Book Review and GIVEAWAY: When Canaries Die, by Luis Figueredo {ends 6/11}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Mo bounced into the room with youthful enthusiasm and plopped onto the long, blue leather couch next to Maggie. With a huge grin spreading across his face, he leaned back and clasped his hands behind his head. The more he thought about Asher’s facial contortions when Pierce exposed the major crack in the government’s seemingly perfect defense, the more satisfied he felt. 

Mo’s face broke into a genuine smile. “The look on Asher’s face when she suddenly realized that she was up against one of the best lawyers in the country and he had a smoking gun was priceless.”

Pierce narrowed his eyes because compliments from Mo were rare. Criticism was the norm.

“The canary analogy was a little long winded but effective,” Mo mused. His tone was reminiscent of a time when Pierce was a wet behind the ears lawyer fresh out of law school.

“And there is it,” Pierce said, closing the laptop.

Pierce Evangelista and Moses Black seem to bend the law to their will, when it’s really a beautiful work of art when they interpret and present their cases in parallel to reality.

Official synopsis:

A hotshot Miami attorney, Pierce Evangelista finds himself navigating a world on the brink of collapse as a deadly pandemic sweeps the globe. Amidst the chaos, Pierce is tasked with challenging the U.S. government’s immigration policies that left thousands of asylum-seekers stranded in dire conditions. As the virus spreads uncontrollably and the demand for blood transfusions skyrockets, criminal organizations exploit the situation, turning human blood into a precious commodity. With the border towns of Tijuana, Juarez, and Matamoros descending into chaos, Pierce must confront powerful forces and fight to reopen the border to save lives. Dive into this gripping legal thriller infused with science fiction and suspense, where the line between survival and exploitation blurs in a world plagued by tragedy and greed.

Processing the multiple dilemmas in this story was powerful, especially with the memories of living through COVID quarantines. A new pandemic is especially deadly, but this time, it leaves immigrants at risk from the disease and the cartels, who want to harvest their blood for sale to the highest bidder, to use to treat others already diagnosed. 

Maggie Malone, an attorney for the ACLU, has formed an attachment with a woman and her toddler in a camp at the border, waiting for asylum entry to the U.S. While Maggie wants to help reform immigration law, especially during the virus, she is especially concerned with the young mother and child after losing contact with them during a shut-down of the border. 

The book was a real page-turner with enemies on multiple fronts. People are afraid of anything outside their homes, as an exposure to the pandemic could mean probable death. From the legal front, virtual court changes the playing field immensely. The story earned 3 out of 5 stars. While this is the third book in the Pierce Evangelista political thriller series, it read fine alone, especially with the involvement of Moses Black and Maggie Malone. This would be recommended to readers who enjoy sci-fi medical stories and political/legal thrillers. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a corporate drone and mother who fills her time with well-managed engagements and reading in the moments in between. See what else she’s up to on her blog: SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of When Canaries Die!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, June 11th, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and must respond within 24 hours, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

When Canaries Die, by Luis Figueredo

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Book Review - This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir, by Zarna Garg

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

“Excuse me,” said one of those early 2000s women whose name could be Brittany or Amber or Tiffany, “but are you even a student here?”

“Me?” I said. “No.”

“Why are you in our group meeting?” said Bramfany.

Everyone stared at me.

“I just think it’s interesting,” I said.

“It is interesting,” said Bramfany. “Don’t you think that if business school is so interesting, you should apply to business school and pay for business school?” 

“Oh, no, I can’t pay for school again. I already have a law degree.”

“Oh, for India?” she said, like I had a degree for a dollhouse.

“No, no, I’m licensed to practice law in the state of New York.”

“So again, why are you, a lawyer, hanging out with business school students?”

What was wrong with me? Was I really this misdirected?

Zarna Garg never imagined that her interesting way of observing the world around her could evolve into a successful career in comedy after moving to the U.S. and getting her law degree.

Official synopsis:

Throughout Zarna’s whole childhood in India, everyone called her “so American” just for reading the newspaper, having deep thoughts, and talking back to anyone over the age of thirty. When Zarna’s dad tried to marry her off at age fourteen, Zarna fled—first to the streets of Mumbai and ultimately to the glittering paradise of Akron, Ohio, where she got to become American for real.

On Zarna’s very American quest to find herself and her calling, she threw herself wholeheartedly into roles like dog-bite lawyer, crazy perfectionist stay-at-home mom, Indian matchmaker, prizewinning screenwriter, and more. It wasn’t until a dare led her to a stand-up comedy open mic that Zarna finally found her spiritual home: getting paid cold hard cash for her big fat mouth.

And as Zarna discovered, after surviving the brutal streets of Mumbai, the cutthroat world of stand-up comedy is nothing.

Zarna is a much later child in her parents’ lives, which doesn’t stand out to her much until her siblings are grown, married, and out of the house,and her mother dies, making her marriage (at age 14) her father’s next goal. While it was certainly more traumatic at the time, her retelling of the story in this amusing memoir gives a great sample of Zarna’s humor, since she obviously survived.

The story of Zarna’s marriage, parenting, and evolution of careers was inspiring and entertaining. The story earned 3 out of 5 stars, and her other books would probably prove equally amusing. This (and most likely her other books) could be recommended to those who enjoy parenting stories, books about realized dreams, and stories about Indian cultures and people.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliate link - hardcover is 53% off, as of this writing!}

Becki Bayley is a woman whom her husband says is awesome. He questions whether there is anything else. See what they’re up to on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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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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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Glory Daze, by Danielle Arceneaux {ends 5/7}

Review by: Becki Bayley

Glory tipped the Uber driver thirty dollars in the parking lot of Cypress Downs. He had said nothing about her appearance on the long drive, and he ought to be rewarded for that. Her feet were so swollen from alcohol and sodium from the night before that she couldn’t get her shoes on. She held them in one hand, with her keys in the other, as she walked barefoot to her car, the asphalt digging into the soles of her feet. A feeling of gratitude washed over her when she locked herself inside her Honda-CRV. She may not have been home, but she was on her turf.

Thank God she found a pair of old gas station sunglasses in the glove compartment, because her eyes rejected the sunlight. Various thoughts jammed her brain while she was driving. According to Valeries, and what she was told at the casino, she had had too many drinks. That may have been true, but Glory felt so physically demolished that it had to be more than just alcohol. She couldn’t stop wondering if someone had slipped something into her drink. In fact, the only sensation that  came close to how she felt the night before was when she pricked herself at Opelousas. It could not have been a coincidence. 

Stubbornly independent Glory Broussard is back. Since she already solved one murder, her daughter and "that woman" expect her to help solve another.

Official synopsis:

After her life was turned upside down by solving the murder of her best friend, Sister Amity Gay, all Glory Broussard wanted was a little peace and quiet. That included getting back to her Sunday morning routine as a bookie in a coffee shop, and planning the annual Mardi Gras gala for her church. But there’s no rest for Glory once the woman who broke up her marriage walks in to CC's Coffee House and asks for help finding her missing husband. It doesn’t take long before Glory finds him . . . with a knife impaled in his chest.

No one knew the man—and his dark side—better than Glory Broussard, who would rather let the local authorities take the lead. But Glory’s daughter, still reeling from problems of her own, insists on her involvement. Glory’s search for the murderer takes her deep inside the seedy world of Louisiana casinos and racetracks, from their high roller VIP rooms with chatty dealers to stables filled with thoroughbred horses and shady dealings.

As if solving a murder and sparring with the woman who had an affair with her ex-husband isn’t enough, Glory has to get to the bottom of her daughter’s secrets, and there are a few members of her church group who would love to see her fail in her Mardi Gras responsibilities. Walloped with one revelation after another, Glory’s no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is attitude and strength is tested like never before. But it’s going to take more than that to keep her down in this charming and gripping new novel in the award-winning and critically acclaimed Glory Broussard mystery series.

Glory Broussard has an unavoidable approach and asks the questions that need to be asked. It’s how she solved the murder of her best friend in Glory Be. When she finds her ex-husband, Sterling, stabbed and dead, her daughter Delphine and Sterling’s new wife Valeries are hoping that Glory will again prove to be more effective than the authorities at solving the crime.

Glory regrets her promise to help more than a few times, especially when she finds herself in danger again and would rather be far from drama involving her ex and "that woman"—the woman he left her for. But she would do anything for her daughter, so she keeps untangling the web that led to Sterling’s untimely death.

The characters in this series are so enjoyable. While this book earned a 5 out of 5 stars, each book is investing more readers in the lives of Glory and Delphine, and their relationships with Noah and Beau, and now Justice, Valerie, and Constance. The series is easily recommended to those who like cozy mysteries with strong and quirky female characters. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a reader with many amazing, imaginary friends, and two marvelous kids. Check out what they’re up to on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Glory Daze!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 7th, 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!

Glory Daze, by Danielle Arceneaux

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Better Left Unsent, by Lia Louis {ends 4/23}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Maybe this is what I need tonight. Not quite the squeezing myself into a jet-black full-body suit with my head in a huge felt frame bit. But the party itself. Because what better way to forget about everything than to get dressed up in something stupid and drink and eat and watch Michael Waterstreet do the worm (which is more like the salt-doused slug) before crying into a miniature hot dog because his wife has left him again.

Plus…Jack. Jack has a way of making nothing seem like a big deal. Best friend blocking you? No worries. Your mum has been secretly seeing her ex-husband nobody talks about? Happens to us all. Send out all your draft emails? So what?

After a server glitch sends all of Millie’s draft emails—that were never meant to be read by anyone else —she decides she’s done with technology, and maybe humanity. But maybe something good could result from airing some hard truths?

Official synopsis:

Two years ago, thirty-year-old receptionist Millie Chandler had her heart spectacularly broken in public. Ever since, she has been a closed book, vowing to keep everything to herself—her feelings, her truths, even her dreams—in an effort to protect herself from getting hurt again.

But Millie does write emails—sarcastic replies to her rude boss, hard truths to her friends, and of course, that one-thousand-word love declaration to her ex who is now engaged to someone else. The emails live safely in her drafts, but after a server outage at work, Millie wakes up to discover that all her emails have been sent. Every. Single. One.

As every truth, lie, and secret she’s worked so hard to keep only to herself are catapulted out into the open, Millie must fix the chaos her words have caused, and face everything she’s ever swept under the carpet.

Oh, Millie. So the emails get sent, but then someone in IT suggests that sending emails isn’t something an update could do. Has she been intentionally sabotaged by someone? And if so, who? Of course, Millie’s main focus will first be damage control. She frantically tries to correct anything with those she may have hurt, especially in the case of her ex-boyfriend, Owen, and his girlfriend, who may or may not stick around for Owen’s or Millie’s apology.

While most of the story is definitely Millie’s, her fantastic friends (Ralph & Cate, first and foremost) really contribute to the plot, both by aiding in her character development, and pointing out some positives of the receipt of the emails that she never meant for anyone else to read.

Lia Louis writes books that are emotionally engaging but not altogether predictable, and this was no exception. This imaginative book earned 4 out of 5 stars and would be enjoyed by those who like contemporary relationship stories. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link—currently only $4.73 for paperback!}

Becki Bayley enjoys reading, writing, and building Legos. Check out her recent activities on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Better Left Unsent!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 11:59pm ET, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Better Left Unsent, by Lia Louis

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