Tag: fiction

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki

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Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop is a magical, feel good, lessons to be learned from life story about love, loss and regret. Charming and heartwarming yet heartbreaking in some ways, this is the third in the Full Moon Coffee Shop series. I did not read the first two and had absolutely no trouble diving into the story, and its cast of characters. I actually yearn for more and will go back and read the first two.

As the cats ready the coffee shop, Neptune who becomes the human named Sala prepares to give their next visitors enlightenment, life lessons and guidance. Patient and kind Sala will walk them through their past in the hopes of encouraging them to see what their life truly was and could be.

The story begins when a young woman, an actress named Satuski comes home to see her mother after an absence of three years. With her is a man who loves her and wants to marry her. He wants to ask Santuski’s mother for her hand.

Santuski’s mother, Fujko has secrets she has kept from her daughter and perhaps in some ways from herself. A single mother she raised her daughter to be independent and to rely only on herself. Unfortunately, Fujiko’s life has been hard, lonely and filled with many regrets. She is the first to visit the Full Moon Coffee Shop.

Wataru was best friends with Fujiko since childhood. But their relationship ended years ago. Now a famous writer, the memory of his friend continues to haunt him. Their last meeting horribly regretful. Now, he is at a crossroads and must come to terms with the life he chose. He too will visit the coffee shop.

Fortunately for them they may be able to have a second chance, as the mysterious cat who turns human tries to point them in the life direction they possibly could have taken. where they could have still been in each other’s life with no regrets as to how they left their friendship.

Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop is a beautifully uplifting, delightful read with valuable lessons to be taken away by the reader thanks to such extraordinary mystical cats whose advice to all of us is “the only person who can make you happy is you”.

Thank you #NetGalley #BallantineBooks #MaiMochizuki #DreamersoftheFullMoonCoffeeShop for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop: A Novel eBook : Mochizuki, Mai, Taylor, Jordan: Kindle Store

Edit Review – Dreamers of the Full Moon Coffee Shop (The Full Moon Coffee Shop, #3) | Goodreads

Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon

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Stay Buried is a give you goose bumps horrific thriller, part supernatural, part ghost story and believe it or not, part love story. It is an absolute must read! Told between two timelines, it centers around a small forgotten town in Vermont where no resident ever leaves because well, they are afraid to! Except for one who did years ago to only have her grandchildren come back to ask some questions. Questions that hit too close to the truth about what has been going on there. It also centers around a strange plague which hit the town back in 1919 and what happened to all the residents who were living there as fear took overtook them.

In 1919 in a small town called Boone’s Ferry, Vermont, Dr. Thomas Endicott a physician and his niece/apprentice Frankie O’Malley are called out to a farm where the horses have gone crazy. Not a vet, he does the best he can. Suddenly it seems all the horses in the town are doing the same thing. Then whatever symptoms the horses seem to have begun to appear in the residence. The Knackerman who goes around to houses and picks up and collects dying animals is the first. His symptoms aggressive and he becomes dangerous to others. But when he dies, his body seems to disappear. This unfortunately is the beginning of the end of the peaceful town as they know it.

The year is now 2016 and Ashley and her brother Malcolm are mourning the loss of their grandmother. They had always been told she was from Boston and are shocked to learn she was actually born in a town called Boone’s Ferry. The same town their mother had visited two years ago and was never seen again. Why would their grandmother lie to them.

They decide to take the trip to the town to see if they can discover any information about not only their grandmother, but their mother. As soon as they enter the town, they get the distinct feeling they are not wanted. The town, still living in the dark ages has no Wi-Fi and only have rotary phones. Questions they ask go unanswered, and suddenly they begin to feel as if they are in danger. But when no one remembers ever seeing their mother two years ago they know they must leave. Something is not right with these people. But they are too late. The inhabitants must keep the secrets, and they won’t let them leave.

Stay Buried will bury you! An incredible, terrifying story with secrets galore, questions you will need (and get) answers to as well as the electrifying ending which will put you over the edge!

Thank you #NetGalley #GalleryBooks #StayBuried #JenniferMcMahon for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Stay Buried: A Novel: 9781668069455: McMahon, Jennifer: Books

Edit Review – Stay Buried | Goodreads

Don’t Cross Mo Ellery by Birdie Horne

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Be prepared to laugh out loud during the reading of this book. Don’t Cross Mo Ellery is hysterical, honest, absurd and crazy all rolled into a smart, shrewd story! I mean, if the first few pages don’t pique your interest, I don’t know what will! Watch as Mo Ellery’s life goes from pretty ok, then bad to worse, and worse and worse, yet you will ride the comedy into the wonderfully funny ending!

On Mo Ellery’s birthday, she accidently displays her boyfriend’s ahem on a zoom call which not only gets her fired, but at the same time she discovers her boyfriend wants to break up, and she must pack up and leave their apartment. To add insult to injury, no one wants her…not her mother and father or her best friend who is a major social internet influencer.

With no money in her savings, she finds a crappy small apartment and a part-time job as a crossing guard. How low can she go? Well, lower! There is one particular driver who becomes her nemesis. One day as he begins to fly by and she prepares herself, something terrible happens and he crashes into a sink hole (which may or may not have been caused by Mo). He is dead in his car. Along with him in said car are three show poodles.

As Mo and a woman named Claudia try to figure out exactly what happened, somehow Mo gets the job of taking the dogs. All three! But it’s what Claudia thinks that has Mo nervous. She thinks he was murdered. Seriously?

So, Mo does what any normal person would do. She takes the dogs to the funeral of their “dad” to try and not only pawn the dogs off to his brother, but to see if there could be any truth to what Claudia has said. And guess what? She thinks Claudia is right! And guess what else? The brother won’t take the dogs!

So along with Claudia and oh yes, a very techy middle schooler, they begin to try and figure out the who, what, where and how of the murder. Then there is another death.

Mo, exhausted from taking care of three dogs, crossing guard duty, watching videos on how to be a detective and trying to discover clues as to what could possibly have happened and oh yes, dating a woman in an Alderman’s office because you know, for leads, what else could possibly go wrong? Well, so much more and it is such fun!

Don’t Cross Mo Ellery will keep a smile on your face the whole time you’re reading the book. This story is about someone who is down on their luck but takes all the danger in stride and in the end well, it may be luck that she figures it out, but she figures it out! And the ending is perfectly Mo Ellery!

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow/HarperCollins #BirdieHorne #Don’tCrossMoEllery for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Don’t Cross Mo Ellery: A Novel – A Laugh-Out-Loud Cozy Mystery with a Reluctant Detective and Three Chaotic Poodles: 9780063473089: Horne, Birdie: Books

Edit Review – Don’t Cross Mo Ellery | Goodreads

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

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The Women in White is an explosive psychological thriller which includes mystery, secrets and a deep dive into telepathic transmissions unbeknownst to four innocent, naive women during the 1960’s who were being used in psychological experiments. The story we will discover by Pekkanen’s impeccable research is something which has been happening for years. in the military, at colleges and even being used for assistance in missing person cases. Her afterward is jaw dropping!

The story jumps from the 1960’s to the present as we see what happens to four women who are recruited by a doctor because of their possible telepathic ability. What happens to them during the experiments the reader will see is inhuman.

All these women really wanted was to be married, cook, clean and take care of their husbands. But because of a doctor at Marquis University their lives will never be the same and they will become very close but, in the end something terrible occurs and they will never see each other again.

Betty Sadler was the first to be recruited because her husband worked for Dr. Silas Timble, whose research was on telepathy and extrasensory perception. Then three more joined her. But these experiments are not only exhausting for the women but will throw their lives into turmoil. Women during this time were supposed to stay home and take care of the household. These women had to do all that as well as “work” doing experiments sometimes overnight.

Jump ahead to the present and we meet Betty again, living a quiet life. Her wonderful husband has just passed, and she is looking for a caretaker/companion. When Riley comes for the interview, she is desperate for the job. Newly divorced and because her ex owed so much money she must somehow pay up. Betty immediately hires her which shocks Riley. When Riley walks into the house, she is immediately transported to the 1960’s. Nothing in the house has ever been updated or changed. She realizes Betty’s life has never moved from that era. She knows nothing about any changes which have occurred. What a cell phone is or even a microwave let alone a colored television or the internet.

As they get to know each other, Riley asks Betty if she has any regrets. Betty tells her the one regret she has is she never was able to reconnect with the women she became so close to. Her and her husband left the university so quickly she was unable to say goodbye to them.

Riley tells her she could look into what happened to them. But immediately Riley discovers there is no record of these women. How could that be? The more she goes down the rabbit hole, the more questions Riley has.

But once she visits Marquis University, she begins to understand something sinister was happening back then and it had been covered up. And someone now does not want the past exposed. And they will not stop no matter who they hurt.

The Women in White is mysterious, intriguing and very clever. These women were horribly taken advantage of and their lives shattered by people who only had nefarious ideas. The story so fascinating you won’t be able to put the book down!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #SarahPekkanen #TheWomeninWhite for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Women in White: A Novel: 9781250349552: Pekkanen, Sarah: Books

Edit Review – The Women in White | Goodreads

The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman

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The Reservation is a clever story about of a group of restaurant employees from a celebrated dining establishment who are preparing for an extremely famous writer’s reservation. Of course, as luck would have it, things begin to go downhill very fast on the day of the event including stolen very expensive steaks which are needed for the evening and someone posting horrible yelp reviews. Over the course of the day, we will get to know the staff, the owners and how they not only interact with each other, but how although they have worked together, some for many years, they really don’t know each other at all. This story is part mystery, part who is the culprit and why, and the misconceptions people have about each other without really knowing them.

When a famous writer books a dinner at Aunt Olsa’s restaurant, everyone is on a code red. The place must be in pristine shape, everyone on top of their game and the food must be perfect. But unfortunately, when Olsa’s nephew comes in the morning of the big dinner, he discovers someone has taken twenty-two rib eyes which were reserved for the big event. As the day wears on they all begin to see someone is sabotaging the restaurant as it is discovered very bad reviews are being left on their site. Strangely all this is happening in real time!

Thus begins not only the hunt for the stolen rib eyes, but a day of discoveries and secrets for those who have worked so hard at their jobs, not only about each other, but about what drives each of them and how they became who they are.

The suspects;

The Chef, The Lead Line Cook, The Busser, The Host, The Bartender, The Pastry Chef, The Wait Staff

Who would want to ruin this event and why?

Yes, the mystery will be solved. But more importantly the reader will get a peek at what all these laborers must endure not only at work, but how their lives outside the job formed them way before they ever stepped into the restaurant.

The Reservation was a wonderfully different read, with a bit of humor, warmth and sadness. Who is the important writer? Well, you just have to read this terrific book to find out!

Published by Counterpoint

The Reservation: A Novel: Kauffman, Rebecca: 9781640097483: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review – The Reservation | Goodreads

Massawa by Pam Webber

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Massawa is an incredible espionage story about a strong woman who is plucked from a small government position in America and hurled into a dangerous job of spying in a little country during World War II. Tough, smart but calm she is able to infiltrate a Nazi operation as well as figure out who seems to be stealing the payroll from the hard workers during a military operation. This story is a can’t put down thriller!

Kit Thomas has been assigned to help the United States spy agency to go to a small country called Massawa in Eritrea where the daily temperature reaches well above 100 degrees to help a British agent, Mark Williams figure out who is stealing the payroll money, where it is going and why they are doing it.

What they discover will help change the trajectory of the war, but more importantly show that a woman can be bright and unruffled in dire situations. Picked for the job as a carrier, Kit is able to assess the situations and aid both countries more than anyone could imagine.

Filled with drama, mystery and intrigue the story chronicles the team as Kit is able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and thwart an operation which was almost finished. Not only was she able to discover clues, but when push came to shove, literally, she was able to hold her own, fight and win…just as well as…a man.

Massawa is a wonderful story with a bit of romance thrown in about an underrated woman who took down not only thieves, but also through determination and perseverance assisted two governments working to save the world. What more could you ask for in a story? Well, perhaps a sequel?

Thank you #SheWritesPress #BooksForward #JackieKarneth #Massawa #PamWebber for the advanced copy.

Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love: Webber, Pam: 9798896360988: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review – Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love | Goodreads

Mr. & Mrs. Dixon Hide A Body by Jennifer Holdich

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Mr. & Mrs. Dixon Hide A Body is a delightfully dark, funny, wicked story. The plot revolves around a miserable married couple, an accidental murder and the coverup which follows. With a subtle War of the Roses feel, it has mystery, humor and quirky characters who hate deeply, steal openly, and want each other dead. Let the cat and mouse game begin!

Daisy Dixon dreams of her husband, daily. She would like to kill him. Unfortunately, she can’t figure out a way which would not implicate her. But she will wait patiently. He makes her live in a dilapidated estate, keeps her on a very short leash both on where she goes and how much she spends…he gives her a paltry allowance, and watches what she eats. Her husband is a financier and is rich, very rich.

One night, they must go to an event neither of them wants to go to and Daisy, who was driving so her husband James could drink the night away are on their way home when she accidentally hits a man walking a dark road. She immediately wants to call the police, but James insists they would get into too much trouble, and he makes them take the body back to their property and store it.

As they watch the news and listen to the gossip both of them are questioned. But it seems James has a plan he never let Daisy in on. He wants her out of the picture. As she relays to the reader how they met, their courtship and marriage, she realizes something is very amiss.

She begins to fight back in her own way.

Can Daisy beat not only the system, but her husband to the finish line without revealing what she did. All in the hopes of getting the freedom she so rightly deserves.

Mr. & Mrs. Dixon Hide A Body is wonderfully satisfying while being evil to the core, funny as heck and extremely clever. Sometimes karma can bite you!

Thank you #NetGalley #SourcebooksLandmark #JenniferHoldich #Mr.&Mrs.DixonHideABody for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Hide a Body: A Novel: 9781464229817: Holdich, Jennifer: Books

Edit Review – Mr. and Mrs. Dixon Hide a Body | Goodreads

Mystery Guest by Maren Stoffels

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Mystery is in abundance in this exciting, perplexing young adult story. In the book Mystery Guest, we meet a teenager who we discover is dead. Through flashback, we will also be told of the characters involved in the story and possibly the one who is a murderer. But it is up to the reader to decide who the best candidate could be. This is a true thriller!

Who killed Maria? And why?

Maria’s life was miserable. Her brother who continually tortured her at home was sent away after being found guilty of a crime. But for some reason he is coming home for the summer to begin the acclimation back into family life. And to continue his mistreatment of Maria whose parents seem to just ignore his antics.

But her life seems to be quite the yawn. Same old, same old. Until she gets a text from someone known only as Mystery Guest asking if she is bored. She decides to answer yes. They inform her there will be challenges she must perform in order to discover who the mystery person is. She jumps at the chance to add something exciting into her life. Until she discovers what the challenges are. She discovers they all have something to do with her life.

Clearly this is someone who knows her well. But why are they doing this to her?

The cast of characters include:

Her girlfriend Pip who never really wants to do anything exciting. But she’s okay as a girlfriend.

Norah, who is Pip’s ex-girlfriend who hates Maria with a passion for taking Pip away from her.

Cody, a new guy in town who meets Maria and they seem to have great chemistry.

Mike, who was run out of town last year for something he did to Maria and has now come back possibly to torture her again.

And finally, her brother, Ferris who has made it known he hates her.

Whoever the killer they seem to know way too much about Maria and her past. But unfortunately, every time a text comes in from Mystery Guest one of these people are either with her or have just left.

Mystery Guest will hook you from the first page and keep you riveted as the story begins to unfold, but the ending…will have you stunned, shocked and something you will never see coming. I promise!

Thank you #NetGalley #DelacortPress #MarenStoffels #MysteryGuest for the advanced copy.

Mystery Guest: Stoffels, Maren: 9798217122165: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review – Mystery Guest | Goodreads

The Neighbors Are Watching by Aggie Blum Thompson

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Do you look out your window when you hear a car? or when you smell smoke? Well, in this very juicy, gossipy psychological murder/mystery thriller, The Neighbors Are Watching, everyone in this affluent neighborhood seems to know exactly what everyone is up to. Except some neighbors seem to be kept out of the loop for reasons unknown to the reader. Also, this neighborhood had a murder last year…a robbery gone bad, but again no one wants to talk about that either. Pretending seems to be the first rule of the game…

Caren is at a graduation party of her daughter’s ex friend at the lavish house of neighbors she’s supposed to like in their Eastbrook, Bethesda fancy neighborhood. Why is she there? For appearance’s sake probably. She doesn’t quite like them. They have become unbearable since they have come into more money than they will ever know what to do with. And of course, for what they did to her daughter…

She on the other hand is in the middle of a sort of mid-life crisis. Nearing 50, not really working much at all, and soon to be an empty nester she and her husband Miguel are coming off one of the worst years of their lives. Their daughter Rachel got into some trouble and went to finish high school elsewhere.

So, as Caren is walking home, thinking about her problems she somehow becomes dizzy and blacks out. A kind stranger named Finn finds her early the next morning. Pretty banged up she has no recollection of what happened. The neighbors, of course all think she drank too much. But she knows she stopped drinking too much a while ago. She thinks someone put something in her drink…but why?

She insists the police are called. They discover a bottle of wine and food in her trash. She knows she did not eat or drink anything at home the night before. What is happening to her? Miguel doesn’t even seem to believe her story.

Then she discovers that a bracelet that has been put up on the website of the annual neighborhood yard sale was an item stolen from one of the neighbors. She also discovers the young man who found her, Finn was friends with the young nanny who was killed in the burglary gone bad last year and he too is looking for answers.

Caren and Finn decide to work together to see if any pieces of this mysterious puzzle fit together. Unfortunately, what they will discover and be shocked at are the sinister secrets and a dark underground that exists with some neighbors.

Can you keep a secret? That’s the starting point for the ride of your life in this stellar story; The Neighbors Are Watching. The ending such a surprise!

Thank you #Net’Galley #MinotaurBooks #AggieBlumThompson #TheNeighborsAreWatching for the advanced copy.

Amazon.com: The Neighbors Are Watching: 9781250412553: Thompson, Aggie Blum: Books

Edit Review – The Neighbors Are Watching | Goodreads

When You Loved Me by Beatriz Williams

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When You Loved Me is not just one, but two amazing love stories about two very strong women. Separated by centuries, yet intertwined by sorrow, death, mystery and most important forgiveness and love the story will grab your heart from the first page.

Lucy Cooper comes home from England with her young daughter Elise to unfortunately bury her father and settle his estate. As she looks over the dilapidated mansion she use to call home, she herself a recent widow can hardly believe her father is gone. She is also shocked at the way he died. By going into the ocean near their home on Winthrop Island and never coming out.

For her whole life, her father had been obsessed with a story passed down about a buried hidden pirate treasure somewhere on the land of their estate. He was so preoccupied he let everything in his life come second. The reason Lucy’s mother left him, and they both moved to England. But she was lucky. She got to spend summers with him and for that she will be forever grateful.

After the funeral, Lucy discovers her father was in debt. So much so there is no way she can pay it off, let alone be able to fix everything in the house which needs to be taken care of before she perhaps must sell. She understands his passion was this absurd pirate treasure and that is what he deemed most important. For years all she kept hearing was he was so close to the discovery.

But Lucy is also out of sorts as she has discovered her first love, Ben Ressler is living on the property of her ex best friend Laura Peabody. She thought he was going into football. The last she saw him was actually the worst heartbreak of her life other than the killing of her daughter’s father.

Then there is her brilliant young daughter who has spunk and speaks her mind. She truly believes the pirate story and has herself fallen in love with their neighbor, Ben Ressler much to Lucy’s chagrin.

But not everything is as it seems. A missing laptop, a fire in the house, and someone impersonating her. Why?

The other story comes in the form of a diary of a woman from 1717 named Hephzibah and how her family are invaded by pirates and one who is very sick comes to stay with them. And then they must fight a terrible winter called Great Snow of the Storm.

As the two stories become linked, Lucy must grapple with her past, her late father’s life and trying to put her love for Ben to bed, so to speak. And when the past and present finally collide well, that’s for you to dig into!

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #BeatrizWilliams #WhenYouLovedMe for the advanced copy.

When You Loved Me: A Novel: Williams, Beatriz: 9798217094820: Amazon.com: Books

Edit Review – When You Loved Me | Goodreads