Book Review: Stage Smart (Work for It #8) by Aly Stiles  @authoralystiles    @smartypantsromance

Stage Smart
(Work for It #8)
by Aly Stiles

My record label had one rule… and I broke it.

In my defense, “don’t fall in love with your producer” isn’t exactly fair when your producer is Val Andrews, a sweet, talented, totally genuine prince in an industry of egotistical frogs. It’s especially not fair when your forbidden crush becomes a constant temptation while on tour with a vengeful ex and an enigma named Chad.

All I want to do is make incredible music and show the world I’m more than a vapid starlet. But when a cryptic memo reveals a sinister plot to destroy my career, it becomes clear there’s only one person I can trust—the one they said I can’t have.

‘Stage Smart’ is a full-length contemporary rockstar romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #8 in the Work For It series, Educated Romance World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’s on the Elite List. The only list I’m on is the robocall spam list to refinance a mortgage I don’t have.

That idiot is a drop of melted wax.

My Review:

 

I vastly enjoyed the sparkling humor found throughout, although I struggled with the spinelessness of the main character of Larinda. However, the brilliance of Ms. Stiles’s clever wit and the oddity and/or adorableness of her other characters kept me invested in her tale. I smirked, chortled, and laughed aloud during perusal. I am enamored with her creation of Val and Chad has never been more out there while still on point. I’m still giggling over such comedic gold as “Someone liquify me!” and “emblem of speech” and the ever-keen observation that “Nothing brings people together like belt drama.”

 

About the Author

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From angsty and dark to snort-laugh funny, Aly writes romance from her soul to yours.

Aly is a writer, musician, and terrible cook. She loves cats, hates selfies, holds a blackbelt in Kyokushin karate, and watches every documentary she can find. Her books (and music) stretch genres and feature emotional, angsty themes with gripping storylines that bring all the feels. The only things she enjoys more than shredding hearts is stitching them back together and creating vivid, complex characters you can’t let go.

Her novels have been nominated for an RT Reviewer’s Choice award, received a number of Amazon category bestseller rankings, and have been praised by some of the leading authors in the romance industry. The care and compassion with which she handles difficult subjects like mental illness and suicide has also been recognized by mental health advocates and actively promoted by multiple survivors and organizations.

No matter the genre or trope, Aly’s goal is always the same: to write with earnest passion from her soul to yours.

 

Book Review: You’re The Boss by Emma Hart   @emmahartauthor

You’re The Boss
by Emma Hart

 

Amazon

 

From New York Times bestselling author, Emma Hart, is a sexy, banter-filled romcom between the secretary trying to escape and the man who refuses to let her go…

Current life goal: hand in my resignation and get out from under the thumb of my cold, demanding boss that I’ve not-so-lovingly nicknamed The Bastard.

After a month of trying and failing to get the infuriating man to accept it, his grandfather offers me the chance I’ve been waiting for: go on a trip up north for six weeks for a project that will solidify my boss’ position as the company Vice President, and he’ll personally see to it that my resignation is processed on our return.

The catch? I have to live with him for those six weeks.

That’s exactly how I acquire a rich, handsome roommate who doesn’t seem to know what a shirt is, can’t operate a washing machine, and might actually set the kitchen on fire.

They’re all sides of Theodore Black I’ve never seen before, but I still don’t know if I want to kick him or kiss him.

Until I accidentally walk in on him doing some self-care in the shower.

And maybe… the office isn’t the only place he’s the boss.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Emily Grandstein gave our Chloe a papercut.” Cassidy paused, setting his tea in front of him. “I’ll contact an assassin immediately.”

Really, what’s gotten into him today? Is this poison? Are we going to die? Aren’t executioners always nice to their victims before they kill them? Is this our famed last meal before we’re dropped into a pit of lions?

Theodore Black had the kind of perfectly toned body that wouldn’t be out of place on a poster attached to the wall of a teenage girl’s bedroom. It was the body of someone who ate a good diet and worked out regularly but didn’t live and die by the gym. His shoulders were broad, and his back was toned, and there was just enough visible vein in his forearm to make a girl really stop and think about her life choices until now.

Henry the Eighth had more patience than you do, and he chopped off the heads of two of his wives.

 

My Review:

 

I am devoted to the well-crafted and engaging writing skills of Emma Hart and adore her clever arrangements of words as they are a true delight to indulge in. I find myself totally enmeshed during perusal and have fully enjoyed each of her tales that I’ve been lucky enough to get my poorly manicured hands on.

Her prose sparkles with wit through amusing barbs, humorous observations, wry quips, and snarky banter.

Her characters are admirable, adorably quirky, and well-developed, yet not above startling epiphanies along their path.

I am eagerly awaiting her next missive.

About the Author

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author, Emma Hart, has written more than seventy romance novels in the last decade. She loves writing snarky, swoony romcoms with a side of chaos, occasionally venturing into romantic mysteries. Which are exactly the same as her romcoms, just with a dead body or two. That’s the reason for her questionable Internet history—at least that’s the story she’s sticking to it.

She lives on a smallholding in North Wales with her husband and their two children, a clowder of very fluffy cats, one giant German Shepherd, and an undisclosed number of chickens and ducks. Don’t ask her to count them. She will not, thank you very much.

When she’s not writing or chasing ducks in her pajamas, you can find her creating cozy gaming content for her Youtube channel and live streaming on Twitch.

Find her online:

Amazon: https://emmahart.pub/books 

Youtube: https://emmahart.pub/youtube 

Twitch: https://emmahart.pub/twitch 

Facebook: https://emmahart.pub/Facebook 

Instagram: https://emmahart.pub/Instagram 

Tiktok: https://emmahart.pub/TikTok 

Twitter: https://emmahart.pub/Twitter 

Website: https://emmahart.pub/site 

Book Review: Last One to Die (Detective Nikki Cassidy #2) by Dana Perry  @danaperryauthorby @bookouture

Last One to Die
(Detective Nikki Cassidy #2)
by Dana Perry

 

Amazon  / B&N / BB

Ten days ago, straight-A student Jessica Stanley ran away from home. Now her lifeless body lies pale and still in an empty parking lot, her unblinking brown eyes staring up to the night sky…

FBI agent Nikki Cassidy’s heart pounds as she takes in the short, dark hair and delicate features of fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Jessica Stanley. It’s another unsolved murder in Groveton, Ohio, just like her sister, Caitlin, fifteen years before. Her family beg her to keep her distance, but Nikki knows she can’t walk away.

What if her sister’s killer is back?

Talking to Jessica’s heartbroken family, Nikki learns that she wasn’t happy at home. Just days ago, she packed a few belongings into her school backpack and left, never to be seen alive again.

Determined to give Jessica’s family the answers she never found for herself, Nikki works around the clock, trawling hours of CCTV footage from the scene. And just when she thinks she’s close to uncovering the truth, a chilling email arrives that confirms her deepest fear. There are more victims, Nikki. Can you ever stop me?

This killer is playing a dangerous game, and he has Nikki in his sights now—one wrong move and she could be his next victim. She’s determined to unmask the monster who has tortured her hometown for decades. But what if the killer is someone close to her? What if it’s someone she loves?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot will absolutely love this gripping new series from Dana Perry. Prepare to stay up all night!

 

My Rating:

 

Favorite Quotes:

 

That’s what happens when you dig into the past. You can never be sure what you’re going to find back there.

There are no boundaries for evil. It could be found anywhere.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re overly critical and sometimes just need to keep your mouth shut?” “A few people.” “You should listen to them.” He smiled.

Gilmore was a remarkably unremarkable man. Somewhere in his forties, thin, balding, dressed in drab clothes, no real charisma of any kind when he talked.

 

My Review:

 

This was an unpredictable, action-packed, twisted, and busy tale that kept the little pea in my brain hopping and my neck in knots. I had a hard time putting this one down, even when I had to, and I certainly did not see this ending coming. Dana Perry is definitely perfecting his craft.

About the Author

I am a New York City author who writes mystery thrillers under the pen name of Dana Perry – and also as R.G. Belsky. My new thriller for Bookouture is The Nowhere Girls, the first in a series featuring Detective Nikki Cassidy. Book 2, Last One to Die and Book 3, The Lost Ones, will also be published on April 2nd.
Contact me at DanaPerryAuthor@yahoo.com
https://twitter.com/DanaPerryAuthor
Facebook: @danaperryauthor
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Dana Perry here: https://www.bookouture.com/dana-perry

Book Review: An Enchanting Case of Spirits by Melissa Holtz    @authormelissaholtz

An Enchanting Case of Spirits
by Melissa Holtz  

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When a fortieth birthday celebration leads to a ghostly visitor, four friends find themselves navigating surprising mysteries and spiritual hijinks, in this clever debut from Melissa Holtz.

Alyssa Mann isn’t adventurous, not since her husband died and she found herself the single mom of a teenage daughter. But there’s no way to avoid celebrating the big 4-0, so when her best friends drag her out for drinks and a tarot reading, she throws caution to the wind and decides to see what the spirits have to say. It’s all fun and games, until she wakes up the next morning with a wicked hangover—and a ghost perched on the edge of her bed.

Sheer panic sends her running to get help from Nick West, the (very attractive) detective who lives next door. When he finds no one inside, Alyssa has to accept that she really did see a ghost. As the dearly departed keep appearing, Alyssa and her friends do their best to learn how to control her newfound power. Trading insults with ghosts, tracking down family heirlooms, and getting closer to the skeptical but helpful Nick is more fun than Alyssa imagined. But when looking into one ghost’s past reveals unexpected—and unwelcome—facts about Alyssa’s late husband’s death, she discovers she just may be in over her head.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

We all know she’s about as comforting as sitting on a cactus.

“Have your cell phones ready in case we have to call 9-1-1; this looks like a potential sex trafficking situation,” I call over my shoulder to Nina. Lanie turns to me, nose scrunched and eyes squinted in something like disgust. “We’d be a bit past their target.”

When death comes for me, I want to head straight to that promised beam of light and be whisked off to the land of wine and chocolate.

“Listen, Alyssa, I’m a man of few words for good reason. My dad always said, ‘If you don’t speak, you don’t say stupid shit.’” His head dips and our eyes connect. “It stuck with me. But sometimes, I forget that sage advice and say stupid shit anyway.”

My Review:

 

I adored this cleverly penned tale of realistic woo-woo. Melissa Holtz has wickedly strong word voodoo and quickly had me ensnared with her witty arrangements of words. The storylines were lively, engaging, highly amusing, and creative, as well as insightfully written, and poignant. The characters were an interesting mix of quirk among both the living and the dead.

I so want to be a member of their Gin and Tarot Club and am already looking forward to more from this wily wordsmith and am fervently hoping she continues on with this one as a series.

About the Author

Janel Lee Photography

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Melissa Holtz is a former publicist and marketing expert in the romance genre. Now in an advisory role to several bestselling authors, she consults on industry marketing trends. An Enchanting Case of Spirits is her debut novel.

Book Review: Escape to the Rome Apartment (The Italian Escape Book 3) by Kerry Fisher    @kerryfisherwrites @bookouture

Escape to the Rome Apartment
(The Italian Escape Book 3) 
by Kerry Fisher

Amazon  / B&N

Sara’s eyes fill with tears as she reads the letter, her last words from her dearest friend: ‘I’m buying you your freedom. You don’t need to ask your husband’s permission and you have to put yourself first for once. Have an incredible adventure before it’s too late for both of us…’

Sara has lost her zest for life. Trapped sharing a house with her soon-to-be-ex-husband, with grown-up children who still need her but take her for granted, working in a job where her boss bullies her, the final straw is the heartbreak of losing her beloved best friend Lainey.

But Lainey’s death could be the beginning of Sara’s new life… as the last gift Lainey gives to her friend is a sum of money and a request: that Sara travels to Italy, the scene of the pair’s youthful adventures, and scatters Lainey’s ashes on the beach at Portofino.

For once, Sara decides to be brave. She quits her job, tells her family they can manage without her, and sets off on the trip of a lifetime. Swept up by new friends and relishing the freedom of being away from home in beautiful Florence, Sara finds herself drawn to Carlo. Handsome and charming, he is everything Sara finds it so hard to be: carefree, impulsive, living in the moment without worrying about the future.

And then Sara sees something she shouldn’t… and discovers a secret about Carlo that makes her question everything she thought she knew. Stuck at a crossroads in her life and her travels, she can’t face returning home yet, but nor is she brave enough to continue the challenge that Lainey set her. And then she meets an English woman who tells her about an apartment in Rome, that could just be the answer to everything…

Return to the sunny streets of beautiful Rome with this heart-warming and romantic story about discovering your true path in life. Perfect for fans of Jill Mansell, Elin Hilderbrand and Sheila O’Flanagan.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I clung onto the rush of adrenaline, the dizzying high of ‘Am I really doing this?’, feeling like the school swot who’d suddenly started throwing chairs before flinging exercise books out of the window, pages of algorithms and equations a-fluttering, while swearing at the teacher.

He had a way of looking at me that made me feel as though I’d swum into a warm spot in a cold sea.

‘Now I’m all about the good karma.’ He pinched his thumbs and forefingers together in a mock-meditative pose. ‘Though I still love to see a total tosser get his comeuppance.’

Learnt helplessness. All my husbands suffered from it. Perfectly capable in the areas they were interested in, then lying around like beetles on their backs if something was too much effort.

It’s hard enough to stay alive without him boring me half to death.

 

My Review:

 

I reveled in this delightfully witty and insightfully written tale that kept me chortling and smirking gleefully throughout my perusal. The writing style and storylines were a joy to delve into and were populated by uniquely authentic yet perceptively written and knowable characters. I haven’t had this much fun in ages. I want to stop time and just sit and read all of Kerry Fisher’s scribblings.

 

About the Author

Continue reading “Book Review: Escape to the Rome Apartment (The Italian Escape Book 3) by Kerry Fisher    @kerryfisherwrites @bookouture”

Book Review: The Nowhere Girls (Detective Nikki Cassidy #1) by Dana Perry  @danaperryauthor @bookouture

The Nowhere Girls
(Detective Nikki Cassidy #1)
by Dana Perry

Amazon  / B&N / BB

My kid sister was murdered fifteen years ago. Now the killer has struck again. And this time, I’m going to take my revenge…

On the anniversary of her sister’s death, FBI agent Nikki Cassidy takes a call that has her heart pounding in her chest, the image of her beautiful sister Caitlin etched in her mind.

Another girl has been taken.

Days later, the lifeless body of twelve-year-old Natalie Jarvis is found in a remote patch of woodland, a crown of roses delicately placed on her head. Just like Caitlin.

The killer is back.

Nikki rushes to her small hometown of Groveton, Ohio. She will do anything to stop another young girl dying, but she soon realises that nothing is what it seems—everyone in her hometown is keeping a secret. And when a note is discovered near Natalie’s body addressed to Nikki, it’s clear what the murderer really wants: her…

She’s caught killers before, but this time it’s personal. And Nikki will risk everything—even her own life—to get justice for every victim. It’s time to stop this twisted killer, once and for all…

If you love reading Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Kendra Elliot, you won’t be able to put down this gripping new series. Full of heart-racing twists and turns, you’ll be hooked!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I can’t believe that you’re actually comparing yourself to J. Edgar Hoover, Nikki.” “Why not?” “History has shown us that J. Edgar Hoover was a pretty mean, petty and despicable person.” “Yeah, but we both liked to wear dresses.”

I’m what they call a ‘jailbird dater.’… There’s something wild and daring and kinkily crazy about it— it just gives me a thrill I could never get out of dating normal men on the outside of prison walls. Is it dangerous? No, it’s probably the safest dating you can do. I mean they’re in prison. They’re under control twenty-four-seven. So don’t you see? Meeting up with a prison inmate like that is not as dangerous as picking up some strange guy in a singles bar or on Tinder or any other dating spot or app.

My Review:

 

I gained several new brain wrinkles perusing this tale, but one such wrinkle concerning what happens on the dark web was rather chilling and had the little pea in my brain shuddering. I already know too many things I don’t want to know.

The premise was original, and the plot was well-contrived and unpredictable with active story threads that went in all directions yet managed to converge back in a cohesive manner. The majority of the characters were realistically flawed and most were deeply damaged yet still functional. Many were also unlikable yet they still held my attention and provoked my curiosity.

I’m in for the ride to read the rest of the series.

 

About the Author

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I am a New York City author who writes mystery thrillers under the pen name of Dana Perry – and also as R.G. Belsky. My new thriller for Bookouture is The Nowhere Girls, the first in a series featuring Detective Nikki Cassidy. Book 2, Last One to Die and Book 3, The Lost Ones, will also be published on April 2nd.
Contact me at DanaPerryAuthor@yahoo.com
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Dana Perry here: https://www.bookouture.com/dana-perry

Book Review: Wild Card  by Staci Hart  @imaquirkybird

Wild Card
by Staci Hart

Amazon   / BB

 

The hot baseball player I’m forced to stay with for my best friend’s wedding is off limits.

Remy Winfield has more muscles than manners, and he’s on a mission to get me into bed by way of the filthiest mouth I’ve ever wanted to kiss. He doesn’t care about my long time crush or my certainty that we’re finally about to happen.

Remy’s sure I’ll break first and kiss him, and he’ll tease me to the limit to make sure I do. I might be a Lady, but I can still play his dirty little game. It’s perfectly safe, totally harmless.

Until I fall for him.

Suddenly, Mr. Long-Time Crush doesn’t matter at all.

And my best friend can never know.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I can’t imagine how she got you so mixed up, even though it’s one of her special skills. But she makes a strawberry pie that’ll make you see Jesus, so we try not to give her too hard a time.

I don’t know if you know this, but you have gotten hotter in the last year. I don’t know what kind of virgin blood you’ve got stocked to bathe in, but it’s working.

And if Henry made a move on her before then, I just might have to kill him and tell God he died.

Cass blinked so many times, I wondered if she was swearing me out in Morse code.

Take care of each other so I can retire my hit list, okay?

No one should be here for this. Tell Jesus to put on his earmuffs, okay?

 

My Review:

 

This steamy tale provides a new definition for the word sensual, I needed to turn on all the fans on high and seek libation as I seemed to stay in a constant state of dehydration during perusal… even my Kindle was sweating. The engaging storylines were highly amusing, easily consumable, and delightfully entertaining while populated with a variety of unique, authentic and endearing personalities. I laughed aloud several times and couldn’t keep the smirk off my face when I dared to read a few bits in public.

 

About the Author

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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Book Review:The Missing Maid (The Baker Street Mysteries #1) by Holly Hepburn  @hollyh_author @boldwoodbooks

The Missing Maid
(The Baker Street Mysteries #1)
by Holly Hepburn

Amazon  / B&N   / BB

 

London, 1932.

When Harriet White rebuffs the advances of her boss at the Baker Street building society where she works, she finds herself demoted to a new position… a very unusual position. Deep in the postal department beneath the bank, she is tasked with working her way through a mountain of correspondence addressed to Baker Street’s most famous Mr Sherlock Holmes.

Seemingly undeterred by the fact that Sherlock Holmes doesn’t exist, letter after letter arrives, beseeching him to help solve mysteries, and Harry diligently replies to each writer with the same Mr Holmes has retired from detective work and now lives in Sussex, keeping bees.

Until one entreaty catches her eye. It’s from a village around five miles from Harry’s family estate, about a young woman who went to London to work as a domestic, then disappeared soon afterwards in strange circumstances. Intrigued, Harry decides, just this once, to take matters into her own hands.

And so, the case of the missing maid is opened…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

At twenty-two, their youngest brother had yet to develop a sense of responsibility, relying instead on impish charm and a smile that was hard to resist. His siblings had long ago learned not to lend him anything they wanted to see again.

Yellowish china pump handles stood tall above the polished wood of the bar itself, presided over by a burly man who looked to Harry as though he was one impertinent comment away from a good brawl.

A word of warning, though. That toffee-nosed accent of yours creeps through every now and then. You should work on that before you do any more snooping.

 

My Review:

 

This was a fun and clever start to a new historical cozy series, and I do loves a good cozy. The premise of this one is quite appealing and unique, desperate people writing to the Baker Street address of the great Sherlock Holmes, begging the infamous detective to help them with various problems. A major problem being that while Sherlock Holmes didn’t exist beyond print, his address was real, although it happened to be belong to a bank.

It fell upon a wily and independent minded young woman, laboring away in a small windowless broom closet, to type out individual responses to each correspondent. How many of us remember using carbon paper?

This was my first exposure to the agile and creative scribblings of Holly Hepburn and I found her writing style to be smooth, immersive, and easy to follow, with issues and scenarios true to the period. I adored her conjured characters and look forward to more of these adventures.

 

 

About the Author

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Holly Hepburn is the bestselling author of many feelgood novels, including A Year at the Star and Sixpence, Coming Home to Brightwater Bay and The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures. Her books are first published throughout the year in four parts, as e-book novellas, and then collated to make one paperback and audiobook soon afterwards. She tries to write escapist fiction set in places she wished she lived. Her most recent title is Return to Half Moon Farm, published by Simon and Schuster UK.

But Holly is also turning her hand to crime, with a full-length novel in a new cosy crime series, The Baker Street Mysteries, launching in March 2024. The Missing Maid, published by Boldwood, is set in 1932 and inspired by perhaps the greatest detective of them all – a certain Mr Sherlock Holmes. Expect twists and turns and lots of tea as Sherlock’s secretary opens her first investigation.

Holly lives near London with her golden Labrador, Luna. Once of them has an an unhealthy obsession with sticks.

 

Book Review: Ex in the City by Portia MacIntosh @PortiaMacIntosh @boldwoodbooks

Ex in the City
by Portia MacIntosh

Amazon  / B&N / BB

Nicole Wilde’s life has not panned out how she expected.

Ten years ago when she was living the rock star lifestyle as a music journalist – touring the country, going to gigs and hanging out with celebrities – she never thought she would end up living an uneventful life in suburbia, in a relationship that is well past its sell-by date.

Nicole knows that her days of wild parties and tour buses are over, but yet there is something that keeps drawing her back to her old life. So when rock star Dylan King turns up on her doorstep needing her help to restore his public image, she can’t resist one last trip down memory lane.

But Nicole and Dylan’s history is complicated. And when her old life and new life collide, she will soon realise that you can’t run away from your past forever, and sometimes you just have to follow your heart…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He’s not so much my one that got away, more the one I was lucky to get away from.

My eyebrows, over the years, went on a real journey, and not a nice one like a holiday, a chaotic one, like Lord of the Rings.

I swear it’s darker over there, where they’re sitting, because even the sun finds them a bit much. It’s almost as though they’ve drawn an invisible circle around themselves, creating an impenetrable bubble of hostility and drama.

…he’s matured like a fine wine, whereas I’m maturing more like a cheese.

Jo claps her hands so loudly that one of the older women at the other side of the playground ducks.

 

My Review:

 

I enjoy the clever stylings and humorous content in the writing style of this amusing scribe, her characters’ inner musings and colorful observations never fail to keep me smirking throughout perusal. I do love a good second-chance romance and copious servings of wry humor helped to prevent the angst and regrets of their bumpy past from overpowering the tone of this one. The storylines were somewhat slow and taunting initially, which found me a bit restless and annoyed, although Ms. MacItosh redeemed herself with her deft lashings of comedic wit. I remain her devoted acolyte.

 

 

Portia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 20 romantic comedy novels.

From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.

Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.

Book Review: Murder on the Dancefloor (The Bad Girls Detective Agency #2) by Katie Marsh @katiemarshauthor @boldwoodbooks

Murder on the Dancefloor
(The Bad Girls Detective Agency #2)
by Katie Marsh

 

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She and Nicola were the golden twins. They had apparently fought a fierce battle to come out of the womb first and hadn’t stopped since, their ferocious rivalry spurring both of them on to stratospheric heights. Childhood family games of Trivial Pursuit had frequently led to fisticuffs and Twister was banned in the Martin household for fear it would lead to a repeat of The Great Battle of Christmas 1990.

His dark beard was so impressive it deserved its own Instagram account.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped in horror. Not so much a blushing bride as a victim of a zombie apocalypse.

Pen looked as if she had spent last night bathing in Evian while being massaged by angels. Being near her made Clio shrivel by comparison.

Pies devoured, she was grabbing handfuls of cakes now. Pink, white, honey-glazed, she didn’t care. She just kept shoving them in her mouth. Crumbs were flying around her like the confetti… At other tables, people guarded their cakes and their teapots, as if expecting her to attack.

Clio looked a little too enthusiastic for Amber’s liking. The kickboxing instructor had reported back to Amber that Clio scared him and asked whether she had any unresolved issues.

…it felt like they were strangers at a bad party before anyone finds the booze.

My Review:

 

I’ve had so much fun reading this series that I never want it to end. Katie Marsh has such a delightful wit that I want to immerse myself in her entire listing. Her brilliant and clever arrangements of words were buoyant,  agile, and so keenly honed they kept a smooth reel flowing through my gray matter and often had me chuckling as well as barking aloud with laughter. In addition to the hilarious scenarios the trio fell into and the unfortunate hen party activity choices forced upon them, a well-plotted mystery was afoot that only the Bad Girls could have solved. I adore them all and am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Katie wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages.  She lives in the English countryside and loves strong coffee and pretending to be in charge of her children.