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.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #272: Stoker's Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Years before either becomes a literary legend, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde must overcome their disdain for one another to battle the Black Bishop, a mysterious madman wielding supernatural forces to bend the British Empire to his will. With the help of a European vampire expert, a spirited actress, and an American businessman, our heroes fight werewolves, vampires and the chains of Victorian morality. The action will take them to dark forests in Ireland, through the upper-class London theater world and culminates in an exciting showdown at Stonehenge, where Bram and Oscar must stop a vampire cult from opening the gates of Hell. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Stoker's Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi is due out May 9, 2019.

Why am I waiting on this one? I think it sounds interesting as a sort of prequel to the literary careers of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. The Black Bishop certainly seems like a good villain. I am wondering what supernatural forces he has at his beck and call and how he will use them against our heroes.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Review: Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins

Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There are 5 sisters: Bluebell, Ash, Rose, Willow, and Ivy. Each is facing a challenge in their lives. The overall unifying challenge though is Bluebell's. She has heard that one of her sisters has a sword that has been magicked to kill her - a kinslayer. So, Bluebell goes around looking for her sisters and questioning if they have the sword and in turn gets caught up in their challenges.

The one thing that really stood out to me right away, was that I had forgotten how much I disliked the sister named Willow. She is a religious fanatic and mentally unstable. My favorite sisters are Ash and Bluebell. Bluebell is a warrior. Ash is a magic user of sorts. Rose is nice, but doesn't draw me as strongly as the other two. And Ivy is dangerously self-centered. I liked Rowan, Rose's daughter, as well and I'm hoping there will be more about her in the third book. And I liked the character of Snowy, Rowan's foster father. He is both kind and capable.

The book moves along at a good pace. The actions of the sisters keep the plot moving. In the end, there is plenty of conflict of different sorts to bring the book to a climax. Only one sister was really left as a loose end. All the others had their plots tied up more or less. I'm wondering where book three will go - what new conflicts will arise and what might carry over from this book to the next.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It has interesting characters. It moves along at a good pace. And the conflicts and challenges are interesting. I liked that the ending wasn't really a cliffhanger, but was still left open to what will happen next. If you enjoyed book one, you will like this one as well. If you enjoy Norse based fantasy, you will enjoy this series, but I recommend starting with book one.

Sisters of the Fire by Kim Wilkins was published Janurary 8th, 2019 by Del Rey.

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



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Review: Lying Beneath the Oaks by Kristin Wright

Molly and Cooper wake up together in a car in Vegas sporting brand new wedding rings. Apparently somehow the night before, they tied the knot. Cooper needs to get home, but Molly has no such issues. Recently fired and pretty much footloose, she tags along with Cooper under the understanding they will stay together until an annulment is filed. And it's best for her if the annulment is filed sooner rather than later. She has a major skeleton in her closet that she doesn't want people to find out about or they will change the way they look at her.

Meanwhile, they arrive in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and Cooper brings her to his familial home. Dad isn't too thrilled with him bringing a Yankee into his house and family. Sister is happy for Cooper and Molly as are most people they meet. Molly receives some cryptic offers of help, if she needs it, from a couple of the townspeople.

Molly's background helps her to spot some skeletons in the family closet. These are skeletons that Cooper wasn't even aware existed. And as they are revealed to Molly, the danger increases for her especially, but for other family members as well.

Lying Beneath the Oaks by Kristin Wright is a pretty suspenseful Southern Gothic tale. There is no supernatural, but there is definitely the odd character here and there and suspense as well as the setting for much of the novel being the southern family home.

I really liked the eccentric and helpful Miss Aurelia. And I absolutely didn't like Cooper's father. He's too manipulative among other things. My dislike for him, to me, means Ms. Wright wrote his character really well. Molly and Coop were both likable.

The book moves along at a good pace. Clues are revealed at an increasing speed as Molly puts things together as the book progresses.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well written Southern Gothic. I enjoyed the mystery and the romance. The suspense and tension are done well. If you like romantic suspense or Southern Gothic, then you will probably enjoy this first novel.

Lying Beneath the Oaks by Kristin Wright was published January 15th, 2019 from Bella Rosa Books.

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

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #271: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone's radar.
 
Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell.
 
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. 
 
When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?
 
Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.) 
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee). 
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)
 
It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is due out July 9th, 2019 from Berkley.

Why am I waiting on this one? I can identify with Nina to a certain extent. My husband jokes that it takes an act of Congress to get me out of the house to socialize. It sounds like the book will be both thoughtful and funny in parts. I definitely want to know what's going to happen with Nina.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday: Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

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!

A spark jumped to my finger when my hand got within an inch or three of the doorknob, popping against my skin with a sharp little snap of discomfort. 

I paused. Even with the building's AC laboring and wheezing, it wasn't that cool and dry. Call me paranoid, but there's nothing like a murder attempt in broad daylight to make a man cautious.

(pp. 24-25 on my Kindle)

Summer Knight is the fourth book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. It was published September 3rd, 2002 by Roc.

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!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #270: The Master of Dreams by Mike Resnick

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Opening a new fantasy trilogy from Hugo award winner Resnick, this novel offers an adventure through space and time as Eddie Raven tries to outrun the dark forces pursuing him.

Eddie Raven isn't quite sure what's happening to him--and he's in a race to find out before it kills him.

His adventures begin with a shooting in a very strange shop in Manhattan--but soon he finds himself the owner of a very familiar bar in Casablanca. By the time he adjusts to that reality, he's suddenly become one of several undersized people helping a young woman search for a wizard. And after confronting the wizard, he somehow finds himself in Camelot.

But as he rushes to solve the mystery of his many appearances, a larger threat looms. Because someone or something is stalking him through time and space with deadly intent...

The Master of Dreams by Mike Resnick is due out April 16th, 2019 from DAW Books.

Why am I waiting on this one? I think it sounds interesting the way he is skipping through different literary landscapes. It makes me think of Robert Heinlein's Number of the Beast, but in dreams instead of dimensions. I find myself wanting to know what is happening to the main character.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!