Review: Seven Girls Gone by Allison Brennan

 

Seven Girls Gone (Quinn & Costa #4) by Allison Brennan

Publication Date: April 25th 2023 by MIRA

Pages: 443

Source: Publisher & Purchased Audiobook

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads | Audible

My Thoughts:

Police Detective Beau Herbert is disturbed and frustrated with the St. Augustine Police Department he works for in Louisiana. His investigations and convictions are thwarted at every turn, and he knows there are dirty cops working there so he reaches out to his friend, Michael, one of the members of Matt Costa’s FBI Mobile Response Team for help solving the murders of seven girls, one his crime informant. Michael, Kara, and Matt are kept busy looking for a way in when their help is rebuffed by the police department. They find evidence of corruption and dereliction of duty and, but they have ways to work around, but they have to be careful because it’s obvious someone in power doesn’t want the cases solved.

Each of the team members uses their unique talents to help solve the case, Kara fitting in undercover, Jim with forensics, Matt working the higher ups. It’s an intense situation with all having to watch their backs not knowing who they can trust with law enforcement being involved in the corruption. It was a gripping mystery; one I didn’t want to put down!

Allison Brennan is one of my favorite mystery authors! Seven Girls Gone is the fourth book in the Quinn & Costa series, best read in order to understand the character relationships, like the romance between Matt and Kara. I like that the team is getting closer, appreciating each other’s quirks and talents, and really starting to mesh.  The mystery is wrapped up in a nail-biting, action-packed conclusion! I’m looking forward to the next one!

I alternately read and listened to Seven Girls Gone and recommend either version. The audio was a pleasure to listen to with Suzanne T. Fortin performing. She did an excellent job with all the voices, male and female. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4 Stars

Book Description:

For three years, women have been disappearing—and eventually turning up dead in the small bayou town of St. Augustine, Louisiana. Police detective Beau Hebert is the only one who seems to care, but with every witness quickly silenced and a corrupt police department set on keeping the cases unsolved, Beau’s investigation stalls at every turn.

With nobody else to trust, Beau calls in a favor from his friend on the FBI’s Mobile Response Team. While LAPD detective Kara Quinn works undercover to dig into the women’s murders and team leader Matt Costa officially investigates the in-custody death of a witness, Beau might finally have a chance at solving the case.

But in a town where everyone knows everyone, talking gets you killed and secrets stay buried, it’s going to take the entire team working around the clock to unravel the truth. Especially when they discover that the deep-seated corruption and the deadly drug-trafficking ring at the center of it all extends far beyond the small-town borders.

Review: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

 

The Bride Wore White (Burning Cove #7) by Amanda Quick

Publication Date: May 2nd 2023 by Berkley Books

Pages: 320

Source: Publisher 

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Prudence Ryland makes her living interpreting dreams for her clients, but pressure from a rich, determined client has her making plans to leave town and pursue other avenues of employment. However, a bad session with a client has her packing up sooner than she planned and moving to Southern California under a different identity. Thing go from bad to worse when she’s drugged and kidnapped, waking up in the hotel room of a dead man, wearing a wedding dress drenched in his blood. Who could be behind this obvious ploy to set her up to take the fall for a murder she didn’t commit?  She manages to escape unnoticed but knows she must seek help before her situation escalates further.

Prudence reaches out to Luther Pell, a man with a reputation for fixing problems, for help. Luther and his associate Jack Wingate take on her case and arrange for Prudence to stay with Jack as his personal “psychic dream consultant” and splash it all over the gossip channels to lure the killer out. Jack Wingate believes most in the psychic business to be frauds and con artists, but something about Prudence intrigues him. Jack rubs Prudence the wrong way and so their pairing has some fun verbal sparring, with sparks of attraction flying between them.

The story is set in the fictional town of Burning Cove, California, a beautiful coastal retreat for the rich and famous back in the days of glamorous, old Hollywood. It’s a magical time period to be immersed in and Ms. Quick captures it beautifully.

The Bride Wore White was an entertaining historical mystery containing a bit of a paranormal aspect and a dash of romance.  Action, thrills, and a bit of danger kept me turning the pages to see how it all worked out! This is the seventh installment in the Burning Cove mystery series, but it’s not necessary to read the previous books to enjoy this one. Each has its own mystery and couple it focuses on.

4 Stars

Book Description:

A psychic desperate to escape her destiny—and a killer—finds her future in the coastal town of Burning Cove in New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick’s latest novel.

Being Madame Ariadne, Psychic Dream Consultant, wasn’t Prudence Ryland’s ideal gig, but it paid well which was reason enough to do the work—until she realizes that her latest client intends to kill her. But Prudence, a master at reinvention, finds a new job and home as far away as possible and is finally able to relax—which turns out to be a big mistake. Letting her guard down means being kidnapped and drugged and waking up in a bloodstained wedding dress in the honeymoon suite next to a dead man. With the press outside the hotel, waiting with their cameras and police sirens in the distance, it’s obvious she’s being framed for the man’s murder. Prudence knows who is responsible, but will anyone believe her?

It doesn’t seem likely that rumored crime boss Luther Pell or his associate, Jack Wingate, believe her seemingly outrageous claims of being a target of a ruthless vendetta. In fact, Prudence is convinced that the mysterious Mr. Wingate believes her to be a fraud at best, and at worst: a murderer. And Jack Wingate does seem to be someone intimately familiar with violence, if going by his scarred face and grim expression. So no one is more shocked than Prudence when Jack says he’ll help her. Of course, his ideas for helping her involve using her as the bait for a killer, but Prudence feels oddly safe with Jack protecting her. But who will protect Prudence from her growing fascination with this enigma of a man?

Photo Credit: Marc von Borstel

About the author:

Amanda Quick is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. There are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She is also the author of the Ladies of Lantern Street novels and the Arcane Society series. Learn more online at www.jayneannkrentz.com.

Audiobook Review: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

 

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Publication Date: February 21st 2023 by Penguin Audio

Pages: 438

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 3min

Narrator: Julia Whelan & JD Jackson

Source: Publisher via Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I Have Some Questions For You was an engrossing mystery!

The story centers on the murder of Thalia Keith back in 1995. She was a senior at Granby High, a boarding school in New Hampshire. Former student Bodie Kane, now a teacher and podcaster, is invited back to give a lecture, and in the meantime, someone sends her a video of Thalia that stirs up some memories for Bodie. Bodie was the roommate of Thalia and though they ran in different circles Bodie had some insights that didn’t register back when they caught the and prosecuted the killer. Now Bodie wonders if the police got it right and if the wrong man is in jail.

I truly didn’t want to stop listening! It was an interesting story besides trying to ferret out the murderer. Bodie’s past and present, how she ended up at Granby, the trials of being a high school student, and not part of the popular crowd. I think anyone who went to school can relate to the feelings and situations Bodie went through, women particularly.

As the story goes on the possible suspects are evaluated, chapters devoted to each one on motive and opportunity. I was surprised by the identity of the killer!

I was really impressed by I Have Some Questions For You! A fascinating mystery enhanced by the excellent narration of Julia Whelan. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed. Definite recommend!

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

Sunday Post #205

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Spring continues to be sunny and beautiful! We've had a run of hot days in the upper 80s, but tomorrow it's supposed to cool down with highs in the 50s and some rain for the next week at least.

Wisteria

Japanese Cherry

Yesterday a friend of the family's son, Jake Haener, a quarterback, was drafted into the New Orleans Saints!! He played for Fresno State and then was picked to play at the Senior Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles back in December and was awarded MVP for that game (one we attended). We're so thrilled for him and his family!! 

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

The Lonely Hearts Book Club was heartwarming and hilarious! Happy Place was perfection! A Fire in the Night was so good, too! A mix of mystery, thriller with a good characterization. 

Received/Purchased/Library Lend:

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How was your week?

Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

 

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Publication Date: April 25th 2023 by Berkley & Penguin Audio

Pages: 400

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 3min

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Source: Publishers & Libro.fm

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Libro.fm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Happy Place is told in Harriet’s POV with chapters set in the past, her “Happy Place” showing the history of how Wyn and Harriet became friends and fell in love. It revealed just enough snippets from the past without slowing the plot.  It also recounted the history of Harriet and her friends, Sabrina, Parth, Cleo, and Kimmy. The friends are very much part of the story, and they have their own mini stories within, as well. The chapters in the present, “Real Life”, showed that Harriet and Wyn are far from over each other as they spend the week in coastal Maine with the gang. The setting is gorgeous in real life, and it came through with Henry’s talented writing.

Both Harriet and Wyn went through so much in their time together, that muddled what was important. The trip helped them sift through and boil down exactly what they needed and wanted in to be happy. Their journey made me cry and filled my heart with joy!

 

Happy Place was the perfect second chance romance with all the longing and hurt palpable between Wyn and Harriet.  Their chemistry was off the charts! I was worried it would be super melancholy and a lot of angst, but it was just the right amount balanced out with fun and humor. Emily Henry writes the best banter, clever and sharp at times and slap happy, hilarious at others.

I alternately listened to Happy Place and read an e-copy and I highly recommend both! Julia Whelan is one of my all-time favorite narrators and her match-up with Emily Henry’s writing is perfection. She hits all the range of emotions from sharp, ironic humor, gut-wrenching emotions, and light-hearted bits beautifully! I listened at 1.5x-1.75x normal speed.

5 Stars

Book Description:

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Audio Review: The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White

 

The Shop on Royal Street (Royal Street #1) by Karen White

Publication Date: March 29th 2011 by Penguin Audio

Pages: 384

Audio Book Length: 14hrs 8min

Narrator: Sophie Amoss

Source: Library

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I really liked Nola. I'd love to restore an old home back to its former glory, a project Nola has undertaken, although maybe with not so many obstacles! A woman was murdered at the house years earlier, but this doesn't deter Nola from buying the house, after all, an old house is bound to have a death or two. But she is curious about the murder and with the help of her bestie, Jolene, Nola starts digging around to find out what actually happened.

The lingering ghosts hindered Nola's efforts to renovate, because workers were spooked as stories of the house were well known. The history involves Beau, a friend Nola has a complicated relationship with and they end up working together.

Loved the descriptions of New Orleans, the old homes, architecture, and antiques! Loved Nola’s best friend Jolene with all her Southern ways and sayings! She cracked me the heck up! I hope both Nola and Jolene get their romances sorted! Jackson, the DA Jolene pines for has an on-again-off-again girlfriend, and Beau is unavailable as well. It’s a little messy, but there’s so many other things going on that it’s not the center focus.

I listened to the audio version narrated by Sophie Amoss. Her performance was excellent! Looking forward to the next one! 

4 Stars

Book Description:

Nola Trenholm is hopeful for a fresh start in the Big Easy but must deal with ghosts from her past—as well as new ones—in this first book in a spin-off series of Karen White's New York Times bestselling Tradd Street novels.

After a difficult detour on her road to adulthood, Nola Trenholm is looking to begin anew in New Orleans, and what better way to start her future than with her first house? But the historic fixer-upper she buys comes with even more work than she anticipated when the house’s previous occupants don’t seem to be ready to depart.

Although she can’t communicate with ghosts like her stepmother can, luckily Nola knows someone in New Orleans who is able to—even if he’s the last person on earth she wants anything to do with ever again. Beau Ryan comes with his own dark past—a past that involves the disappearance of his sister and parents during Hurricane Katrina—and he’s connected to the unsolved murder of a woman who once lived in the old Creole cottage Nola is determined to make her own...whether the resident restless spirits agree or not.

Review & Excerpt: Deep Tide by Laura Griffin

 

Deep Tide (The Texas Murder Files #4) by Laura Griffin

Publication Date: April 25th 2023 by Berkley & Dreamscape Media

Pages: 352

Audio Book Length: 9 hrs 13 mins

Narrators: Terri Clark Linden

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★½

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Leyla Breda is a successful entrepreneur at Lost Beach with her coffee/bake shop hopping and now expanding into catering she’s a busy woman. Her life is thrown upside down when a woman is found murdered behind her shop in a back alley. However, she has more than just her brothers to rely on. Sean Moran, her brother’s friend, also in law enforcement, keeps showing up when she’s at her lowest. There’s an immediate attraction between the two, but Leyla’s has rules about getting involved with non-residents as they have a lot of tourists. At some point they go home and she’s not about to be a vacation fling.

Sean Moran is in Lost Beach for his friend’s wedding (Leyla’s brother) but also because of an ongoing investigation into a rich tech mogul with ties to a criminal cartel. Rumor is a deal is going down soon and Sean’s there to intercept it. The murder of the girl outside of Leyla’s coffeeshop has Sean’s red flags going up as there are some suspicious details that might mean it’s related to his investigation. He didn’t count on meeting Leyla, though. Although she continually rebuffs his romantic proposals, he’s drawn to her over and over. Unfortunately, her questions on the case put her in danger.

I’ve been a fan of Laura Griffin’s police procedural/romantic suspense stories for quite some time, but Deep Tide was a little slow going. It was entertaining but didn’t have the intensity or threat of danger throughout that some of her other stories had until the very end. There was a lot of time spent with Nicole, one of the Lost Beach detectives, and she wasn’t the love interest. Maybe this is a setup for a story focusing on her and Emmett in another case? I feel there wasn’t as much time spent with Sean and Leyla together. Even so, I wanted them to overcome any obstacles and find a way to be together. Even with some of these issues, I’d still recommend Deep Tide to mystery/romantic suspense fans. The other books in the series are really good, as well. Particularly Flight and Midnight Dunes which are my favorites so far.

I alternated between an e-ARC and audio copy of Deep Tide and I recommend either. The audio, narrated by Teri Clark Linden, was excellent. I’ve enjoyed several books by her and love her voice, accents, and performance! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

3.5 Stars

Excerpt:

Sean Moran slipped away from the party. The bride and groom had left under a shower of rice, but people were still milling around beneath swags of white lights, drinking the couple’s booze and enjoying the breeze off the water. Sean would have liked another drink, but he needed to get back to his condo. As he crossed the wooden bridge spanning the sand dunes, he spied a woman on the beach with a champagne flute in hand.

Leyla Breda.

Her formfitting dress looked silver in the moonlight, and it shimmered against her body as she strolled toward the surf. Nearing a piece of driftwood, she dropped her shoes to the sand and sat down. She nestled the flute at her feet, then lifted her arms and twisted her dark hair into a knot at the top of her head.

Sean stopped at the end of the bridge. He had about a hundred things left to do tonight, including contacting his boss.

Instead, he walked over to Leyla.

"How's the champagne?"

She jumped and turned around. Recognition flickered across her face, and her shoulders relaxed.

"It's good." She held up her glass. "You didn't have any?"

"Nope. Can I get you a refill?"

She smiled. "What, are you a waiter now, too?"

He stepped closer. "I'm Sean Moran, by the way." He held out his hand. "We never actually met."

"Leyla Breda." Her handshake was brisk and businesslike, but the warm look in her eyes gave him hope.

"Joel's little sister," he said.

"That's me."

He turned toward the water so he wouldn't be tempted to stare down the front of her dress.

"I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier," she said. "Things got really hectic."

"Looked like you had your hands full."

"So, are you here for Joel or Miranda?"

He looked at her. "Joel."

She tipped her head to the side as she gazed up at him. "And you know him from . . . ?"

"Work."

She frowned. "Here?"

"No. We go way back. We were in the same academy class in Houston, spent some time at HPD together."

"Oh. That was a while ago."

"Yeah."

"So . . . the vice squad, then?"

"Yeah. Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all."

Sean lowered himself onto the other end of the sandy log. He didn't like the direction the conversation had taken so he steered it back to her.

"So, how long have you been a caterer?" he asked.

"Hmm . . . let's see. I guess it's been about three weeks now." She turned and smiled at him, and he felt a hot jolt of attraction. "Why? Can you tell?"

"Not at all."

"Right."

"Well, the timing seemed a little bumpy."

"Just a little." She rolled her eyes. "We had several staffers no-show. It happens a lot in this business. People are flaky. Despite all my planning, you could say we were a bit rushed."

Rushed was right. No woman had ever clapped at him before. He'd discovered it was a turn-on.

Book Description:

With two brothers on the police force, Leyla Breda is well aware of the rising crime in her small beach town, but she never expected it to show up on her doorstep. When Leyla finds one of her employees murdered in the alley behind her coffee shop, she's deeply shaken, and as a new law enforcement officer in town begins to circle her place of business, her instincts only sharpen.

Sean Moran is on an undercover The seaside community of Lost Beach may look like a picturesque postcard, but his team suspects it's a point of intersection for several crime syndicates that the FBI has been investigating for years. Even so, when the brash and beautiful Leyla Breda starts bossing him around, he's immediately intrigued. He knows her brothers want him to back off, but every time he sees her, he feels more of a spark.

Leyla's connections in the local community and Sean's skills allow them to go deeper into the case together than they would be able to go alone. But when a single crime spirals into something much darker, Sean's carefully planned mission takes a deadly turn.