Carries Book Reviews

No Turning Back by Tracy Buchanan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna Graves is a new mother who has just returned to her job as a radio personality and has a hard time not worrying about her child safety especially while returning to work. Unfortunately for Anna the unthinkable does happen to her when out on a walk with her baby, approached by some young teen boys Anna fears for their safety and pulls out a weapon to have things escalate into the unthinkable, a young boy’s death at Anna’s hands.

The police believe Anna’s story of self defense and let her go but her troubles have just begun when it comes to public opinion. Being responsible for the death of a young boy haunts Anna at every turn with the media not letting the story go. Then Anna receives a chilling message from someone calling themselves the Ophelia Killer, a serial killer that had tormented the town twenty years before.

No Turning back by Tracy Buchanan was a thriller read that for me had it’s ups and downs while reading. Starting off the author gave the impression early that Anna was an overprotective worrier when it came to her child so I was expecting the attack to happen but had to read through it twice trying to figure out what set Anna to be so defensive. I guess I just didn’t see it as completely realistic to make the jump to what had happened while reading through that scene.

As the story goes on I found once you get into the serial killer portion it became a little different than the beginning had been. I wasn’t quite sure how it would all tie together though so I was still a little hesitant on whether I’d end up liking the book at all but the book did pick up for me in the latter stages. I did appreciate the ending being different than other ends of thrillers in I’d never would have thought of putting it all together so it ended up being an OK read for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher.

Dear Banjo
Sasha Wasley
Published by: Penguin Random House
Publication date: May 29th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

They were best friends who were never meant to fall in love – but for one of them, it was already way too late.

Willow ‘Banjo’ Paterson and Tom Forrest were raised on neighbouring cattle stations in the heart of the Kimberley. As young adults, sharing the same life dreams, something came between them that Willow cannot forget. Now ten years have passed since she’s even spoken to Tom.

When her father falls ill, Willow is called home to take over the running of the family property, Paterson Downs. Her vision for a sustainable, organic cattle station is proving hard to achieve. She needs Tom’s help, but is it too late, and all too complicated, to make amends?

Tom’s heartfelt, decade-old letters remain unopened and unmentioned between them, and Willow must find the courage to finally read them. Their tattered pages reveal a love story like no other – and one you’ll never forget.

Dear Banjo is a wildly romantic and utterly captivating story about first love and second chances from an exciting new Australian author.

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EXCERPT:

Somehow she managed to pack up the entire apartment overnight. On the way to the airport the next morning, Willow got the taxi driver to drop in at Tanya’s place. Her

friend was still in her pyjamas when Willow gave her the keys to her apartment and a couple of hundred dollars. Tanya tried to refuse the money but Willow pushed it into her hand.

‘No, Tan, I’ve booked professional cleaners and I need you to pay them for me. Keep whatever’s left over as a thanks. And could you possibly go in and get rid of the boxes I’ve left behind? You can have anything from them or just donate it all to charity. And then if you could just drop the keys off to the real estate agent, I’ll be grateful forever.’

Tanya nodded and her eyes went a little glassy. ‘You’re really going, aren’t you? For good, I mean.’

‘Yeah. Going home at last. I can’t believe I stayed in the city this long.’

Tears spilled down Tanya’s cheeks. ‘I’m going to miss you.’

‘Oh, Tan. You should come visit.’ Willow hugged her. ‘I’ll stay in touch.’

‘It’s not the same,’ Tanya sobbed.

‘I’ll call you in a couple of days, okay?’

Tanya nodded and gave her another tearful hug before letting Willow leave.

Jeez, Willow thought as she ran back to the taxi. Shows of emotion had never been her thing. Okay, she was moving a couple of thousand kilometres away, and she’d miss seeing Tanya at work, but surely it wasn’t worth crying over.

A memory of her sessions with a psychologist surfaced. Willow, you tend to hold people at arm’s length. Why don’t you try letting people in a little more? Willow snapped her attention back to the present, logging into the power company’s website on her phone to cancel her account.

She checked in for her flight and paid an exorbitant amount for her excess baggage before watching it glide away on the conveyer belt – the sum total of her adult life in two large suitcases. No, she remembered. 3700 square kilometres, 6500 head of cattle, a groundbreaking, humane, organic beef operation. That would be the sum total of her adult life.

She settled into her seat and thanked the heavens she’d been placed next to a young fly-in-fly-out type, probably contracted to the Herne River catchment project. He was already plugged into his tablet and watching a show involving zombies, so she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone during the flight. She wanted to write a to-do list. As soon as they were in the air she reached into her bag for a notepad and her hand met something unfamiliar. Not her notepad.

Tom’s letters.

Willow considered them, her heart rate bumping up all over again. Wouldn’t it almost be an invasion of Tom’s privacy to read them now, so long after he’d intended her to? Maybe those sleeping dogs should just be left to lie?

Yes, she would bin them all – drop them into the roving rubbish bag the next time the steward came around.

But she would be living next door to the Forrests again once she got home. By now, Tom would soon be taking over Quintilla, just as she was about to do with Paterson Downs. Their families were as close as ever. She’d need to resume some kind of relationship with Tom Forrest, no matter how difficult the initial patching up phase would be.

Maybe she could use this three-hour flight from Perth to Mount Clair to read all of Tom’s letters at last. She hadn’t even given the poor guy a chance after looking at the first couple. She’d been so absorbed in her own pain; grappling with the panic she felt every time she thought about what he’d done. Perhaps there had been an apology in one of those letters – an apology she should have acknowledged by now. A retraction of that awful moment when he’d said those words . . .

Tom’s handwriting was scrawled across the front of the topmost envelope – always familiar, no matter how long it had been. Willow took a shaky breath. Seven-thirty in the morning was a little early for a stiff drink, so she requested a coffee and pulled out the first two letters; the ones she’d opened and read ten years earlier.

Dear Banjo,

Happy New Year. I guess you’re settled in at the student hall by now. You sure went early. The other kids who got in aren’t leaving until February. I don’t know where you’re staying so I asked Beth to send this on to you. You might have heard I’m probably not going to take up my offer of a place at uni. I’m thinking I’ll defer my course – for now, anyway. Dad’s not fazed. He won’t have to hire extra help this way, not to mention the savings on the tuition fees. Mum’s not overly happy but I keep telling her it’s only for the year. She asks a lot of questions. Not really sure what else to say to you, Banjo. It’s weird without you. Whenever I’m on the quad I turn towards Patersons before I remember you’re not there any more. I keep thinking I’ll see you at the eastern gate, sitting on Rusty, ready for a fenceline race. You knew I’d always beat you but you’d have a go anyway. So, yep. Really weird. You’ve always just been there. I guess it doesn’t quite compute yet. Take care of yourself in the big city, okay?

Tom

P.S. We should probably try to sort this mess out.

Author Bio:

Sasha Wasley was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia.

She has completed a PhD in cultural theory and loves nature, Jane Austen and puns.

Sasha is a farming wannabe, with a passion for animals and the land. Although she’s in her forties now, she still wants a pony.

Her debut novel, a young adult paranormal, was published in 2014. Today, she lives and writes in the Swan Valley wine region with her partner and two daughters, surrounded by dogs, cats and chickens.

Sasha writes mystery, paranormal and young adult novels as S.D. Wasley.

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Smoke and Mirrors
Susan Harris
(The Ever Chace Chronicles, #3)
Published by: Crimson Tree Publishing
Publication date: May 29th 2017
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Ever Chace is a Valkyrie, but not just any Valkyrie—she’s a Valkyrie queen in the making.

Torn between the past and present, love and obligation, Ever is terrified of saying the words that would break the curse she is bound to. Pushing Derek away hasn’t simplified things; it has only made her miserable. With her father waking, and her and Derek’s lives on the line, can she really shy away from who and what she is becoming? How long can Ever keep her past lives a secret?

Pushing thoughts of his mate aside, Derek tries to focus on the task at hand—tracking down a monster that leaves nothing but a husk behind. But Ever is never truly off his mind, even as two of his own become targets of the unsub. Can he set his personal distractions aside to keep his team alive?

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EXCERPT:

Caitlyn bade Derek farewell and left him staring out at the stars. Making her way outside, she inhaled the night air, tasting the frost in the air before it quickly evaporated, her lungs no longer functional. Her heels clicked against the concrete as she hurried towards her car, the sound of her name being called as she reached the car hasting her movement.

“You heading home?”

Donnie had sensed when she’d left the station and would, of course, make sure she was alright before he continued on with his duties.

“I am. Are you staying here for a while?”

Folding his arms across his chest, Donnie tilted his head and narrowed his gaze. “Yeah, I have one or two leads to follow up before I head out. I should get home just after sunrise.”

“Okay, I shall see you then.” Caitlyn turned around as she heard Donnie swear. A hand on her waist caused her to pause, and she turned back to face him.

He never spoke, never made a sound, but the look in his eyes told her exactly what was about to happen. Donnie crushed his lips to hers, pushing her back against the car so that she was trapped between the metal and his overwhelming mass, ensuring that she could not escape.

It was not a gentle kiss, but a claiming of sorts—a strong, bruising meeting of lips that told Caitlyn that Donnie was done waiting and intended to take what he considered his. He nipped her bottom lip, drawing blood, the copper taste mingling with Donnie’s own unique taste. He gave a little groan, and with a little more pressure on her lips, Caitlyn opened up as Donnie tasted, sucked on, and devoured her mouth. And when Caitlyn felt her control slip, eager to succumb to the passion that this man excited from her, Donnie pulled back, finally allowing her space.

“I had to do that. I needed you to know what my intentions are, Cait. I don’t care who claims you are theirs; you are mine, and I plan to seduce you into agreeing with me. I’m the only man you need worry about, Caitlyn Hardi. Because I am yours—now, forever, and always.”

Author Bio:

Susan Harris is a writer from Cork in Ireland.

An avid reader, she quickly grew to love books in the supernatural/fantasy and Dystopian genre. She writes books for young adults and adults alike.

When she is not writing or reading, she loves music, oriental cultures, tattoos, creepy snow globes, DC shoes, stationary, anything Disney, Marvel movies, psychology and far too many TV shows. If she wasn’t a writer, she would love to be a FBI profiler or a PA for Dave Grohl or Jared Leto.

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Dark Illusions
D.D. Miers
(The Relic Keeper, #2)
Publication date: June 20th 2017
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

They say a war is brewing in the unseen world—and I’m the only one who can stop it.

Eight weeks ago, a woman sacrificed herself for me. She believed with such certainty I would save this world, she used the last of her powers to protect me. But not everyone shares her conviction. The Council has turned to less than savory methods to force out my magic, and as nightmarish visions fill my head, I’m no longer sure I can trust myself.

Attacks from the Necros grow bolder every day. To keep me hidden, the fiercely irresistible sorcerer at my side will take me to his underworld; a place no sane person would dare to follow. But the whispers stalk me everywhere…hunting me, wanting me. And the more I run, the more I realize that safety may be just another dark illusion.

Readers who like The Twenty-Sided Sorceress, The Elemental Series, and The Baine Chronicles will fall in love with Miers’ paranormal universe, and those fighting to defend it.

 

Book 2 in the captivating urban fantasy series filled with twists and gripped by a complicated, butterfly-inducing romance. Fans of Shannon Mayer, Ella Summers, Dannika Dark and Rebecca Hamilton will love this series!

Praise for Book One – Dark Summoner

“Mesmerizing. . .had me completely under its spell.”

“Danger, excitement, passion, and turmoil.”

“An exceptional story full of rich characters.”

“This story has one biting her nails and sitting on the edge of her seat while eagerly turning every single page.”

*** FIRST PLACE WINNER *** 2015 International Digital Awards – Paranormal Romance

***Nerdy Girl Book Reviews*** HOT READS FEATURE, RomCon Magazine August 2015 Edition

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Author Bio:

D.D. Miers is an ardent book lover, coffee enthusiast, and die-hard romance fan. When she’s not writing, she can be found snuggling on the couch with a good book in hand, planning a Harry Potter themed party, or dancing very badly to music. She currently resides in beautiful Southern California with her wonderful husband, a crazy toddler, and the many different characters in her head.

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True Hero
Susan Owensby
Publication date: May 23rd 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Ally

On the run, with no one to turn to,

I’m doing all I can to stay alive, protect myself, and my little boy.

I left everything behind, determined to start over and give my child a normal life.

I have rules. Rules I have to follow. Rules that keep me alive.

1. Keep my head down.

2. Keep life simple.

3. Trust no one.

That definitely includes retired Navy Seal Jonah Bradford. He’s completely off limits.

It doesn’t matter if he wakes up the woman inside of me.

I can’t be that woman anymore. No matter how much he makes me wish I could.

Jonah

Giving up my career to run the family business wasn’t an easy decision. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.

Yet, I’ve adjusted. I like my life, but something is missing.

One look at the freckle-faced beauty working at the local diner and I know exactly what it is.

But, I’m alive today by following my instincts and everything about Ally is setting off alarm bells that scream she’s trouble.

I don’t care. I want her.

The problem is she won’t give me the time of day.

That’s okay. I like a challenge.

I just have to uncover all of her secrets and end the fear that keeps shining in her eyes.

Operation Ally is underway.

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Author Bio:

Susan Owensby, a mother of six, lives in the Midwest along with her husband, a retired Army Veteran. An avid romance reader for years, Susan is happy to share stories that have been floating in her head for years with her readers. In her spare time when she is not writing or doing graphic design, she loves reading, of course, listening to her favorite music, and spending time with her family. Be sure to follow Susan so you don’t miss out on her latest news

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