Seabreeze Inn by Jan Moran
Ivy Bay’s life implodes after discovering that her late husband had spent their life savings on a beach house. Strapped for cash as an art teacher and with nowhere to go, Ivy and her recently jilted sister head to Summer Beach to recreate their lives. If only renovating a historical home didn’t unveil a host of hidden secrets in the beachside community—and the mayor wasn’t her former high school crush.
Bennett Dylan led a campaign against Ivy’s late husband to block the rezoning of the beach house land for a high-rise resort. Although it’s been ten years since his wife’s death, Bennett is avoiding the pain of loving—and possibly losing—another woman. And then the FBI shows up… Ivy’s demands for a zoning variance for a bed-and-breakfast couldn’t come at a worse time for him.
Despite distractions, Ivy has one summer to sway the town to salvage her livelihood and the new life in Summer Beach she’s come to love.
Bennett Dylan led a campaign against Ivy’s late husband to block the rezoning of the beach house land for a high-rise resort. Although it’s been ten years since his wife’s death, Bennett is avoiding the pain of loving—and possibly losing—another woman. And then the FBI shows up… Ivy’s demands for a zoning variance for a bed-and-breakfast couldn’t come at a worse time for him.
Despite distractions, Ivy has one summer to sway the town to salvage her livelihood and the new life in Summer Beach she’s come to love.
I enjoyed this book. A quick, light summer read, even though I read it in January, lol. Lots of it was very predictable but still enjoyable. Apparently there are 2 more books in the series which I would also read if I come across them, free, in my ereader!
Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner
A recovering alcoholic with more regrets than belongings, Frankie Elkin has devoted her life to doing what no one else will-searching for the lost and forgotten. When the police have moved on, when the public no longer remembers, when the media has never paid attention, Frankie starts looking.
A new case brings her to Mattapan, a Boston neighbourhood with a rough reputation. She is searching for Angelique Badeau, a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school months earlier. Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's wary family tells Frankie she's on her own-and she soon learns she's asking questions someone doesn't want answered. But Frankie will stop at nothing to discover the truth, even if it means the next person to go missing could be her.
I did enjoy this book although some of the things that Frankie would do would definitely got her killed in real life. I thought quite a few parts of the book were slow and dragged along with nothing happening. Maybe 100+ pages less would have kept the story moving along a little better!!
The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter
Investigating the killing of a prisoner during a riot inside a state penitentiary, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information. One of the inmates claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack for which he has always been the prime suspect. The man insists that he was framed by a corrupt law enforcement team led by Jeffrey Tolliver and that the real culprit is still out there—a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years. If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic convict is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder.
Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?
As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.
When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . .
Only days ago, another young woman was viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia. Is it a fluke, or could there be a serial killer on the loose?
As Will Trent digs into both crimes it becomes clear that he must solve the cold case in order to find the answer. Yet nearly a decade has passed—time for memories to fade, witnesses to vanish, evidence to disappear, and lies to become truth. But Will can’t crack either mystery without the help of the one person he doesn’t want involved: his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver’s widow, medical examiner Sara Linton.
When the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . .
Even after 230/610 pages I just couldn't get into this book. I've read other books by this author and thought they were good but not this one. Decided why am I continuing to read this book that I am not enjoying when I have hundreds of other books to read, so it's gone into the charity store bag!!
Movie Club Mysteries by Zara Keane
- 1.Dial P For Poison
Maggie Doyle gives her cheating ex and crumbling career in the San Francisco PD the proverbial middle finger, and moves to the Wild West…of Ireland.
Lured by her aunt’s promise of a restful Irish vacation, Maggie agrees to help out at the Movie Theater Café in exchange for bed and board. Things are looking up—until the most hated woman on Whisper Island is poisoned at the café. With her aunt as the prime suspect, Maggie and her rock-hard muffins are hurled into the murder investigation.
With the help of her UFO-enthusiast friend, a nun, and a feral puppy, Maggie is determined to clear her aunt’s name. Can she catch the murderer before they strike again? Or will her terrible baking skills burn down the cafe first?- 2.The Postman Always Dies Twice
When former San Francisco cop Maggie Doyle extends her stay in Ireland, dealing with more murder and mayhem isn’t on her to-do list. Too bad because the instant Maggie and her UFO-enthusiast friend Lenny discover the dead body of Whisper Island’s postman, Maggie’s plans to chill for the next two months are put on ice.
Then Police Sergeant Reynolds, Maggie’s handsome neighbor, arrests Lenny’s brother for the murder, and her friend begs her to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Maggie is hired to investigate ghostly goings on at the Whisper Island Hotel. Can she solve two crimes before St. Patrick’s Day? Or will the island’s annual celebrations end in a glittery flame of green, white, and orange?- 3.How to Murder a Millionaire
Armed with her newly issued private investigator's license, Maggie Doyle is on the case…of a sheep that went missing twenty-two years ago. When she trips over a dead body on the first day of the investigation, Maggie realizes there’s more to this cold case than a fight over lamb chops.
An invitation to spend the weekend with her grandmother’s oldest friend and her family, the super wealthy Huffingtons, gives Maggie the perfect excuse to sniff out the killer. After the family patriarch is electrocuted in the swimming pool, Maggie finds herself embroiled in yet another murder inquiry.
With the body count rising, can Maggie catch the killer before they strike again?- Well, that was the first 3 books in The Movie Club Mysteries. They were a fun read, light, predictable and very easy reads.
Promises to Keep by Genevieve Graham
Summer 1755, Acadia
Young, beautiful Amelie Belliveau lives an idyllic life with her family among the Acadians and neighbouring Mi'kmaq of Grande Pre, Nova Scotia. After years of peace, the settlers believe that they can remain on neutral political ground despite the rising tensions between Britain and France. But peace can be fragile, and faith is not always enough. When the British army lands in Grande Pre, the redcoats demand the Acadians' allegiance and threaten to exile them if they refuse.
Fortunately, Amelie has made a powerful ally in the handsome Corporal Connor MacDonnell, a reluctant participant in the British plan to expel the Acadians from their homeland. His sympathy for Amelie gradually evolves into a profound love-a love worth taking risks for. As the last warmth of summer fades and dilapidated ships arrive to ferry the Acadians away, Connor is compelled to make a difficult decision that will alter the future forever.
Interesting read about Nova Scotia when the British invaded and took over a large amount of Grande Pre and Mik'maq land. How the people were treated and how they were banished from their homes.
Bodies, Baddies and a Crabby Tabby by Sherri Bryan
Thirty-nine-year-old Megan Fallon is in a pickle.
Not only is she suffering from empty-nest syndrome, but she's lost the job she loved, and her fiancé's run off with her hairdresser.
A complete life change is what's called for, so when the opportunity to make a new start presents itself following news of a family celebration, Megan is lured back to her childhood home.
With a party to organise, old friends to catch up with, an ex-husband and his jealous wife to avoid, a mischievous uncle on the lookout for adventure, a clumsy childhood acquaintance who has undergone a startling transformation, and a cantankerous tabby cat to contend with, Megan has her hands full.
However, what started off as a leisurely break soon takes a chilling turn when members of the community start getting bumped off at an alarming rate, and Megan finds herself at the heart of an investigation that has her suspecting everyone.
Could the murderer be the local finance advisor, whose misjudged investment recommendation cost his clients their life savings?
Or maybe the village celebrity; a footballer who appears to have at least one skeleton in a cupboard he'd prefer was kept firmly locked?
Or perhaps it's a member of a classical music trio who seem to have plenty of secrets they'd rather keep to themselves?
Or is the killer someone else entirely?
As Megan becomes involved in the hunt for a murderer, it's not long before she finds out that some of the villagers are harbouring other secrets too.
All the characters make this an interesting read and there are several that could be the murderer. It was easy to read and enjoyable.
Sweet Revenge by Morgan Best
When a car accident leads to extensive plastic surgery and an inability to gain weight, Cocoa Narel finds herself transformed from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan.
No longer forced to temper her love for chocolate, Cocoa plans to open a candy store and begins to enjoy the sweet life along with her quirky rescue cat. But when her high school bullies start being murdered one by one, Cocoa becomes the prime suspect.
Can she clear her name, or does the true culprit have a few Twix up their sleeve?
No longer forced to temper her love for chocolate, Cocoa plans to open a candy store and begins to enjoy the sweet life along with her quirky rescue cat. But when her high school bullies start being murdered one by one, Cocoa becomes the prime suspect.
Can she clear her name, or does the true culprit have a few Twix up their sleeve?
The premise of this 'ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan' was a bit ridiculous, especially how she behaved trying to solve the murders. It was an easy read and didn't use common sense and logic it's a fun read.
