Teaser Tuesday: No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Looking out over the glimmering canal, poised between the upstream and downstream of her life, Eve considers her adversary. All she's seen of her is her eyes, but the eyes are enough. I am death, that gaze seemed to say, and if you are not intimate with death, can you ever feel truly alive? (p.107)

No Tomorrow (Killing Eve #2) by Luke Jennings was published October 25th, 2018 by John Murray. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Cupid Caper by Larissa Reinhart

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

He wasn't stupid, but could he be that naive?

One way to find out. Someone needed to keep an eye on Mark.

Lex wouldn't be happy about my change in plans, but I couldn't sit around waiting for this to come crashing down on our heads. (52% through on my Kindle)

The Cupid Caper by Larissa Reinhart was published April 24th, 2018 by Past Perfect Press. 

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Sassy, Sexy, Southern Suspense

She uses her criminal past to catch crooks. He wants her back. In the grift. And in his life. Can Finley Goodhart convince Lex that doing good is the greatest hustle of all?

Ex-grifter Finley Goodhart may try to stay on the straight and narrow, but walking that thin line becomes wobbly when she believes her friend Penny was murdered. The last thing she wants is to work with her ex-partner (and ex-boyfriend), the brilliant (brilliantly frustrating) British con artist, Lex Leopold. However, when it appears Penny's demise might be related to an exclusive matchmaking service for millionaires, Fin needs Lex's help to pull a long con to get the goods on Penny. 

Romance is in the air for hustlers, gangsters, and their marks. Unfortunately for Fin and Lex, infiltrating the racket doesn't make for a match made in heaven. This Valentine swindle could stop their hearts for good.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

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• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

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• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I could dial directory assistance, call the house, warn her. I won't. Watching is like nature photography: You don't interfere with the wildlife." (2% through on my Kindle)

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn was published January 2nd. 2018 by William Morrow.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
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This time, as she leafed through the fading pictures with their yellowed coverings, this time there was no sense of wonder or nostalgia. This time, she felt as if she were plunging down a rabbit hole into the past. (87% through on my Kindle)

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware was published May 29th, 2018 by Gallery/Scout Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

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If anyone can pull this off, it's you.

The thought flitted treacherously through the back of her mind as she crossed to the opposite pavement, and she shook her head, trying to ignore it. But it was hard. Because if anyone had the skills to turn up at a strange house and claim a woman she'd never met as her grandmother, it was Hal. (7% through on my Kindle)

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware was published May 29th, 2018 by Gallery/Scout Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Spellsmoke by SM Reine

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
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• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"An impressive kill means an impressive killer." She shot a look at Lincoln, her cheek stretched back in the thin line of a smile. "This will be a glorious hunt."
Inanna was a glorious nutjob, as always. At least some things didn't change.

(31% through on my Kindle)

The above quotation is from Spellsmoke by SM Reine. It's book two in A Fistful of Daggers series. It was released July 25th, 2018.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

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• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Mia's brows rose. "You have dibs?"

"No. You get interested in a man and he doesn't see anyone but you. I need him watching my back. When this is over and no one's trying to kill me, you can do what you want."

"If I were you, I'd call dibs."

(Poppy and Mia discussing Thor - I mean Mark. 57% through on my Kindle)

Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern was released September 25th, 2018 from J & M Press. 

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Fields' Guide to Assassins by Julie Mulhern

Published September 25th, 2018
by J & M Press

Poppy Fields is popular with the paparazzi and social media even though she would rather not be. Some of her popularity stems from surviving an abduction. Some of it comes from her famous movie star mother.

What few people know is that while she is so popular, she is also working as a spy of sorts. Asked to cozy up to a banker to see if she can get information on the accounts of the man who abducted her in book one of the series, she does her best within limits. She has morals.

Things do get rather hairy when she ends up dodging assassins in Paris. Poppy finds herself assigned a bodyguard who isn't hard on the eyes at all. In fact, he resembles a Norse god. Poppy has to try and get the requested information without being detected or assassinated while trying to foil a possible terror attack on Paris.

This could be classified as a cozy action novel only because Poppy is an amateur at what she is doing. Otherwise, there is loads of action. And who is shooting at her and why is a mystery for most of the book.

Poppy continues to surprise with her actions and choices. Many people in the same situation would cower in their hotel rooms rather than go out and try and get things done. Thank goodness she has Thor - I mean Mark. And of course, she has Consuela for comfort. And who is that masked man riding to her rescue on his motorized steed? Inquiring minds want to know and hope there will be more about him in book three - Fields' Guide to Voodoo. The third book in the series of Poppy Fields' adventures is due out February 28th, 2019 from J&M Press.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was well-written and loaded with action. I liked that while there are two possible love interests, the relationship angle takes a backseat to other actions and mysteries. It was interesting too as to the background it gives you on Paris. If you enjoyed book one in the series, Fields' Guide to Abductions, then you will enjoy this novel as well. While it is probably possible to read it as a standalone, I would recommend reading book one first for the background and to see how Poppy is developing. I find that I am quite looking forward to reading book three.

At this time, February 18th, 2019, book one is still available in the Kindle Edition for free.

Review: Fields' Guide to Abduction by Julie Mulhern

The book opens with Poppy fixing to do a "walk of shame" after having spent the night with her ex-boyfriend. But, everything changes when she discovers he is dead in the bed she so recently occupied.

Trying to recover from finding the first dead body in her life, Poppy agrees to go to Mexico to the opening of a new luxury resort. Soon though, it seems like there are bodies dropping around her like flies and she has no passport to return home.  Soon the passport becomes irrelevant as she is abducted. There are more dead bodies. Add a somewhat contentious chihuahua named Consuela to the mix and you have Poppy's somewhat absurdly dangerous situation.

I've enjoyed another series by Julie Mulhern - the Country Club mysteries. I was a little skeptical about this one going in. But, I was relieved to find that I quite enjoyed Poppy and the craziness around her.

I wouldn't call it a cozy because of all the action and suspense. Poppy seems to go from the frying pan into the fire. The man making eyes at her at the resort belongs to a drug cartel. It becomes harder and harder to know who to trust except for her very closest friends and family members. And the action in the book picks up as the book goes on until it reaches a fever pitch.

I thought Consuela was a pretty neat addition to the book. She humanizes one of the enemies and gives added depth to Poppy as well.

I give this mystery 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written action and suspense. The characters are just being introduced in this first book so some of them lack depth,  but I imagine that will change as the series goes on. Poppy is fully realized and I love that she changes in good ways during the course of the book. I expect that even Poppy will continue to grow and change. I recommend this book to fans of Julie Mulhern as well as those who enjoy light action and suspense titles.

As of February 14th, 2019, Fields' Guide to Abduction is still available for free on Amazon. It's definitely worth a read. The third book in the series, Fields' Guide to Voodoo, is expected to be available at the end of this month.

Teaser Tuesday: Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

She was thirty-one years old. She'd failed to achieve escape velocity and the crash landing was brutal. (p.50)

This edition of Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory was published June 26th, 2018 by Vintage.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: The Curses by Laure Eve

In this follow up to The Graces by Laure Eve, the youngest Grace, Summer, is the narrator. Everything is colored by her perceptions and impulses. Family is still the most important thing to the young Graces - Thalia, Fenrin, and Summer. Wolf has become family to them too.

The first order of business becomes getting thrown out of the boarding school they've been put into since the events of the last book. They need to be together and more readily accessible to each other. As a result, they end up back at the same school as River and their other old friends like Marcus. But something funky is going on. Someone has been taking money for wishes and granting them in a way that borderlines on curses. At first, they think it's all River's doing, but as the novel goes on, it becomes clear that there is more to it than meets the eye.

A second subplot involves the curse on the Grace family and examination of whether it is possible or not to break it. There is a third subplot, but spoilers. Each of these plot points receives good coverage, but as the plot winds to a crescendo, things begin to happen quickly and out of control.

Magic is very much a part of the novel. Both in the ritualistic sense and in magical realism sense. Magic occurs whether they want it to or not. It's just more effective when they actually try to create it.

The resolution is well done. I was a little confused about the party and its popularity since the Graces had been somewhat ostracized during much of the book. Still, overall, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's interesting and well written. Being told from Summer's point of view is a plus. She is a somewhat unreliable narrator, but she suits the story.

The Curses by Laure Eve is due to be released December 31st, 2018 from Amulet Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Review: My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a pleasant memoir with a few interesting stories. I think, if she hadn't made a disclaimer early on in the book that some of the stories were possibly made-up, I would have enjoyed the book more. There were cute stories, but not so many laugh-out-loud moments. I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.



View all my reviews on Goodreads

Teaser Tuesday: Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From the novella: "The Claus Killing" by  Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

She blew her nose into the tissue, and it sounded like an eighteen-wheeler horn blowing on Interstate 85 in downtown Atlanta. "I know he's not real, you jerk. I'm not talking about that Santa. I'm talking about our Santa, the Bramblett County one. He's dead." (1% in on my Kindle)

Sleigh Bells and Sleuthing: a Collection of 16 Cozy Mystery Novellas Featuring Female Sleuths was published November 20th, 2018 by Good Fortune Farm Refuge. All profits from this collection go to the Good Fortune Farm Refuge, a No-Kill animal refuge in Alabama.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Killer Classics by Kym Roberts

Princess aka Charli Rae once again finds herself and the Book Barn in the middle of a mystery in this fifth outing in the Book Barn mystery series. This time around, Charli has organized a book club. The book they're reading has disturbing similarities to people and places in the town of Hazel Rock, TX. But, the similarities don't end there, a murder occurs that could be right out of the book. And Charli Rae's good friend Sugar becomes the prime suspect when her nemesis is found dead.

There are sufficient subplots to fill out the story including some romance. The mayor's candidacy for political office becomes an important part of the story as well.

The characters are interesting and many are well developed especially, of course, Charli Rae and her friends and family. Life in smalltown Hazel Rock proves interesting because of the characters and their actions.

The book moves along at a good pace. Charli's meddling ways move it forward as she investigates to help clear her friend. As it nears the end, the pace picks up and ends on a high note.

I give this cozy 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written and interesting. The pace moves along at a good speed. And the mystery is resolved satisfactorily. I enjoyed the subplots as well. While this is the fifth book in the Book Barn series, enough background is given for you to enjoy it as a standalone. If you like a good smalltown cozy, then this book would be a good choice for you.

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts was published December 4th, 2018 from Lyrical Underground.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Review: Dinner Party by Tracy Bloom

Three couples take turns hosting a monthly dinner party. The three women have been close friends for a long time. Their husbands aren't as close. Unexpectedly there is an unattached male introduced into the group at one of the dinner parties by one of the husbands. The interactions at that dinner party and afterward for up to a year make up the story, the good and the bad.

The book bills itself as a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. I didn't find it so funny. It seemed more of a dark kind of comedy to me. Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars. I liked it enough to read on to find out what happened to the characters, but not enough to seek out other books by the same author.

Dinner  Party by Tracy Bloom was released September 26th, 2018 from Bookouture.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Teaser Tuesday: a second teaser from Killer Classics by Kym Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"How is it that I always end up in the middle of these media circuses?"

Scarlet smiled. "Because you're Charli Rae."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means life is always interesting when you're around."

(63% through on my Kindle)

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts is the fifth Book Barn Mystery. It's being released today, December 4, 2018, from Lyrical Underground.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Review: Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron

Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron may be #4 in the Cajun Country Mystery series, but it was the first one that I've read.

In this addition to the series, Maggie Crozat is concerned with the identity of a body that washed up behind Crozat Plantation B&B after the recent heavy storms. Then her gran falls ill and Maggie is conscripted to be a judge for the Miss Pelican Mardi Gras Gumbo Pageant. When one of the judges also turns up dead, Maggie is convinced that the 2 deaths are somehow connected.

There is also the new exhibit on the Louisiana Orphan Trains to consider. There seems to be some disagreement surrounding it.

I enjoyed the cultural aspects of Mardi Gras in Pelican. I wasn't familiar with some of the customs that some smaller towns follow. And there is a touch of romance as Maggie is involved with one of the local police officers.

Maggie is much more daring than I would ever be as she investigates the goings-on surrounding the deaths and other mysteries in the book. I liked that there was more than one mystery. It has a nice layered feeling giving it some complexity. Still, it is a light read. It's humorous in parts as well. The pace of the story is good. It gets a little fast near the end.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.  It's a good, multi-layered mystery. There is humor in parts. It moves along at a good pace. It includes cultural information about Mardi Gras which has always fascinated me somewhat. And I liked the cover. There is little that has to do with the dog in this mystery, but it does talk about the masks in part. And while you can read it as a standalone, I get the feeling that you might enjoy it more if you read other books in the series. I think the other books would give the characters more depth and history and help you to know what to expect from them. Overall, it's a good read and worth your time if you enjoy cozies.

Mardi Gras Murder by Ellen Byron was published October 9th, 2018 from Crooked Lane Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely expressed.

Review: Naughty on Ice by Maia Chance

This is the 4th Discreet Retrieval Agency mystery and definitely one of the best.

The Discreet Retrieval Agency, made up of Lola Woodby and Berta Lundgren, receives an anonymous commission with an invitation to a holiday party in Vermont. They are to retrieve a ring that was stolen by one of the attendees years ago.

But, while busy with their errand, the hostess keels over. Lola and Berta thought it was a heart attack, but police reveal it was a poisoned cocktail and they are at the top of the suspect list. With no one else to turn to, Lola and Berta must find the real murderer before they find themselves behind bars.

And they work hard to do it. Lola and Berta go from one end of the town to the other following leads in the coldest of weather with Cedric the pomeranian in tow. There are many suspects on their list from family members to household staff (both temporary and permanent). And a cryptid bear that walks on two legs has been spotted in the woods nearby.

It's still prohibition era. That plays a small part in the mystery. After all, where do these people get their fixings for their cocktails from? And where do they get the whiskey to soak the fruitcake in? And Lola and Berta have a wonderful 1920s vocabulary. The culture is 1920s as well.

The biggest mystery. though. is who is the killer or are there multiple killers since there end up being multiple victims. I love watching Lola and Berta figure out what is going on.

The novel mostly moves along at a decent pace as the women go from one set of clues and suspects to the next and sometimes back again. There is a little slow part in the middle, but it's not for long.

I have to admit I thought I knew who was responsible, but I was wrong. It was nice to have a logical surprise at the end.

I gave this mystery 4 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the mystery as well as the historical aspects of the book. It's well paced and had a surprise ending for me. If you enjoy stories from the prohibition era and slightly humorous cozies, then this would be a good choice for you. It's also a good holiday read since it takes place just prior to Christmas.

Naughty on Ice by Maia Chance was released November 13th, 2018 from Minotaur Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Teaser Tuesday: Killer Classics by Kym Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sugar swallowed hard as if she could make Dean's grizzly secret disappear without anyone being the wiser. But secrets were never secrets in Hazel Rock, Texas, and I had no doubt Dean was going to learn that the hard way. (29% through on my Kindle)

Killer Classics by Kym Roberts is the fifth Book Barn Mystery. It's being released today, December 4, 2018, from Lyrical Underground.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Wretched Wicked by SM Reine

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Honestly, I don't wanna work on cases with dead people because it's depressing."

Fritz blinked. "How's that?"

"There's no upside to people dying, right?" Cèsar asked. "I don't want to deal with that much misery. At least when I'm chasing cheating wives, the wives are having a good time. Someone's happy." (29% through on my Kindle)

Wretched Wicked is a novella by SM Reine that was released November 20th, 2018. It's #9.5 in her Preternatural Affairs series. I find that I really enjoy the character of Cèsar. He's such a good guy. And he plays nicely with Fritz in this increasingly strange world they find themselves inhabiting in this urban fantasy series.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!