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Busting Loose

Busted, #4

by

Vanessa M. Knight

 

Charming and suspense-filled with a lot of heart.

 

Busting Loose is the fourth novel in author Vanessa M. Knight’s Busted series, featuring the lives and loves of a close-knit group of gal-pals who operate a detective agency in Chicago. Each book focuses on one of the women in the friends’ group and the relationship that leads them down the path to their happily ever after. 

Each of the previous books could be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel, and this one is no different in that regard. This time around, it is forensic accountant Leticia ‘Leti’ Ramirez’s turn in the hot seat along with her office nemesis, Kevin Lane, who happens to be the brother of her best friend and majority owner of the Busted Detective Agency, Maggie Lane. Initially, this couple is like oil and water, and the banter between the two is absolutely stellar. But when Leti draws the attention of an unknown bad guy, presumably from one of the cases she’s working on, the beneath-the-surface attraction between Leti and Kevin simmers over. The chemistry is fire! However, the romance soon takes a backseat to the case Leti is investigating, and with a narrow miss here and there and the steadily building suspense, I wasn’t about to put this book down until I’d read every page. 

I recommend BUSTING LOOSE to romance readers, especially those who enjoy enemies-to-lovers or workplace romance plots. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Joy: A Novel of the New Frontier

by

B.R.M. Evett

 

Exciting and imaginative post-apocalyptic story of a near-future United States.

 

Joy: A Novel of the New Frontier by author B.R.M. Evett is a new science fiction adventure set in a near-future post-apocalyptic United States, where much of the country’s population has been wiped out by a series of climate and medical disasters. Over the ensuing years of chaos, an exclusive medical treatment facility in Boston known as The Elysium Spa had lost contact with the outside world and its sister facilities around the country but had continued to function, caring for its registered clients under an all-encompassing protocol that maintained their renowned program of Joy. In the Joy program, clients’ unconscious bodies, safely ensconced in a warm, protective bath, are constantly monitored and regulated to continually experience their maximum pleasure and well-being while moving through a pre-set life cycle that includes reproduction of the next generation of clients and eventually aging out at 75 years and undergoing The Apotheosis and returning to the ultimate essence of the Universe. 

Throughout their stay at The Elysium, the clients are cared for by an android, carefully created to resemble a human being. Tender Number 7 cares for a Guest Group of 10 clients: five males and five females, each one in a different life stage. As the story begins, a category six hurricane is raging outside the Boston facility. Still, that day’s procedures continue as scheduled and include a treatment for one of the females, Virgo, on an upper floor of the building. As the procedure is concluding, the storm knocks out the facility’s power and mainframe computer and floods the lower floors; Virgo and Tender Number 7 are the sole survivors. Even though Elysium had been out of touch with the outside world for decades, Tender decides to move the helpless, dreaming Virgo to the nearest sister facility in New York City, and when the storm recedes, begins the long journey afoot with her in his arms, not realizing how the world has changed in the decades since he went into the facility. 

Tender is a goal-oriented and pure personality tasked with safeguarding and optimizing his clients’ Joy experience. As an android, he operates under human programming and, while aware that the best choice for Virgo, at times, may be to harm another human, it is not the optimum response. So, as he and Virgo encounter the harsh realities of a changed world, he must sometimes be very creative in how he pursues his plans. Virgo, although physically a 15-year-old girl, has only known the solitude and sublime satisfaction of Joy in her warm, jellied bath pod, experiencing only ecstasy in her every living moment. When she awakens outside of the pod in Tender’s arms, she experiences physical need and discomfort for the very first time, much like a newborn after birth. For her, everything is about regaining Joy and fulfilling her needs. Leaving the bewildering and difficult reality far behind. It was interesting to watch as she reacted and adjusted to simple physical urges and slowly became a part of her surrounding environment. 

The author has created a wonderful contrast between the small, isolated world of the spa and the world at large. As the danger of the hurricane passes, they encounter few humans, but those they do all serve to disrupt or delay their journey, some for many weeks at a time. The pair represents possible new resources to almost everyone they come in contact with, a tool to be used and discarded. However, Tender proves to be a resourceful protector as they escape from one harrowing situation after another. 

The author’s descriptions were vivid and immersive, making the cinematic story so compelling it flew by. While Tender is non-human, he displays the highest and most honorable characteristics of any human hero, and even the innocent, emotionally toddler-like Virgo is engaging and someone you’ll want to root for. Along the way, the survivors they meet are the catalysts for some of the most unexpected plot twists ever, guaranteeing I did not want to put this book down until the final page was turned. 

I recommend JOY: A NOVEL OF THE NEW FRONTIER to readers of science fiction, dystopias, and post-apocalyptic tales. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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The Border Between Us

by

Rudy Ruiz

 

While a compelling and satisfying coming-of-age story, THE BORDER BETWEEN US also explores the experiences unique to the south Texas-Mexico border regions.

 

The Border Between Us by Rudy Ruiz is the ultimately heartwarming and satisfying story of Ramón López, a Mexican-American child growing up in Brownsville, Texas, as well as Matamoros, Mexico. A smart, talented, and enterprising child, Ramón struggles with his relationship with his father, a hard-working but seemingly hapless man with dreams he’s always just short of realizing. Discovering he has a natural artistic talent, Ramón has dreams of his own – to get out of Brownsville and become a successful painter. Still, his father has different plans for his son that may make Ramón’s dream impossible to follow. 

What a great story! I loved reading about the precocious and enterprising young Ramón, his life, and the entire López clan. There was so much love in this family, no matter where each member was in their life journey or how that journey was treating them. The López men are vibrant and vivid characters, and while the women seemed quiet and subdued, they were so unimaginably strong, as evidenced by the setbacks and heartbreaks they weathered and overcame. 

Each chapter offers a vignette of life in rural, small-town south Texas on the border with Mexico, and as each unfolded, the area felt more and more familiar. The fluidity of living and working in a border town was so obvious and necessary, with the border bridge checkpoint always a consideration or an afterthought for those going about their daily lives. 

The author’s writing style is compelling, and I was quickly immersed in Ramón’s life and did not want to have to set the book aside for anything until his story was told. Besides the ‘physical’ border between the two countries, there are a variety of other borders Ramón must eventually traverse in his journey: childhood to adulthood, false dreams to dreams of the heart, and the border he perceives between himself and his father. While the story is a wonderful coming-of-age tale, it is told nestled within the complexity of growing up with one foot in the U.S. and the other in Mexico, pursuing the American dream as a young Latino, and the contrasts in attitudes of the privileged and those without, and Anglos. 

I recommend THE BORDER BETWEEN US to readers of literary fiction, especially those who enjoy coming-of-age stories.

 

For this and other book reviews, visit Boys' Mom Reads!

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Rock Hopper

by

Kenneth Ocklund

 

An exciting space thriller featuring space pirates and a daring operation to transport an asteroid to Earth’s orbit.

 

Rock Hopper is a new and exciting space thriller from author Kenneth Ocklund featuring pirates and a daring and desperate operation to capture a resource-rich asteroid and transport it to a U.S. Navy spaceport orbiting Earth to mine it for its valuable metals. When access to a super-advanced spacecraft practically falls in his lap, the aimless son of a war hero killed in action after the Satellite Wars between the U.S. and Russia hatches a plan to provide such an asteroid to the Navy for a multi-trillion-dollar payday. However, his recent friendship with Becka, the captain of a space privateering operation, puts a target on his back by her traitorous former second-in-command, Blitz. 

Toru is the son of a renowned war hero (and secret developer of an advanced triple-threat space fighter - atmosphere, near, and deep space – for the Russians), Tomas Tanner. Access to the Manta Ray’s capabilities was limited to its creator and pilot by a DNA match, so the fighter has been hangared and basically forgotten in a remote Earthside spaceport in Sweden’s far Lapland region: an unusable doorstop. However, with one touch from Toru, the ship responds. Toru, raised by his uncle, had made his quiet, lackluster way through life as a cheap guide into Lapland for budget-minded foreign tourists, drifting and aimless since his father’s death when he was still a teenager. The connection to the Manta Ray is also a connection with the father he still grieves, and the opportunity to make something of this life using the spaceship to accomplish something no one else has been able to do galvanizes him. I enjoyed that despite this teenage trauma, for most of the book, Toru is upbeat, rarely succumbing to despair even when things look hopeless and the situation gets dire. 

Heading up intersecting storylines are Becka, the captain of the Ching Shih and her pirate crew, and Vanja, Turo’s childhood friend, now the commander of the American-leased naval spaceport in Sweden. When Blitz, Becka’s second-in-command, leaves her for dead during an incursion, she and her remaining loyal crew members shift sides to become privateers with letters of marque, looking for revenge against the traitorous Blitz. Vanja enables her old friend and former sweetheart in his venture by granting him access to the Manta Ray and setting him up with the commander of the orbiting spaceport where he first encounters Becka. Toru is an engaging innocent in many ways, and while Becka is wily and experienced, she’s still someone you hope will come out on top. There is an immediate attraction between the two that is fun; however, Vanja is still carrying a torch for her former sweetheart. 

The story progresses swiftly, with the multiple storylines impacting each other in surprising and dangerous ways. Toru’s asteroid mission is fraught with peril, and he endures many tense situations. His partnership with the ship’s AI “Ray” to creatively solve problems was compelling reading, and the assistance of the mining robot, Baxter, another figure from Toru’s childhood, proves fortuitous yet bittersweet. Although the story comes to a close, there are still some loose ends left hanging, such as the romantic triangle and the whereabouts of Captain Becka’s nemesis, Blitz. While there’s no mention of a sequel, I certainly hope for more adventures featuring these characters. 

I recommend ROCK HOPPER to readers of science fiction and space adventures. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.

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Between Today and Someday

The Wonder of Wildflowers, #2

by

Ann M. Trader

 

A satisfying second-chance, slow-burn romance.

 

Between Today and Someday is the second novel in author Ann M. Trader’s The Wonder of Wildflowers series, and if you enjoy a good slow-burn romance, this is the book for you. After a spate of awful, unfulfilling, or downright failed romances, Prim Vreeland decides she needs a change and moves back to her hometown, just as her secret childhood crush, Chase Bova, does the same. But maybe, just maybe, this time, things will be different for them both. 

I enjoyed both of these main characters so much that I rooted for a HEA almost from the start as they slowly made their way into their progressively building relationship. Their moves back home and reconnecting with each other all combined for a second chance in such a natural and uncontrived fashion: this is how these things happen in real life. I loved their encounters with each other, and the emotional buildup and tension between the two was palpable. 

The author’s writing was comfortable and easy to read and completely drew me into these characters’ lives. I felt involved and invested as they confronted some big questions on their way to their happily ever after. I definitely did not want any interruptions while their story played out! 

I recommend BETWEEN TODAY AND SOMEDAY to readers who enjoy slow-burn and second-chance-at-love romances. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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The Measure of Life

by

Judith Works

 

A riveting tale of a marriage, a life, and the complexities of both.

 

The Measure of Life by Judith Works was an emotional and compelling story of one woman's life, marriage, complex family relationships, and living as an expat in Rome before returning to the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. Nicole Carlisle is relatable; she makes mistakes, has unfulfilled dreams, disappointments, and is completely human in her hopes and desires. Her story is mesmerizing and one I won't soon forget. 

Nicole married Martin Carlisle, a handsome widower 18 years her senior, just after completing her first year in college, abandoning her still unformed plans and undecided future. She fell in love, perhaps, with the idea of love and a ready-made life as a wife and mother. He may have been looking for a housekeeper/babysitter and someone young and inexperienced enough to blithely accept his complete control and guidance. A baby soon followed, and there was an opportunity for him to advance in his career with a defense contractor by being promoted to a job in their Rome office. Ignored and left to her own devices, caring for the home and children, Nicole falls into an affair and has a child with her Italian language tutor. She and Martin stay together, her for the children and support, and he for the convenience and the status quo until those children grow up and leave home, and she decides it's time for her to build a new life of her own.

 The author's writing is wonderful, and the story is compelling to read. I was quickly and completely wrapped up in Nicole's life. There is romance, heartbreak, mystery, and the complicated emotions that come when life encounters tough situations and hard choices. She is very relatable as she deals with real-life issues such as her loveless marriage, aging parents, and complex relationships with her now-adult children. I did not want to put the book down! 

I recommend THE MEASURE OF LIFE to readers of women's fiction and family dramas. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.

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Murder on the Mississippi

Sally Witherspoon Mystery, #2

by

Erik S. Meyers

 

Hoping for a little R&R after the events of the previous six months, Sally Witherspoon finds herself smack in the middle of another puzzling murder.

 

Murder on the Mississippi is the second book in author Erik S. Meyers’s intriguing Sally Witherspoon Mystery series, and while Sally embarks on a luxury river cruise to relax, it turns out no one on board will be getting much rest. With a boatload of quirky potential murderers to consider and an interesting travel itinerary besides, readers will be tempted to stay up late turning pages to find out what is going to happen next to those aboard the River Queen. 

Sally Witherspoon, the bold and brash biker-bar owner, is due for a little R&R on this high-end river cruise after the events of book one, and despite her good intentions, she’s dragged into this new murder case out of self-preservation. In this modern-day locked-room mystery, one of the few passengers and crew aboard the River Queen is a murderer. 

Sally is such a fun, engaging character; I felt like I was getting reacquainted with an old friend. Still, readers new to the series will easily be able to pick up her story in this standalone second book. Almost all of Sally’s fellow passengers have interesting international origins. One is a diplomat whose elite status will have an impact on the trajectory of the story. As a group, I thought the passengers were an argumentative lot, with a nasty or sarcastic remark or gesture always on the ready. I was glad to see the last of them and hope Sally doesn’t keep up with the few that she promised she would. 

The setting on the upscale River Queen cruise is a tantalizing one, and it had me googling Mississippi River excursions as a real-life vacation possibility. This particular cruise had a historical theme that took its participants to diverse, off-the-beaten-paths locations that hold tragic places in our nation’s history: a sad but unexpected highlight of the story. 

One murder follows another, as does plot twist after plot twist, and the truth seems more elusive than ever after the arrival of an FBI agent to take charge of the investigation. The resolution came as a complete surprise as the unusual aspects of the situation were finally revealed. 

With its likable main character, intriguing cruise theme, and intricate plot, I recommend MURDER ON THE MISSISSIPPI to mystery fans.

 I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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The Whisper Legacy

Pappa Legacy, #1

by

Tj O’Connor

 

Political intrigue, plot twists galore, and a PI who could certainly use a break.

 

The Whisper Legacy is the first book in author Tj O’Connor’s new political thriller Pappa Legacy series and features the aging but still canny and cunning private investigator and security consultant Marlowe S. Curran. With its non-stop action and intricate plot full of surprising twists and turns, I was compelled to keep reading page after page without stopping to find out what would happen next! No regrets! 

While resolving a computer hacking case using less than legal methods for his most lucrative client, Marlowe Curran’s landlady’s philandering husband and his current paramour are murdered during a tryst on the estate. Without a less criminal alibi to offer, Lowe becomes a suspect in their murders and must undertake clearing his own name. However, someone seems to be working against him every step of the way. 

Marlowe Curran, Lowe to his friends, is a complex character with a tough backstory, a humorous inner voice, and a soft spot for dogs. A smart, deadly operator, Lowe is best by a seemingly never-ending run of bad luck as he tries to fulfill his responsibilities to his confidential and well-heeled clients, including his landlady, Janey-Lynn Cantrell, whose cheating husband and his latest clandestine amour have just been found murdered in their love nest. 

Multiple storylines unfold through Lowe’s viewpoint and that of a political mover and shaker as the President of the United States narrows down his search for a replacement VP. While they appear unrelated, as the story fights its way to its exciting conclusion, the disparate storylines cleverly converge into one riveting whole. 

I recommend THE WHISPER LEGACY to readers of political thrillers and mysteries featuring private eyes. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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Hairless Hassles

Mobile Cat Groomer Mysteries, #3

by

Ruth J. Hartman

 

Mystery and murder return to Whitewater Valley!

 

Hairless Hassles is the third book in author Ruth J. Hartman’s great Mobile Cat Groomer Mysteries, which features intrepid cat-mom Molly Stewart, and her feline family, Jasper and Percival. When elderly and very quirky clients, next-door neighbors Florence Makes and Lottie Campbell, become the main suspects in a murder, Molly can’t sit back and watch. She’s compelled to look deeper into the case and clear her friends’ names. 

Molly Stewart, cat groomer extraordinaire and successful amateur sleuth, is once again at the right place at the right time for her cats to find the body of the latest victim of murder in the small town of Whitewater Valley, Indiana. The plot gets down to business straight away with the discovery of the victim occurring in the very first chapter. As the body is found in between the two octogenarians’ homes, the sheriff soon narrows his investigation to these two elderly ladies. While a highly doubtful conclusion from the start, the victim, Carlotta Sykes, also has a reputation for being unpleasant and was involved in a couple of nasty altercations in the days leading up to her death, so there are a few more plausible suspects to consider besides. Also, Florence and Lottie have provided some wonderfully reliable comic relief in this series from the start, and it would have been a sad day for them to have been the culprits. I went back and forth on some others, though, and it took the suspenseful confrontation between Molly and the real perpetrator to reveal the actual murderer. 

As with the previous books, there is a plethora of locals dropping in and out of the story throughout, and there is nice teamwork between Molly and her friends to investigate and cross the red herrings off their list of possible suspects. There are plenty of cats to ooh and ahh over, including the Sphynx kitties, Eleanor and Helga, which are referenced in the book’s title. Readers new to the series should have no trouble jumping in on this story as each one reads as a standalone. 

With its engaging characters, both human and feline, and interesting and quickly evolving plot, I recommend HAIRLESS HASSLES to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy cat-themed stories. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold

Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mystery, #1

by

Denise Jaden

 

Fun, fish-out-of-water murder mystery.

 

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold is the first book in author Denise Jaden’s cozy Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries. It features a new crewmate and junior photographer, Olivia Ocean, as she embarks on her first contract cruise aboard the Moonlight Majesty. An engaging protagonist, a toxic job environment, and an intriguing plot combine to make this a great debut for this new series. 

Olivia has been caring for her grandparents since she was young, from before her grandfather passed to the recent death of her beloved grandmother. Since her grandmother had spoken so fondly of her time working on cruise ships when she was young, when Olivia spies a job opening for a photographer on the Moonlight Majesty, she jumps at the opportunity to apply. Her first day on the ship is chaotic; it’s embarkation day for a 7-day cruise, and everyone is so busy with their tasks to get underway that no instruction or onboarding is given to Olivia, except for the safety briefing. She’s literally handed a camera and sent to find her own way to take pictures of passengers as they board without any guidance. She does her best but is a complete fish out of water. A late-night errand to a cargo hold for photo paper, though, nets her a tiny stowaway kitten, which leads to her discovery of a dead man. As the one to find the murder victim, the hunky head of security, Miles Blackwell, initially treats Olivia with suspicion, so she feels it’s in her best interests to stay as close as possible to the ensuing investigation and the handsome investigator. 

While cruise ship jobs sound glamorous, the reality is anything but, and Olivia finds herself working impossibly long hours without a break with some fairly toxic coworkers. Thankfully, her new roommate, Becky, turns out to be welcoming and friendly and helps Olivia to find her sea legs. In the days that follow, Olivia and Miles work together, comparing notes, sharing information about the investigation, and coming to rely on one another. I enjoyed their slow-burn attraction to one another, but because I’m suspicious of everyone in the story except Olivia, I continually hoped that Miles was on the up and up. 

The plot moves quickly, with the murder occurring on the first evening of the cruise. As Olivia works to settle into her job, she tries to impress her obnoxious supervisor with her skills and willingness to do whatever tasks he needs doing without complaint while secretly collecting clues from the dead man’s coworkers. I enjoyed the presence of the little kitten, Pickle, and his extraordinary ability to point our sleuths in the right direction when needed. The scenes set throughout the different areas of the ship were interesting and fun, and I could relate to Olivia’s confusion over the layout; these ships are huge. While I had an inkling of the who-dun-it, it wasn’t until the resolution that I found out the surprising why. I look forward to more adventures for Olivia and, hopefully, Miles aboard the Moonlight Majesty.

 I recommend MURDER IN THE HIDDEN CARGO HOLD to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy cruise life.

For this and other book reviews, visit Boys' Mom Reads!