Giveaway: The Dark Divide by D.K. Stone

Author Danika Stone, writing as D.K. Stone, revisits her beloved Waterton in the follow-up to her fascinating mystery Edge of Wild, entitled The Dark Divide!

Waterton is a town with dark secrets, and after a summer of murder and mayhem, American ex-pat Rich Evans knows exactly how far people will go to hide them. Jobless after the fiery destruction of the hotel he once managed, Rich is charged with arson. Only one person, local mechanic Louise "Lou" Newman, believes in his innocence. But even Lou's love and support can't dispel the darkness that's spreading through the community. Dead animals appear on porches, strangers threaten the safety of the locals, and a fingerprint from the fire is linked to a decades-old murder.

The lonely border town has a new danger: a murderer willing to do anything to protect a web of secrets that links them to the arson.

As the risk of jail or death increases, Rich turns to Lou for guidance and she finds herself in an impossible position. Lou has her own secrets! Does she protect the border town where she grew up, or side with the man she loves... even if it means she can never tell him the truth about herself?

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My giveaway opens Thursday, April 5! The package includes a signed copy of both books, a Canada luggage tag, a trio of Hallmark magnets, a flower-themed To Do pad, and anything else which strikes my fancy and is legal to ship. :D

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Starting April 15th, to celebrate the release of The Dark Divide, visit the listed blogs for blog posts, reviews of the new book, and other fun things. On Monday, April 23, return here for my review of The Dark Divide.

Sunday, April 15th: https://booksandbelleblog.wordpress.com/
Monday, April 16th: http://hermitlibrarian.blogspot.ca/
Tuesday, April 17th: http://www.emilyreadseverything.com/
Wednesday, April 18th: http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.ca/
Thursday, April 19th: https://kcmmp13.wordpress.com/
Friday, April 20th: https://fangirlsince1988.wordpress.com/
Saturday, April 21st: http://www.beatricelearnstoread.wordpress.com
Sunday, April 22: https://fafasbookcorner.wordpress.com/

On Tuesday, April 24, I'll choose a winner for a giveaway package!

#mystery #waterton #thedarkdivide

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both teens (All the Feels and Internet Famous) adults (Edge of Wild and Intaglio). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.

Book: Sirius: Hidden Truth by A.L. Long

Could have been entitled Sirius: Clear as Day No, and been more accurate.

Sirius: Hidden Truth by A.L. Long

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book via netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

This was billed as erotic bdsm suspense. I don't remember any suspense in what I read. The subtitle is Hidden Truth, and I'm not sure what was hidden, either. The story was too short for their to be anything which remained a surprise for long.

This is one of those college girl falls for her dom professor, with every single cliche in the genre. On top of that, it was poorly written, with egregious grammatical errors. And yes, for some people, those mistakes don't impact their enjoyment of a book. Grammar, poor or otherwise, can make or break a book for me. In this case, bad grammar was just another nail in the coffin.

I cannot recommend this book unless you want to use it as a template for writing college girl falls for her dom professor in every shape imaginable. In that case, go for it.



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Book: No One But You by Brenda Novak

No One But You by Brenda Novak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free digital copy of No One But You from the author for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

This is one of my few five star reads - no, not even Brenda Novak always gets five stars!

The characterization was wonderful, the pacing was perfect, and the ending was satisfying. An all-round good read! I enjoyed this one better than the first in the series. My connection to the characters was much stronger. I look forward to the next in the series.

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Book: Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak

Finding Our Forever by Brenda Novak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book from the author for the purposes of providing an honest review.

I loved the characters, the way none of them were perfect, and they were each imperfect in ways I could recognize and empathize with. The insight into the emotional struggles of an adoptee was illuminating.

I loved the way Cora's reticence to ask Elijah questions about his past actually worked to help him feel more able to share with him - she wasn't pushy, and he liked it. The progression of Cora and Eli's relationship was great, with realistic concerns on both sides.

The pace of the book was perfect, at least until the very end. At that point, once Cora's bio mom's "secret" was out, the push and pull of tell her, don't tell her was resolved much too quickly, and Cora knew exactly what to say to make everything magically okay.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a happily ever after, and the central HEA was satisfying, but the mother/daughter "HEA" came much too easily considering the circumstances, and though the romance was good, I was left feeling a little deflated by the mother/daughter relationship.

Nonetheless, it's a Novak, so definitely worth the read. I'm looking forward to getting to know the other characters and seeing their happily ever afters, particularly Darci. Novak does know how to create a believable small town inhabited by the most interesting and unique characters.



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Book: The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak

The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an e-copy of this book from the author for the purposes of providing a review.

The Secrets She Kept is a sequel to The Secret Sister. In this one, Josephine, a force of nature in her children's lives, is dead. Why? How?

Keith, who has been away for five years, getting and staying sober, making his own fortune, basically learning who he is without his family around, returns to the island to take care of the details. His sisters are more than capable, but he feels he needs closure, and wants to take care of things himself.

I loved that the siblings' relationship was a major part of the story. Roxanne was a "new" addition to the family in the prior book, and in this one, she's an established part of the family hierarchy. Maisey and Keith talk to her regularly.

There were mentions of Rafe and Maisey and their kids, and Roxanne's marriage has a fairly strong focus here, too. Along with that, of course, is the mystery (even if only in Keith's mind) of how Josephine died, who her new boyfriend was, and Keith re-establishing his friendship with Nancy.

The balance between all the elements was good, never leaving me feeling like anything was missing or getting short shrift. Though I enjoyed the first one, I think I might like this one a wee bit better.

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Book: The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing a review.

Wow. The Body Reader provides us a unique main character in Jude Fontaine. When she escapes from captivity, we have no idea who she is, and only an idea of how long she's been held. She gets across the city via cab to the first place she thinks of: the home she shared with her boyfriend. Her second choice is the police station, and she gets quite a welcome there.

The Body Reader takes us into the mind of a woman who's been abused and manipulated and terrorized, without going into the gory details. We know what happened, but we don't see it onscreen, as it were.

The Body Reader is a fast-paced thriller, full of twists and turns, and the surprises don't stop until the end. There are hints of sexual attraction, but not a whiff of romance, and the book is better for it. This one's intended to make you think, to examine one woman's path toward recovery, and it doesn't pull many punches.

On the other hand, a secondary character's name was Uriah, and I was more than halfway through the book before I stopped mentally adding Heep to his name. Guess I'm showing my age. lol

Even so, The Body Reader earned its five stars, a rarity for me, even for books I like. Kudos to Anne Frasier.



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Book: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was a slog for me. I started to get more interested toward the end, and the book just ended. I'm not sure if I want to interpret that last line as the woman finally croaking, or just another woman from her group coming over to get her for their meeting.

There were definitely moments, but for the most part, I did not find this book enjoyable. It was not funny. It was painful to watch the hateful way this family interacted with each other.

I couldn't identify with Alice at all, and being the matriarch, she pervaded the book. Reading her life story in bits and pieces was a train wreck, surrounded by the train wreck of her current existence.

It was well-written, and I found few, if any, mistakes, so I can't go lower than three stars, but I really can't recommend this book to anyone I like.



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Books: FBI Trilogy by Allison Brennan

I saw these at the local library, and since I'd enjoyed the Lucy Kincaid books so much, I decided to read these, too. These are set earlier than the Lucy series, and Lucy does not feature in them, to my recollection.

Sudden Death by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a helluva start to a trilogy.

The killer was amazingly smart, and had a personal stake in keeping Megan involved in the investigation.

It was great to watch the foundation being built for the family which will surround Lucy Kincaid. And I learned something new about acupuncture!

I did find about a dozen mistakes, and those always pull me out of the story.



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Fatal Secrets by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed the slow-burn in this one. The plot featured heavily, and though the romance was present, it wasn't the focus of the story, so the relationship progressed by a series of stages.

Xavier Jones isn't who anyone thinks he is, and finding this dude and taking him down take some serious footwork, cooperation, risks, and thinking outside the box.

Found this one at the local library.



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Cutting Edge by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one felt familiar almost from the beginning, so I must've read it in the last year or so, and hadn't marked it. It was worth reading again, though.

In this one, Nora survives an off-the-grid early life, finds a way to get out, and manages to take her little sister with her.

She and Duke, along with a sizable team, investigate the arson fire and death of a biotech guy, and find much more than they bargained for. By the time it's all done, Nora's got several surprises in store.

I enjoyed this one, and really liked getting to know Lucy's family, before Lucy is a real character.



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Books: Mythos Academy series by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep was on my wishlist, and though I didn't find the book I was looking for at the library, I did find Touch of Frost and decided to read it. I found all of these at a local library.

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not generally a big fan of first-person pov, but I'm finding this semi-clueless heroine sort of refreshing.



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Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fun twist on mythology. Egregious overuse of "that." Estep is a bit heavy-handed with the info-refreshers, and the main character regularly maims the English language, but I'm enjoying the series anyway.



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Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I am getting a bit weary of the heavy-handed recaps in each book, but the narrative is still keeping me interested. One of very few YA books/series I'm actually enjoying.



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Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The stakes went way up in this one! Gwen is growing, learning more about herself and her powers.

Huge challenges for her to face, resulting from previous actions.



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Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Midnight Frost was a wee bit predictable. I saw the villain coming the moment we met the person. I knew what would happen when Gwen met the Gryphons. There were a couple of surprises, and knowing what would happen didn't negatively impact my enjoyment of the book any.

I loved learning more about Gwen's extended family, and I look forward to seeing how what she's learned will impact her future actions.

I do enjoy Gwen reaping the fruits of being herself - she's a kind person at heart, and it shows in the way the supernatural world responds to her, Reapers notwithstanding.

Looking forward to Killer Frost.



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Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As an end to a series, it was pretty good. Gwen muddled along fighting the bad guys until the very end, and her blast of genius made a dramatic difference in the fight.

I'm still so very curious about many of the main characters, so I wish the author would post some shorts or snippets of post-series life on her website for fans to read.

I'll probably be looking for some more Estep to read fairly soon, and I hope her other YA books have the same style. I don't enjoy most YA, but her characters were complex and there was no dreaded love triangle.



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Books: Lucy Kincaid #7-10 by Allison Brennan

All of these books were from local public libraries.

Cold Snap by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cold Snap was fun. The first third of the book was about Lucy's brother Patrick, who had been sent to check on a friend of the family. Except for frequent mentions of the Kincaid name, I pretty much forgot I was supposed to be reading a Lucy Kincaid novel. I enjoyed Patrick and Elle's adventures. They're both compelling characters.

The middle third of the story was set at "home" for the Kincaids, where they'd all been planning to gather for a family Christmas.

A family emergency pushes the timetable forward, and stuff happens, as is wont to do with Lucy around, and almost the entire Kincaid clan is involved in one way or another.

The remainder of the book is wrapping up loose ends, catching a killer, gathering for Christmas, and a surprise visitor.

Anyway, unlike the book which "starred" Sean, I didn't feel a sense of missing something because Lucy wasn't front and center.

Cold Snap was a great addition to the Lucy Kincaid series.

This was one of my wishlist books, and I found it at the local library.



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Dead Heat by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dead Heat is the first of the series set in San Antonio.

So far, other than generic references to local places of interest, I haven't recognized anything. Didn't really expect to, though.

Parts of this one are a bit unbelievable. Lucy's been up before the OPR three times, twice as a recruit, and yet, she's still a special agent? I know Lucy's good, but someone somewhere's got to be pulling strings for her, and I'm left wondering about their intentions, and why no one else (character-wise) wonders.

I really liked Lucy spending so much time with Kane. He's a strong, silent type, and getting to know him through Lucy's eyes is fun. He's actually a nice guy, and I'm looking forward to learning more about him, and to him falling in love. Because, let's be real, this is a romantic suspense series. I think it's in the rule book. :D

Sean has made the adjustment to SA pretty well, and is digging in and networking. He's getting jobs, and because of one, he's only in part of the book. When he gets more involved, he's fairly peripheral, and Lucy works mostly with Kane, not with Sean. I like the division here - Lucy is a competent person and needs to remember that. Sean tends to take care of her a little too much.

Bottom line, I liked this one, and look forward to getting the next one.



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Best Laid Plans by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In this one, Lucy and Sean have some good moments, taking a little time for themselves and spending quality time with family.

Lucy struggles with inner demons relating to her ordeal when she was a teenager, and it wears on her, both at work and at home.

As the trial of Nicole Rollins approaches, everybody shifts into high gear to keep up with current cases and make sure Nicole goes to prison for a long time.

I'm giving this one a four, though bits of it dragged for me. It's a good enough addition to the series, and moves Sean and Lucy's relationship forward, too.



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No Good Deed by Allison Brennan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The stakes are raised in this one; so much more is riding on Lucy keeping her cool despite the pokes at her weak spots. The people being hunted know things about her they shouldn't, and Lucy has more than a few moments of doubt about herself and her future as an agent.

She's got interesting insights into the murder investigation and manhunt, and fights to have her opinions heard. On top of everything else, someone she works with just plain doesn't like her, and Lucy can't figure out how to handle that.

This was a great addition, and should be read right after #9, if at all possible, as it follows directly.



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Book: Anything For Her by Jack Jordan

Anything for Her by Jack Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received a free digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing a review.

I had a wee bit of trouble getting into this book; there were British terms I hadn't heard before.

By the time the author started revealing what happened That Night, I was more than ready to learn what ridiculous thing Brooke had done to mess up her life. It wasn't what I thought, was much more serious, and in the end, it was Louise's decisions I was disturbed by.

This is one of the few times I wish the book had ended with the climax. There wasn't much point to continuing, and I didn't really learn anything new about any of the characters.

Anything For Her just didn't work for me. It was well-written, though. Your mileage may vary.



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GIVEAWAY!! #EdgeofWild

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Book: Fiona's Fixer-Upper by Erika Aytuzi

Fiona's Fixer-Upper by Erika Aytuzi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a digital copy of Fiona's Fixer Upper from the author for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

Fiona's Fixer Upper is a sweet, sexy, fun, angsty tidbit of reading.

Fiona and Jake have been together a while, but then during one of their fights, she says something she can't take back. Her boyfriend takes her at her word and skedaddles. Fiona's completely baffled about why that one thing, of all the things she's said in their fights, is the thing he listened to.

Thing is, Fiona's house needs some TLC, and she keeps calling Jake to fix things.

I enjoyed the flirty bits between these two. Fiona seemed truly to not understand why Jake left, and Jake was equally clueless as to why she'd thrown him out. All it would take to fix things was a good conversation, but they were speaking different languages.

The resolution was good, with realistic give and take between the two characters.

The writing was good, and I'll be reading more of Aytuzi's work. It's not like I can forget her name, right? lol



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Serial: Loving Two Dragons by James Horton

I received a digital copy of all four parts of this serial via Romance ARCade for the purposes of providing reviews.

Part One
Our story starts with Jennifer and a job interview. She walks out of the building, and strange things start happening, and she wonders if she's losing her mind. When she's attacked in her own apartment, she's fairly certain she's lost it.

There's decent world-building here, even if it's a bit formulaic, and the story as a whole has promise. It's not bad, but could be better.

This is part one of a four-part serial, so it does leave an open ending, but I wouldn't necessarily call this one a cliffhanger. Yes, there's something unresolved, but if this were a short story, I probably wouldn't be sorry I read it.

There were plenty of mistakes, though, with misused words aplenty. At one point, Merlin breathed, and I was stumped. There's no Merlin in this story anywhere. Ooops. Mr. Horton needs an editor, and this entire story needs major comma surgery.

Part Two
In this portion of the serial, danger continues to plague Jennifer, and her first trip as Queen is marred by violence. Jennifer recovers her "past" memories more rapidly here, and they become much more detailed. When the time comes to plays damsel in distress, Jennifer opts to do some of her own saving. Kudos to her.

This segment also ends with a major plot point unresolved, and is closer to my definition of a cliffhanger than Part One.

Part Three
In this portion of the serial, Archer figures out where Logan and Jennifer are and sends in a recon team. Jennifer unlocks a major piece of her personal history, and both Logan and Archer end up bound by the Council.

Jennifer really steps into her role as Queen here, and continues to not be Too Stupid To Live. Go, Jennifer.

This segment also ends with a major plot point unresolved, but doesn't really fit my definition of a cliffhanger.

Part Four
In this portion of the serial, time passes with Jennifer holding down the fort admirably. She makes things happen, and gets her guys back.

All major plot points are resolved in this final segment.
There was a scene near the end, with Athene, which I thought was wasted. It went nowhere, and so could have just been cut from the story. Perhaps Mr. Horton was paving the way for more in this universe.
Overall
Throughout the four-part serial, the pages were plagued by missing commas and misused words. Worse, the sex was boring - too much use of euphemisms instead of just saying stuff right out. 


Though the story has promise, I am unlikely to look for more from this author. The poor editing and fairly predictable story are just not enough to get or keep me interested.

Book: A Mess of Reason by A. Wilding Wells

I received a digital copy of this book via Netgalley for the purposes of providing a review.

A Mess of Reason got off to a great start, storywise. Our two protagonists, Tess Harlow and Scout Steele, best friends since high school, are in love with each other. They just haven't bothered to tell each other. Ever. They've said "I love you" but never clarified it out loud. I am a hardcore friends-to-lovers fan, so this seemed tailor-made for my reading interests.

The foundation of their deep friendship was well laid. Once they started exploring their feelings for each other - still without actually say "I'm in love with you" to each other - the book takes a dive for me, though.

A bit past the halfway mark, I made a note that I was sick of the whole we can't/we won't/but I want to/we can't dance. Each character was being an asshole in his or her own way, and the inner monologues were just too much: hyperbolic stars and hearts and flowers and UGH. Even the dude. Just no.

Things come to a head soon after that when the day of the wedding actually comes. Stuff happens and Scout takes an angry Tess away. He's described as driving down the highway with her in his lap. I noped out at that point and couldn't recapture any connection to the story.

Tess kept wanting to get with Scout - have sex - but without sharing what her issue was. And I get it - it's a biggie - but gods, woman, he's your best frakking friend. I got so tired of her inner monologue about that.

Scout kept pushing Tess too hard, too fast, and setting boundaries they quickly ran right over with a bulldozer. He was bossy as all get-out, but no follow-through.

Tess overhears something and takes it completely out of context, but does she bother to actually talk to her "best friend" about what she heard? Of course not. Good cow, the communication issues in this relationship. They're only talking with their genitalia apparently, and their genitalia aren't fluent in plain English.

I noped out even harder when Scout ended up in the hospital after an accident and NO ONE BOTHERED TO TELL TESS. Um, what?

I finished reading it anyway, but A Mess of Reason wasn't a winner for me. By the end of it, I was just so frakking glad it was over, and I went to find my favorite f-to-l fanfic to fix the bad taste in my brain. Gah.

Aside from my issues with the story, there were numerous missing words - mostly articles, a few pronouns - frequently enough to keep pulling me out of the story. Sloppy editing on someone's part, detracting even further from my enjoyment of the book. I know those things don't matter for some people, but they do for me.

Your mileage may vary, obviously.

Book: Calling Me by Louise Bay

I received a digital ARC copy via Netgalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.

Ashleigh and Luke have been friends for a long time - he's her best friend's brother. For much of that time, Ash has been in love with Luke, while Luke has never shown more than friendly interest in Ashleigh. From her perspective, he's a lost cause, and she's made an effort to date other men, even feeling like anyone else will be settling for second best.

Then Luke's longtime live-in girlfriend starts talking marriage and children. He thinks maybe there's something wrong with him, because the very idea gives him the heeby-jeebies. He's never even taken her to Sunday dinner at his sister's, for crying out loud. It doesn't take Luke long to realize he doesn't feel the same way his girlfriend does, and he breaks it off, starts spending more time with his sister and Asleigh.

Luke fairly quickly cottons to the fact that he actually *enjoys* spending time with Ashleigh, and the idea of marrying her doesn't make him want to run screaming from the planet. It takes a LOT more to convince Ashleigh Luke's sudden-seeming turnaround is for real.

The move from friends to lovers is satisfyingly slow, and even after they've become lovers, Ash and Luke's core relationship remains solid - their affectionate bickering and sarcastic sniping keep right on going, and they continue to have fun with each other.

This book is the second in a series - the first one being Luke's sister's story. The base relationships, though, were easy enough to get into, and I didn't feel like I missed anything by not having read that one first.

Calling Me was a hit for me, an unexpected one, and I'll definitely be checking out Louise Bay's future works. And finding that first book. :)

Book: You're Not Broken by Gemma Hart

You're Not Broken by Gemma Hart

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I received a digital ARC of You're Not Broken via Hidden Gems for the purposes of providing an objective review.

Friends to lovers or second chance romances are my romance trope catnip, and You're Not Broken was a bit of both, with more emphasis on second chances than on friends to lovers.

Kat and Jason meet one night in her uncle's diner, she senses his loneliness, and spends a little time with him after her shift is over. It's the first and last time she sees him, for over two years - he's deployed overseas. They write at first, then his letters stop, and Kat grieves for a while, then decides she needs to just get over him and move on. She's got too much crap to do to waste any more time on this guy.

Her family life is rife with tragedy throughout the book; she's a big sister holding the family together almost by sheer will, and her stubbornness comes in handy while Jason's gone.

No word from Jason for over two years and she runs into him again in a most unexpected place. She's cold and dismissive with him, not without reason. Jason's pretty determined to make some sort of amends, though, and he keeps showing up.

So far, despite the poor editing and numerous grammatical errors, I'm enjoying the story. Hart has me hooked, even if I am reading with a mental red pen in hand. Oy vey.

Then, the sex happens. It's a romance, so sex is gonna happen. I like a good raunchy sex scene. Well, frankly, I LOVE a good raunchy sex scene. But the section with the sex in it is decidedly different from the rest of the book, almost as if two different people wrote the disparate segments. It's also out of character for both the heroine and hero - in this case, the language changed, with the descriptions getting coarser and the characters going from zero to sixty in one weird scene.

When I read the first bit of it, my first thought was, "In the diner? With all the frakking windows? No way would she do it there. No way would he subject her to the potential humiliation of being seen. And what happened to all his objections? They're just magically swept away?" I still have a really hard time believing these two did the deed in full view of anyone who might have been outside. On top of the difference in writing, that took me out of the story entirely. Their first time deserved a little more thought put into it.

My favorite line was one which truly resonated with me: "If anything, I feel more useless and inept the older I get. I think it's because I keep comparing myself to who I thought I would be by now." For much of my adult life, this was a core part of my consciousness - comparing myself to the myself I thought I'd be and coming up way short. I get Kat, in that way at least.

Final evaluation: Good story. Promising writer. I'll be watching Gemma Hart in the future. With the help of a good editor or at least a proofreader, she has the potential to be great.



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Book: A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the way this relationship started as strictly friends, even if it didn't stay that way long.

Lourdes was holding on a little too tight to a man she wasn't even sure she loved anymore, Kyle was still bent up about Olivia, and Kyle's ex-wife was...well, I'd have had a restraining order out on her by now. Kyle's continued attachment to Olivia was becoming a little too much. It seemed like enough time had passed that he should have made himself move on by the time of this book.

Though this installment was ostensibly Lourdes and Kyle's story, a great deal of book real estate was given over to other members of the Whiskey Creek gang. I enjoyed seeing them again, especially the bits and pieces of wedding planning, but I also felt the L/K story was a little shortchanged - not enough focus on the development of their relationship.

Lourdes' interactions with people other than Kyle were entertaining, especially as she was so adamant about wanting to keep to herself while she was in town. She ended up being pretty much outed, and she took it all with grace and poise.

Bottom line, I enjoyed another visit to Whiskey Creek, and the romance was satisfying, making this one a thumbs up.

Book: Secret Sister by Brenda Novak

I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble getting into Secret Sister. I kept putting it down and not wanting to pick it back up. Finally, I made myself finish it, because I knew I needed to review it, and I'm glad I did. It got better.

Before I get started with the review, I did notice one big mistake: "she hawked her wedding ring," which should be "hocked," of course. Though the words are both related to selling, they do not mean the same thing.

Okay, so Maisey is in a really down place after losing her child and getting divorced. She's not raw anymore over her marriage, but she's still really broken up about losing her child, and having a lot of trouble coping with the loss her her creativity in the wake of her daughter's death. At the same time, she believes her brother needs her badly, and she chooses to go home, hoping they can each prop the other up and recover with each other's help.

It doesn't turn out that way, as her brother is much deeper than he'd been letting on, and he goes off on a tangent fairly soon after her arrival. Maisey adjusts, carving out a place to live - not in her mother's house - and a job, and goes about the business of recovering her sanity/emotional well-being.

Maisey's mother, Josephine, is a cold fish. Appearances are everything to her, and she uses that to abuse her kids and condescend to nearly everyone. She's really not a nice woman, or so she goes to a lot of trouble to seem.

Over the course of the book, Maisey learns new things about her father, about her brother, and learns that they *might* have had an older sister, once upon a time. The quest for the truth about this possibility is the focus of the remainder of the book. The mystery unravels in bits and pieces, as Maisey finds out many people still talk about her sister, just not to her family. There's never been a question she existed, but there has always been a mystery about what happened to her. The last anyone saw her, she was about ten. She has been assumed drowned off the family's private beach. The big mystery is "who pushed her?" not "what happened?"

Along with the mystery of her family, Maisey meets up with the contractor responsible for repairing hurricane damage to the family's rental bungalows, Rafe. Turns out, she's met him before, and it wasn't an interaction she particularly wants to revisit - it was an embarrassing piece of her teenage past, and she goes forward on the assumption he hasn't changed in twenty years.

Of course, he has. Substantially, and Maisey can't help noticing he's become a man who shoulders responsibility with ease and is genuinely kind to people on the island. He and Maisey become friendlier with the focused assistance of Rafe's daughter, Laney, and Rafe's mother, though the romance is very low key.

Maisey continues to struggle with learning about a sister she doesn't remember, an ex-husband who seems intent on reclaiming lost ground, and the man who keeps offering her friendship - and more - without asking much of her.

I love the way this story was resolved, the way it brought a family to new understandings about themselves and each other, and I'm glad I made myself continue to read it, despite its slow start.

Book: Kindle Worlds (The 100) Blood Bound by Linnea Lund

Full Disclosure: Though I have never met LL, I do know her fairly well through fandom. I am an alpha or beta reader on most of her original fiction books, and have edited many of them. This was not one of those.

I finished binge-watching the first two seasons of The 100 recently, and wanted something more about the characters, just in case the show doesn't return. What is available on AO3 wasn't really satisfying my need to learn more about the characters. I had read and enjoyed a couple of Lund's The 100 works on AO3, before I knew this was a pseudonym for someone I knew.

Lund's characterization of Clarke in Blood Bound is wonderfully in line with the canon portrayal, and Clarke's personal growth over the course of the story is perfectly ordinary, and yet unexpected at the same time.

The book picks up with Clarke when she walks away from the compound at the end of season two.

When Clarke and Bellamy finally see each other again, it's real, not perfect, and their reunion isn't the end of the book. There's so much more to their story, and the slow, steady pace of their romantic relationship is by turns frustrating and delightful.

By the end, Clarke and Bellamy are the adults I always knew they could be, and I believe they can take Earth's inhabitants into the future with their sensible leadership and ability to negotiate.

In addition to Clarke and Bellamy, Lund weaves in canon and non-canon characters I didn't expect, and takes them all in directions I would never have considered.

None of them get out of this free of the grief of losing people they love, but they do walk out into the figurative sunshine at least planning for the future. The hopeful ending is hard-won and worth every moment of reading.

All that said, there were a LOT of mistakes, making me wish I HAD edited the book. I love her work, but she doesn't get an auto-pass on editing just because I know her.