Category: Check Content Warning/Triggers

Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Contemporary, Mystery, New To Me Author, Standalone Title, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Making Friends Can Be MurderMaking Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West

Tracy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone

Release Date: June 10, 2025

After breaking up with her fiancé, Personal Trainer, Sarah Jones aka 30, relocates from Vermont to her late mother’s hometown of Minneapolis and starts a new life. In Minneapolis, Sarah joins a group of other women all named Sarah Jones, that was formed by a 17-year-old girl (also Sarah Jones) that she tutors in biology. The group named “The Sarah Jones Project” was created when Sarah aka 17, got into some trouble in school and was advised to start a positive social experiment – she decides to create a multigenerational, whimsical club of people all sharing the very common name of Sarah Jones. The group has 6 members, 17 and 30, as well as a grad student/nanny 27 (who also works for a Sarah Jones), two teachers, 39 & 44, a retired lawyer who now runs a Murder She Wrote Blog, 69. They gain a bit of fame when they start an Instagram account and they post images of them “yarn-bombing” one of St. Paul’s most Iconic trees. Life seems to be going well; her “fame” has gained her some new clients, and she has met a new guy – George Nightingale, who is an FBI agent. When 27’s boss dies under questionable circumstances, the Sarahs decide to solve the murder, and 30 is recruited by George to help with the case – but she plans to use him for information to help the Sarahs. As her relationship with George deepens, surprising connections are discovered, but some stunning betrayals soon having her question everything.

George Nightingale never expected to be an FBI special agent, he always thought he would take over his family business – Birdson Camp. But a traumatic incident that occurred when he was a child, changed him forever. His friend Henry went missing and was never found. George was one of the last people to see him and never got over his disappearance, leading him to join the FBI in hopes of solving Henry’s case. But rather than being assigned to the case, he is assigned to the fraud unit and is given the case of Gabriella Johnson, who is believed to be responsible for assuming the same name as her victims and then stealing their trust funds, she is now in Minneapolis and George believes she is one of the “Sarahs” and upon the advice of his superior, he encouraged to cultivate an informant within the group. He chooses 30, she works at his gym, and he cannot deny that he is attracted to her. He tells her as much as he can, and when his fraud suspect becomes a suspect in a murder, he will need 30’s help more than ever. But he is soon torn between his feelings for her and his duty, and his past omissions may cost him everything he has worked for.

I really enjoyed this story, the mysteries were good, and the characters were likable. I loved all the twists and turns and definitely got a “it’s a small world” vibe. While I enjoyed this book, I will be honest, there were a lot of characters and a lot of POVs, and sometimes it was a bit much. I also felt like 30 was a bit hypocritical with George, she planned on using him for information without disclosing anything to him but is angry when she learns he didn’t tell her everything he knew – causing her to become somewhat petty and immature. Overall, it was a good book, and I would happily recommend the title to anyone who enjoys a good mystery and a bit of romance.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

Curse of the Ravenscrofft Brides by Nola Saint James

On By TracyIn Check Content Warning/Triggers, Georgian Era (1714-1837), Historical Paranormal/Fantasy, New To Me Author, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Curse of the Ravenscrofft Brides: A Regency Romantasy (The Ravenscrofft Chronicles Book 1)Curse of the Ravenscrofft Brides: A Regency Romantasy by Nola Saint James

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Ravenscrofft Chronicles, #1

Release Date: March 26, 2025

Wyatt Sinclair, Viscount Ravenscrofft, has a secret, his family was given a special gift by the Ravenal Roma Clan when the first viscount fell in love and married one of their clan. The gift gave them and their descendants the ability to shape-shift into a Raven. Wyatt loves his shifting ability but his is determined that the gift will end with him, as he believes that the gift comes with a curse – the death of the Ravenscrofft brides. Since the first viscount, each bride has died not long after the birth of an heir, and Wyatt refuses to marry and subject an innocent woman to a death sentence. But his convictions are tested with the discovery of a boy who is clearly related to him and when he meets Sophia, he begins to hope that the curse is not real.

After the death of her mother, Sophia Nightingale Braithwaite becomes increasingly uncomfortable with her step-father, The Earl of Easton Grey. On a rare afternoon alone, she is returning home from a walk in the forest, where she had the incredible experience of seeing what she believed to be a raven turn into a man, she is eager to get home and ponder what she saw. But her life changes in an instant when she is accosted by her step-father and learns that he raped Rebecca, her governess and has fired her after it becomes clear she is pregnant with his child. The earl makes it clear that without Rebecca he will turn his attentions to Sophia. With Rebecca’s help, they subdue the earl and escape the estate – hoping to find shelter in London with Rebecca’s aunt. But things don’t go as planned and they end up in the employ of Wyatt Sinclair, Viscount Ravenscrofft. Sophia is shocked to realize the viscount is the man she saw transform in the woods, but instinctively she trusts him and agrees to act as governess to his young brother. The more time she spends with Wyatt, the more she likes him and begins to fall in love with him. Secrets are shared but evil is still waiting in the wings and may keep our lovers from finding their HEA if they can’t learn to trust their hearts.

This was my first time reading this author and I liked this story, but I am not sure I would call it Romantasy – it is more Historical Romance with a supernatural twist. I liked Sophia and Wyatt, they are both likable characters with good hearts and heartache in their pasts, which made it easy to root for their happily ever after. This story has a lot going on and I felt that it was a bit predictable and at times it meandered a bit and lost the plot. But in the end, most of the story threads were tied up, the villain has been dealt with and our happy couple plans to marry. Overall, this was a good read with wonderful characters, warm love scenes, a truly nasty villain, secrets, heartache, surprising revelations, life-changing decisions and finally the promise of HEA. I would recommend it to HR readers who enjoy a bit of the paranormal in their stories.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *