"The Paris Daughter", by Kristin Harmel

Set in Paris 1939, this heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism of three mothers who must make unthinkable choice in the face of the Nazi occupation. Their names are Elise, Ruth and Juliette who met in the beautiful Bois de Boulogne and became fast friends. Soon their lives will be irrevocably changed....”The Paris Daughter” will tell us what happened...enjoy.

A cloud of doom hangs over Paris as German and Allied bombing begins in Europe

Written with poignant words, this beautiful and strong story of motherhood and friendship will break your heart. The impossible choice to leave their children behind or send them away in order to save them is emotionally wrenching. Through her research Ms. Harmel brings this historical moment to life by conveying an acute sense of emotions through her characters as they face tragedy. You really feel for them. This story is also a poignant portrayal of how we assign guilt even in the most blameless of circumstances. It is not an easy book to read but the further I traveled with these hard women the better the story was getting maybe I simply mesmerized by what was going on.....this story touched me deeply.

“The Paris Daughter’ is beautifully layered tale of broken women and the impacts their choices have made for generations to come. It is also a sweeping celebration of resilience and love. Well-said and well-done.

I received this ARC from Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for my thoughts

"Take the Honey and Run", by Jennie Marts

Book#1 in the Beer Keeper’s Mystery

The title and picture on the cover attracted my attention I simply couldn’t resist asking for this novel. This cozy mystery is the perfect read when you want a story that is fun and not too challenging, a perfect book to bring with you on vacation.

The story moves along in a fictional town in Colorado with Bailey Biggs and her young daughter coming to see their grandmother (granny Bee) who runs Honeybuzz Mountain Ranch where she raises bees for their honey and sells it in various forms. Everything goes smoothly till the mayor highly allergic to honey is found dead with his face smeared in Granny Bee’s honey......Granny is the first to be suspected of killing him....and the fun begins.

This story has an interesting premise – the murder weapon honey is quite unique and to top it all we have plenty of suspects to go around. Well written to be engaging without giving us too much to think about. A bit too much by me was that the main character stayed ahead of the sheriff pointing at facts he never saw...was he that bad? For an outsider Bailey was a bit too smart but again her grandmother needed to be vindicated. The style simple and clear is also funny I laugh (smile) at some of the passage so much shenanigans trying to solve the murder. I can’t miss telling you we are lured with mouth-watering menus...tempting sweet goodies throughout.

Cute story I didn’t mind passing time with.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC

"Retribution", by Robert McCaw

Koa Kane Hawaiian Mystery book # 5

In “Retribution”, Koa struggles to discover the truth when someone frames his brother for murder and how it might connect with a series of attacks aimed at those closest to him. Might he be the real target and who is behind this trail of retribution?

This taut, suspenseful plot of deceit and intrigue within the Hilo Police Department where the culprit’s true identity is carefully camouflaged continues the saga of conflict between two men who were once childhood friends. Mr. McCaw's prose highlights the beauty of the Hawaiian people and their cultural tradition and incorporates slang and dialect in the dialogues. On the down side, the author’s overkill of the Polynesian language with its English translation is a huge distraction and slows down the flow immensely.

The storyline is suspenseful as we follow Koa unofficially investigating a murder where damming piece of evidence found at the scene points to his brother as the killer. When a sniper shoots at one of his colleague and someone attacks his family no doubts to Koa that there is a criminality behind all of this...With small clues to guide him Koa needed to get to the bottom of this complex conspiracy. The many twists and turns Koa had encountered and dealing with a large pool of suspects that kept derailing everything I stayed glued to this mystery totally captivated till the very end.

I am a big fan of police procedurals and following Koa and his team tracked down suspicious activities and suspects was a thrill.

Many thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me an advance review copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.