Heather's Review of Crossing the Line by Sherri Hayes

Crossing The Line 
(Daniels Brothers #3)

by Sherri Hayes

Release Date: September 4 , 2014

Published by The Writers Coffee Shop

Genre: Romance/Contemporary and Crime 
ISBN e-book: 978-1-61213-268-6

Available from: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and TWCS PH

 

~~SUMMARY~~

Detective Paul Daniels has spent four and a half years mourning the loss of his wife. He’s been doing his best to raise their daughter, Chloe, with the help of his in-laws. When they inform him right before Thanksgiving that they’re going to be moving over two hours away, Paul finds himself without anyone to watch Chloe—especially when he’s called out to a crime scene in the middle of the night. Little does he know that meeting his baby brother’s girlfriend and her sister, Megan, will change everything.

Megan Carson has taken a few wrong turns in her life, but she’s doing her best to get back on track. When she meets Chloe, the little girl swiftly worms her way into Megan’s heart. The opportunity to help Paul out and watch his daughter appears to be a blessing in disguise. She quickly volunteers to be Chloe’s live-in nanny.

Everything is working well until the three of them head back to Ohio for Chris and Elizabeth’s wedding. Paul has a little too much to drink during the reception, and he and Megan end up sharing a heated kiss. When he wakes up the next day, he has a pounding headache but remembers nothing.

Megan, however, isn’t willing to forget. Over the past few months since she’s been playing nanny, her feelings for Paul have changed. He is everything she never knew she wanted, and now that she knows there might be something there, she’s going after what she wants—Paul.

~~Review~~

You just know that Paul, Megan, & Chloe would make a great family but when Paul’s inner heartbreak and his determination not to open his heart to another keeps getting in the way you begin to wonder if it will ever come to completion.  Characters are amazingly well written and the plot tugs at your heart from page one to the final page.  When you throw in a serial murder mystery that has landed on Paul’s desk, you just know it’s going to swirl around until all fronts come together full circle.  I’m not sure if I couldn’t put it down because of the romantic drama or because of the mystery and I know it may be cliche but no less true, either way it had me on the edge of my seat.

I haven’t read books 1 and 2 before this and there may be some family “gaps” because of it but I never felt lost for starting with book 3.  I have definitely added the first 2 to my TBR list as well as Miss Hayes on my authors-to-watch list.

~~Rating~~

Goodreads * Add to Want To Read List

~~PRAISE FOR CROSSING THE LINE~~

"I really loved the build up in this story and couldn't read fast enough to find out what happens next. Will Paul let go of his guilt from the past and give a relationship with Megan a chance? Or is Paul bad for Megan and lose her because of another mistake he makes? Read this book if you want a good romance, with a side of suspense, enjoyable characters and some smokin HOT scenes." ~Diane Williams, Goodreads

To read the full review, click here.

~~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~~

Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling, or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author. At the age of thirty, all of that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending, and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more. Seven years later, Sherri is the author of seven full-length novels, and one short story. Writing has become a creative outlet for Sherri that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. She is most well known for her Finding Anna Series about a young woman rescued from being a sex slave by a wealthy Dominant. Sherri’s eighth novel, Crossing The Line, is scheduled to release September 4, 2014.

~~CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR~~

Sherri's Website * Facebook * Sherri Hayes Book Club - Facebook

Sherri Hayes Book Club - Goodreads * Google+ * Pinterest

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~~Behind Closed Doors $0.99 Sale and Red Zone New Price~~

~~OTHER NOVELS BY SHERRI HAYES~~

Heather's Review of Anniversary Killer by Alexandra Allred

 Anniversary Killer

 by 

Alexandra Allred

 

Summary:

Allie is back! When a kidnapping, house fire, and murder occur around the corner from Allie Lindell's house, it's too much for her to resist. Despite promises to stay away from murder and mayhem, a missing Irish setter named Chester puts Allie on the hunt. Almost a year to the day, Mickey Callahan's business partner was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head and nothing but questions surrounding his murder. Now, Mickey Callahan is convinced that the same people are out to get him. After a sloppy kidnapping attempt, no one takes him seriously until the body count begins to add up. The Allie Lindell saga returns with the third book in the series and more drama than ever as Allie continues the struggle to hold on to herself without giving up on her partner and love, maintain a relationship with her police officer sister and best friend, and keep up with her caper-loving neighbor who insists on going along on every stakeout.

 

Heather's Review:

Once again I’m wondering why I signed up to review a mystery.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the mystery genre but I don’t do spoilers when I review and I find that it makes it very difficult to write said review “properly”.  I’ll try so here it goes.  

I haven’t read the first two in the series, but I wasn’t lost.  The mystery was a story in itself and stood alone, perhaps some of the personal tale would have flowed a little better had I read Roadkill(#1) and Sweetbreath(#2) first, but not so much that it affected how I was able to get involved into Anniversary Killer.

I found myself guessing and contemplating all the way through over the who done it.  For the personal part and the characters, I found myself not only caring deeply about them, but they are so honestly written that I realized they could very easily be people I know.

I’m definitely going to be adding the first two entries to my to-be-read list.

Rating: 

About this Author:

Alexandra Powe Allred graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, saying,"As everyone knows, once you get a degree in history, all you can really do is teach or write. I'm just doing what I can!" As the daughter of a (now retired) U.S. Diplomat, Allred traveled all over the United States and around the world. Her writing career began before graduation with several pieces on bi-lingual education with national education publications.

But the real stories began while living as a youth in Moscow, Russia. Under a communist regime, imagination and the ability to create stories was the very best way to beat boredom (and the freezing cold!). As her career was taking off, Allred embraced her second passion -- sports. She trained for and made the U.S. women's bobsled team in 1994, becoming the first U.S. National Champion. She was named Athlete of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee and garnered much worldwide attention as she was also 4 1/2 months pregnant at the time! Her training regimen was (and is) used by the United States and International Olympic Committees for pregnant athletes. Following her retirement from the sport in 1998, Allred returned to the literary world with The Quiet Storm.

While living in the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY, she was able to talk to Olympic and National athletes from all disciplines and share with sports enthusiasts. From there, her career was launched. She did adventure freelance writing for Sports Illustrated, Muscle & Fitness for Her, and Volvo magazines. She held a sports column, worked as an editor for NOW magazines outside Dallas, Texas and began working as a Clean Air advocate, often testifying before the EPA.

Today, she writes (mostly) ï¬�ction, teaches kinesiology classes for Navarro Community College while enjoying her family and animals in Texas.   

Be sure to check out :

Book 1 in the Allie Lindell Series

 

 

Book 2 in the Allie Lindell Series

 

 

Availability

Goodreads 

 Amazon

Heather's Review of Cry of the Machi by Alan S. Blood

GMTA PUBLISHING PRESENTS

~~FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE~~

Title: CRY OF THE MACHI

Author: Alan S. Blood

Genre: Occult/Suspsense/Thriller

Length: 160 pages

Release Date: November 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1493565016

Imprint: Enigma Press

SYNOPSIS:
Like all English villages, the quiet and charming Thorpe Amberley in the heart of the Suffolk countryside has its secrets, its mysteries and its legends. It also has its traditions, such as the Tamberley Morris Men, a dysfunctional band of blow-ins, mainly professionals, who rehearse every Thursday and drink in the local pub.

Nothing much has served to disturb the tranquillity of Thorpe Amberley for centuries. Until now. A stunningly beautiful American woman comes to the village to teach at a nearby school, and her arrival coincides with the resurrection of deadly seeds of jealousy, evil and murder.

When the village is rocked by a series of gruesome and apparently ritualistic killings, it soon becomes clear that the local police are up against dark forces which they are wholly unequipped to deal with. Unlikely help comes from the shamanistic connection with a Patagonian Machi through the Morris Men's Squire and the unexpected assistance of an ex-NYPD policeman. A hunt for not one, but two serial killers, is on, and Thorpe Amberley will never be the same again.

Heather's Review: 

As a lover of English mysteries, I tried going into this book with an open mind but I’m afraid my standards were set pretty high.  I was pleasantly surprised with the story, the characters, and the mystery.  I found myself riveted to my seat with the whole package.

The plot doesn’t take long to suck you into it’s intrigue and the characters capture your heart, with love, hate, or anything in between after just a short time.  The scenery and settings are described with just enough to picture them as the author wants but with enough room for your imagination to fill in a few potholes here and there.

Alan S. Blood may not yet be up to par with the likes of Colin Dexter(Inspector Morse), Caroline Graham(Midsomer Murders’ Inspector Barnaby), or Agatha Christie but I can definitely see his name being added to the list in the near future.  I will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from Mr. Blood.

Rating: 

About the Author: 

Alan S. Blood worked in Advertising and the Civil Service, London, before qualifying as a Teacher from Reading University, England and enjoying a long distinguished career. He now writes novels, plays, screenplays and poetry and has widely travelled the world, especially undertaking research in Chile where some of his supernatural crime thriller ‘CRY OF THE MACHI A Suffolk Murder Mystery’ is partly set. Alan’s novel ‘ONCE UPON A CASTLE' is a teenage ghost story taking place in World War 11. The paranormal genre, therefore, features in much of his prose work. Alan won top award at the ‘Hastings International Poetry Festival’ (2003) with his controversial ‘litter’ poem ‘CONTRITE CAN CANNOT’. He enjoys wildlife photography, painting, scraperboard engraving and lives in a rambling Victorian house in Wales, UK.

Interview By Georgina Wroe on Thursday 9th August, 2012 at 2.10 pm. (This Interview can be heard on the 'Potpourri' section of my website – www.alansblood.co.uk   by clicking the 'Play' button)

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