Waves of Fiction

Friday, June 14, 2024

Blog Tour Review: The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle

Publication Date: June 11th 2024 by Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row Books

Pages: 304

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | HarperCollins | BookShop.org | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Adam and Stella have been traveling all over Europe, blissfully still in love after four years, but then a bomb goes off and Adam goes missing. Stella is panicked and desperate in her search for him and it becomes apparent, Adam wasn’t just the nice, normal guy she thought she married. However, Stella has secrets of her own, too.

As Stella digs deeper into Adam’s past, it’s not clear who she can trust. There are those who think she was involved with Adam’s business, and that she knows more than she’s letting on putting her in danger, as well.

The Paris Widow was an engrossing, action-packed mystery unfolding all over Paris, and parts of Europe, a glamorous backdrop to exciting story! I felt like a lot of the revelations were easy to spot, but the story was still a fun page-turner! A perfect thriller to sink into this summer!

4 Stars

Book Summary:

From USA Today bestselling author Kimberly Belle comes a deliciously twisty new thriller following a married couple vacationing in Paris whose trip takes a dark turn when the husband goes missing, dredging up secrets from both of their pasts, perfect for fans of THE PARIS APARTMENT.
When Stella met Adam, she felt like she finally landed a nice, normal guy – a welcome change from her previous boyfriend and her precarious jetsetter lifestyle with him. She loves knowing she can always depend on Adam, which is why when he goes missing during a random explosion in Paris, she panics. Right after what is assumed to be a terrorist attack, she’s interviewed live on TV by reporters, begging anyone who knows anything about her husband’s whereabouts to come forward and is quickly dubbed “The Paris Widow.”
As the French police investigate, it’s revealed that Adam was on their radar as a dealer in the black market for priceless antiquities, making deals with very high-profile and dangerous clients. Reeling from this news and growing suspicions about her husband, Stella can’t shake the feeling that she’s being followed. And with Adam assumed dead, she realizes that whoever was responsible for the bombing will come after her next. Everything – and everyone -- that Stella has tried to keep in her duplicitous past might be her only means of survival and finding out what really happened to Adam.
An irresistible and fast-paced read set in some of Europe’s most inviting locales, THE PARIS WIDOW explores how sinister secrets of the past stay with us – no matter how far we travel.

Photo Credit: Sara Hannah Photography

Author Bio:

Kimberly Belle worked in marketing and nonprofit fundraising before turning to writing fiction. A graduate of Agnes Scott College, Kimberly lived for over a decade in the Netherlands and currently divides her time between Atlanta and Amsterdam. She is the bestselling author of The Marriage Lie, Three Days Missing, Dear Wife, as well as The Last Breath, The Ones We Trust, Stranger in the Lake, My Darling Husband, and The Personal Assistant.

Connect with Kimberly Belle:

Website | X | Instagram | Goodreads

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Audiobook Review: Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose

Publication Date: April 30th 2024 by Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 256

Audio Book Length: 8 hrs 26 mins

Narrators: January LaVoy, Cassandra Campbell, Brittany Pressley, Andrew Eiden

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

My Thoughts:

Three estranged siblings, Beth, Nicole, and Michael, reunite after their mother, Laura, passes away. Their meetup is fraught with secrets and resentments, but they band together when they view an old VHS tape with a shocking scene. Their father, who disappeared seven years earlier, is covered in blood with a dead body as their mother films! They’re blown over, as this is not the loving and attentive parents they knew!

Home is Where the Bodies Are was a riveting mystery! I was addicted from the first chapter! What happened years ago is told through their mother’s journals and more video tapes, but also from the three siblings’ recollection of past events. I had an idea of where some of it was going, but was surprised by the revelations, too! I listened intently as it wound up to a thrilling conclusion!

The story is told through Beth, Nicole, and Michael’s perspectives, and through Laura’s journals. Each POV had a separate narrator, Beth: January LaVoy, Nicole: Brittany Pressley, Michael: Andrew Eiden, and Laura: Cassandra Campbell, who is a new-to-me narrator. I was thrilled to have a full cast of performers, ones I’ve enjoyed listening to many times in the past. It enhanced my “reading” experience, bringing the characters and story to life! I listened to my usual 1.5x normal speed and faster as the situation became more intense!

4 Stars

Book Description:

From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet.

After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.

While going through their parent’s belongings, the siblings stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends.

Beth, Nicole, and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.

Wednesday, June 12, 2024

Review: The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Publication Date: June 11th 2024 by St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio

Pages: 336

Audio Book Length: 11hrs 21min

Narrator: Patti Murin & Katherine Center

Source: Publishers

Rating: ★★★★★

My Thoughts:

Emma put her life and career on hold to care for her sweetheart-of-a-dad when tragedy struck. Now she gets the opportunity of a lifetime to help re-write a rom-com screenplay with screenwriter Charlie Yates, Emma’s idol, but the job isn’t exactly as described.

I absolutely loved The Rom-Commers! I laughed, I cried, and my heart soared with joy! Hard to go wrong with Katherine Center. There’s always layers, with the characters and with the story. I don’t want to break everything down, because I feel it’s better to go in and experience all the lovely for yourself, but it’s a definite 5-Star recommend!

I alternately read and listened to an audio version of the story, and I can recommend either version. Patti Murrin narrates, and she acted her heart out, bringing out all the emotions, making each character come to life! So wonderful! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

5 Stars

Book Description:

She’s rewriting his love story. But can she rewrite her own?

Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies―good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care. Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates―The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!―it’s a break too big to pass up.

Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone―much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.” Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script―it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.

But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter―even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules―and comes true?

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Sunday Post #253

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.

It was a hot week (in the upper 90s) at home so I spent a bunch of time watering. It does cool off into the 50s at night, so we are able to open the windows before we go to bed to cool things down. I've had to run the A/C a few hours in the afternoon.

Had a couple of doctors appointments to take care of. One was a skin check because my cousin, who is a couple of years older than me, was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma after discovering a lump. He's doing well with immunotherapy, just after two treatments the lump is gone. Cancer treatment has come a long way so that a diagnosis like that is no longer an automatic death sentence. At any rate, it gave my sister and I quite a scare so thus the skin check. We all (cousin included) grew up spending our summers swimming in our pool without sunscreen. My mom used to put baby oil on a lay out for a suntan!

We drove out to East Bay San Francisco to help our daughter finish up packing her house. It closes on Tuesday. Will be driving home today. The weather was beautiful. Hot but not as hot as home. I didn't get a lot of reading done.

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson: 4 Stars

Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens: 4 Stars

Everyone on This Train was a fun mystery, like the previous Benjamin Stevenson book. I also enjoyed Last Girl Breathing even though I wished one thing was different in the end.

Library Lends:

I downloaded an audio of Closed Casket after seeing Sophia's latest review on the series. Into the Fire is a prequel novella to Brennan's newest coming: You'll Never Find Me.

How was your week?

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Review: Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Publication Date: May 7th 2024 by Minotaur Books

Pages: 337

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★½

My Thoughts:

Disturbing the Dead was another exciting mystery in the Rip Through Time series! It’s the third book in a series best read in order. The Grays are invited to a mummy unwrapping, which is distasteful to Mallory with its insensitivity to the dead, but this is 150 years ago. However, the unwrapping serves up a shocking surprise! Mallory, Duncan, and Detective McCreadie hunt up a killer and thief.

It’s been fun seeing how Mallory deals with the lack of forensic advances and technology in solving these cases. I also enjoy the relationship between Mallory and Duncan. There’s been a romance brewing, the slow-burn kind. I also enjoy Mallory’s friendship with Isla, Duncan’s sister. The two have scientific minds and big hearts!

I was happy that Mallory’s place as Dr. Gray’s medical assistant was more solidified. There were a few ends tied up that have been hanging through the series so far, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out. I look forward to the next mystery!

I alternately read and listened to the story, and I recommend either version. Kate Handford has done a wonderful job bringing Mallory to life, making each character distinct, both male and female, and with the different accents. I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4.5 Stars

Book Description:

Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1890s and the other in the present day. The A Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Review: Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea

The Stranger I Wed (The Doves of New York #1) by Harper St. George

Publication Date: May 21st 2024 by Kensington & Recorded Books

Pages: 344

Audiobook Length: 9hrs 19min

Narrator: Vivienne Leheny

Source: Publisher & Library Audio

Rating: ★★★★

My Thoughts:

As a project for her forensic pathology fellowship, Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to a forensic genealogy site and has a shock. She’s the missing “baby Charlotte” from three decades earlier when her parents went missing, location still unknown.

After this discovery, she’s approached by the Sheriff of Cedar Creek Nevada, Eric Stamos to help him find answers in his father’s death back when she and her parents went missing. Eric’s father was the sheriff investigating their disappearance and his death was suspicious. Sloan has the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the Margolis family, her biological family, and Cedar Creek royalty. The family has wealth, status and power that’s made it impossible to investigate them with any success and so Sloan’s inside connection could be important in solving both cases.

I really enjoyed Long Time Gone! I find the use of genealogy DNA fascinating! It’s most notably helped find one of the most notorious killers in California, The Golden State Killer. Even though I’ve read a bit about the process, I appreciated Donlea’s explanations.

I liked Sloan and was invested in her efforts to solve the mystery of her past, how she came to be put up for adoption and finding out what happened to her biological parents. The ending culminated in a pulse pounding conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat!

There was a hint of romance between her and Sheriff Eric that could be further explored if there are future books planned. I’d be on board for that!

I alternately read an e-copy and listened to a library audio. I recommend either version. I enjoyed Vivienne Leheny’s performance and listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4 Stars

Book Description:

When DNA results reveal a disturbing connection to the mysterious disappearance of a famous baby nearly three decades ago, a forensic scientist is plunged into a dangerous search for answers in this engrossing, propulsive new novel from the internationally bestselling author of Twenty Years Later.

Thirty years ago, Baby Charlotte vanished. Today, she’s still in danger.

When Dr. Sloan Hastings submits her DNA to an online genealogy site for a research assignment, her goal is to better understand the treasure-trove of genetic information contained on ancestry websites. Brilliant and driven, Sloan is embarking on a fellowship in forensic pathology, training under the renowned Dr. Livia Cutty.

Sloan has one reservation about involving herself in the she’s adopted. Grateful for a loving home, she’s never considered tracking down her biological parents. The results of her search are shocking. Sloan’s DNA profile suggests her true identity is that of Charlotte Margolis, aka “Baby Charlotte”, who captured the nation’s attention when she mysteriously disappeared, along with her parents, in July 1995. Despite an exhaustive search, the family was never seen again, and no suspects were named in the case.

Sloan’s discovery leads her to the small town of Cedar Creek, Nevada, the site of her disappearance. It also leads her to Sheriff Eric Stamos. The Margolis family’s influence and power permeate every corner of Harrison County, and Eric is convinced that in learning the truth about her past, Sloan can also help discover what happened to Eric’s father, who died under suspicious circumstances soon after he started investigating the case her disappearance.

Slowly, over the course of a stifling summer, Sloan begins getting to know her relatives. Though initially welcoming, the Margolis family is also mysterious and tight-lipped. Not everyone seems happy about Sloan’s return, or the questions she’s asking. And the more she and Eric learn, the more apparent it becomes that the answers they both seek are buried in a graveyard of Margolis family secrets that some will do anything to keep hidden—no matter who else has to die…

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Sunday Post #252

Getting home from Montana on Tuesday was uneventful other than having to wake up at 3am to make out 5:40am flight. My poor husband came down with bronchitis while there and spent a lot of time in bed. We were both bushed once we got home, but I had to unpack and water the property since it's been hot. Thank goodness my sister and BIL came over while we were gone and watered for us. We hope to have our watering system in place before our next trip.

It's been hot here with temps in the high 80s, but it's been cooling down to 40s-50s at night. We ran our A/C for the first time this year today only because we were having company here for dinner.