Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Sapphire Nights by Patricia Rice

On By BarbaraIn Contemporary, Paranormal / Fantasy3 Comments

Sapphire Nights (Crystal Magic Book 1)Sapphire Nights by Patricia Rice

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Crystal Magic #1
Publication Date: 3/27/18

The writing is excellent with well-developed characters, a tight, well-written story, a complex and interesting mystery and a lovely romance. The mystery will keep you guessing right up until the end – it is filled with plots and sub-plots and so many twists and turns.

Samantha (Sam) Moon arrives in the small mountain town of Hillvale, California without an actual memory of who she is, where she comes from – nothing – it is all a total blank. The only reason she has any idea of her name is that she found it written on something in her car – well – she thinks it is her car – after all, she was driving it. How did she get here – there is an address programmed on the GPS – did she program it? Why is she here? She’s been in a bit of a befuddled state, but her mind is finally clearing a bit – at least she can think – but she still has absolutely no idea who she is or why she is in this place.

Hillvale is a mysterious, very small town populated with what the locals call Lucys and Nulls. The Nulls are pretty much just what the name says – plain, ordinary, logical with no belief in anything that is magical or mystical. The Lucys seem – and many actually are – looney. They often talk in jibberish and never, ever get directly to the point and say what they actually mean. They have various talents – some assist restless spirits to the other side, some tell futures by reading tarot cards, some create spells and sculptures that protect people and spaces – well, you name it and there is someone with that talent. Many of the people are hold-overs from the old hippie commune days. Days that are better forgotten, but can’t be. They were days filled with drugs, betrayals, fraud, and evil.

Chen Ling Walker is more than he seems. He’s the county deputy assigned to patrol and police the Hillvale area – but – that isn’t all he is. He’s here on a mission – he intends to find out what happened to his father when he was in this area nearly 20 years ago. Walker is sure his father was murdered here, but his body has never been found. Walker fully intends to find out what happened, but the locals are tight-lipped and will not speak to anyone – especially an outsider. Walker is still trying to recover from the murder/suicide of his wife and son, so he has taken a sabbatical from his job as CEO of his own company. He had to get away – and this is the perfect thing for him to do.

The descriptions are so vivid that you can feel the evil surrounding you. Your heartbeat will speed up and you can only wonder who or what is causing all of that evil. More and more is revealed as Sam remembers who she is and how she got here. Then, she learns more about her family background and her ties to this place. She is in danger here – the evil is stalking her.

Can she and Walker save her from that evil? Can they solve the mystery behind the disappearance of Walker’s father? Can two people from such different worlds find love and happiness? Well – you’ll just have to read the story to find out!

Now, I will say that I’d have liked MORE at the ending – an epilogue – an additional chapter – something. Perhaps we’ll learn more in additional books in the series, but I’d have liked to see how/if Sam and Walker work things out in this book.  Will they end up living in his town or hers?  Will they be together at all?

The book is interesting and filled with lovely, quirky characters that you’ll quickly come to like. I think it might be fun to live in a town like Hillvale.

Please check out my reviews at:
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”

Highland Wrath by Madeline Martin

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Elizabethan Era (1558-1603), Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Yearly FavoritesLeave a comment

Highland Wrath (The Mercenary Maidens, #3)Highland Wrath by Madeline Martin

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Mercenary Maidens #3
Publication Date: 7/17/18

Oh! Be still my heart. This book was mesmerizing, poignant, sweet, fulfilling, and the absolute perfect ending to the series. My heart beat faster and faster as Sylvi and Ian along with Percy, Isobel, My Lady and Liv draw nearer and nearer to the mercenaries who murdered Sylvi’s family. Can six stand against dozens? There is non-stop action, an exceptional storyline, a mystery that keeps you guessing right up until the end, wonderful, lovable and relatable characters and I absolutely could not put it down once I read the first word.

Sylvi has intrigued me since the first book in the series. I knew she had an epic tale to tell and I was certainly correct in that. She’s strong, intelligent and determined to avenge the deaths of her entire family. Her family was ruthlessly murdered when she was only eight years old – she was the only one to have survived having her throat cut. She closed down all of her feelings except her desire for revenge and she trained her body to be a killing machine. She had followed and copied the moves of someone she referred to as My Lady until the lady finally noticed her and agreed to teach her. It is seventeen years later and Sylvie is now at her peak – all she has to do is find them. All she knows is that the leader has only half of his left ear.

To keep herself and the other ladies afloat, Sylvi occasionally accepts jobs – even sometimes taking the life of someone else. She has just such a job now. She is to find and kill Ian Campbell and take his body to the people who want him dead. However, Ian isn’t quite as easy to kill as she thought – and when she hears what he has to say while he’s guessing who paid her to kill him – well, she doesn’t want him dead any longer. Together they come up with a plot to make the villains think Ian is dead so Sylvi can follow them when they take his body back to their leader.

Ian Campbell is the oldest son of Laird Campbell, but he’s renounced his position as heir because he has no desire to be the kind of man his father is. His brother Kyle can have the job. Laird Campbell is a harsh laird and rules with a firm hand. When Ian’s father committed an act Ian couldn’t live with, Ian left home and has drifted aimlessly in the year since then. He even spent a few months with a band of mercenaries.

Ian is instantly intrigued and attracted to the lovely lass who has just tried to murder him in his sleep. Yet, somehow, for some reason, he trusts her with his life. So, when she suggests an outrageous plan, he goes along with it.

Once Sylvi gets her revenge, it doesn’t feel quite so sweet. Something is missing and she discovers yet another mystery she has to solve – this was all even more tragic than she originally thought.

Be prepared for a wild ride of revenge, love, betrayal and multiple HEA’s in this tightly plotted, perfectly executed ending to a wonderful series. I highly recommend it. You can read it as a stand-alone, but goodness I don’t know why you’d want to – the first two books in the series are wonderful too!

I almost forgot to mention — there is a to-die-for epilogue. I absolutely think all books need an epilogue, but this one sets the example of what all of the others should be like. All I can say is – Well Done Ms. Martin!

Please check out my reviews at:
Blog: https://flippinpages.blog/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flippinpages…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinPagesRev
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbBookReview

“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”