Carries Book Reviews

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Baked
Isobel Reed
(Love Burns Series, #3)
Publication date: January 21st 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When danger comes to the small town of Woodvalley Pines, Hunter vows to become the protector of local bakery owner, Rachel. But when things heat up, can this firefighter handle the burn?

Rachel was finally happy. She had a place to call home, amazing friends, and a successful bakery. Then her past found her. Now Hunter Campbell was in her kitchen, acting like a caveman. After months of only grunting at her, one little incident, and he has the audacity to tell her she’s not allowed out without him. She couldn’t decide what terrified her more about her new bodyguard – the giant hulk scaring off her customers, or the fire in her belly that made her heart race every time he was near.

Local firefighter Hunter was a man of few words. But if ever there was a time to talk, it was now. Rachel was in danger and there was no way he was going to let anything happen to his stubborn little fairy. It didn’t matter that he’d spent months keeping his distance. Or that she had the power to shatter his heart and then stab him to death with the shards. This was happening. She could bang as many baking pans as she liked. He wasn’t going anywhere. She was stuck with him.

Fighting fires was nothing new to Rachel or Hunter, but surrendering to the heat of the flames was a battle neither of them were prepared for.

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Author Bio:

Isobel was born and raised in London. She still lives along the River Thames with her husband and her substantial book collection. Ever the hopeless romantic, she fell in love with the genre from a young age and was inspired to write her own stories. When she’s not feasting on romantic comedies or binge reading her hoard of contemporary romance novels, Isobel is writing.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Bookbub / Instagram / TikTok

 

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**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Stalking Around the Christmas Tree

Author:  Jacqueline Frost

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books 

Publication Date: October 17, 2023

Page Count:  282

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Tis the season to solve a murder—and innkeeper Holly White knows she’ll have to make her list and check it twice if she wants to catch the killer in the 4th Christmas Tree Farm mystery from bestselling author Jacqueline Frost.

For inn keeper Holly White, Christmas time in Mistletoe, Maine, is the ultimate holiday gift. Business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming, her wedding to Sheriff Evan Gray is nearly here, and the annual parade is about to begin. The town is lucky to have another gift this year, with the state’s ballet company staying for several performances of The Nutcracker. But disaster strikes when Tiffany, the lead ballerina, shows up dead on a float during the parade, the Rat King’s mask nearby. Holly will have to spruce up her sleuthing skills if she wants to catch the killer before Christmas—and her wedding day.

Immediately, Holly discovers that Tiffany had more than a few secrets. She finds out that the star of the show had a super fan that no one knows anything about. And the show’s understudy slips some other intriguing information Holly’s way: not only was Tiffany secretly seeing someone romantically, but there seems to be more than one rat in this company. When Holly discovers a secret passage leading to Tiffany’s dressing room, with footprints leading out; she wonders if this is evidence of a secret lover—or a stalking killer.

With an impending snowstorm and the ballet company on the way out of town, Holly must act quickly if she wants to find the person responsible for this terrible murder. Will she be able to save Christmas—or will her investigation turn cold like the weather?

Stalking Around the Christmas Tree by Jacqueline Frost is the fourth book of the cozy A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series. Just like most cozy mystery series each book of the A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series has it’s own mystery to be solved within so they can be understood as a standalone or read in any order if choosing to do so. However, there is some character development that is carried over from book to book for those that read the series from the beginning.

In the first book of the series Holly White had returned back home to her parents Christmas Tree farm in Mistletoe, Maine after her fiance had broken up with her two weeks before their wedding. After jumping in and helping her parents to take her mind off of her troubles Holly had begun to feel at home again and decided to stay in Mistletoe, Maine getting involved int he family business, Reindeer Games Christmas Tree Farm by opening up a festive bed and breakfast.

Holly is now really settled into her life in Mistletoe and business at the Reindeer Games Inn is booming and Holly’s relationship with Sheriff Evan Gray is also heading to the next level with their upcoming wedding. Now though things are festive all around in Mistletoe with the annual parade taking place but things take a horrible turn when the lead ballerina in The Nutcracker is found murdered upon one of the parade floats. Holly can’t help but try to help solve the murder and bring peace and joy back to Mistletoe once again.

The A Christmas Tree Farm Mystery series is another cozy series that I have been following since the very beginning and enjoy returning to each year. Being one that like to cross over genres I could help but be intrigued in a Christmas cozy series to mix in with my Christmas romance reads. This one is right up my alley with quirky characters and a lovely setting and as always I found another fun mystery in this third edition of the series. Definitely one I’d like to come back to again and again.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Jacqueline Frost is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Jacqueline is a member of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) and Sisters in Crime (SinC).

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Merry Christmas everyone! Just a couple of new additions to share this week as we all begin to celebrate the holiday. 🙂

As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**

New additions from Netgalley Nov 30th  – Dec 22nd

For fans of Jordan Peele’s films, Stranger Things, and The Other Black Girl, Listen To Your Sister is a laugh-out-loud, deeply terrifying, and big-hearted speculative horror novel from electrifying debut talent Neena Viel.

Twenty-five year old Calla Williams is struggling since becoming guardian to her brother, Jamie. Calla is overwhelmed and tired of being the one who makes sacrifices to keep the family together. Jamie, full of good-natured sixteen-year-old recklessness, is usually off fighting for what matters to him or getting into mischief, often at the same time. Dre, their brother, promised he would help raise Jamie–but now the ink is dry on the paperwork and in classic middle-child fashion, he’s off doing his own thing. And through it all, The Nightmare never stops haunting Calla: recurring images of her brothers dying that she is powerless to stop.

When Jamie’s actions at a protest spiral out of control, the siblings must go on the run. Taking refuge in a remote cabin that looks like it belongs on a slasher movie poster rather than an AirBNB, the siblings now face a new threat where their lives–and reality–hang in the balance. Their sister always warned them about her nightmares. They really should have listened.

One of the most anticipated books of the year, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, a glimmering novel set in the world of pop music about sisters, motherhood, young love, and the dreams we chase.

Sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were born just a year apart but could not have been more different. Zoe, blessed with charm and beauty, yearned for fame from the moment she could sing into a hairbrush. Cassie was a musical prodigy who never felt at home in her own skin and preferred the safety of the shadows.

On the brink of adulthood in the early 2000s, destiny intervened, catapulting the sisters into the spotlight as the pop sensation the Griffin Sisters, hitting all the touchstones of early aughts fame—SNL, MTV, Rolling Stone magazine—along the way.

But after a whirlwind year in the public eye, the band abruptly broke up.

Two decades later, Zoe’s a housewife; Cassie’s off the grid. The sisters aren’t speaking, and the real reason for the Griffin Sisters’ breakup is still a mystery. Zoe’s teenage daughter, Cherry, who’s determined to be a star in spite of Zoe’s warnings, is on a quest to learn the truth about what happened to the band all those years ago.

As secrets emerge, all three women must face the consequences of their choices: the ones they made and the ones the music industry made for them. Can they forgive each other—and themselves? And will the Griffin Sisters ever make music again?

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Brian and Mina’s Holiday Hits
Kitty Thomas
Publication date: December 18th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Dark Romance, Romance

“Be honest with me, Brian. Are we going on a cross-country killing spree?”

“I’d hardly call it a spree.”

Brian Sloane is a pure psychopathic monster… to everyone but Mina.

She was looking for a good man to scratch a particular itch but instead ended up bought by the violent enforcer of a submissive training house.

Against all odds, the villain became her hero. She was the light to his dark until the lights went out, and the darkness inside her came out to play.

Now they’re both killers, chasing the blood lust, running toward their demons, each hit job more dangerous than the last. From a twisted Easter hunt, to an explosive Fourth of July, from a deadly masquerade ball, to an even deadlier Krampus run, culminating in the Do or Die Valentine’s Day Kill that will either seal their doom or their happily ever after.

Do killers even deserve a happy ending?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

It’s after dark when we arrive at the Windsor Estate. The heavily guarded iron gate extends around Drake Windsor’s massive property which seems to go on for miles. I grip Brian’s arm and lean in to whisper in his ear as we walk along the well-lit path up to the front door.

“What about weapons?” I whisper.

“No weapons,” he says. “They’ll pat us down and send us all through a metal detector inside.”

“Then how in the f**k are we going to do this? Are you planning to kill him with your bare hands?”

Brian shrugs. “I could. He’s too refined to get his own hands dirty. He’s old money.”

“What does he do? Besides hiring assassins to kill all his enemies.” You’d think Brian would have listed this man’s profession on the murder wall.

“Oil magnate.”

“Is that even still a thing?”

“Apparently,” he says.

“I thought you’d tell me he was in the tech industry.”

Brian laughs. “I said old money.”

“Fossil fuel. Checks out.” Dinosaurs are for sure old.

I stop talking as we get closer to the house. It’s so big, even the word mansion doesn’t quite cover it. The security detail are all big burly guys wearing suits and electronic ear pieces. They give us both a once over, their eyes staying on me a bit longer than is actually necessary.

The first one pats Brian down, and then goes for me, but Brian closes a tight grip over the man’s wrist.

His voice is low and calm when he speaks. “Elvin, I swear to every power living and dead that if you touch her, you will not survive to see your daughter’s first Christmas.”

The guard swallows hard. “I have orders…”

“You have metal detectors. You and I both know that’s the real security. This pat down business is just security theater—a display of Windsor’s power and nothing more. You think about whether it’s worth your life to participate in this charade.”

He nods. “Go on in, Mr. Sloan.” Then he nods at me, “Ma’am.”

 

Author Bio:

KITTY THOMAS writes dark stories that play with power and have unconventional HEAs. She began publishing in early 2010 with her bestselling COMFORT FOOD and is considered one of the original authors of the dark romance subgenre.

To find out FIRST when a new book comes out, subscribe to Kitty’s New Release List: KITTYTHOMAS.COM

Website / Goodreads / X / Bookbub / Instagram

 

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Title: The Holiday Cottage

Author:  Sarah Morgan

Publisher: Canary Street Press 

Publication Date: Sept 24, 2024

Page Count:  361

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

From USA TODAY bestselling author of The Book Club Hotel, Sarah Morgan returns with a heartfelt story of friendship, finding yourself, and the surprising ties that bring us together. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Jennifer Weiner.

To the outside world, Imogen is a marketing dynamo. Her colleagues don’t know that while her high-achieving professional image is real, the happy childhood stories she spins are as fake as her pretend enthusiasm for Christmas. Working 24/7 has always been her solution to surviving the festive season—until burnout leads to a catastrophic blunder.

Suddenly, Imogen is handed a holiday gift she definitely doesn’t want: enforced time off work to recuperate. Then an invitation arrives from her favorite client, Dorothy, to stay at her guest cottage in the Cotswolds. From the thatched roof to the cozy open fireplace, Holly Cottage is a picture-perfect haven… Can it provide the fresh start Imogen so desperately needs?

For Dorothy, helping Imogen offers a longed-for chance to make reparations for her own past. But as her daughter Sara keeps reminding her, it brings risks, too. Yet Dorothy knows that only a leap of courage will allow her family to grow and heal. And perhaps this Christmas, with Dorothy’s help, the new life that Imogen is slowly piecing together could be better than anything either of them could imagine…

The Holiday Cottage by Sarah Morgan is a contemporary romance novel that is set of course during the holiday season. The story in The Holiday Cottage not only has a romance at it’s core but dives into family dynamics and character growth along the way.

Imogen is hard working and independent feeling that she never had a choice but to become what she is to survive. As Imogen looks around at her colleagues she tries to mold herself into what she thinks they expect her to be with her own background being far removed from the family life all around her.

As work and family come crashing down around her leading up to the Christmas season though Imogen needs to take a step back from the busy schedule she’s been keeping. When offered the chance to spend Christmas in the Cotswolds Imogen never expects to find a whole new world she fits into so well.

I’ve read quite a few books from author Sarah Morgan in the past so I knew going into this one I’d find quality writing and an emotional story to dive into and I wasn’t wrong in that regard in the least. The setting of course was lovely with a cozy Christmas feel and I really enjoyed getting to know the main character with her external toughness melting into an emotional attachment along the way. I was happy with the slow building nature of the romance as family situations were sorted too. All in all another great read from this author I will surely return to in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes lively, sexy contemporary stories for Harlequin.
Romantic Times has described her as ‘a magician with words’ and nominated her books for their Reviewer’s Choice Awards and their ‘Top Pick’ slot. In 2012 Sarah received the prestigious RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America. She lives near London with her family. Find out more at http://www.sararahmorgan.co