Baited

An Espionage Novel

by

Victoria Montes

A young teacher, the sole survivor of a mass shooting at her school, is recruited by a mysterious private organization to fight terrorism by any means necessary.

Baited, the exciting new crime drama by author Victoria Montes, opens as a horrific school shooting by Jihadi terrorists erupts where the main character is a teacher. Isolated in the teachers’ lounge, she evades discovery and is, ultimately, the lone survivor of the attack; however, she doesn’t walk away undamaged. 

Karen Fisher, the young main character, already had PTSD following her previous career as a Navy nurse serving in Afghanistan. Nightmares of what she’d experienced during her deployment continued to haunt her. When the shooting had begun, Karen had dialed 9-1-1 and hidden at the urging of the emergency operator. Still, she’d seen her students gunned down as she helplessly remained in hiding. 

In the aftermath, she turns to alcohol to get through the night and, eventually, every day that follows. Karen has a committed partner in Steven, but he eventually hits the limits of what he can take. Feeling helpless and frustrated with her inability to move on, Steven steps away from their life, leaving Karen on her own. For this reason, I was not a Steven fan; however, he won me over in the end with his tenacity, dedication, and genuine devotion. He knew he’d failed her when he walked. 

The mysterious Department G recruits her, and while the plot follows her preparation and subsequent missions to put an end to terrorism, the focus of the story is on her mental struggles, doubts, and moral dilemmas she has regarding not only the school shooting and her perceived failure to act but the means and methods Department G uses to attain their goals. 

Karen’s immediate attraction to her handler is akin to the classic battlefield romance developed under high stress and in the heightened passions of the artificial world in which they’re confined. Survivor’s guilt also drives Frank/Owen, but he has focused his pain on eradicating terrorism by any means necessary. Although you know their relationship is wrong, a real recipe for disaster, the sexual tension between these two is so good you can’t help hoping things work out for them. 

The Department G missions are daring, and outside what’s lawful and moral, so the story takes some edgy, uncomfortable turns. In response, characters must make hard choices that lead to some unexpected plot twists, including a surprising and satisfying conclusion. 

I recommend BAITED to readers of crime fiction and psychological dramas. 

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

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One Little Witch

Little Witch, #1

by

Crystal Beach

Another adorable children’s picture book from the creative and talented Crystal Beach!

One Little Witch is the first book in author/illustrator Crystal Beach’s new children’s picture book series, Little Witch. This adorable debut is full of giggle-inducing rhyme and vivid, color-drenched illustrations that will have children begging for it to be read “just one more time!”  While the plot revolves around a little young witch watching over her crop, the rhymes delightfully guide young readers or read-aloud listeners through counting the number of pumpkins, revealing the fun hidden secret inside each one. Perfect for the upcoming Halloween season! 

I recommend ONE LITTLE WITCH to parents, caregivers, and those who have young children in their lives for reading aloud and early readers. 

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

French Quarter Fright Night

A Vintage Cookbook Mystery

by

Ellen Byron 

A blast from Ricki’s past threatens the Bon Vee House Halloween celebration. 

French Quarter Fright Night is the third book in author Ellen Byron’s fun and cozy Crescent City-set Vintage Cookbook Mystery series, and the evocative atmosphere of the Garden District manor house-turned-museum is the perfect setting for this Halloween-themed tale of murder. An old acquaintance from Ricki’s past disturbs her healing equilibrium and may threaten the peaceful existence of the Bon Vee in the Garden District. 

Miracle Fleur de Lis James-Diaz, or Ricki as she is known to all, is the main character and amateur sleuth of the series. Surprisingly, she’s given a subtle nod of approval to snoop by the lead detective investigating the murder of the latest victim discovered on the grounds of the historical Bon Vee House, the obnoxious personal assistant of their new neighbor. Ricki marshals her resources to dig into the background, current activities, and future plans of the deceased for clues to her murder with the intention of clearing the names of the museum staff. 

The plot delves into Ricki’s past and her history with her deceased estranged husband, Chris, when the new owner of the home next to Bon Vee proves to be none other than Blaine Taggart, Chris’s former best friend who contributed somewhat to his accidental death. There was trouble brewing between the staff at Bon Vee and Blaine’s due to a constant barrage of unfounded complaints lodged against the museum by Blaine’s assistant. The story builds bit by bit, developing the tense enmity between the neighboring properties and setting a sinister stage until it is almost a relief when the murder occurs. 

The author’s storytelling is engaging and compelling: the story flew by! I liked the glimpses of Eugenia Charbonnet Felice, the grande dame and owner of Bon Vee, thawing in her attitude and manner toward her newly revealed cousin, Ricki, and I literally laughed out loud over the many clever quips and fun banter throughout the book, especially when it involved Cookie or Theo. I enjoyed the interesting historical tidbits that were worked into the story, including the collectible cookbooks and details of the vintage kitchen items. There is also a welcome menagerie of pets to love. With a variety of possible suspects, motives, and subsequent plot twists, I was absorbed in the story and highly entertained from start to finish. 

I recommend FRENCH QUARTER FRIGHT NIGHT to cozy mystery enthusiasts, especially those who enjoy stories set in New Orleans and fans of the previous books in the series. 

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

Burnt Ends

by

Laura Wetsel

Fascinating debut!

Burnt Ends is a fascinating new mystery by debut author Laura Wetsel and introduces readers to a female gumshoe with characteristics reminiscent of a damaged and troubled old-school private eye. With its intriguing premise, complex plot, and surprising resolution, I was glued to this story from start to finish. 

Victoria “Tori” Swenson is the aforementioned protagonist: a private investigator with a drug problem and a long-simmering desire for revenge against the uncle and cousins who may have caused her father’s death and then taken his successful BBQ business for their own. Having recently gone through another stint in rehab to clean up, the story unfolds from Tori’s OxyContin-impaired viewpoint as she quickly relapsed. Driven by her rage, Tori investigates the suspicious death of a cook at one of Uncle Charlie’s restaurants, hoping to parlay her findings into destroying their business and grand lifestyles that should have been hers. She continually lies to herself and others that she will stop using as soon as the case is completed. The subterfuge, the lies, the fixation and substitution of Topo Chico for what she craves all ring true, making her actions almost painful to watch at times. I wondered throughout the book whether she would be able to hold it together long enough to achieve her goals. 

The fast-paced story involves multiple deaths, intense family drama, jealousy – personal and professional, and, of course, drug addiction. Each time Tori gets close to discovering a piece of the puzzle, a surprising plot twists alters the course of the investigation. Consequently, I didn’t guess the ending ahead of the reveal. In addition, the descriptions of the Kansas City, Missouri setting, renowned for its barbeque, were vivid and tempting. 

I recommend BURNT ENDS to traditional private eye mystery readers. 

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

Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time

by

Preston Lewis and Harriet Kocher Lewis

Informative, eye-opening, and mind-boggling!

Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time by renowned Western writers Preston Lewis and Harriet Kocher Lewis is an eye-opening compilation of numerous original and raw source materials woven into a cohesive whole, detailing what childhood looked like on the American frontier (c. 1850s to the early 1900s). From memoirs to diaries to newspaper accounts, the authors dug deep and wide in their research, and the results of their efforts are both informative and mind-boggling. Move over Little House on the Prairie! 

Although targeting a young adult audience, the book is suitable for and will be of interest to even older readers, especially those born and reared through a sheltered childhood. The lives recorded and related here are far from what most will have experienced growing up in the latter half of the 20^th century. And though I was clearly reminded of aspects of the earlier books in the famed Laura Ingalls Wilder series, the stories of childhoods presented here depict a harsher and, often, more desperate living, especially when one or both parents were missing from the family due to death or other absences. Childhood was necessarily truncated to aid in the family’s survival or, in some cases, willfully abbreviated by youngsters themselves pursuing dreams of being a cowboy. The reported ages of these children taking on adult responsibilities and tasks and doing so successfully was mind-blowing. 

While the result of historical research, I want to emphasize that the factual details and anecdotal evidence are delivered with a storyteller’s skill. The authors’ writings are engaging, easy to read, and still compelling. Some of the stories reflect brutal living conditions for these children and their families, sometimes with tragic, heartbreaking results, and I teared up reading some of the accounts. However, I also laughed over amusing details, such as the plethora of euphemisms for buffalo dung. (The Lord got it right, making me a boys’ mom.) I also thank God I wasn’t born 100 years earlier. 

I recommend PINTSIZED PIONEERS: TAMING THE FRONTIER, ONE CHORE AT A TIME to young adult readers of history and non-fiction and adults interested in American frontier life.

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