"A Rumored Fortune", by Joanna Davidson Politano

In this historical romance set during the Victorian era we find a destitute heiress and her greedy relatives competing in a fast-paced treasure hunt to find a vast fortune hidden somewhere on a vineyard estate in the south of England.

This is a cute story that is mainly told through Tressa Harlowe’s viewpoint. Although it has a religious undertone it provides a lot of intrigue within its pages to have kept me interested from the starting point. Anyways, who doesn’t love a treasure hunt which is paired with wonderful characters and plunges the members of a family into an exciting mystery, no doubt, you will inevitably end up with a pretty good story one that will have you flipping the pages to see the end result. Clean style, no inappropriate language nor profound spiritual truths emanating throughout, this book is elegantly penned for all to enjoy. Along the way, we learn some ins and outs about vineyards and passages in Scripture concerning vines. Not a bad mix.

I enjoyed many of the characters but my favourite is Donegan Vance, he is blunt, kind and loyal, a stark contrast from most other players in this story. Tressa is a soul in need of rescue and the author’s words highlights her growing despair. God is her only source of hope till she reached the moment of sudden insight…..awe…..and love is in the air……..These two individuals made the whole story a charm to read.

I received this ARC from the publisher via the First Reviewers Program

"Ark of Blood", by J.F. Penn

Also under the title “Exodus”

Book # 3, in the Arkane series

This novel may be the 3rd book in the Arkane series but it isn’t the 3rd I have enjoyed so far. I have read and reviewed most of them out of sync and I assure you that I never felt lost choosing one book over the other. Each has its own merits and its own interesting story to tell. “Ark of Blood” brings us mainly to Cairo, Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

This fiction is a solid mix of fact and mythology with plenty of action and intrigue. The story centers on a search for the sacred Ark of the Covenant by competing sides who want to derail the fragile peace summit in Israel. Morgan Sierra, our heroine, will do anything to avoid this to happen.

Against the backdrop of the escalating violence in the Middle East, Ms. Penn’s richly writes a plot that is a well-researched escapade into the mystic world where Morgan will face Natasha, her nemesis, in a cat and mouse game as they pursue the Ark at any cost. The fast-moving action sequences are skillfully incorporated with Morgan’s inner battles with life and death. Ms. Penn skills lie on her ability to paint rich details and intricate observations to draw us in. This story shocks and has graphic ritual scenes of killings that will impress.

Although this story is excellent it did not grab me as much as all the others I have read in the past. In this one, much time was dedicated on the rich narrative to the expense of the plot. Finding the Ark was too easy and the outcome so predictable….Good story but not my preferred.

Copy of this book was provided by the author

"At Once", by John W. Mefford

An Alex Trout Thriller book #3

This book is part of the Redemption Thriller series

Who doesn’t like a mystery that is full of sass and suspense, Mr. Mefford provides plenty of it with this one. Even if it is part of a series “At Once” can be read on its own, although I always prefer reading books in sequel. No worries if you pick it up at this point, the author does introduce his characters without overwhelming us with their past, so we can easily slip into the drama and not be totally lost. It has been awhile since I read book #2 and I had no trouble getting into the swing of things……

At center stage is FBI Agent Alex Troutt. In the opening pages Alex is called out to investigate murders in the Boston area: someone is detonating bombs killing priests and targeting individuals. But her job doesn’t stop there she is also asked by FBI assistant director to go undercover investigating one of their own who may have ties to known terrorist…. Alex is one of those kick-ass Agents…. No more spoilers from me…..

Snail pace may be too fast to describe how this mystery moves along but having said this I do think we are given a suspenseful story with plenty of twists and turns to derailed us. A mix of well-defined characters: some charismatic good people and some colourful evil ones play their roles with a good doze of entertainment. The setting of the old city of Boston and its very well-traveled shady neighborhoods couldn’t be better including the visit to a pawn shop that brings a spin on its own. We also have a touch a humour and some almost burlesque moments to make us smile….

This book is dialogue driven from cover to cover. In alternate chapters, the investigators as well as the perpetrators do a lot of bickering and exchanges. In the long run I got tired of this and at time I simply tuned out. One of my pet peeves here…..the unnecessary repetitive dialogue. The second pet peeves: Unrealistic action.

Most reviewers enjoyed immensely this book. It may not have been one of my favourites but this series is too good not to keep up with it.

"Zeb Carter", by Ty Patterson

Book #1, in the Zeb Carter series

This is a new series by Mr. Patterson that is quite promising. Although it may seem weird for those who are fans of the author’s main series to go back in time when Zeb Carter was a young man and not yet the head of his Warriors Enterprise, this spin off brings us deeper into Zeb’s character and straight into more suspense. Our protagonist in this return to the start is an ex- military who takes a secret rescue missing in Afghanistan and he does that single handed. Extracting three US soldiers from the hands of the Taliban alone is not an easy task. But this kind of challenge is what Zeb does best.

Reading how Zeb, the strategist, and how he goes about doing his task is a hectic read to say the least. This operative is not afraid to die and when he sets out to flush a Taliban warlord off the hills of a very hostile country there is not a minute of inaction. All hell breaks loose and there is a lot of violence as you can imagine. Fast-paced and tension laced ride we are in for from start to finish and the action never stops….who is going to be killed next….

This story may be your typical thriller where we have a mix of action, conspiracies, betrayals and lots of killing but how Mr. Patterson spins his tale is what set this story apart from all the others. “Zeb Carter” is definitely an edge-of-the seat read hard to put down. What a roller coaster ride Zeb gives us through the harsh terrains looking for the missing men while dodging the Taliban but the saga doesn’t end with the death of the insurgents there are those who conspired against him and knew of his covert mission to content with…..

Quite entertaining

"I Am Missing", by Ty Patterson

Book #3, in the Gemini series

We are following twin sisters Meghan and Beth into one captivating tale full of twists and turns as they bring us deep into the jungle of Vietnam looking into the disappearance of a man who exists and yet doesn’t. Cole Pattern is the client and says he is missing and wants the twins to find him….

Entertaining read as always. The story goes back and forth in time between the present and during the Vietnam War as the twins try to get to the bottom and find out what may have happened to their client. Fast-paced, full of action, betrayal and lies and two protagonists that can’t stay out of trouble what more can we ask. I am grateful the author always includes some background regarding his characters without overwhelming us with too many details so we can situate ourselves or pick up the series at this point.

This adventure is thrilling and one hard to put aside. Once into it I just zipped through it in no time totally immersed not only with the twins’ saga but with the descriptions of Vietnam during the conflict. Tunnel rats at work and what they had to endure made for a fantastic read. Well-written thriller, populated with exciting and warm characters and an exciting plot.

Well done Mr. Patterson thank you for providing a copy of this book

"The Assassin", by Mark Dawson

Book # 4, in the Isabella Rose series

This latest is one fascinating story where we are plunged into constant action and are overloaded with visual details. Mr. Dawson knows how to draw his readers into a plot filled with excitement and enticed them with charismatic players. Isabella and Maia are kick-ass characters that take center stage and entertain us from the opening page till we reach the slam-bang finale.

Both are assassins have been together for a year now it is time to put their dangerous plan to action……cunning, wit and everything comes out in this thrilling story. Although it is a fascinating one it quite stretches credibility but is fun to read. Mr. Dawson pushes his plot at a hectic pace through a world of unsavory characters and delivers a gripping page turner.

This story is all action and very violent at times, definitely not for the faint-hearted. To match the mood we find a dialogue that can be quite colourful at times…. We have loads of supporting characters some recurring and some new players to treat us. But don’t worry if you pick up at this point this latest story stands well by itself.

Mr. Dawson provides maximum excitement in all his series. I am a fan for many years now and have enjoyed all of his series. He is quite a storyteller.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher Thomas & Mercer via NetGalleys

"Remember Tokyo", by Nick Wilkshire

Book #3, in A Foreign Affairs Mystery

“A Foreign Affairs Mystery” is quite a different type of mystery; it gives us a very Canadian twist to immerse ourselves into and one charismatic main player, Charlie Hillier, to follow. I love to see how he manages to jump the multiple hurdles he has to face in order to do his diplomatic job.

After leaving Russia on his last posting as consular Charlie is sent to immerse himself in a truly foreign culture….Tokyo …watch out ….Charlie is not your ordinary consular.

After his misadventures both in Havana (book#1) and Moscow (book#2) Charlie wants to play low key but he is soon drawn into a case of a young man who winds up in a coma after a car accident….or maybe it wasn’t an accident after all?...Charlie is definitely a magnet for trouble and in “Remember Tokyo” he finds more than can be imagined. Along the way in this fast-paced mystery we have colourful details of life in the city: crowded metro system, food and the polite culture and custom…. including the corruption that is lurking at every corner.

This series is one of my favourite. Charlie may be a consular but he has great investigative skills and a strong and loveable personality. The protagonist not only faces ruthless criminals in his day to day job he also goes beyond all means helping expatriates in distress. Trying to shift truth from deceit and get to the bottom of what happened without causing an international incident is a feat in itself for Charlie…..but of course things rarely turns out the way he plans….what a thrill we have following him through another wonderful journey. And as in the previous novels, to help with his case is a beautiful woman to be smitten of and… to eventually leave behind once he is reassigned to another post….or recalled home…sometime in disgrace.

I agree with those saying this is a well-plotted travel-crime novel with great characterization and I love how diplomatic rules are not one he complies with rigidly….well-done.

I received this ARC from the publisher Dundurn Press via NetGalleys for my thoughts