she logically knows that Jamie will not get any better, her love for him never wavers. Which is why Grace is not exactly receptive to Monica’s matchmaking attempts between her and furniture maker Luke Pascal.

Monica is a little brash, loud and sometimes a tiny bit overbearing, but she has a huge heart. She absolutely loves her restaurant but she is extremely stressed due to her rather difficult relationship with her stepchildren. With her stepson Alex getting into trouble at school and her stepdaughter Zoe trying to grow up way too fast, Monica has her hands full, but she always makes time for Grace and Nan. Despite her overly busy life, she is also ready to fall in love again, but will Monica open her heart to a man who does not exactly fit her criteria?

Nan is such a warm and giving person that she is impossible not to love. After her beloved husband’s death, she not only finished raising their children but she also added to her brood through adoption. She volunteers with a local pet rescue and she fosters dogs whose owners have recently passed away. With a full life she loves, Nan has never looked for love, but will love find her when she least expects it?

Just in Time is an absolutely endearing novel that is deeply affecting. All of the characters are beautifully developed with relatable issues to overcome and true to life weaknesses and strengths. Grace, Nan and Monica are realistically depicted and wonderfully imperfect characters. The various story arcs are engaging and it is such a joy to watch each of the women unexpectedly find happiness. Marie Bostwick’s newest release will tug on readers’ heartstrings as Grace, Nan and Monica undergo their respective journeys of healing which will lead each of them to open their hearts and minds to the possibility of falling in love again.

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Filed under Contemporary, Just in Time, Kensington, Marie Bostwick, Rated B+, Review, Women's Fiction

February 26, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh

Title: The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 369 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

“Murderers are rarely who you imagine them to be . . . ”

One moment, Selena Cole is at the playground with her children . . . the next, she has vanished without a trace.

The body of Dominic Newell, a well-respected lawyer, is found on a remote mountain road, blood oozing from the stab wound in his neck.

In the sleepy borderland between England and Wales, sheep outnumber people and serious crimes are rare. Which makes this Tuesday morning, with two calls coming in to the local police station, even more remarkable. Detective Constable Leah Mackay and her brother, Detective Sergeant Finn Hale, begin their respective investigations, but soon find them inextricably linked. And when Selena is found alive and unhurt twenty hours later, the mystery deepens.

Selena’s work consulting on kidnap and ransom cases has brought her into close contact with ruthless criminals and international drug lords. But now, as Selena walks back into her life wearing a blood-spattered sweater, claiming no memory of the preceding hours, Leah can’t be sure if she is a victim, a liar, or a murder suspect.

Leah and Finn delve into each case, untangling the secrets and betrayals—large and small—that can lie just beneath the surface of a life, yet unprepared for where both trails will lead.

With engrossing characters, devilish twists, and evocative prose, The Missing Hours is that rare page-turner—as satisfying and complex as it is unpredictable.

Review:

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh is a clever police procedural about two perplexing mysteries that occur simultaneously yet appear unconnected.

Detective Constable Leah Mackay is assigned to the missing persons case involving Dr. Selena Cole who disappeared without a trace from the playground where her two daughters are playing.  Serena’s sister-in-law Orla Britten has no idea where she could be but she is quite concerned since Selena has been grief-stricken since the tragic death of her husband Cole.  With scant clues to follow, Leah is concerned about the future of the case when local defense solicitor Dominic Newell’s murder investigation takes precedence.

Leah’s brother, newly promoted Detective Sergeant Finn Hale is leading the Dominic’s murder enquiry. Newell has been stabbed to death and all personnel are needed for the investigation.  Finn heads to the victim’s law practice where he is surprised to learn Dominic and his law partner, Bronwyn Hartley, were once romantically involved although they are now just friends. Finn then questions Dominic’s boyfriend, Isaac Fletcher, but the grieving man does not set off any alarms. The next line of inquiry leads to one of the victim’s clients, Beck Chambers, who quickly becomes their chief suspect once Finn learns more of Beck’s run-ins with the law.

Just as Leah turns her attention to Dominic’s case, Selena is found unharmed, yet, inexplicably, she has no memory of what happened during her disappearance. Despite Selena’s safe return, Leah’s curiosity about what happened to her nags at her.  After she and Finn discover that a suspect has ties to both Selena and Dominic, Leah can no longer ignore her conviction that the two  cases somehow linked.  Leah is also certain that Selena is not being completely honest with her but trying to figure out the reason for her deception is virtually impossible.

Finn is putting in long hours as he investigates Dominic’s murder but he is frustrated by his dearth of viable leads or suspects. He is skeptical of Leah’s assertion that Selena’s disappearance and Dominic’s murder are somehow linked, but he nonetheless joins her as she follows each piece of evidence she unearths.  Certain they are on the right path, Leah and Finn painstakingly put together their disparate pieces of evidence but will they figure out the truth before it is too late?

With the chapters alternating between Leah and Finns perspectives and interspersed with case studies of Selena and her husband’s kidnap and rescue cases,  The Missing Hours is an incredibly intriguing mystery that is multi-layered and complex. Both Leah and Finn have excellent instincts yet they each find they let their own personal situations cloud their judgment at different times during the investigation. The plot is quite unique with the shadowy world of kidnap and rescue figuring prominently throughout the unfolding story.  With unexpected twists and exciting turns, Emma Kavanagh brings the novel to a shocking and somewhat dramatic conclusion that completely wraps up both of these baffling mysteries.

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Filed under Contemporary, Emma Kavanagh, Kensington, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Missing Hours

January 29, 2018 · 11:57 pm

Review: The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

Title: The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 432 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A mother. A son. His girlfriend. And the lie they’ll wish had never been told.

Laura has it all. A successful career, a long marriage to a rich husband, and a twenty-three year-old son, Daniel, who is kind, handsome, and talented. Then Daniel meets Cherry. Cherry is young, beautiful and smart but hasn’t led Laura’s golden life. And she wants it.

When tragedy strikes, a decision is made and a lie is told. A lie so terrible it changes their lives forever…

The Girlfriend is a taut and wickedly twisted debut psychological thriller—a novel of subtle sabotage, retaliation, jealousy and fear, which pivots on an unforgivable lie, and examines the mother–son–daughter-in-law relationship in a chilling new light.

Review:

The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances is a domestic mystery about a mother who is suspicious about her son’s new girlfriend’s motives for dating him.

Laura Cavendish is very devoted to her adult son, Daniel. They are rather close (hmm, maybe too close?) and she is delighted he is now moving on to the hospital portion of his medical training since he will be living close by. Almost immediately, Daniel meets Cherry Laine, an estate agent in training, and Laura is rather nonplussed to discover her son is quite enthralled by the young woman. Hoping to form a fast friendship with her son’s new girlfriend, Laura is unsettled by how quickly Cherry ingratiates herself into their lives. Her misgivings fall on deaf ears and Laura’s relationship with Daniel takes a backseat to his fast moving romance. When Daniel is gravely injured in an accident, Laura makes an impetuous decision that comes back to haunt her in a rather dramatic and downright scary manner.

Laura is an overly involved mother  whose marriage has been on the rocks for several years. Like any mom, she wants the best for her only child and she is not at all eager to share Daniel’s attention with a girlfriend. In her favor, Laura does want a friendly relationship with Cherry but the young woman rubs her the wrong way almost right from the start. In the con column, Laura seems to go out of her way to try to find damning information that will prove her negative feelings about Cherry are correct. While Laura’s doubts and concerns about Cherry might be well founded,  her motherly concern quickly crosses a line that she cannot recover from.

Cherry is an opportunistic gold digger who wants a wealthy man to help her escape from her very humble beginnings. In spite of her attempts to move up the social ladder, she feels inadequate and uncomfortable when she meets Daniel’s friends and family.  Cherry is manipulative, sly and quite willing to lie to get what she wants out of life.  Easily picking up on Laura’s animus, Cherry begins a game of one-upmanship to cement her position as Daniel’s girlfriend that eventually has tragic consequences.

The Girlfriend is a clever mystery that has a unique storyline. Daniel is a fabulous character who is a little naive when it comes to his new girlfriend. Laura is initially likable but quickly turns into an unsympathetic  character whose devotion to her son is somewhat unhealthy. Cherry come across as a money grubbing social climber who is willing to do ANYTHING to escape her working class background. The story moves in fits and starts and becomes a little repetitive as Laura and Cherry go to extreme lengths as they compete for Daniel’s attention. The novel comes to a rather exciting conclusion that ends with a shocking revelation.  All in all, an enjoyable, suspenseful debut from  Michelle Frances.

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Filed under Contemporary, Kensington, Michelle Frances, Rated B, Review, Suspense, The Girlfriend

August 28, 2017 · 11:58 pm

Review: Where the Sweet Bird Sings by Ella Joy Olsen

Title: Where the Sweet Bird Sings by Ella Joy Olsen
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this provocative new novel, the author of Root, Petal, Thorn offers a powerful story of resilience, hope, and the secrets that, no matter how deeply hidden, can shape and ultimately unite a family. What connects us to one another? Is it shared history? Is it ancestry? Is it blood? Or is it love?

People respond to tragedy in different ways. Some try to move on. Some don’t move at all. A year after her young son’s death due to a rare genetic disease, Emma Hazelton is still frozen by grief, unable and unwilling to consider her husband Noah’s suggestion that they try to have another child.

As the future Emma once imagined crumbles, her family’s past comes into sharp relief. Searching for the roots of her son’s disease, Emma tries to fit together the pieces in her genealogical puzzle. Hidden within an old wedding photograph of her great-grandparents is an unusual truth Emma never guessed at–a window into all the ways that love can be surprising, generous, and fiercely brave . . . and a discovery that may help her find her own way forward at last.

Review:

Where the Sweet Bird Sings by Ella Joy Olsen is a very poignant novel healing and reconciliation.

Emma Hazelton is still deeply grieving the loss of her young son Joey who died from a rare genetic disease a year earlier. Now with her beloved Grandpa Joe’s death, she feels quite lost. She is also struggling with her anger at her husband Noah who has come to terms with his grief and is ready to move forward. When her mom asks her to help sort her through her grandpa’s belongings as she prepares to sell his house, Emma is delighted to discover a wedding portrait of her grand-grandparents. However, the identity of a young woman and little boy in the picture is quite puzzling. When her grandfather’s obituary raises perplexing questions about his past, Emma is determined to find out if these two events are somehow related.  Will learning the truth about her heritage provide Emma with a measure of peace and help her regain the sense of self she lost after baby Joey’s death?

Emma and Noah had no problem pulling together after Joey’s devastating diagnosis. Emma devoted herself to caring for her son until his tragic death and in the aftermath of her loss, she finds herself from pulling away from Noah as she struggles to make sense of who she is. Following her grandfather’s death and her subsequent bewildering discoveries about his past, she is even more adrift. Deciding she needs time away from Noah as she tries to put her life back together, Emma temporarily moves in with her mother and starts making plans for her future. However, she is at a loss when attempting to make a decision about her marriage since she and Noah are at an impasse when it comes to having more children.

As Emma tries to decide what to do about her future, she and her brother Ethan try to find answers to their lingering questions from their childhood. Their parents’ divorce was quite acrimonious and their unusual custody arrangements led to very strained relationships between Emma and their father and Ethan and their mother.  Will their efforts to mend the rift between mother and son be successful?

Where the Sweet Bird Sings by Ella Joy Olsen is a very emotional journey of self-discovery, healing and moving on after following a heartrending loss. The characters are richly developed with both positive and negative traits that are sometimes frustrating but very realistic.  Emma’s search for genealogical information about her family is fascinating and quite educational. A deeply affecting novel that will linger in readers’ hearts and minds long after the last page is turned.

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Filed under Contemporary, Ella Joy Olsen, Kensington, Rated B, Where the Sweet Bird Sings, Women's Fiction