Padme's Library: 09/02/17

Saturday, September 2, 2017

Saturday's Series Spotlight: DS Billings Victorian Mystery by Olivier Bosman Part 2

Summary:
On the 21st November 1890, Julius Dunne-Smythe – a wealthy coffee manufacturer – his wife, his sister in law and his butler creep quietly out of their home in the middle of the night, sneak into a carriage and drive off, never to be seen again.

When a few weeks later Dunne-Smythe’s business partner discovers some discrepancies in the company’s book keeping, Dunne-Smythe is suspected of embezzling the company and running away. The case is swiftly handed over to Detective Sergeant John Billings of Scotland Yard.

As Billings delves deeper into the case, he finds that all the clues to the mysterious disappearance lead back to one man; the enigmatic German butler who had recently been employed by Dunne-Smythe. The butler appears to have had a disproportionate amount of influence on the family. After looking into the butler’s past, Billings discovers a dark and disturbing secret which may well put the lives of Dunne-Smythe and his relatives in danger. What initially seemed like a simple case of theft, now looks like something far more sinister.

I am going to jump right out of the gate and start by saying as much as I enjoyed the first two entries in this series, Something Sinister is mystery at its finest and knocking on the door of 1940s style noir with a little present day creepiness factor added, so basically if you love suspense then this is the one for you. Will the missing Dunne-Smythe family be found? Do they want to be found?

I always have a hard time when it comes to doing reviews of mysteries because even though I don't ever do spoilers, so often in a mystery even the little things can be a plot giveaway. So lets focus on Billings himself. He still hasn't accepted himself and when he does verge on giving into his desires fate has other plans, but even that may lead to answers he wasn't aware of so perhaps fate knows what she is doing after all. His determination and passion to solve the mystery his way is inspiring but if there is one wish I have for him it would be to find some true happiness in his personal life using that same determination and passion.

There are so many factors that will keep you on your toes trying to figure out what each new page will bring, if you love mystery then Something Sinister is one you do not want to miss. It may be the third installment in the series but it can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading the first two if only to get a little insight into Billings mind and job.

RATING:

Click Here for Saturday Series Spotlight: DS Billings Victorian Mystery Part 1

Author Bio:
Born to Dutch parents and raised in Colombia and England, I am a rootless wanderer with itchy feet. I've spent the last few years living and working in The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Sudan and Bulgaria, but I have every confidence that I will now finally be able to settle down among the olive groves of Andalucia.

I'm an avid reader and film fan and I have an MA in creative writing for film and television.

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Something Sinister #2

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Death Takes a Lover #.5

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The Ornamental Hermit #1

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Release Tour: Bittersweets - Terry & Alex by Suzanne Jenkins

Title: Bittersweets - Terry & Alex

Author: Suzanne Jenkins

Series: Steamy Romance #1

Genre: Adult Romance

Release Date: September 1, 2017

Summary:

A one night stand segues to a weekend of passion, leading to a lifetime of romance in Bittersweets – Terry and Alex.

A Philadelphia lawyer, tired of making the same relationship mistakes, falls in love at last, and with the advice of her aging father, Harry, traverses the mysteries of romance and heartache.

Bittersweets: Terry and Alex is the first stand alone in the saga, introducing you to Arvin and Tina, Brenda and Larry, Rick and Jason, Mrs. Dell, and the rest of the cast.

October 1st
Autumn rain hit the round window. Sheets of water slid down the glass obscuring the view, but Terry Kovac gazed out anyway. The window seat where she sat was the perfect place for reflection and contemplation. Coffee long grown cold, stirring it served a purpose, and she lifted the cup to her lips for a sip. The cold, bitter liquid brought her back to reality.

Although nothing had happened yet, a strong feeling of the future came over her; not of apprehension dread, but something positive, of change looming ahead, the next chapter of her life about to begin.

The wall phone in the kitchen rang, the appliance a throwback to another time, and she let it go to voicemail. If the caller was anyone who knew her well and cared about what she wanted, they’d call her cell phone first. Waiting, she heard the click of the old fashioned answering machine.

“This is Terry, leave a message.”

“Hey babe, it’s Arvin. Give me a call before noon if you want to ride out to Oscar’s with me. I’m leaving at one. Talk to you later.”

Oscar was Arvin’s biker friend, an aging hippie who Terry felt used Arvin. Shaking her head, Arvin knew she disliked Oscar, and the act of calling her on the house phone was his passive aggressive way to justify saying later, “I called you and you never returned my call. I didn’t want to go alone, so when I didn’t hear from you, I asked Gloria.”

Or Laura, or Kathy, or any one of his group of women who had such compelling personalities that he couldn’t give them up.

She got up off the window seat and took the cup into the kitchen, dumping the coffee in the sink. A fresh cup poured, she returned to the living room to sit at the window. Then her cell phone rang. Picking it up, she saw Arvin’s number and answered.

“What? None of your other babes could go?” she asked.

“Ha! No, I actually had a change of plans. I’m leaving now. Do you want me to swing by?”

He’d never gone out of his way to drive up to her apartment in all the years they’d been seeing each other. She wondered what had possessed him now.

“No, I’m staying in today. Besides, it would be out of your way. Have fun, tell Oscar I said hi,” Terry said.

“Right, I’ll let you tell him that yourself,” Arvin replied, laughing. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Goodbye, Arvin,” Terry said, and hung up.

Before she sat down again, she got a pen and her journal. Desperate to make a change, her logical thinking in matters of the heart had disappeared where Arvin was concerned, and it had been that way since the beginning of their relationship.

Brenda, Terry’s best friend and also a lawyer working as her clerk, introduced her to Arvin. Both Arvin and Brenda’s husband, Larry, were ER doctors at one of the big hospitals in the city.

“Let me introduce you!” Brenda begged. “You’ll love Arvin. He’s so much fun, and he’s easy on the eyes, too.”

Now, after the thrill had worn off, his charms were not enough to cover up his inadequacies. Terry needed to decide about Arvin in her life. Making a pro and con list wasn’t very scientific, but at least it would help her to see things in black and white. Sitting down again with her journal, she wrote Arvin at the top of the page. On the left she wrote Pro, and on the right, Con.

Brenda & Larry #2(Coming October 1, 2017)

Summary:

A trip to the emergency room leads to a whirlwind romance for Philadelphia law student Brenda and ER physician Larry. Head over heels in love with Brenda, nothing can disturb the love he has for her, not even a dark secret from her past.

Author Bio:

Suzanne writes page-turning contemporary romance, mystery, and women's fiction with passionately gripping characters that stay with readers long after they turn the last page. The Detroit Detective Stories, beginning with The Greeks of Beaubien Street are a reflection of American fantasy with historical reality. Pam of Babylon books consistently rank in the Top 100 Best Sellers in American Drama with over 500,000 downloads. A retired operating room nurse, Jenkins lives in Southern California.

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Terry & Alex #1

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Brenda & Larry #2

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Release Tour: Lost Protector by Maggie Mundy

Title: Lost Protector

Author: Maggie Mundy

Series: Midworlder Trilogy #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: August 23, 2017

Summary:

Angels and demons are not what you think. They are aliens, and the Midworlders are their representatives on Earth.

Soren is a Midworlder who has no memory of his past. His present life is one of torture where the alien Liliath experiments on him.

Anne is a young woman who has never fitted in. All her life she has had dreams of angels. When she is kidnapped, she is offered an escape by Soren. Can she trust him when he has visions of death and murder?

On the run from her kidnappers, the two of them will have to overcome their differences or the future of the whole world will be at stake.

Soren bent down and gently moved the woman’s hair back with his finger. It was her. Even with her eyes closed he could tell. The woman in the darkness really existed and was here. She opened her eyes wide with what he could only imagine to be utter fear as she stared at him.

She shuffled back on the bed, and up against the wall. Her eyes glanced past him to the door like a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.

“Where am I? Who the hell are you?”

“My names, Soren. You’re at the Adelaide Enclave for Demonic Midworlders. How did you get into my dream? You called for help.”

She shook her head then stared beyond him again. Soren could sense the heat of someone standing behind him. Virgil stood by the door with his arms folded across his chest. The stillness didn’t last long as the giant of a man stormed across and yanked him from the room. Soren could see the woman crawl to the end of the bed. She was going to make a run for it. Virgil glared back at her.

“I would stay put if I was you. I can tie you to the bed if I have to. In fact, I think I’d enjoy it.”

Soren glanced back at the woman for a second. She crawled back up to the top of the bed again. She mouthed one word to him, as he read her lips.

Help.

Unknown Protector #1

Summary:

Two things have helped Nicole cope since the murder of her husband. One is running her detective agency, and the other is her guardian angel, Mira. When Mira is killed by a demon, Nicole accepts the help of a Ridge, a long-haired, cigar-smoking diamond in the rough with wings. Things go from bad to worse when a replacement guardian cannot be found. She has to trust Ridge, which is tricky when she realizes there are no demons or angels, just parasitic aliens that humans have built the myths of these celestial beings around. Ridge isn’t an angel or a devil, but an alien half breed known as a Midworlder. He is also way too sexy for his own good.

Scarred Protector #2

Summary:

Angels and demons are not what you think. They are aliens, and the Midworlders are their representatives on Earth. Heath is an Angelic Midworlder with a tortured past where he could not save the woman he loved. Evie is a woman haunted by a dark presence in her mind that allows her to see the angels and demons around her. Heath saves her when she is attacked by Demonic Midworlders but will he fail her like he has others before? These two tortured souls are connected by the past, a past that has left an evil lurking inside Evie that could kill them both.

Author Bio:

I live in Adelaide, Australia with my husband, one cat, two dogs and a snake. I have a motorbike that I would like to ride more than I do and I love walking at the beach and listening to the waves. I've always loved reading all forms of fiction from high fantasy and paranormal to contemporary and decided the stories in my head needed to be written down. It was either that or start on medication. Unlike many, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until a few years back. I started off doing a degree in drama but soon realized my love was in writing, though there is a play lurking somewhere on my computer. My day job is as a nurse in the operating room. I believe romance can be fun to read and write but it’s exciting to spice it up with the uncertainty that comes with suspense where the rules can be broken.