authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Last Mission by Lisa Childs is the finale to the Hotshot Heroes series. Those who like the characters will be saddened that they will not be able to read any more stories about them. In this one the hero is Mack McRonney, retired from military Special Ops. After his brother and sister were targeted by the saboteur, he decides to go undercover to find the culprit, working for the Hot Shots. Also, trying to …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper All the Way Gone, the fourth book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series, delves into the world of sociopaths, wondering if there is such a thing as a good one. The plot has newly minted private investigator Annalisa Vega hired by Mara Delaney who insists that some sociopaths are beneficial to society. Mara has even written a book titled The Good Sociopath centered around Chicago neurosurgeon Craig Canning, surgeon. But Mara is now concerned …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Each of Murder at the Elms and Murder at Vinland by Alyssa Maxwell intertwines a mystery within an historical novel. The setting is the turn of the century Newport where during the Gilded Age there is vast income and a power disparity. The main character, Emma Cross, is the “poor Vanderbilt” having inherited some money from the famous family. But she is an anomaly because she is independent and a working journalist who owns …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A is for Amish by Shelley Shepard Gray has a premise where four English siblings with Amish grandparents are seriously thinking of becoming Amish. They are discontent with their lives and long for a change. Beth, Jonny, Kelsey, and Martin Schrock had their father leave the Amish faith, marry an English woman, and then had their parents get divorced. The parents were pretty much doing their own thing, searching for their own happiness, and …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper An Amish Country Reunion by Patricia Johns centers around two people and one very special dog. The heroine, Trooper Genevieve Austin, arrives at the State Police K9 Training Center. She learns that she’ll be reporting to her former partner, Sergeant Scott Simpson who was not just her partner but her best friend. Gen hasn’t seen Scott since he ghosted her to protect his job. And after her own struggles to climb the ranks, she …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Ambush in the Mountains by Mary Alford a story of second chances, forgiveness, self-healing, compassion, unbridled trust, friendship, love, and redemption. As with most of her books she uses the weather as a character. Like the previous book, this book dealt with the dark subject of human trafficking in a compassionate and informative way. The opening scene in the story has Elizabeth Wyse remembering her Amish roots when she enjoyed the snow. At 18 …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis is a thriller and mystery all in one book, a spy novel set in England during WWII. In 1940 there is a fear of German infiltrators throughout England. To safeguard the Crown Jewels from the Nazis, Winston Churchill devises a daring gamble to have them shipped overseas. The priceless artifacts will be secretly removed from the Tower of London and driven north to Scotland by two …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper It Had to Be You by Eliza Jane Brazier is part fantasy, part thriller, and part romance. Readers might think about the similarity to the movie “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The book opens with contract killers Eva and Jonathan meeting on a train going from Florence to Paris. They both act on their physical attraction yet go their separate ways until six months later they meet at Versailles …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Confidence Games by Tess Amy is a thoroughly entertaining read. Readers will fall in love with the characters and even though they are con artists, will root for them. There are hidden truths, friendships, the true meaning of family, and a suspenseful mystery. Emma Oxley and Nellie Yarrow were inseparable friends until Emma got engaged. After her fiancé ditched her, who should show up to help her recover, Nellie. They now decide to …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The River Queen by Stephenia H. McGee has readers experience the glitz and glamour of a showboat, along with an immigrant family and their flare for showmanship. There are River pirates, smuggling, some romance, showboats, and a setting of the Roaring 20s. Readers find Emmett Carter who is investing with his brother in their inheritance in a steamboat. The boat is attacked by river pirates, and he is thrown overboard. Left with nothing else …