Special Feature: The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao

Before the film Crazy Rich Asians came out, I tried to read the book before watching the movie. But I didn’t like it, not even a little bit. I actually liked the movie so much better. I loved the movie so much though that it actually made me want to go back and try to read the book again plus it made me so excited for other books that might be coming out similar to Crazy Rich Asians. Enter this book. I read the description and noticed that it was frequently recommended to fans of Crazy Rich Asians—-so naturally I wanted to check it out!

I love books that take me to different locations and a glimpse into a life that is far removed from my own. That’s what the film Crazy Rich Asians did for me and that’s what I am hoping this book does for me too! I couldn’t fit it into my review calendar this month but I am going to check it out later this spring because this one sounds like just the thing to transport me to some place new and exotic feeling. I am eager to explore the high society of Singapore and enter a world where I know nothing about—-the rich and famous!

This book sounds like it has a little something for every reader—a mystery, high society gossip, glamour, and a romance. I am fully on board with this upcoming release and I cannot wait to crack open the pages of this one and see what kinds of things the characters get up to! In Oregon the long dreary months of winter creep by and this is the time of year I start looking for exotic locations to read about and this one is right up there on my TBR list! It’s out now so be sure to keep reading to see if this is the book you have been waiting for this winter!

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Review: Whisper of Warning (The Glass Sisters #2) by Laura Griffin

I think I have officially wrapped up one of my last Laura Griffin books. I might read the Alpha Crew novella series and I know there are a couple other smaller series that she wrote which I might also pick up. But as far as the principal books she has written, I think this was the last one. Some of her books have been better than others but I can fully stand behind Griffin being a five star author and all of her series being five star as well.

For some readers, they might find some of the characters off putting, or maybe the chemistry between the characters was a little wanting but overall you cannot deny her superior knowledge of forensics, police procedure, law, and of course military and terrorism. She is an absolutely fantastic writer and researcher and I have never found one of her books wanting in the research or pace categories. They are always interesting and read super quick.

I literally picked up a different book to read (different author) the other day when I was done with this book and I felt lost. The style of the other author was thick and cumbersome and I longed for another Griffin book that was quick, to the point and fast moving. I mean I have been reading Griffin’s books since basically October with a couple of other authors sprinkled in so it was a little jarring to read something more dense. That’s one of the reasons I love Griffin’s books, she is to the point and you get right into the story and they move FAST

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Review: Thread of Fear (The Glass Sisters #1) by Laura Griffin

Do you ever read and book and think to yourself—-wow this didn’t age well. I love Laura Griffin and have nearly read every single one of her books. I have loved them all for different reasons. Sometimes in her Tracer books, the technology has changed so much from the mid 2000’s and sometimes it feels a little antiquated or old but I still always find something to love in the mystery itself even if the technology might be out of date. But in this one, it isn’t the technology that’s out of date.

I will get more into that in a minute. What made me want to read this particular book is seeing Fiona in other books by Griffin. I thought she had a pretty cool job being a police sketch artist. That’s a job I never thought too much about but when I read about her in some of the other books I was really intrigued by how one becomes a police sketch artist and how they come up with their drawings etc. In this book as well as another, Griffin does a really good job of explaining how artists work with the victim. Now I have no idea if that’s legit but it sounds plausible and believable so that was the big thing that appealed to me about this book.

I was going to take a break after reading all the Griffin standalones, but who am am I kidding, I won’t stop until I have read ALL of her books at this point. So here we are, I am almost there and so far have yet to find a book that I truly haven’t liked. There were some parts or characters that I like and didn’t like for various reasons but overall I have loved all of Griffins books!

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Review: The True Love Bookshop (Somerset Lake #3) by Annie Rains

Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Annie Rains. But then when I looked her up on Goodreads, I found that I did recognize some of her book covers! They all look like Hallmark holiday movie covers and I am totally here for it! After recognizing her covers I was even more excited to read this book, considering I had in fact picked up one of her holiday books in line at the grocery store this year to check out while waiting to check out!

So what made me say yes to reading this one? Well, when it came across my desk for review, I couldn’t wait to pick up something light hearted and happy! I am almost always game for something light and happy especially at the holiday season. But the last few months I have been on a full tilt murder mystery kick and I needed this light and happy book now more than ever! So I wholeheartedly agreed to review this one in an instant! I am so glad that I did too!

This book came at the perfect time for me, and even though it’s part of a series, I didn’t feel lost or anything in this one. It had it’s own unique storyline and characters and honestly how could I pass on a book about finding love in a bookshop?! The answer is—-I couldn’t! What I didn’t count on was the unexpected mystery contained in this story. It was the perfect book to segue from all the intense thrillers I’ve been reading—a book with a bit of a mystery to satisfy my mystery craving, but also a HEA with romance and books!

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Special Feature/Excerpt: The Rose and the Thistle by Laura Frantz

It’s been a long time since I have read a book set in the 1700s. Most of the historical fiction books I read are usually in the Victorian or late Regency era—not that there is any shortage of 1700s era historical fiction books, but in general I tend to gravitate toward the Victorian or Regency era novels when I pick them up. Seeing that this one was set in the 1700s was actually what grabbed me, it was different than my comfort era go to books!

For me the Jacobite era is very complicated and in the past I have hard a hard time keeping some of the issues straight but this book sounds like it’s going to be filled with historical details but in a user friendly presentation since the focus of the book will be on the Scottish romance and some other intriguing plot lines. I am super excited to check this author out. I haven’t read anything by Laura Frantz before but this book sounds like it have some fun history mixed with a good old fashion, wholesome, romance!

I was sad that I couldn’t fit this one in on my review calendar for January but I am excited to bring this lovely excerpt to you guys today! I know there are others on this tour who were able to review this book so you might want to check out some of the other stops on the tour if you want to read a full review, but if you are looking for a sneak peak, keep reading here and you will see that this book promises all kinds of exciting things in this except!

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