Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Karma Never Sleeps, by R. John Dingle {ends 5/29}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

When Mel was finished and they had no more questions for her, they thanked her for coming forward, then watched her walk back to her Jeep and slowly drive away. Gus sat back in his rocking chair and steadied it so that his face was beside Vanessa’s.

“Didn’t see that coming,” he said.

“That killing spree theory of mine is making more sense all the time.”

“It is starting to come into focus. I’ll give you that. But Mel wasn’t there that night. Everything she just told us is third party hearsay; it’d never stand up. We need the evidence or at least a confession from one of the women who was there that night.”

Gus Wheeler had an arrangement with the FBI when he came on as an agent, that he could take leave and travel with his band. But when he and his partner agent are tasked with untangling two murders that may be linked to a potential murder 25 years earlier, he has some choices to make.

Official synopsis:

When a second woman from a group of friends known as “the posse” is murdered in the woods near the New England enclave of Kendalton, FBI agent and profiler Gus Wheeler and his partner are called in to determine if this is a serial killing. He’s intrigued by a clue hidden on the body: a memorial picture of a teen who died 25 years ago.

Instead of helping with the investigation, the long-term friends stonewall the agents. But Gus can smell fear beneath their calm masks, fake smiles, and politely vague answers. Digging deeper, he discovers they are being terrorized by cyberstalking, spying, threats and mysterious break-ins. When a third member is hospitalized after a brutal attack, Gus suspects someone in the posse is the hunter instead of the hunted.

Is it the alpha leader Jules, her best friend Maria—married to the chief of police—outsider Mel, or weak link Lizzy? Or someone else bent on revenge? Time’s running out, and Gus’s life depends on his skill at determining who’s the best liar in town.

This was an engaging page turner from the first! While it’s apparent right away that some of the posse are not nice girls, could any of them be murderers? The story becomes a great examination of how well you can really know someone.

FBI agent Gus Wheeler and his work partner Vanessa are smart, no-nonsense investigators determined to find out who isn’t telling the truth, and perhaps even more importantly, why.

While a few suspects seem more likely to be behind the murders and other crimes, are they really all connected, or is someone trying to lead them on a chase in the wrong direction? When extra clues start appearing, they have to still wonder if they are clues, or decoys to lead them away from the really guilty parties. 

The story was full of wild twists and turns, and hard to put down as the conclusion neared. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars, and with all the details, may be worth a second read even knowing the ending. This intriguing story could be recommended to those who like small town dramas, high school nostalgia, and contemporary murder mysteries.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley enjoys Legos and jigsaw puzzles when she isn’t reading or following her kids’ activities. Check out what else they’re up to on Instagram, where they post as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Karma Never Sleeps!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, May 29th, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Karma Never Sleeps, by R. John Dingle

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: See How They Fall, by Rachel Paris {ends 5/11}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

‘Are you sure you’ll be okay?’ Duncan asked. ‘I really don’t want to leave you but there are some urgent issues I have to deal with.’ He was heading in to the office. Someone else could have taken care of the work. He was just desperate for a distraction, for the charade of routine and normality. ‘Why don’t you invite some friends over?’

‘Bridge and Vicky are coming after yoga,’ I lied. All of my friends had offered to visit, but I’d brushed them off with excuses about the police investigation. If I couldn’t be with Tilly, then I wanted to be alone. I would spend the day online, seeking out the miracle stories, the kids who’d returned to full health after prolonged intubation and sedation. But so far, everything I’d read was consistent on one point - every hour she remained in that medically induced coma, the worse the odds of her making a full recovery.

Skye’s husband and his brothers are making her question her own perceptions of events, but she is confident that she knows what she’s seen. Mei is convinced the other detectives are taking the easy answer, and there’s more to Skye’s suspicions than they’re ready to believe.

Official synopsis:

When Skye married into the wealthy Turner family, she thought she was entering paradise. But now, several years later, she remains uneasy amid the opulence of her husband’s world, struggling with her own secrets and working to maintain a normal life for their young daughter, Tilly.

Skye’s delicate balance is undone when the family patriarch, Sir Campbell Turner, dies suddenly and an illegitimate heir comes forward to stake his claim in the luxury goods empire the old man leaves behind. Reluctantly, the Turners receive the newcomer at an intimate weekend retreat at Yallambee, the family seaside estate, but tempers flare and egos clash within their first few hours together and the night ends in a tragedy that leaves one dead and another fighting for life.

Sergeant Mei O’Connor is assigned to investigate the incident and though her superiors are keen to close the case as swiftly as possible, the evidence just isn’t lining up. Convinced that there’s more to the suspicious death than a simple accident, Mei continues to search for answers. But pulling at these threads may just tear down the Turner empire.

Skye definitely came from humble roots, but she’s been holding her own and trying to fit in with the super-wealthy and powerful Turners since she married Duncan Turner. While she isn’t sure about Duncan’s brothers, she’s more confident that her husband is a kind and reliable husband and father to their daughter, Tilly.

But when Duncan’s son, Cody, is introduced to the family at the weekend when they’ll determine what’s next after the death of the patriarch, Sir Campbell Turner, no one seems to be taking it well. Cody has always been nice, and good to his half-sister, Tilly, but Duncan and his brothers are more at odds than usual, and the brothers suspect Cody of ulterior motives to show up during the power struggle within the family.

Skye has her own past, which makes her observations and suspicions less believable, sometimes even for her. But as the evidence continues to stack up on other issues, even she isn’t sure if Tilly is safe with Duncan’s family.

This story was thrillingly told, with an unreliable main narrator, and so many suspects. In addition to whether to trust Skye’s suspicions, Mei must also question whether the other police detectives are choosing an easy solution instead of squaring off against such a powerful family. The book earned a high 4 out of stars, with a thought-provoking twist at the end. This would be enjoyed by those who like contemporary family dramas and stories in Australia. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who is happiest when she’s reading or watching her kids’ antics. See a bit of their fun for yourself on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of See How They Fall!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Sunday, May 11th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified the next day via email and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

See How They Fall, by Rachel Paris

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: At the Island's Edge, by C.I. Jerez {ends 5/8}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

We continue to dance, and I sing along to the chorus. I think about the words and what it would mean to Eli if he understood it. Would he think it’s fate that we are dancing to a song about a woman who knows every wound, every war of life, and the pain of love?

When it ends, patrons seated at tables near the dance floor’s edge clap for us. Maybe it’s because for a split second the two of us looked happy. Or perhaps it’s Eli’s effort to dance and lead me despite only being able to use one arm. It doesn’t matter. I blink back the tears from the corners of my eyes, flooded with conflicting emotions and sentimentality.

Eli hugs me again, but this time he holds it a second longer, pulling my body a slight pulse tighter against his. He leans down and kisses my cheek. I’m tempted to turn my face and return his kiss, but a sudden movement at the entrance catches my eye.

My feet are frozen. I cannot move. It’s not possible. It’s been ten years, but it’s him. So much time but he’s barely changed, maybe a little more mature, but still the face I knew before. I’m struck dumb by the familiarity of his features.

Lina returns to Puerto Rico after attending high school in the U.S. and serving a traumatic tour with the Army in Iraq. Can she still rise to be the mother and family member her family expects?

Official synopsis:

As a combat medic, Lina LaSalle went to Iraq to save the lives of fellow soldiers. But when her convoy is attacked, she must set aside her identity as a healer and take a life herself.

Although she is honored as a hero when she returns to the US, Lina cannot find her footing. She is stricken with PTSD and unsure of how to support her young son, Teó, a little boy with Tourette’s. As her attempts to self-medicate become harder to hide, Lina realizes she must do the toughest thing yet: ask for help.

She retreats to her parents’ house in Puerto Rico, where Teó thrives under her family’s care. Lina finds kinship, too—with a cousin whose dreams were also shattered by the war and with a handsome and caring veteran who sought refuge on the island and runs a neighborhood bar.

But amid the magic of the island are secrets and years of misunderstandings that could erode the very stability she’s fighting for. Hope lies on the horizon, but can she keep her gaze steady?

The story starts with the attack of Lina’s convoy in Iraq. Her recounting of each moment is full of emotion, and the reader can feel Lina’s distress and urgency to get home safe to her son. As a combat medic, she is only supposed to be there to help her fellow soldiers, but as her convoy passes through a village with multiple threats, she is forced to do whatever it takes to survive. 

As it was the end of her tour anyway, Lina is soon honorably discharged and back with her son. While she originally had planned to stay and have the military fund her journey through medical school, she now wants out, and has little support processing what she’s been through.

Lina and her son move back to her family’s home in Puerto Rico, where she has not lived since before high school. Her relationships with all of her family members are closely examined, and she isn’t confident in trusting anyone else to have her best interests at heart. Unfortunately, she is still emotionally overwrought and has to make some bad choices before she realizes how badly she needs help.

The book was an emotionally-charged journey through Lina’s PTSD and its resulting alcoholism. But all is never lost, and experiencing Lina’s life through her eyes helps the reader feel her strength and love for her son and family. The book earned a high 4 out of 5 stars, and would be readily recommended to those who enjoy contemporary fiction, strong female characters, and stories of life transitioning after military service.

{click here to purchase on Amazon - currently FREE for Kindle Unlimited!}

Becki Bayley is a Gemini who enjoys Legos, snack foods, and Cherry Coke. See more of what she’s up to and her family’s adventures on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of At the Island's Edge!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, May 8th, and winner will be notified the next day via email and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

At the Island's Edge, by C.I. Jerez

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