Carries Book Reviews

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Title: Not Your Crush’s Cauldron

Author:  April Asher

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: Feb 13, 2024

Page Count:  331

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Crush’s Cauldron, a buttoned-up witch takes a stroll on the wildish side, sparking an alert that lands her a familiar Guardian Angel.

Olive Maxwell much prefers teaching about the Supernatural world to taking part in it and leaves the magical shenanigans to her two sisters. After assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive realizes she’s never once stepped a toe out of her own . . . and it’s about time that changed. Her first trip into the unknown? Moving in with her longtime crush and friend . . . tattooed, motorcycle-riding, and pleasantly pierced Baxter Donovan.

Bax Donovan, Guardian Angel not-so-extraordinaire, has acquired so many black marks on his record it looks like a Scantron test. He’s been given one last chance to keep his Guardian wings—a high-profile Assignment he knows all too well. Olive is usually as low-risk as it gets. Hell, she wrote the safety manual. But something landed her on the Guardian Angel Affairs radar, and he guesses it has something to do with the heart-pounding stunts she’s determined to check off her Dare I Docket list.

Keeping Olive out of trouble is about to be his toughest Assignment. He’s at real risk of shattering the only Guardian Angel code of conduct rule he’s yet to break: Don’t fall in love with your Assignment. And he isn’t so sure that’s a bad thing.

If love doesn’t play by the rules, why should they?

Not Your Crush’s Cauldron by April Asher is the third book in the paranormal romance Supernatural Singles series. Just like a lot of romance series the Supernatural Singles series changes main characters in each new book of the series with the world building being what ties them together. Since we have new characters in each book these books can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so.

Olive Maxwell is a teacher and prefers quietly sitting back teaching about the supernatural world than being a big part of it like her two sisters. When Olive hands out an assignment to her students that just may get them out of their comfort zone Olive wonders why she stays so solidly in her own.

This realization that she’s always playing it safe and staying in the shadows leads Olive to begin making some big changes in her life. One of those changes was to move into Baxter Donovan’s and with that renew her longtime crush on the handsome guardian angel. Bax soon finds out that Olives new antics have gotten her on someone’s radar and he has been chose to protect her but rule number one of guarding is don’t fall for your assignment.

Having read the first two Supernatural Singles books I knew what to expect going into Not Your Crush’s Cauldron by April Asher. These paranormal romances are basically like taking a romcom story and setting in a supernatural world and I found each a lot of fun. This third book may just have been my favorite of the series with watching the lead step out of her comfort zone which of course led to a lot of laugh out loud moments along the way. There really was growth with both characters though and that’s always a draw in a romance, fantasy or otherwise and when finished this is definitely an author I would return to in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

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About the author:

USA Today Bestselling Author April Asher, aka April Hunt, was hooked on romantic stories from the time she first snuck a bodice-ripper romance out from her mom’s bedside table. She now lives out her own happily-ever-after with her college-sweetheart husband, their two children, and a cat who thinks she’s more dog—and human—than feline. By day, April dons dark blue nursing scrubs and drinks way too much caffeine. By night, she still consumes too much caffeine, but she does it with a laptop in hand, and from her favorite side of the couch.

From the far left cushion, April Asher pens laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with a paranormal twist, but when she’s not putting her characters into embarrassing situations with supernatural entities, she also writes high-octane romantic suspense as April Hunt, her thrill-seeking alter ego.

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Prince’s Forgotten Diamond
Emmy Grayson
(Diamonds of the Rich and Famous, #2)
Publication date: May 21st 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A prince goes looking for his memory, and finds the woman he most desires, in this sparkling royal amnesia romance by Emmy Grayson.

He’s forgotten everything…

except the desire between them.

Julius wakes after an accident with only two clues to his identity: a diamond engagement ring and the name Esmerelda Clark. He tracks Esme to her Caribbean hideout and shockingly discovers she was once his bodyguard. And he’s a Crown Prince!

Esme fled Julius’s kingdom convinced the ever-dutiful royal was destined for a more suitable bride. He seemingly has no recollection of the forbidden night that’s etched on her memory. Yet his heated gaze tells her their passion is still alive… However, princes don’t marry their bodyguards—do they?

From Harlequin Presents: Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Read all the Diamonds of the Rich and Famous books:

Book 1: Accidentally Wearing the Argentinian’s Ring by Maya Blake

Book 2: Prince’s Forgotten Diamond by Emmy Grayson

Book 3: Her Billion-Dollar Bump by Dani Collins

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

He came to with a gasp, the act of inhaling sending a hundred sharp knives stabbing into his chest. He uttered an oath and froze. Gradually the pain subsided. Each breath still hurt like the devil, but at least he could sit up.

The room spun. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, waited, then slowly opened them again. The world slowed enough that he was able to evaluate his surroundings, from the plush rug laid atop gleaming mahogany floors to the glittering chandelier hanging above his head. Cautiously, he turned his head. He was sitting on a tufted leather couch. A marble fireplace dominated the wall to his left, the space above the mantle decorated with a painting of

Westminster Abbey’s Gothic towers. To the right lay a massive bed on a raised dais, the mattress draped in a luxurious midnight comforter and a mound of artfully arranged pillows.

A distant honk made him wince. Whatever he’d been through had left him not only with an aching chest but a monstrous headache. He slid his fingers through his hair, pausing when he located a lump at the base of his skull.

What the hell happened?

He stood and made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet, cupped his hands to catch the blessedly cool water and splashed it over his skin.

He raised his head, his eyes flickering to the mirror, then back again as confusion tugged at him. Confusion that quickly morphed into shock.

The face staring back at him was that of a stranger.

His hand came up, his fingertips tracing a long cut that ran from the slight hollow beneath his cheek down into the light beard following the lines of his jaw. The man in the glass mirrored his actions. Brown eyes stared back at him, fatigued and ringed by shadows.

Unfamiliar.

Who am I?

 

Author Bio:

Emmy’s interest in romance can be traced back to her love of Nancy Drew books, when she tried to solve the mysteries of her favorite detective while rereading the romantic chapters with Ned Nickerson. Fast-forward a few years when she discovered a worn copy of “A Rose in Winter” by Kathleen Woodiwiss on her mother’s bookshelf, and she was hooked. Over 20 years later, Harlequin Presents made her dream come true by offering her a contract for her first book.

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Title: The Messy Life of Jane Tanner

Author:  Brenda Novak

Publisher: MIRA

Publication Date: February 20, 2024

Page Count:  369

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

When your life is chaotic, what’s one more complication?

Jane Tanner’s friends are settling down, while she’s been settling for less. She longs for adventure and the big city, but caring for her ailing grandfather means she’s shackled to her small town. She’s excited her vintage gift shop is finally up and running, but it’s not enough.

Longing to fulfill at least one dream—to become a mother before her biological clock ticks out—Jane drunkenly propositions the worst possible candidate for Dad. Kurt Elway is off-limits with a capital O. He’s a good friend, but he’s too young, too busy running his family’s ranch. Plus, he and Jane’s sister, Kate, used to date. That kind of off-limits.

Unbeknownst to Jane, Kurt’s pining for her. When he’s fully on board to father her baby, she sees him in a new light. Then lingering baggage between Kate and Kurt suddenly surfaces and Jane is reminded of just how messy life is. But…so is parenting. Maybe it’s time to embrace the mess?

The Messy Life of Jane Tanner by Brenda Novak is the third book in the contemporary romance Coyote Canyon series. The Coyote Canyon series is like a lot of romance series that changes the main characters within each new book with the setting being the tie between them. With the main characters changing each of these book can be enjoyed as a standalone but there are glimpses of previous characters for those that have followed the series from the beginning.

Jane Tanner has always longed for a life more adventurous than the one she’s leading but her dreams of heading to the big city were doused when she needed to care for her aging grandfather. Jane is excited to be opening her vintage gift shop if Coyote Canyon though giving her one thing of her own to enjoy in the small town as her friends are all settling into relationships and families.

Jane is pretty sure that prince charming isn’t going to march into her small town and sweep her off her feet at this point in her life. So with her store up and running and no husband in sight Jane thinks maybe she can skip that whole stage and just have a baby on her own. One night she tosses the idea out to Kurt Elway while drinking. Kurt is the last person Jane should look at for a sperm donor, her sister’s ex and younger than Jane but there isn’t many prospects in town so maybe Kurt would help Jane out.

Brenda Novak is one of those authors that I go to when I want to pick up a book that I know I’ll love even before I begin reading it. Where it’s her romance or suspense I haven’t found a story I didn’t like and the entire Coyote Canyon series was no exception to that. I loved that we have a main character strong enough to stand on her own if need be but vulnerable enough to accept a partner when the time was right. This was sort of a friends to lovers crossed with a second chance with previous feelings involved and I was all for it from start to finish and am now sad that I believe the Coyote Canyon series is ending.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Author Brenda Novak is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with more than ten million books in print, translated into twenty different languages. Since her first book came out in 1999, she’s written over seventy-five novels including her most popular beach reads ONE PERFECT SUMMER, THE BOOKSTORE ON THE BEACH, SUMMER ON THE ISLAND and THE SEASIDE LIBRARY. TOURIST SEASON will be out April 2024. To sign up for Brenda’s newsletter, https://brendanovak.com/newsletter-sign-up/

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Title: Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold

Author:  Traci Wilton

Publisher: Kensington Books

Publication Date: August 23, 2022

Page Count:  306

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Salem, Massachusetts, B&B owner Charlene Morris will need the luck of the Irish—and the help of a ghost—to unveil a hooded killer . . .

Charlene has hired a van to ferry her B&B guests to an all-you-can-eat corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by Salem’s Irish community at the Ancient Order of Hibernians club—but she should have booked a hearse. It’s never a good sign when the family black sheep drunkenly crashes a party by punching the guy dressed as a leprechaun. But things go from troublesome to fatal when Charlene stumbles upon a second brawl in an upper room—and this fight Connor Gallagher loses, his anonymous assailant rushing past Charlene, hidden by a hoodie.
 
Now Detective Sam Holden has another homicide on his hands, with Charlene as the only eyewitness. Even if she can’t give the police sketch artist much to go on, Charlene is determined to ID the murderer, with the help of Dr. Jack Strathmore, the charming ghost who haunts her B&B. The answer lies in the motive, and to uncover that sleuth and spook will need to shine a light on Connor’s shady past—before the killer pulls another Irish goodbye . . .

Mrs. Morris and the Pot of Gold by Traci Wilton is the sixth book in the paranormal cozy A Salem B&B Mystery series. Each book in the series holds it’s own mystery that is fully solved so all books can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There will be some character development that carries over book to book though for those that follow the series from the beginning.

The first book of the series introduced readers to Charlene Morris who after losing her husband had needed a fresh start in new surroundings so she decided to move from Chicago to New England. Charlene found a wonderful historic mansion in Salem and thought starting her own bed and breakfast in the touristy town would be the change she needed. What Charlene didn’t expect was to have her new B&B come with it’s own resident ghost.

Charlene’s first experience trying to help solve a murder came when she found that her resident ghost, Jack, had been murdered and needed help finding his killer. Now Charlene is faced with yet another murder to be solved when Charlene had been hoping for a great night of festivities with her B&B guests at the dinner hosted by Salem’s Irish community at the Ancient Order of Hibernians club to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Instead of a great night Charlene ends up witnessing a murderer running away from the scene of the crime so with the help of her resident ghost Charlene vows to track down another murderer before they can strike again.

I have been following the A Salem B&B Mystery series since the very beginning and have gotten to know the characters and setting quite well at this point. Being a fan of crossing genres in my reading I was drawn to this from the start and I have really enjoyed the supernatural touch to this cozy series with their being a ghost as part of the story and helping with investigations. Never really thought of St. Patrick’s in Salem as it’s more known for the witchy side but this was a fun twist to enjoy while solving another nice mystery. As always looking forward to continuing this series in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the authors:

Traci Wilton is a pseudonym of Traci Hall and Patrice Wilton. Traci Hall is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, including the By the Sea series. New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Patrice Wilton’s books include the Paradise Cove series.

**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.**

The Closed Tunnel
Anthony Harold
Publication date: October 8th 2024
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Suspense

Ink & Cinema Official selection Best First Ten Pages 2023, USA.

Based on real materials.

What if we told you that 3,000 feet underground is a network of high-tech cities connected by tunnels? Yes, right now.

The main character of this story, Tony from New York, accepts a job from the strange head of a pharmaceutical company. It takes him first to the National Geophysical Research Lab on Long Island and then—unexpectedly!—underground.

He finds himself in Luxor Ville, the city of the elite, and explores Hearton City with genius scientists presumed dead or missing on the Surface.

Meanwhile, in the ancient tunnels, the world’s greatest physicists are conducting an unbelievable experiment that should redefine our understanding of the laws of the universe…

Why are the richest people buying up the last subterranean luxury apartments? How are NASA and Neil Armstrong connected to the underground world? How does the hostess of the Elusive Cafe predict the future?

And is there a common secret that unites Hearton City’s inhabitants, or is it an illusion?

Feel the forgotten vibe of the TV series Lost, unlock a jar of puzzles in the wave of The Da Vinci Code, and prepare for a journey into the depths like in Wool/Silo!

The Closed Tunnel units author’s own inventions, suspense, fantasy elements, physical experiments connected to Montauk project, mystery and thriller, fashion (!), real underground wonders, and a pinch of spice.

There are diverse characters, multiple POVs, Elusive Cafe, ancient board game, scientifically created oracle cards, and a central question: whom to trust.

Goodreads / Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

Chapter 51. Messages to Die For

Professor Ron Jefferson

Bursting through the front door, Ron immediately bolted it from the inside and pushed against it with all his weight. He felt as if he was being pursued. It seemed to him that they

would be here in a minute to take him to a distant underground grave and separate him from his son for years.

With the frenzy of a mad scientist, he tore himself away from the door and dashed up the stairs. Desperately searching through a stack of papers on the desk, he sought that particular notebook. He distinctly remembered placing it on the edge of the desk . . .

No, it must be in the top drawer . . . No, dammit, where is it?

The thought that people from the Consortium might have already rifled through his papers and taken the precious notebook shot through his head.

Oh, here it is, on the coffee table by the chair. I must keep a cool head. I’m still in control.

In a flurry of movement, Jefferson swept the papers from the table, snatched up the notebook, frantically flipped through its filled pages, tore them out, and secreted them in a hidden pocket. Then, ripping out a blank sheet, he scribbled down crucial information in a hurried, nearly frantic script, struggling to maintain his composure. Time was of the essence, and he feared they might arrive at any moment.

This made Ron cast anxious glances at the locked office door after every few lines.

“They don’t even need a key, do they? They don’t even need a damn key . . .” he mumbled, startled by his deteriorating mental state.

After filling both sides of the sheet, he hastily folded it several times and concealed it in a spot that strangers would overlook. Still, its intended recipient would undoubtedly uncover—inside the double bottom of the dracaena plant pot.

They won’t find the letter. They just can’t. It must not fall into the wrong hands.

Jefferson paced the room for a minute, uncertain what to hold onto. Then his eyes landed on a picture of his son on the table.

The boy was smiling, hugging their favorite dog.

“Rover . . .” Jefferson whispered.

He opened the adjacent break room and found a golden retriever sleeping peacefully in the middle of a large bed. The dog perked up and bounded toward his master, then jumped with his front paws on his chest.

As Ron stroked Rover’s back, a new plan crystallized in his mind. He decided not to take the priceless notes with him but to hide them in the house, just as he had hidden his letter, in an even more secure location. Here, in the favorite soundproof room of his ever-barking dog.

“Soundproof . . .”

That word triggered a chain of thoughts. He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket, muttering, “I still have some time.” His eyes gleamed with frenzied determination.

A knock on the door made him wince.

“Professor Jefferson, do you require assistance with your packing? Your capsule departs in an hour. We must hurry.”

Ron locked Rover inside the break room so he wouldn’t witness his beloved master leaving. With three heavy steps, Jefferson reached his office door, slowed down . . . and opened it, fully aware that he would never be back to his cozy house again.

 

Author Bio:

Anthony Harold is the author of the upcoming sci-fi sensation The Closed Tunnel. This book explores underground cities connected by ancient tunnels and will hit shelves in April 2024.

Anthony holds a Master’s degree in Physics and a Ph.D. in Economics. He has an impressive background of nearly 15 years in the space industry, including developing space-based laser systems and managing finances for a leading rocket company.

Anthony dislikes most modern movies due to plot holes, so he prefers to read and, better yet, write. He’s passionate about delving into the mysteries of Earth, exploring ancient history, and studying the wonders of techno-civilization.

Currently living in Cyprus with his grown son, a lively Jack Russell terrier, and his talented wife, who doubles as his editor and marketer, Anthony enjoys spending his free time on the tennis court, jogging along the coast, or fishing.

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