The Dead Season By Tessa Wegert

 

Senior Investigator Shana Merchant has spent years running from her past. But she never imagined a murder case would drive her to the most dangerous place of all—home. 

After leaving the NYPD following her abduction by serial killer Blake Bram, Shana Merchant hoped for a fresh start in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York. Her former tormentor has other plans. Shana and Bram share more than just a hometown, and he won’t let her forget it. When the decades-old skeleton of Shana's estranged uncle is uncovered, Bram issues a challenge: Return home to Vermont and solve the cold case, or the blood he spills next will be on her hands.

As Shana interviews members of her family and the community, mining for secrets that could help her solve her uncle's murder, she begins to realize how little she remembers of her childhood. And when Bram grows impatient and kidnaps again, leaving a trail of clues Shana alone can understand, she knows his new victim will only survive if she wins the psychopath’s twisted game. In order to solve one mystery, Shana must wade into her murky past to unravel another.

Pick up your copy here...

The Dead Season (A Shana Merchant Novel): Wegert, Tessa: 9780593097915: Amazon.com: Books

Tessa Wegert is the author of DEATH IN THE FAMILY and THE DEAD SEASON, part of the Shana Merchant series of mysteries. A Canadian-born former freelance writer whose work appeared in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Adweek, and The Economist, Tessa now lives with her husband and children in Coastal Connecticut.

My Thoughts...

After reading Death in the Family, I was so excited to dive into The Dead Season.  I loved all the twists and turns. I really loved the ending it lets me know that there is another book in this series and i can't wait to get my hands on it. This is a mystery worth reading, I highly recommend this book.

4 stars and I recommend this one.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

His Holiday Prayer By Tina Radcliffe

 

A new beginning could be closer than he thinks.

What he wants for Christmas…

may not be what he needs.

After receiving an unexpected job offer in Texas, widower Tucker Rainbolt decides he and his twins need a fresh start. But moving on means leaving his best friend, Jena Harper, and their vet clinic behind. For the first time, Tucker sees Jena as more than a buddy. What if leaving isn’t the answer? Maybe what he’s been missing has been right beside him the whole time.
From Harlequin Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.

Hearts of Oklahoma

Book 1: Finding the Road Home

Book 2: Ready to Trust

Book 3: His Holiday Prayer

Pick up your copy here...

His Holiday Prayer (Hearts of Oklahoma, 3): Radcliffe, Tina: 9781335488558: Amazon.com: Books

Tina Radcliffe has been dreaming and scribbling for years. Originally from Western NY, she left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her past careers include Certified Oncology R.N. and library cataloger.

Tina is a two-time RWA Golden Heart finalist and a four-time Carol Award finalist and three-time ACFW Mentor of the Year finalist. A 2014 ACFW Carol Award winner and a 2018 ACFW Mentor of the Year winner, Tina is also on the RWA and ACFW Honor Roll of Best-Selling Authors. In 2019 she won the Holt Medallion for Christmas with the Cowboy. A short story writer, she has sold over three dozen short stories to Woman’s World Magazine

She currently resides in Arizona where she writes fun, heartwarming romance. Sign up for her newsletter to be notified of new releases, sales & giveaways! http://bit.ly/2angfWP

My Thoughts...

This a great read for the holiday season. It is the third book in the Hearts of Oklahoma series but have no fear it can be read as a stand alone. I read it in under an hour these books are so much fun when they are in series. 

I will say Radcliffe writes with humor and so much heart.

I loved this romance and the blessings this book has to share. I gave this book 4 stars and I recommend it, The whole series was good.  I just love a small town romance.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

When Harry Met Minnie By Martha Teichner

 

A memoir of love and loss, of being in the right place at the right time, and of the mysterious ways a beloved pet can bring people together, from CBS Sunday Morning News correspondent and multi-Emmy-Award-winning Martha Teichner.

There are true fairy tales. Stories that exist because impossible-to-explain coincidences change everything. Except in real life, not all of them have conventional, happily-ever-after endings. When Harry Met Minnie is that kind of fairy tale, with the vibrant, romantic New York City backdrop of its namesake, the movie When Harry Met Sally, and the bittersweet wisdom of Tuesdays with Morrie.

There’s a special camaraderie among early-morning dog walkers. Gathering at dog runs in the park, or strolling through the farmer's market at Union Square before the bustling crowd appears, fellow pet owners become familiar–as do the personalities of their beloved animals. In this special space and time, a chance encounter with an old acquaintance changed Martha Teichner’s world. As fate would have it, her friend knew someone who was dying of cancer, from exposure to toxins after 9/11, and desperate to find a home for her dog, Harry. He was a Bull Terrier―the same breed as Martha’s dear Minnie. Would Martha consider giving Harry a safe, loving new home?

In short order, boy dog meets girl dog, the fairy tale part of this story. But there is so much more to this book. After Martha agrees to meet Harry and his owner Carol, what begins as a transaction involving a dog becomes a deep and meaningful friendship between two women with complicated lives and a love of Bull Terriers in common. Through the heartbreak and grief of Carol’s illness, the bond that develops changed Martha’s life, Carol’s life, Minnie’s life, Harry’s life. As it changed Carol’s death as well.

In this rich and touching narrative, Martha considers the ways our stories are shaped by the people we meet, and the profound love we can find by opening our hearts to unexpected encounters.

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https://www.amazon.com/When-Harry-Met-Minnie-Friendship/dp/1250212537/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MK2Z1DBYFYJK&dchild=1&keywords=when+harry+met+minnie+a+true+story+of+love+and+friendship&qid=1607107427&sprefix=When+Harry+met+minn%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1

Martha Teichner has been a correspondent for “CBS Sunday Morning” since December 1993, where she’s equally adept at covering major breaking national and international news stories as she is handling in-depth cultural and arts topics. Since joining CBS News in 1977, Teichner has earned multiple national awards for her original reporting, including twelve Emmy Awards and five James Beard Foundation Awards. Teichner was also part of team coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which earned CBS News a 2014 duPont-Columbia Award. Teichner was born in Traverse City, Mich. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. She attended the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business Administration. Teichner resides in New York City.

My Thoughts...

This was such a heart tugging book. I cried and I just thought how great Carol and Harry were and I longed to have been a part of their life. What a blessing this book was to read and I can't wait to share it with my dog loving friends.

This was 4 star read and I need to tell you if you think that you are not a fan of memoirs then you are wrong. This story of love and loss is not one you will want to miss. You will not be able to put it down.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

My Dad My Dog By Rebecca Warner

 

When she moves her Alzheimer’s-afflicted dad into the home she shares with her husband and elderly dog, Rachel Morgan expects some complications, but she never imagines the biggest one will occur on the first day, threatening her best-intentioned caregiving plans.

Her normally sweet-natured dad—a former mailman who experienced too many run-ins with biting dogs—is adamant about wanting nothing to do with her big black Labrador. But as Rachel tends to the escalating physical and emotional needs of each, she notices the striking similarities in their aging processes, and realizes these two souls whom she loves deeply are on the same journey.

With time working against her, Rachel must find a way to transform their uneasy truce into a trusting companionship. In doing so, she hopes to make their shared journey less lonely and frightening—and more bearable for those who must someday let them go.

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https://www.amazon.com/My-Dad-Dog-Rebecca-Warner/dp/1684335884/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1607106333&sr=8-1

Following a successful career in banking, Rebecca Warner pursued her dream of writing with the publication of her first book, the two-time award-winning political thriller, Moral Infidelity. Her follow-up, Doubling Back To Love, was included in the popular romantic anthology, Peace, Love and Romance. Her third book, He’s Just A Man, offers self-help advice for women seeking healthy relationships.

Rebecca blogged for HuffPost for two years while working on two new novels. One of them, My Dad My Dog, will be published by Black Rose Writing in November, 2020. Rebecca drew upon her 14 active years of being a Health Care Surrogate for her parents to write a heartwarming story about a journey that an Alzheimer’s-afflicted man and an elderly dog are destined to take together.

Rebecca and her husband, Jason, live in Asheville with their lively stumpy-tailed cattle dog, Chance. She loves dancing—from ballet to Carolina beach shag—foreign travel and spending time in nature. Visit her website at www.rebeccajwarner.com to learn more about her books and to read her blogs, which cover a wide range of topics ranging from feminism to politics to banking.

My Thoughts...

What an emotional  and heartfelt, uplifting read.  I was all tears and smiles reading this book. It came at just the right time as I lost my dad while reading this book. 

Warner has a gift, her writing style was right on point and I enjoyed this read.

I gave this book 4 stars and I hope that you grab your copy, get a few extra copies it would make a wonderful gift.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything By Kristin Bair

 

A quirky, nervous wreck of a New England mom is forced to face her many fears in this touching, irresistible novel from author Kristin Bair.

Agatha Arch's life shatters when she discovers her husband in their backyard shed, in flagrante delicto, giving the local dog walker some heavy petting. Suddenly, Agatha finds herself face to face with everything that frightens her...and that's a loooooong list.

Agatha keeps those she loves close. Everyone else, she keeps as far away as possible. So she's a mystery to nearly everyone in her New England town. To her husband, she's a saucy, no-B.S. writer. To her Facebook Moms group, she's a provocateur. To her neighbor, she's a standoffish pain in the butt. To her sons, she's chocolate pudding with marshmallows. And to her shrink, she's a bundle of nerves on the brink of a cataclysmic implosion.

Defying her abundant assortment of anxieties, Agatha dons her "spy pants"--a pair of khakis whose many pockets she crams with binoculars, fishing line, scissors, flashlight, a Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD, candy, and other espionage essentials--and sets out to spy on her husband and the dog walker. Along the way, she finds another intriguing target to follow: a mysterious young woman who's panhandling on the busiest street in town.

It's all a bit much for timorous Agatha. But with the help of her Bear Grylls bobblehead, a trio of goats, and a dog named Balderdash, Agatha may just find the courage to build a better life.

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Agatha-Arch-Afraid-Everything-Novel/dp/164385500X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SWZJEAT9ZBLS&dchild=1&keywords=agatha+arch+is+afraid+of+everything&qid=1607099923&sprefix=Agetha+Arc%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1

Kristin Bair O'Keeffe is the author of the novels THE ART OF FLOATING (Penguin|Berkley, April 2014) and THIRSTY (Swallow Press, 2009). Her short stories, articles, and essays have been published in Writer's Digest, the HuffPo Books Blog, Poets & Writers Magazine, The Gettysburg Review, The Christian Science Monitor, HYPERtext, Bluestem, and other publications. She has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and has been teaching writing for the past twenty years.

In addition, Kristin writes about writing, life, creativity, China, and whatnot at her blog Writerhead. In late 2010, after nearly five years as an expat in Shanghai, China, she repatriated to the United States and is hunkered down in Massachusetts with her husband and daughter.

Connect with Kristin:

Want to learn more about Kristin? Visit www.kristinbairokeeffe.com

Read Kristin's blog? www.kristinbairokeeffe.com

Follow Kristin on Twitter: (@kbairokeeffe)
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For updates, "like" Kristin on Facebook:
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My Thoughts...

Are you ready to forget about all the sadness in the world and read a happy make you laugh out loud book? I found you one that you will really enjoy. A dog walker? You have got to read this book to find out what happened with the dog walker. This is a 5 star read that you are going to be so happy you took the time to read. And Yes, Agatha is afraid of everything. The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

A Wealth of Pigeons By Harry Bliss and Steve Martin

 

“I've always looked upon cartooning as comedy’s last frontier. I have done stand-up, sketches, movies, monologues, awards show introductions, sound bites, blurbs, talk show appearances, and tweets, but the idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me. I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny. You can understand that I was deeply suspicious of these people who are actually funny.”

So writes the multitalented comedian Steve Martin in his introduction to A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection. In order to venture into this lauded territory of cartooning, he partnered with the heralded New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss. Steve shared caption and cartoon ideas, Harry provided impeccable artwork, and together they created this collection of humorous cartoons and comic strips, with amusing commentary about their collaboration throughout. The result: this gorgeous, funny, singular book, perfect to give as a gift or to buy for yourself.

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Pigeons-Cartoon-Collection/dp/1250262895/ref=sr_1_1?crid=65DJMXZLND2W&dchild=1&keywords=a+wealth+of+pigeons+a+cartoon+collection&qid=1606585445&sprefix=A+Wealth+of+%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1

Steve Martin is one of today's most talented performers. His huge successes as a film actor include such credits as ROXANNE, FATHER OF THE BRIDE, PARENTHOOD and THE SPANISH PRISONER. He has won Emmys for his television writing and two Grammys for comedy albums. In addition to the bestselling PURE DRIVEL, he has written several plays, including Picasso at the Lapin Agile and a highly acclaimed novel, SHOPGIRL. His work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times.

My Thoughts...

This was such a great coffee table book. It would be perfect as a conversation starter in your living room.

It would make a fantastic gift as well.

I have always been a fan of Steve Martins and this is just the nicest treat to have received.

I hope that you grab a copy or two and enjoy this. You will love the illustrations also.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

The Heart of Dixie By M. M. Clem

 DIXIEI never wanted to leave the farm, but Papa insisted, and I’ve always been a daddy’s girl. After being away for four years at a big city college, this was not the homecoming I expected.Papa’s health is worse than I realized, and the farm is falling apart. My best friend Charlie is more hands on than ever before and there’s an infuriatingly handsome new farmhand in my horse barn that’s caught my attention. BAUERFinding out I have a teenage son a little over a year ago was a shock, but I’m desperate to be a part of his life and prove I’m more than an irresponsible bachelor.Thankfully, Gould Farms has been my saving grace, giving me a steady job and providing me a place to live. I’ve focused all my energy on this job; that is, until my bosses daughter returns home.She’s not at all what I expected, but she’s definitely what I want. She might even be just what I need to give my son the life he deserves.When Dixie’s confusion turns to heartbreak and Bauer’s future teeters on the edge, will they find what they’re looking for in the heart of dixie?

Pick up your copy here...

https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Dixie-Duet-Book/dp/B08N979FVX/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1606699161&sr=8-1

m.m. clem lives in a small town, in the heart of Indiana, with
her husband, three kids, and her big black dog, Leela.
Besides writing, she enjoys reading, photography, sleeping,
and watching her daughter dance. When she’s not busy
writing or reading, you can find her chauffeuring her kids to
band practices and competitions, club meetings, dance practice and dance
competitions, or fiddling around on social media. She loves her Netflix,
country music, anything sweet to eat, and iced tea. Sarcasm is her second
language.

My Thoughts...

Cowgirls are you looking for a new author? I found you one and and you are going to enjoy this one.

I can't wait for Clem's next book. This is book one in the series Dixie Duet. I hope that you will grab a copy and let me know what you think of this one.

The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.