Book Review for The Polish Wife by @GosiaNealon

Beautiful! I am loving the books in this series! They are World War 2 fiction and while they shed light on the atrocities that took place during this brutal time in history, they also show the resilience of the human spirit. While all the evil is happening, people are carrying on with their lives. After all, this is their one life to live. Will they live it to the full, working with what they have, or bow over in grief?  

The Polish Wife is a love story amid the darkness of Nazi infiltration. Having fled to Poland to escape an abusive husband, Anna, not only takes up with the resistance but she finds a doctor with a gentle spirit who loves her. The book follows their lives with the brutal backdrop of war and political upheaval. There are losses, there are victories.

One thing that I absolutely love about these books is how immersive they are. The characters feel real, and I experience the gamut of emotion as I keep eagerly flipping the pages. I strongly recommend this book if you're looking for a book to pull you in and propel you to another time and place. This novel takes readers on a powerful, moving journey.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy. 

Buy on Amazon. 

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Read and reviewed by CAROLYN ARNOLD. Expressions and opinions are her own. She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers to action adventures. 

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Book Review for Mind Your Own Murder by @PattiLarsen

What a fun, light-hearted cozy! I really enjoyed this one. Persephone recently turned the big 5-0 and finds herself divorced. This was a choice she made and doesn't regret but she feels the need to get away and assess her life and what it might look like from this point. She rents a cozy cottage by the ocean in Maine, intent on having a peaceful vacation. But it doesn't exactly turn out like that. Just upon entering the small town she faces road rage from a local. But she's still determined not to let that shake her. Then she finds out the piece of work lives next to her rental. Joy oh bliss.

The man is loud and obnoxious with a host of people who don't really like him but when he's murdered the locals are ready to point the finger at Persephone. She becomes the local sheriff's prime murder suspect. Instead of being able to enjoy her time away she finds herself trying to solve a murder so she doesn't go away for the crime.

I recommend this read for an afternoon's entertainment. It had good pacing, I connected with the main character, and it had a satisfying resolution. 

(I realized after reading the book and writing this review that the author is also a Canadian like me!)

Buy on Amazon. 

_____________________

Read and reviewed by CAROLYN ARNOLD. Expressions and opinions are her own. She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers to action adventures. 

CLICK GRAPHIC FOR RETAIL LINKS

Book Review for Irish Castle Murder by Penny Brooke

I enjoyed this cozy/light procedural. It moved along at a good pace and caught my attention from the start. The plot is led by Annabelle Shannon who is returning home to Ireland to visit her aging grandmother. The two share a close bond and Annabelle seriously considers uprooting her New York City fast-paced life in exchange for a more leisurely paced existence in a small village. But the people there aren't too accepting of strangers, and even though everyone knows and loves Annabelle's grandmother, they still look with suspicion on Annabelle. 

When the two of them are invited to spend the night at a fancy hotel that is soon to open, things don't turn out exactly as planned. One of the other VIP guests turns up dead the next morning. Local police initially dismiss it as an old man's health taking a bad turn, but Annabelle is skeptical from the start. She pokes her nose into things, making "friends" with the local police, but eventually they start to see that she can offer them some insight. After all, they don't see murder in the village, and Annabelle is hardened from her life in the city and her work as a lawyer. 

I recommend this book for those who are looking for an entertaining light read to devour in an afternoon. 

Buy from Amazon. 

_____________________

Read and reviewed by CAROLYN ARNOLD. Expressions and opinions are her own. She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers to action adventures. 

CLICK GRAPHIC FOR RETAIL LINKS

Book Review for The Cuban Daughter by @Soraya_Lane

Just wow. This was such an incredible, heart-rending, and yet enjoyable journey to take. I read this one in a day, barely able to put it down. It was told from the perspective of the present day and back in the 1950's. To the author's credit both were gripping and had me wanting to pick up the next segment of the story. I have read books where I have skimmed to get back to a particular person's point of view, but not with this one. 

It all starts with a mystery when Claudia is called to a lawyer's office. Not sure if this is some kind of scam or a legitimate request she still goes if nothing more than to satisfy her curiosity. When she ends up getting a box addressed to her late grandmother with mysterious contents, Claudia's curiosity is even more piqued. She becomes to determined to unravel not only her grandmother's heritage but also to piece together her own place in the world. This was a lovely, beautiful story that I highly recommend. 

Buy on Amazon. 

_____________________

Read and reviewed by CAROLYN ARNOLD. Expressions and opinions are her own. She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers to action adventures. 

CLICK GRAPHIC FOR RETAIL LINKS

Book Review for Twisted Bond by Emma Hart

Noelle Bond is an acquired taste and made me think of a less clumsy and more foul-mouthed Stephanie Plum. This isn't the novel for you if you have sensitivities to swearing. With that said given Noelle's background I can see that it is likely realistic. She comes from family of cops and grew up with three brothers. If that's not enough to drive a girl crazy her grandmother is constantly trying to set her up and marry her off. 

What grandma doesn't know is Noelle spends a lot of the time trying to fight her attraction to a local detective. The tension is only made worst when two murders take place on Noelle's property and she ends up face to face with this detective on a daily basis. While she was first considered a suspect it soon becomes clear she might be the killer's next target. In that case, what's a private investigator to do? Well between trying to stay one step ahead of the killer, eat cupcakes of course!

I won't say anymore and risk spoiling the plot, but the author definitely had me flipping the pages.

Buy on Amazon. 

_____________________

Read and reviewed by CAROLYN ARNOLD. Expressions and opinions are her own. She is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and thrillers to action adventures. 

CLICK GRAPHIC FOR RETAIL LINKS