Review: Four Hidden Treasures (The Secrets of Hartwell Book 1) by H L Marsay

Welcome to Hartwell, an English village full of cobbled streets, ancient curses, and buried secrets.

Reeling from the last few years of uncertainty, the villagers of Hartwell are adjusting to their new normal. When two new women separately move to town, they attract local attention and quickly realise Hartwell isn’t as sleepy as it appears.

Lady Lucy Hanley is beautiful, friendly, and struggling to preserve crumbling Hartwell Hall for her son as rumours circulate about her husband’s disappearance. Rachel Foxton feels trapped. She’s lived in Hartwell all her life and is exhausted from teaching during the pandemic, grieving her father, worrying about her mother, and battling heartache. Dr. Meera Kumar has always been the good girl, but as her sham marriage unravels, she seeks a fresh start for herself and her young son. And former London detective Jo Ormond has been transferred to Hartwell in disgrace. With her career in tatters, a quiet village in Yorkshire where everyone knows your business is the last place she wants to be.

Secrets run through this close-knit community like a loose thread—with just one tug, everything can unravel. As the women’s friendship grows, and a body is discovered, will the secrets of Hartwell bring them all closer together or tear them apart?

 

My Review:

An amazing start of a new series.

Secrets, curses and rumors are part of life in Hartwell.  But in the center of it all, are the great friendships formed between the four main characters in this book, even though they all are a little bit different from each other.  I enjoyed seeing the new friendships start as well as the old friendships go through changes and end up stronger.  These women are there for each other no matter what happens.

I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read the next to see what happens next.

Review: A Soft Place to Fall (Stories from the Ridge Book 1) by Liz Flaherty

 

Early McGrath doesn't want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but when it's forced upon her, she does the only thing she knows to do - she goes home to the Ridge to reinvent herself.
Only what is someone who's spent her life taking care of other people supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones - reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.
The definition of freedom changes when it's combined with faith, and through it all perhaps Early and Nash can find a Soft Place to Fall.

 

My Review:

Learning to love again. 

Early and Nash have divorced after being married thirty years.  Their children are grown and on their own and they have somehow forgotten what their marriage meant to them.  Early decides to return to her hometown and reunites with her old friends and starts a new life for herself.  But she never forgets the love she once shared with Nash.  Nash has moved on too, but when he needs someone the most, he still turns to Early.  The love Early and Nash once had is still there.  They just need to find their way back to each other.

This is a powerful Christian story filled with love and hope and a family that is always there when you need them.  I found this to be one of those books that will stay with you a long time after reading it.  I would recommend it to anyone who loves a nice feel-good story with a happy ending.    

 

Review: Cupid, Cupcakes and Carnage (Hart of Texas Murder Mysteries, #5) by Kaz Delaney

 

It’ll be a Valentine’s Day to celebrate…if she makes it out alive.

Brilliant baker Rosie Hart is busier than ever as she prepares for Airlie Falls’s famed Valentine’s Day Farmers and Craft Market. The last thing she needs as she races to frost her cashew nut cakes is the mysterious appearance of a dead body found on her new fiancé, Jonah’s, property. To add icing to the cupcake, another long-dead body is found buried underneath it. For goodness bakes!

Rosie vows to leave the investigating to the sheriff this time—she has enough to juggle with her baking business and her nonagenarian friends who are entranced by a new seniors dating app. But when rumors begin affecting Jonah's construction business, enough is enough. Getting answers will mean retracing the unexplained disappearance of a woman ten years earlier—a woman who had a dalliance with a now-famous actor and is supposedly speaking through a clairvoyant.

Can Rosie solve the case in time to ensure this Valentine’s Day is remembered for all the right reasons?

 

My Review: 

A past paced cozy mystery.

It’s a busy time of year for Rosie as she is getting her baked goods ready for the Valentine’s Day Market, when all of a sudden, a dead body is found.  This time it’s on her fiancé Jonah’s property.  And it isn’t just one body, it is two.  Rosie, being a fan of mysteries, wants to help solve the case.  She will do whatever it takes to find the killer.  She refuses to let her fiancé be the subject of gossip and finger pointing.

While I was reading this book, I had a few characters that I thought were guilty, but one by one, they were checked off my list.  The killer was a surprise to me.  I never could have guessed this one   I really enjoyed this book.  It’s always fun to revisit the characters from previous books in the series and I liked how Frank finally allowed Rosie to help in the investigation.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery and likes small towns.

 

 

Review: Escaping Valentine's Day (Holiday Hearts Book 3) by Christi Barth

An Italian romance is on the menu, but is she ready to order?

Content creator Rory Hibbert knows Valentine’s Day is only fun for couples and chocolatiers. For singles like her, it’s a day of disappointment. And that’s why her new marketing agency client has arranged a tour of Italy crammed full of activities to distract from the holiday. This trip is a test for Rory—if it goes well, it will jump-start her new social media career.

There’s just one snag: the ex she never got over is also on staff.

Huck Cranshaw walked away from the love of his life for a huge opportunity on a cooking competition show. At least, that’s the excuse he gave Rory at the time—and he’s regretted it for five years. Cooking for tourists was supposed to be a stopgap between restaurant positions. Now it could be much, much more: a chance to fix the past.

But when an Italian prince catches sight of Rory, Huck’s not the only one vying for her heart this time. Can Cupid still steal Rory’s heart when the truth finally comes out?

 

My Review:

A sweet second chance set in Italy.

Rory Hibbert and Huck Cranshaw were best friends while growing up; then they became lovers.  But when Huck unexpectedly broke up with Rory, she was left heartbroken.  The last five years, Rory has spent Valentine’s Day alone while everyone else participated in the fun and romance of the holiday.  This year would be different.  Rory was going to Italy to document a singles tour.  There is just one problem, Huck is also working the tour.  Will the closeness of working together help them rekindle the flame, or will the swoony Italian prince, who also has his eyes set on Rory, win her over?

This was a fun book to read.  The anti-Valentine’s Day theme was unique. I loved the characters and the location.  I thought a second romantic interest added an extra touch to the story too.