by Jasmyn | Jun 28, 2019 | Book Reviews, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Readers

While You Sleep turned into so much more than I ever expected. In this small Scottish town there seemed to be more secrets than residents, and American artist Zoe Adams brings a few along with her. Renting a house she soon finds out is supposed to be haunted by the spirits of the current owner’s long-ago relatives. Relatives that were heavily into the occult. Rumors of a child promised to the devil that disappeared – or died – no one seems to be really sure.
Zoe finds herself caught up in the ghosts of the house, or maybe just caught up in her own mind. Stephanie Merritt expertly weaves the story around both possibilities and left me wondering which was really true. Was Zoe being visited by spirits or was she just going crazy?
The paranormal and haunting aspects weren’t too over the top though. There were enough entirely human elements for Zoe to worry about while she was there. As the tale wraps up, secrets come out, a town is forced to face its past, and Zoe is left wondering – about a lot of things.
I loved this story! It was perfectly eerie and gothic, with just the right touch of reality mixed in to make me think this could all really happen. I highly recommend this for lovers of a good book to read during a late night storm – it will definitely set the mood for you.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: While You Sleep
Author: Stephanie Merritt
Genre: Gothic, Paranormal Suspense
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It begins, they say, with a woman screaming . . .
On a remote Scottish island, the McBride house stands guard over its secrets. A century ago, a young widow and her son died mysteriously there; just last year a local boy, visiting for a dare, disappeared without a trace.
For Zoe Adams, newly arrived from America, the house offers a refuge from her failing marriage. But her peaceful retreat is disrupted by strange and disturbing events: nighttime intrusions; unknown voices; a constant sense of being watched.
The locals want her to believe that these incidents are echoes of the McBrides’ dark past. Zoe is convinced the danger is closer at hand, and all too real—but can she uncover the truth before she is silenced?
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by Jasmyn | Jun 26, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance

Love Changes Everything is a cute and sweet romance spanning two continents. With lots of chance meetings and crazy coincidences, it was a really fun story to read. Kate and Jane were a wonderful pair of best friends and a good example of how people with very different personalities can be the perfect friend for each other.
It all starts with a trip to New York, which is a big change for two young women living in a small village in England. Love is found, love is lost, and then it resurfaces in a surprising manner. While I had a couple of the surprises figured out ahead of time, they were still fun to read. The author found the perfect way to bring the story full circle, give me more than one happy ending, and tie up loose ends, leaving me very happy at the end of the book.
I wish the book had been edited a little better. There were numerous errors that sometimes made it hard to read. It seemed to do a disservice to the heartwarming story. I would have also liked to see more of the actual dialog. I feel like the author told me what people talked about instead of letting me see what they said.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Love Changes Everything
Author: Rose Finch
Genre: Contemporary Romance
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A cosy and heartwarming story of love and friendship. Kate doesn’t like change, but life has some surprises in store for her.Jane loves adventure and wants to live a more exciting life than what their small country village can offer her. The two friends are about to discover how love can truly change everything when you least expect it.
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by Jasmyn | Jun 19, 2019 | Book Reviews, Readers, Romance

Lady Scandal finds herself wedded to Lord Randolph after losing a bet. An interesting start to the story, and if you’ve read the first book in Wendy LaCapra’s Furies series (which I highly recommend), then this doesn’t seem all that unusual for the group of women who run the gaming parties.
But that really isn’t the truly scandalous start of the book. It started when Sophia (Lady Scandal) found out that Lord Randolph was more than she thought. He wasn’t just someone to satisfy an inch and wrap around her finger. He was trained under her father – a father she hated – as a ruthless political spy. And now Sophia is convinced he’s using her.
And maybe he is? I can totally see where Sophia is coming from, but Lord Randolph is far more than anything she really expects, and there are a few things she will end up teaching him and he will teach her.
This book isn’t just a romp through historical romance. It has one heck of a suspense storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were a few places that I feel like things were glossed over just to keep the veil around who the bad guy really is in place, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. It seemed unnecessarily convoluted because of it. Kasai – Kasai sounds like a horrible person – and the fact that he can cast such a shadow over our couple without actually making an appearance for a very long time, just shows how much his specter alone can influence and manipulate.
I really really enjoyed their time at the Quaker farm. Elizabeth was an odd breath of fresh air and honesty, and her way of life and way of putting things into perspective left an impression on both Sophia and Randolph that I think will last into their future.
In the end, we have just as many loose ties as we did at the beginning – just different ones. As one part of the Fury’s lives seems to wrap up – something else blows wide open. Looks like I’ll need to read the third book in the series to get the final scoop on everything.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
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Title: Lady Scandal: The Furies (#2)
Author: Wendy LaCapra
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romantic Suspense
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He had everything under control, until she proved him wrong…
London, 1784
Sophia Baneham has lived in the poison of her dead father’s shadow for longer than she cares to admit. Now she exists outside of polite society’s influence, holding gambling parties for London’s most dangerous men. When a man walks into one of her soirees, a compelling mix of charisma and icy control, he offers the lady of sin a wager she can’t refuse…
Lord Randolph is a spy in the service of His Majesty, but he’s given an oath to protect the daughter of his mentor. Even as his gamble of marriage starts to spiral out of control and his passions ignite, Randolph is determined that he’ll handle things his way…
But when danger closes in, Randolph won’t just have to protect Sophia from an intended killer. He’ll have to protect her from himself…
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