Secrets Never Die – Morgan Dane #5 by Melinda Leigh

REVIEW

Another case for Morgan and Lance that will set the heart racing and the pages turning as they race against time, bad guys and the weather to protect the life of one young man.

Morgan Dane, a defence lawyer, and her fiancé, Lance Kruger, a Private Investigator, find themselves embroiled in the case of a missing teen when the mother contacts Lance to help find him following the brutal murder of her husband.  As usual the Sheriff’s department are searching out the easy option but with Morgan looking into every suspect and following every lead the right person will be brought to justice.

I have a great fondness for Morgan and Lance as I’ve listened to their story unfold throughout each book.  From their reuniting in the first book to Lance’s proposal in the last one and now Morgan’s reluctance to set a date and her heart-to-heart with her Grandfather – it’s all very exciting! Lance is so good with Morgan’s girls and has taken them on as his own, I think it helps that they have pretty much taken him on as well, for the youngest he is essentially the only father she has known.

Lincoln Sharp is also getting in on the romance act.  It is nice to see him finding someone to share his time with and I think Olivia would make a good addition to investigative team if Sharp asked her.

A great story, exciting action-packed drama and wonderful characters.

Listened to via Audible. Narrated by Cris Dukehart

Rating 5/5

Synopsis

When a retired sheriff’s deputy is shot to death in his home, his troubled teenage stepson, Evan, becomes the prime suspect. Even more incriminating, the boy disappeared from the scene of the crime.

Desperate to find her son, Evan’s mother begs PI Lance Kruger for help. She knows her son is innocent. Kruger and defense attorney Morgan Dane want to believe that too, but the evidence against the boy is damning. Just as the trail goes cold, another deputy vanishes. His shocking connection to Evan’s stepfather throws the investigation into chaos as Lance and Morgan fear the worst…that Evan is the killer’s new target.

With so many secrets to unravel, will Lance and Morgan find him before it’s too late?

(https://melindaleigh.com/project/secrets-never-die/)

Fluffy by Julia Kent

REVIEW

I absolutely love Julia’s unique wit and ability to turn a disastrous situation  into something so comical it will have the reader laughing long and loud, whilst those around them are giving questioning side glances and looks of pure confusion that say “is she alright?”.  I know this because those were the reactions of my husband and children while I was reading this book.

There is no better meeting than when Shannon met Declan (Shopping for a Billionaire Series, if you haven’t read…Shame on you!) but I can honestly say that this one comes in a close second.  When Mallory responds to a job ad for a professional fluffer she believes that she is going to do something completely different to what is actually required.  With a naked man in front of her she soon realises that the pillows that need plumping are not the ones on the sofa! But when the man of her dreams for the past 14 years walks in on her in a compromising situation things can only get better…or can they?!

Mallory is a wonderfully intelligent but somewhat naive women who still lives in the past.  When the past, in the shape of Will, turns up she finds her past and present colliding and struggles to handle the emotions that overwhelm her.

As the reader it is as clear as the words on the page how Will feels about Mallory and despite her continual need to run away – Will actually sums that one up quite nicely when he says to Mallory “for someone who never left town, you sure do run away a lot.” – Will is there for her all the way.  Mallory never left her hometown and because of that she always feels judged for not spreading her wings but sometimes there is just no need to leave.  Sometimes all you really need is family, friends and not forgetting fried-Twinkie-and-pickle sundaes.  Not everyone wants to explore the world and chances are those that do eventually return.

Great characters and a hilarious storyline, Julia has done it again . Can’t wait to read Perky and Parker’s story.

This is an ARC review courtesy of Julia Kent.

Rating 5/5

Synopsis

It all started with the wrong Help Wanted ad. Of course it did.

I’m a professional fluffer. It’s NOT what you think. I stage homes for a living. Real estate agents love me, and my work stands on its own merits.

Sigh. Get your mind out of the gutter. Go ahead. Laugh. I’ll wait.

See? That’s the problem. My career has used the term “fluffer” for decades. I didn’t even know there was a more… lascivious definition of the term.

Until it was too late.

The ad for a “professional fluffer” on Craigslist seemed like divine intervention. My last unemployment check was in the bank. I was desperate. Rent was due. The ad said cash paid at the end of the day. The perfect job!

Staging homes means showing your best angle. The same principle applies in making a certain kind of movie. Turns out a “fluffer” doesn’t arrange decorative pillows on a couch.

They arrange other soft, round-ish objects.

The job isn’t hard. Er, I mean, it is — it’s about being hard. Or, well… helping other people to be hard.

Oh, man…

And that’s the other problem. A man. No, not one of the stars on the movie set. Will Lotham – my high school crush. The owner of the house where we’re filming. Illegally. In a vacation rental.

By the time the cops show up, what I thought was just a great house staging gig turned into a nightmare involving pictures of me with an undressed star, Will rescuing me from an arrest, and a humiliating lesson in my own naivete.

My job turned out to be so much harder than I expected. But you know what’s easier than I ever imagined?

Having all my dreams come true. 

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43561153-fluffy)

Secrets of the Dead – DI Robyn Carter #2 by Carol Wyer

REVIEW

DI Carter is back for another gripping investigation that will have all her team working overtime.

When a spate of murders occurs, Robyn Carter and her team find themselves on the trail of a possible serial killer.  Are the killings planned or random attacks?  With each murder being different and no obvious connection between the victims, besides the ‘invoice’ left behind, DI Carter must pull all her resources in order to stop the killer before he strikes again.

A great story wrapped up in intrigue and mis-direction.  I love the fact that DI Carter is not a glorified detective who can ‘do no wrong’. She is constantly having to justify her decisions to her superiors and they do not bend over backwards to allow her free reign.  The hate/hate relationship she has with DI Tom Shearer brings a reality to station politics  and the one-upmanship that comes with it.

Throughout the story we have glimpses into the killers life. Flashbacks offer insights into why he is doing what he is doing, how he got to where he is, and the harrowing circumstances that lead to this outcome, but at no stage does it reveal WHO he is.

A brilliant plot, great characters and a cat and mouse game that will keep the reader guessing to the end.

Listened to via Audible. Narrated by Emma Newman.

Rating 5/5

SYNOPSIS

Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer?
A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open.

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed.

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35067524-secrets-of-the-dead)