And Then There Was You by Nancy Naigle

 

Reeling after falling prey to a Romeo con-artist who just waltzed away with the better part of her belongings, Natalie Maynard works closely with the detective assigned to her case, only the few leads have led nowhere.

Detective Randy Fellowes can’t promise Natalie restitution, but he’s determined to find the culprit and serve up justice. Married to his work, he’s caught off guard when Natalie has his thoughts wandering to more than the case.

Natalie soon seeks refuge in the one thing she still owns ― an old fishing cabin in the mountains of Chestnut Ridge. She quickly falls in love with the town and the eccentric people who are teaching her so much about the area and its heritage.

Through these people, and the determination of Detective Fellowes, she rediscovers her courage, self, and a reason to risk love again.

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Amazon.com: And Then There Was You (Chestnut Ridge, 1): 9781250794178: Naigle, Nancy: Books

USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle whips up small-town love stories with a whole lot of heart. She began her popular contemporary romance series, Adams Grove while juggling a successful career in finance and life on a seventy-six-acre farm. Over twenty-five novels later, Nancy is a Romance Writers of America and ACFW Honor Roll author. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and received favorable reviews from major trade journals. Nancy's latest release, THE SHELL COLLECTOR, is a touching novel of a friendship that crosses generations, and learning how even the smallest gifts can change a life for good.

Crown Media has adapted several of Nancy's novels for Hallmark Channel, and Nancy novelized three Hallmark Original Movies set in the town of Evergreen. Hallmark fans may have recently enjoyed The Secret Ingredient and new in 2021 Sand Dollar Cove in the Summer Nights programming-both inspired by her novels.

Now happily retired from a career in the financial industry, this Virginia girl devotes her time to writing, antiquing, and horseback riding with friends.

Download a complete list of Nancy's books at www.NancyNaigle.com, then stay up to date with future releases by joining Nancy's free newsletter -or-visit her on facebook and twitter (@nancynaigle)

Hugs and happy reading~ 

My Thoughts...

Let me start by saying this is a must read. If you love a great fairy tale with a fantastic ending this is your next book.
Plus, it has puppies and a castle. Let's not forget a handsome detective soon to be sheriff!
Now that I shared your next read with you, I am off to hunt for some Fairy stones.
The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required, and all views expressed are our own.

Hotel Laguna by Nicola Harrison

 In 1942, Hazel Francis left Wichita, Kansas for California, determined to do her part for the war effort. At Douglas Aircraft, she became one of many “Rosie the Riveters,” helping construct bombers for the U. S. military. But now the war is over, men have returned to their factory jobs, and women like Hazel have been dismissed, expected to return home to become wives and mothers.

Unwilling to be forced into a traditional woman’s role in the Midwest, Hazel remains on the west coast, and finds herself in the bohemian town of Laguna Beach. Desperate for work, she accepts a job as an assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Beloved by the locals for his contributions to the art scene and respected by the critics, Radcliff lives under the shadow of a decades old scandal that haunts him.

Working hard to stay on her cantankerous employer’s good side, Hazel becomes a valued member of the community. She never expected to fall in love with the rhythms of life in Laguna, nor did she expect to find a kindred spirit in Jimmy, the hotel bartender whose friendship promises something more. But Hazel still wants to work with airplanes―maybe even learn to fly one someday. Torn between pursuing her dream and the dream life she has been granted, she is unsure if giving herself over to Laguna is what her heart truly wants.

Pick up your copy here...

Hotel Laguna: A Novel: Harrison, Nicola: 9781250277381: Amazon.com: Books

Originally from Hampshire, England, Nicola Harrison moved to California when she was 14. She studied Literature at UCLA and received an MFA in creative writing at Stony Brook University. She has short stories published in The Southampton Review and Glimmer Train as well as articles in Los Angeles Magazine and Orange Coast Magazine. She has an essay in the anthology Mom's Don't Have Time. She was the fashion and style staff writer for Forbes and had a weekly column at Lucky Magazine. Nicola has spent many summers in Montauk and currently lives in Manhattan Beach, California. Montauk was her debut novel and The Show Girl is her second.

www.NicolaHarrison.com 

My Thoughts...

First, I have to say I love this cover. 

California during  WWll what more needs to be said. This is a book that once you start it you can't put it done. I loved following Hazel on her journey.  Finding her way.

This is a book that I recommend. I can't wait to read Harrison's next book.

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

Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen

 

The next installment of Joanna Schaffhausen's critically acclaimed Detective Annalisa Vega series.

For Chicago police detective Annalisa Vega, Sam Tran’s death presents an ominous puzzle. The ex-cop turned PI is found hanging from a cemetery tree with a message across his chest that suggests someone holds a murderous grudge against the police. Annalisa suspects the real answer lies in one of Tran’s open cases. She believes he stumbled on a dark secret during his investigations and someone killed him to keep him quiet. Her own family harbors plenty of secrets, something Annalisa is reminded of when her brother turns out to be one of Sam’s last clients.

Vinny Vega hired Tran to find a dangerous stalker on his daughter’s college campus. Now Sam is dead and the stalker remains at large, with Annalisa’s niece Quinn firmly in his sights.

To protect Quinn, Annalisa begins tracing Sam’s steps back through his open cases, which include not only the campus stalker but also a brutal double homicide from twenty years ago. Did Sam finally find the killer? Did he uncover the stalker’s identity? Annalisa must figure out which secret got Sam killed, and fast, or someone else will die. Every move she makes brings her closer to the truth of Sam’s death, and closer to a murderer who will stop at nothing to remain free.

Pick up your copy here...

Amazon.com: Dead and Gone: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel (Detective Annalisa Vega, 3): 9781250853370: Schaffhausen, Joanna: Books

Joanna Schaffhausen wields a mean scalpel, a skill she developed in her years of studying neuroscience. She has a doctorate in psychology, which reflects her long-standing interest in the brain―how it develops and the many ways it can go wrong. Previously, she worked as a scientific editor in the field of drug development. Prior to that, she was an editorial producer for ABC News, writing for programs such as World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and 20/20. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.

The Island of Lost Girls By Alex Marwood

 

It's paradise for the super-rich, but hell for the girls whose lives they've stolen

1985

To twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is home, an island with deep-rooted traditions untouched by the modern world. But this secluded paradise is upended with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his pampered young daughter, Tatiana. While the Meades lavishly spread unimaginable wealth around La Kastellana, the price Mercedes and the rest of the islanders will pay is more than they could ever have imagined.

2016

Robin has been desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who’s been missing for more than a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, an island playground for the international jet set, Robin quickly realizes she’s out of her depth. No one is willing to help and Robin fears she’s running out of time to find her child.

But someone has been watching, silently waiting for the moment to expose the dark truth of what really happens on the island of lost girls.

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Amazon.com: The Island of Lost Girls: A Novel: 9780063282230: Marwood, Alex: Books

Alex Marwood is a former journalist who worked extensively across the British press. Her first novel, The Wicked Girls, achieved widespread acclaim and international bestsellerdom. It was shortlisted for ITW, Anthony and Macavity awards, was included in Stephen King's Ten Best Books of the Year list, and won the prestigious Edgar Award. The Killer Next Door, her second novel, won the coveted Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel, was nominated for the Anthony and Barry. The Darkest Secret, the tale of the disappearance of young Coco, met with critical and reader acclaim. The Poison Garden will be released in 2019. She has also been shortlisted for numerous other crime writing awards and her first two novels have been optioned for the screen. Marwood lives in south London and is working on her next novel

To Be A Woman by Katie McCoy

 

We live in a cultural moment where the definition of “woman” eludes the keenest of thinkers and brightest of scientists, where one’s biological sex and one’s gender are divorced, where the meaning of gender itself is a constantly moving target, and where girls and women, especially, struggle to know who they are.

Where societal confusion has naturally ensued from this state of affairs, and Christians especially wonder how to think and respond to it, Katie J. McCoy offers a clear and helpful guide in her debut trade book, To Be a Woman.

In these pages, Katie will help you understand:

• Why, as a culture, we’ve arrived in such a place of gender confusion
• What the relationship is between biological sex and gender, and why this relationship is so crucial
• The truth about gender transitioning, including the irreversible damage of hormone therapy on the female human body
• Common myths and misunderstandings in the gender debate
• What Scripture and science have to say on the matter

• Ways to respond in a Christlike way to loved ones struggling with gender identity

Pick up your copy here...

To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond: McCoy Ph.D, Katie J.: 9781087784441: Amazon.com: Books

Katie McCoy serves as Director Women's Ministry at Texas Baptists. She holds a PhD in Systematic Theology from Southwestern Seminary (TX), where she served on faculty for five years. Katie's research includes the patterns of justice for women in Old Testament laws as well as the intersection of theology, gender, and women's studies. She is a frequent speaker and writer on women's and gender issues. She is the author of To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond. Katie loves to bake (or just make a mess in the kitchen) and the Container Store is her "happy place."

The Last Sinner by Lisa Jackson

 

There are killers so savage, so twisted, that they leave a mark not just on their victims, but on everyone who crosses their path. For Detectives Bentz and Montoya, Father John, a fake priest who used the sharpened beads of a rosary to strangle sex workers, is one such monster.

Bentz thought he’d ended that horror years ago when he killed Father John deep in the swamp. But now there are chilling signs he may have been wrong. A new victim has surfaced, her ruined body staged in deliberate, unmistakable detail. Either it’s a terrifying copycat, or Father John, the detective’s own recurring nightmare, has come back to haunt New Orleans.

Another death, and another. Bentz is growing convinced that Father John isn’t just back. He’s circling closer, targeting those Bentz loves most.

And this time, he won’t be stopped until the last sinner has paid the ultimate price…

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Amazon.com: The Last Sinner: A Chilling Thriller with a Shocking Twist (A Bentz/Montoya Novel): 9781496739056: Jackson, Lisa: Books

#1 NYT and USA TODAY bestselling author Lisa Jackson started writing after her sister read an article in TIME Magazine in 1981 about how young mothers were making money writing romance novels. Both Lisa and her sister, Nancy Bush, began their writing careers right then, and lo, these many years later Lisa has published seventy-five plus novels and has no plans to slow down anytime soon.

One Souther Summer by Heidi McCahan

 It’s her second chance summer…if she’s ready for it—in this warm and utterly irresistible Southern small-town novel.

When Avery Lansing Crawford left her hometown of Camellia, Alabama, she was the darling of the town. A beauty queen. Now she’s come back a disgraced and divorced mom who’s lost almost everything—her home, her husband, even her design TV show—all while the public watched. And if the humiliation wasn’t bad enough, Avery and her two small children are moving in with her mama…just in time to give everyone in Camellia something to talk about.  

And oh, they’re talkin’. Especially when Avery reignites her old friendship with Cole Whitaker, who’s offered Avery the opportunity to do something real: a redesign project that would help survivors of human trafficking. It could kick-start both her career and her confidence—not to mention give her a chance to spend more time with Cole.

With three generations of strong Southern women around the family dinner table, coming home to Camellia could be the perfect fresh start. Even if Avery is the topic of salacious gossip over sweet tea and her grandmother won’t stop interfering in her love life. But the bonds of family and the promise of second chances just might lead to a future that looks nothing like she expected.

Pick up your copy here...

One Southern Summer: McCahan, Heidi: 9781335662590: Amazon.com: Books

Heidi McCahan began dreaming up stories as a little girl. Now she's a bestselling author who writes uplifting, inspirational romance novels set in small towns. A perfect day for Heidi includes a good cup of coffee, dark chocolate, and reading books with happy endings. She's originally from Alaska, but currently lives in North Carolina with her handsome husband, three amazing boys, and the world's greatest goldendoodle. One Southern Summer, Heidi's next novel with Harlequin Love Inspired, releases June 26, 2023.

Enjoy a free novella by subscribing to Heidi's newsletter here: http://www.subscribepage.com/heidimccahan-newoptin