Genre: Later in Life Romance Release Date: December 26, 2025
REVIEW:
Second Pairing is the second book in the Parent App series by Tess Thompson. I can’t tell you how enjoyable this series is. I really like it and after I read the prequel, I knew I was going to love the series. I wasn’t wrong. If you like good clean romances, you will like these books. I find myself seeking out books that take me away from the everyday stress of life. I want a book that makes me happy I read it and makes me think about it long after I turn the last page.
The premise of these books is that mothers are invited to coffee on the first morning their children start school for the first time. Six of the women there bond from the first meeting and essentially become family over the years. Some of them were single and some were married. They all eventually became single parents. They help each other out and have family dinners each Sunday evening.
The kids are all headed for high school in the fall and knowing they will be leaving their mothers when they go off to college, they cook up a plan to put their profiles on a dating app so they are not left alone. How cool is that? Well, the mom’s don’t think it is a good idea. They really don’t want any part of it. One by one they try the app. In this book it is Lila Morgan who meets Vance Prescott. Things don’t always go smoothly. This is one of those stories. You’ll have to read the book to see what happens.
The characters in these books are mostly the same. Each book has a few new ones for that particular story. The core group remains the same and I like catching up with them and getting to know each one a bit more. They all have a good heart and watch out for each other.
If you need a break from all that is going on in the world. If you love a good love story. If you enjoy clean romance. If you just want to sit down and read a good book that will grab your attention and take you away to another world, then the Second Pairing by Tess Thompson is a good bet. Find a spot on your nightstand for these books. You won’t regret the good dreams they bring your way. Until next time…Happy Reading!
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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
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SYNOPSIS:
Her daughter set her up on a dating app. Her first match turned into her first TV client. Now the cameras—and her heart—are rolling.
After her husband’s betrayal, single mom Lila Morgan built a safe life in Willet Cove: raising her daughter, running her design studio, and keeping her heart off-limits. Love wasn’t part of the plan. But Mia and her friends have other ideas. With a secret profile on the Second Chance dating app, they match her with Vance Prescott—a worldly sommelier and charming wanderer back in town after years abroad.
Sparks fly on their first date in a way neither expected. But then Lila’s brand-new reality design show launches, and her very first client is Vance. Suddenly, her private world is on display, her heart is at risk, and the press is circling. Vance is used to the spotlight. Lila is not. But between bright lights, nosy kids, and an opposites attract chemistry that won’t be ignored, they might just discover that love can bloom later in life.
Because in Willet Cove, happily-ever-after might just start with a second pairing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tess Thompson is the USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author of contemporary and historical Romantic Women’s Fiction with over 50 published titles. Her books are emotional and heartwarming with themes of second chances, redemption and the power love has to change lives and create community.
She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a house on a small lake with her husband and kitties. Her four children are now young adults exploring their own paths and adventures, leaving an empty nest and a lot more time to write. She and her husband enjoy a quiet life, obsessed with birds and the other wildlife on their property, which makes them officially old. On any given day their yard could be visited by deer, bears, coyotes and squirrels.
Most days, she can be found curled up in her favorite chair reading or in her office writing while keeping an eye out for hummingbirds in the feeder outside of her office.
Genre: Private Investigator Mystery Release: January 7, 2026
REVIEW:
Tammy L. Grace never fails to deliver a book that will provide me with reading pleasure. Deadly Secret is book 7 of the Cooper Harrington Detective Novels. I have enjoyed these books since I started reading them. Let me tell you why I enjoy them so much.
The first reason is the characters. I really like Coop Harrington. He is caring and a hard worker. He’s developed a lot of friends in his work that often help him out or at least send him in the correct direction. His assistant is AB. I think these two have a crush on each other but, I don’t think it has been addressed except maybe a little hint. He lives with his widowed Aunt Camille and his Dad has started to visit and stays with them also. His mother is a piece of work who is always getting into trouble and expects Coop to bail her out. She left Coop and his dad and brother years ago. It is entertaining to see what trouble she gets herself into in each book. Oh! I don’t want to forget his faithful dog, a Golden Retriever named Gus.
Coop is a private detective and has his own office in Nashville, Tennessee about 20 minutes from my home. I love that I can enjoy the feel of home while I’m reading. I enjoy seeing his world from his eyes. He is always called upon to help solve a crime or murder of some sort. I like how he and AB work together, but I can never solve the crime before they do. I am hopeless!
This book is about the granddaughter of a friend of Aunt Camille’s who moves to Washington D. C. to be an intern. She understands what her grandmother went through getting an expensive medication that she needed. Brooke Donovan wants to help fix the health care system. She is so excited to move and work on Capitol Hill. She died a short time after she started working. Police consider it a mugging gone wrong. Her parents aren’t buying it and hire Coop to go figure it out.
If you love detective stories that have a lot of heart, a murder you can’t figure out with a lot of twists and turns then Deadly Secret by Tammy L. Grace comes to you highly recommended for your reading pleasure. Until next time…Happy Reading!
Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
SYNOPSIS:
A vanished intern. A city of secrets. A truth worth dying for.
In the busy streets near Capitol Hill, Brooke Donovan, a young intern from Nashville, meets a tragic end, her death dismissed as a random mugging. But her family smells a cover-up, and they call on Cooper Harrington, their hometown’s sharpest private eye, to unearth the truth. With his tech-savvy partner Annabelle, trusty dog Gus, and a penchant for snarky t-shirts and strong coffee, Coop dives into the capital’s shadowy elite, where a whispered secret sparks a brutal murder. Each clue drags him deeper into a web of power and lies, where one wrong move could bury the truth, and Coop, for good.
Deadly Secret, the seventh installment in Tammy L. Grace’s acclaimed Cooper Harrington Detective Novels, delivers a taut, twist-filled mystery laced with Southern grit and charm. Perfect for fans of clever sleuths, mysteries that grip until the final page, and cases that unravel with heart-pounding suspense. Dive into the latest in the award-winning Cooper Harrington Detective Novels, featuring Coop, a Nashville lawyer turned private detective known for his love of coffee, snarky t-shirts, and talent for solving cases. He, along with his faithful dog, Gus, and his right-hand assistant, Annabelle, work together to solve murder cases full of twists and turns. You’ll find a bit of humor, a dash of southern charm, a dog who is more like a furry best friend, plenty of comfort food, and murder, of course. If you enjoy complex characters with a few quirks and plots that keep you guessing, you’ll love Tammy L. Grace’s mystery series.
The series may be read as stand-alone novels, but are more enjoyable when read in order.
Read more from USA Today bestselling author, Tammy L. Grace
COOPER HARRINGTON DETECTIVE NOVELS
Killer Music (2016 Gold Medal Mystery Winner in the Global eBook Awards) Deadly Connection (2017 Gold Medal Mystery Winner in the Global eBook Awards) Dead Wrong Cold Killer Deadly Deception Deadly Pursuit Deadly Secret QUINN STONE NOVELS Shadows of the Past HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES Hometown Harbor: The Beginning (Prequel Novella) Finding Home Home Blooms Promise of Home Pieces of Home Finally Home Forever Home Follow Me Home Long Way Home Come Home for Christmas Feels Like Home SISTERS OF THE HEART SERIES Greetings from Lavender Valley Pathway to Lavender Valley Sanctuary at Lavender Valley Blossoms at Lavender Valley Comfort in Lavender Valley Reunion in Lavender Valley GLASS BEACH COTTAGE SERIES
A Season for Hope (Christmas in Silver Falls) The Magic of the Season (Christmas in Silver Falls) Christmas in Snow Valley (Hometown Christmas Series) One Unforgettable Christmas (Hometown Christmas Series) Under a Christmas Star (Hometown Christmas Series) Christmas Sisters (FREE PREQUEL to Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge) Christmas Wishes (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge) Christmas Surprises (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge) Christmas Shelter (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge) Christmas Hearts (Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today bestselling author of women’s fictions, family sagas, mysteries, and Christmas stories. She’s known for writing perfect escapes, unforgettable characters, and binge-worthy stories. Readers often say her characters feel like old friends and love the dogs she weaves into all her books. She brings readers entertaining stories that take them on an emotional journey, filled with complex relationships of friendship and family in her women’s fiction novels. Mystery readers delight in her fast-paced whodunits and fans of Christmas love her small town holiday stories filled with family, friendship, and furry characters.
Tammy also writes under the pen name Casey Wilson and has released two emotional and heartwarming stories about the bond we have with our beloved canine companions.
When Tammy isn’t working on ideas for a novel, she’s spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books, tea, and chocolate. She and her husband make their home in Nevada and have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.
Tammy invites you to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.tammylgrace.com/newsletter and she’ll send you a free interview with all the dogs in her Hometown Harbor Series as a thank you gift. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammylgrace.books and be sure and click the follow button here on Amazon.
In Blood, Tears, and Purple Hearts, author B.J. Ricketts delivers an unforgettable portrait of war and its aftermath through the eyes of two elite female Navy aviators. When their helicopter is shot down during a mission in the Syrian desert, they face a harrowing fight for survival against ISIS insurgents—and then, a far more complex battle once they return home. Physically wounded and psychologically scarred, the women must navigate the invisible injuries of war: trauma, loss, and a military system that isn’t always prepared to support its returning heroes.
Inspired by Ricketts’ own years of military service and time in the Middle East, this gripping novel blends the raw intensity of combat with a deep, compassionate exploration of what happens after the fighting ends. With precision, heart, and unflinching honesty, Ricketts shines a spotlight on the realities of women in combat and the unseen burdens they carry long after the war zone fades.
More than a war story, Blood, Tears, and Purple Hearts is a tribute to resilience, a call for understanding, and a timely reminder that the wounds of war aren’t always visible.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
B.J. Ricketts is a U.S. Navy veteran who served for seven years during the Cold War aboard an Amphibious Assault ship, participating in two Western Pacific deployments and the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis response. After 9/11, he joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as a flight crew member conducting air security patrols in Southeast Texas. He later worked as a civilian contractor in the Middle East during the Iraq War, experiences that deeply inform his writing. Ricketts studied Aviation Business Management and creative writing at Southern Illinois University, National University, and UC San Diego. Through fiction, he aims to foster empathy and awareness for veterans living with the long-term effects of combat.
A murder without acknowledgment anchors the storyline in Jack London and Murder on Nob Hill by Ray M. Schultze, where Jack London becomes entangled in questions surrounding a crime that seems to vanish upon reporting.
Set in 1898 San Francisco, the novel follows Jack as he explores districts where tensions and disappearances create an unsettled atmosphere. Chinatown’s interior routes present shifting alliances and patterns that seldom reach the surface. A woman whose history intersects with these dynamics introduces insight and complication, guiding Jack deeper into the city’s opaque workings. As he pieces together connections others overlook, he confronts figures dedicated to preserving their authority through silence. His investigation reveals the complex interplay of influence shaping the city’s concealed networks.
EXCERPT: CHAPTER 1
San Francisco
Fall, 1898
Jack London was drunk.
Ingloriously, outrageously, irredeemably drunk.
It had been a long time since he had been so demolished. This was the day he committed himself to make up for lost time. It was a clear, moonlit evening, the city’s gaslights blazing, but his disorientation was so intense that for all he knew he could have been wrapped mummy-like in the fog.
At the age of twenty-two, he had been drunk innumerable times in innumerable places. One could fairly say he had earned an advanced degree in inebriation at the school of John Barleycorn. Truth be told, he had never cared for the taste of liquor, but that was hardly the point. He cradled the glass to grease the wheels of camaraderie or to establish his manly credentials among hard-drinking men. And if not that, to ameliorate the bouts of depression he was prone to or simply to escape the hardships of growing up poor and being forced to become a work beast from a very early age. This day, he was intent on doing a deep dive, swimming down into the current of forgetfulness, stealing a glimpse of oblivion, even while knowing that it was a transitory experience, that he must at some point rise back up and burst painfully onto the surface. With his head pounding and body wracked, he would once again have to face the reminders of failure: the stream of rejection letters, the dashed-off notes declaring his writing unfit for public consumption.
Had these editors embraced so much hackwork that they could no longer discern honest, robust writing? Did they really favor gross sentimentality over impassioned realism? Yes, he was of a raw age, but he knew he had experienced more of the world—and discovered more of its truth—than many men over a lifetime. He had slaved in the factories, processing jute, canning fish, shoveling coal. He had pirated oysters along the bay before switching sides to enforce the marine law. He had ridden the rails west to east, seen the fat Iowa farm country, marveled at Niagara Falls in the moonlight, endured the living hell of jail as a convicted vagrant and walked the slums of New York City. He had braved the Pacific on a seal hunter, stepping ashore in Japan. And he had met the ultimate physical and mental challenges prospecting for gold in the unforgiving wilderness of the Yukon.
Yet these smug literary gatekeepers kept themselves cloistered in their offices, stooping to consider the supplications of someone they surely regarded as a lesser mortal. Would they care to know how hard Jack had labored since returning from the goldfields in midsummer, how he had disciplined himself to sleep no more than five and a half hours a night and chained himself to the writing desk except for brief meals and the occasional odd job? How he had churned out short stories, essays, poems, even jokes, any kind of writing he could think of, desperate to make the handful of dollars that would allow him a decent living and help support the family? No, of course they wouldn’t care. He would have taken soulful satisfaction in reaching out, grabbing them by the lapels and shaking them until their brains rattled. Since that was not feasible, he had sought solace in the bottle.
Where the hell am I? That’s the existential question, isn’t it? There was nothing more existential than struggling to put one foot in front of the other, to keep from falling down and possibly being trampled by the carefree souls out for an evening of entertainment or being kicked or robbed by those malevolent ones looking for a sadistic thrill or profit. He took a tiny measure of relief in realizing he was staggering along the sidewalk and not in the street where a horse-and-carriage might thunder over him, pounding him into the cobblestones. So, where? Washington Street? Montgomery? Likely one or the other, since he had just tried to gain admission to the Bank Exchange Saloon, with its crystal chandeliers, marble embellishments and elegant oil paintings. It wasn’t really his sort of place—too refined, too welcoming to the lawyers and well-heeled capitalists that he disdained. But he fancied invading it just for amusement’s sake. Not surprisingly, the saloonkeeper ejected him. Just as well, he told himself, since the taste of the bar’s renowned Pisco Punch would have been lost on him.
He had begun his odyssey in late afternoon at his favorite watering-hole, Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, which teetered on pilings on the Oakland waterfront, not far from his home.
“What’s up with you, Jack?” asked Johnny Heinold, who was used to seeing him huddling with a dictionary at a side table rather than elbow-bent at the bar. “You got writer’s block?”
Writer’s block? Jack had to laugh. The spigot of his creativity was gushing. The problem was, the magazines and newspapers weren’t thirsty for it. “No, just need something to warm the blood in my veins after writing about all those freezing nights in the Klondike.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ray M. Schultze is the author of six novels, five of them works of suspense—The Last Safe Place, Combustion, The Devil in Dreamland, Decatur’s Dig, and Beranek’s Stand. His most recent novel, Russian River, is historical fiction. His interest in writing began in childhood with a handmade, folded-paper “magazine” that his mother encouraged. After graduating from the University of California at Riverside, he pursued newspaper reporting as a practical way to support himself while writing fiction. Over a twenty-five-year career, he covered politics, the legal system, and education for newspapers in California, Florida, and Arizona. When he turned to fiction full-time, he drew inspiration from authors such as Alan Furst and Ken Follett. Ray now lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife, Judi. They enjoy tennis, hiking, exploring the region’s beaches and headlands, and international travel—experiences that often shape his novels’ settings. He is also an award-winning woodworking artist. Visit him at his website.
WHY JACK LONDON? A better question might be, why wouldn’t any author thirst to make Jack London a character in their novel?
At the peak of his short writing career, Jack was a rock star of his time, his fame spreading well beyond America. He was a larger-than-life figure whose personal exploits fascinated the public just as much as his novels and short stories entertained it. By the age of 22, he had tramped from California to New York, prospected for gold in the Yukon, sailed the Pacific to Japan, pirated oysters in San Francisco Bay, slaved in factories canning fish and shoveling coal, and earned some notoriety as “the boy Socialist of Oakland.”
He was brilliant and arrogant, but he brimmed with compassion for his fellow man, and his friends were legion. At 22, he was still unknown except for his political activities, and he struggled mightily to get his writing published.
To me, the thought of capturing him at that moment of despair and confronting him fictionally with a moral dilemma—how would he react if he stumbled upon a murder, a murder that the police swept under the rug?—was irresistible. The frosting on this cake was his time and place: San Francisco in 1898 was far different than we know it as today.
The city practiced a brash capitalism in which laborers toiled long hours in pitiful conditions for meager wages, and the Chinese inhabitants were viciously discriminated against. They were bottled up in the enclave known as Chinatown, where vice thrived as the murderous rival gangs called the tongs sowed fear. What a fertile field for a novelist!
QUESTIONS &ANSWERS
What are the hazards of fictionalizing a real person? The thought that you might be guilty of libel plays on your mind, which is a good reason to choose as a subject someone who’s been dead for at least a century! I fictionalized Bogart in one of my novels, and I sweated that one because he’s so iconic. You really feel the pressure of getting the personality down right. The last thing you want is some expert on the man telling you that you got it all wrong. Arrggg.
How do you come up with your ideas for novels? Because I’m an independent author trying to seduce the major publishing houses, I’m always on the lookout for what the industry calls “high concept” stories—basically ones based on an outrageous or over-the-top premise like the idea of the writer Jack London getting involved in a murder investigation. Seriously?
When do you get your best ideas for writing? Sometimes when I’m half-awake in the middle of the night or just rousing myself in the morning. Sometimes entire lines of dialogue pop into my head and I try to write them down before I drift off again.
You’ve written some international thrillers. Do you try to visit the setting when it’s a far-away place? It’s a must for me. You can research your heart out on, say, Portugal or Austria, and probably uncover every detail your story needs—except for the intangible feel of a place. The only exception I made was my novel Beranek’s Stand, set in Iran. I chickened out on that one.
If you could time-travel, where would you go? The bronze-age city-state of Knossos, on the island of Crete. It was the first sophisticated urban civilization of Europe, and the Minoans produced magnificent art and gloried in nature. By coincidence, Knossos happens to be the setting of my next novel…
Sherrie Todd Beshore’s Fine Points Malice and Payback blends investigative precision with emotional undercurrents as multiple homicide cases begin to align. Through shifting leads and growing personal stakes, the story follows a detective stepping into responsibility sooner than expected.
Detective Andrew Coates identifies meaningful links among three cold-case murders, prompting the department to reconsider older evidence just as a new fourth crime emerges. Assigned the active case, Andrew faces pressure to produce results while navigating contradictory details and expanding possibilities. The investigation’s direction changes after a fifth victim survives, offering a slight but crucial break. Andrew’s connection with the survivor’s sister complicates matters at a critical moment, as does the reemergence of painful questions about his unknown origins. Raised in foster care after being abandoned at birth, he finds that the case stirs uncertainties he has never fully confronted. Professional and personal threads begin to overlap, shaping his path forward.
EXCERPT: CHAPTER 4
Hospital security towed Detective Coates’ Bronco.
From the hospital emergency parking lot he was able to flag down a patrol car for a ride back to the Stone Avenue police station. As tempted as he was to take the wise advice of Dr. Lopez, he felt compelled to keep going.
Now was the time to interview Rosa Chavez’s landlord, her neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family even though the shock was still like an open wound.
The general mood on the third floor felt odd when Coates stepped off the elevator. The first detail he noticed was that Captain Fleming’s office was dark and the door was closed.
Lieutenant Brayburn looked up and waved him over to his desk. His partner, Lucia Mendoza worked to clear a paper jam at the photocopier.
Cream cheese icing from Clarence’s half-eaten cinnamon roll stuck to one side of his mouth contrasting against his dark skin. “Have you spoken to the captain yet this morning? Cause…” The senior homicide detective was interrupted when the elevator door opened and Police Chief Perez stepped out.
“Detective Coates, just the man I need to see.” The Chief of Police strode beyond the narrow elevator hallway into the open office area then beyond the rows of desks into the first available interview room.
Andrew Coates thought his heart would crash straight through his chest, and for the second time that morning his legs were like rubber.
The Tucson Chief-of-Police never came to the third floor. Everyone always went to his office either by order or invitation – only.
The young detective took a deep breath for more oxygen trying not to pass out then hurried after Pedro Perez.
When he closed the door, the ex-marine chief of police was blunt. “Make sure there’s no video or sound recording of this meeting?”
Andrew couldn’t help himself; he had to pull out a chair and sit. “Of course, sir. Absolutely. Just you and me and nothing outside this room, sir.”
Chief Perez remained standing at attention extending his five-foot, nine-inch muscular frame to full height. “Officially, I’m releasing to the press that Captain Fleming has taken ill suddenly with a previously undiagnosed heart ailment – which ironically is technically true.”
Perspiration had formed on Andrew’s forehead despite the cool temperature of the small room.
“You will now report exclusively and directly to me with your investigation. And, you will do it each day in person to my office, no emails, no phone calls, no text messages. You’ll work in Captain Fleming’s office. I’ll get you a key and you’ll lock the door every time you leave it. Understood?”
Andrew wiped his brow and nodded.
“We have a possible situation that could confuse your investigation, preventing important evidence from identifying our true serial killer.” Perez circled the small table and three chairs.
He took a deep breath and looked directly into Andrew’s eyes. “Captain Fleming was seeing Rosa Chavez, romantically.”
Andrew felt the blood from his heart beating in his neck.
“Apparently the affair started just before Thanksgiving and escalated. Ms. Chavez had moved from a house she shared with a younger sister and two cousins to her own apartment exclusively to keep their developing relationship private.”
“Arthur Fleming’s DNA will be in that apartment. However, any lab comparisons will be completed by Dr. Lopez and not by anyone at the FBI forensic lab.”
“Your captain was admitted to a private rest home in Oro Valley for a few days for complete bed rest. However, neither that nor any other details need concern you.”
“Just continue on as you have been – as if this was not a factor, because from my experience I don’t believe it is. But you know the media well enough by this time and then there’s Captain Fleming’s wife. We don’t want Mrs. Fleming hurt and humiliated by this either. I know Suzanne, she’s a proud woman.”
“I can see you’re in shock. Understandable, you’ll need to process this so I’ll leave you to sort through your next move Detective. I have every faith in you.” He patted Andrew’s shoulder before he opened the door and left.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sherrie Todd-Beshore began her writing career as a reporter and editor before moving into magazines and daily newspapers across Canada and the U.S. A dual Canadian–U.S. citizen, she later shifted from journalism to fiction, writing middle-grade mysteries and adult suspense thrillers. Her award-winning titles include The Crow Child, The Count of Baldpate, and Dream Gate II: Grabbing Time. She is the author of 17 books and has earned honors from the Independent Press Award and the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. Learn more on her website and Facebook.
After two years I had been writing a regular column for a small town weekly newspaper [The Whitecourt Star, circulation 12,000] when my husband earned a promotion and a transfer to the head office in Calgary [Alberta]. We got resettled over the summer then I found the courage to approach the Mirror Community Editor of the Calgary Sun, [circulation 600,000] eager to write for a daily publication.
I submitted three column ideas along with copies of my published features from the Whitecourt Star, then dropped everything off in person. After introducing myself with a brief apology for no appointment, I left. A full week went by, but still no response. Then late afternoon the following Monday, the editor called me personally to compliment my column ideas and writing style -and- offer me a job on a trial basis. I was honored and elated. He invited me back to his office midweek to get better acquainted and fill out paperwork.
I was feeling like the luckiest struggling writer alive for this amazing opportunity, until my daughter [then six] came through the front door to inform me, her teacher noticed I had not ironed one of the sleeves on her blouse… From that moment, no matter how many positive reviews, or awards or attention for my work – I’ve kept it all in perspective…
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Writing Process & Creativity
How did you research your book? After 20 years of journalism [columns and features] my research takes me everywhere. For me, finding accurate historical and/or factual research is as enriching as building the plot [though it adds to the plot challenge].
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why? Though I seek to create mystery-suspense plots, writing/conveying the extreme motivation that drives someone to kill/take another human life requires developing a specific ‘mood’ and that extreme level of motivation is time consuming to get right. What made that person [seemingly like you and me] to ‘snap’?
Where do you get your ideas? Like the research that goes with each plot, my ideas come from everywhere too. Sometimes there’s an obscure local or national news feature or a song or photo will trigger a memory of the ‘seed’ of an idea.
What sets your book apart from others in your genre? Two elements. The first is characters as complete as three-dimensionally possible in a two-dimensional medium for protagonists and antagonists. There is motivation and a backstory for everyone, so the reader ‘feels’ they have ‘met’ each character. Second, is the story/plot. How is everyone connected and why. I hate to waste any reader’s time and if each reader is unable to figure out how the book ends – before the ending – then I’ve done my job.
What helps you overcome writer’s block? I’ve been fortunate to have been so excited about a new book idea that I can’t write fast enough…having said that while in the midst of building a plot I have found myself ‘stuck’ not happy with how a specific scene is going. [Confession: when that happens, some days I can’t write a to-do list without listening to Earth, Wind, and Fire.]
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer? Routine complaints from adult readers; “I stayed up far too late to finish your damn book!” [And from a MG reader for my young teen mystery series; “I’d really like to meet these kids.”]
Your Writing Life
Do you write every day? What’s your schedule? Yes, I do write every day. I’m a morning person so I am most fresh from 9AM to 2PM.
Where do you write—home, coffee shop, train? I have written notes for plots at airports, train stations, doctor’s appointments etc. – but writing itself is my home-office.
Any quirky writing rituals or must-have snacks? To launch each new day, I’ll read the last page I wrote from the day before – and too often gummy bears are far too handy…
Behind the Book
Why did you choose this setting/topic? I’ve been so fortunate to have travelled across Canada, the United States, Mexico, UK and Europe, so my settings can be as varied as my plots. For some reason, this time Tucson suited Fine Points Malice And Payback.
If your book became a movie, who would star in it? Because everyone needs to start somewhere, I’d be open to a relative unknown playing Andrew Coates and his love interest Lena, with well-known [character] supporting actors.
Which author(s) most inspired you? Oh gosh – Agatha Christie and Daphne du Maurier
Fun & Lighthearted Qs
What’s your go-to comfort food? Well, if I must narrow down that field then it’s crêpes or pancakes or French Toast with popcorn right up there too…
What are you binge-watching right now? Reruns from the eight seasons of Castle. I now know how each episode ends, but now I enjoy all the main characters and how they interact with each other.
If you could time-travel, where would you go? I’d only want to go back to a snowy day one weekend when my daughter was seven and my son was four. That day we were making large gingerbread cookies for Christmas. We spent the entire morning singing and mixing batter to the Muppets Christmas album playing loudly in the background. But in order to appreciate that day even more I’d want to be aware of who they became as adults.
Which three books would you bring to a desert island? Pride And Prejudice – Jane Austen Family Ties That Bind And Gag – Erma Bombeck The Book Of Secrets – Deepak Chopra
Genre: Crime Fiction Release Date: December 11, 2025
REVIEW:
I have another great book to share with you today! It is Class Action: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You by Gail Ward Olmsted. It is a Women’s Crime Fiction and I had a hard time putting this one down. If you have read anything by Ms. Olmsted, you already know she is one of those authors that deserves a lot of attention. Her books are interesting and well researched and they draw you in instantly. I have read several of them and she is one of those authors I don’t need to read the synopsis to know I want to read the book. There hasn’t been a book she’s written I didn’t enjoy.
If you have read any of the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist Books, then you will want to read Class Action. This book is about Lennon Gallagher who is the daughter of one of Miranda’s High School friends. Miranda has stepped in at times when Lennon’s mother wasn’t able to. They have become close over the years and Lennon is following in Miranda’s footsteps to become an attorney.
There are a large range of characters in this book. There are the ones you wouldn’t want to be associated with and there are the ones you would want in your own life. Ms. Ward does a phenomenal job of fleshing out her characters. It doesn’t take you long to figure out who is who. The characters are not one dimensional and I like how with a smile or a gesture they become so much more.
Class Action has a bit going on. Lennon is beyond busy studying and working two jobs. She works in the library and in a law firm where she is working on a class action suit. She is hoping she will stay on for the summer to finish working on the case. She has to pass the final exams to be eligible to take the bar exam and that will take all her time studying.
Class Action: What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You by Gail Ward Olmsted is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who likes criminal law, a good love story, and a story about someone that comes from less than desirable circumstances growing up but has the gumption to pull themselves up and make something of their life. There are so many life lessons in this book. It makes for fascinating reading. This book should either be on your Christmas list or on the top of your Nightstand! I’m wishing all my followers and readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Until next time…Happy Reading!
Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
SYNOPSIS:
“With crisp dialogue and an engaging writing style, Class Action integrates themes of resilience, integrity and self-discovery. A standout legal drama that will resonate with readers who crave both tension and heart.” –Sublime Book Review
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Third year law student Lennon Gallagher’s life turns from complicated to overwhelming when she receives a message meant for someone else. The text offers an advance copy of a final exam—a guaranteed “A”—but accepting it will violate the honors code she refuses to break. When Lennon declines, the collaborators behind the cheating scheme demand her silence or they will ensure she takes the fall if necessary.
Fighting for her future while balancing an internship, exams, studying for the bar, a boyfriend who no longer seems to understand her, and a mother who needs help rebuilding her life after prison, Lennon tries to handle everything alone. But when she discovers the lead plaintiff in her firm’s class action lawsuit might be the father she’s never known, it’s the final straw. She needs help.
With the support of her friend and mentor, attorney Miranda Quinn, Lennon must navigate betrayal, legal intrigue, and personal discovery. As one relationship unravels, another blossoms in this gripping story of resilience, secrets, and second chances.
A captivating read full of unexpected twists and emotional depth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a full-time basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical novel featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary. Miranda Fights is the third book in the Miranda Quinn Legal Twist series.
Olmsted enjoys writing about quirky, wonderful women in search of a second chance at a happy ever after. When not writing, she loves being on the water, especially in a kayak. She is well known for her blonde brownies, and coffee is her love language. For more, visit her on Facebook at gailolmstedauthor.
Genres: Women’s Fiction, Romance Release Date: December 2, 2025
REVIEW:
I just read the book that made my whole holiday season! It is Ashley Farley’s new book entitled The First Last Kiss. Oh my goodness…this book made this old lady swoon! You already know that I love anything by Ashley Farley but of all of her books, I think this is my favorite. It only took me a couple of hours to read and I think this might be the book I read every Christmas time! I also don’t re-read books so now you know how special this book is. I’m in love with it!
First of all, she has a series that I even missed reading the first book. Don’t ask me how. I just did. The series is When Sparks Fly. The first one is Cupid’s Count Down, book two is Messy Under the Mistletoe which I read and reviewed. Now this fabulous new book The Last First Kiss is so embedded in my heart. I just finished it this morning and I feel a little bit lost. I want so much more time with these wonderful characters.
Bella is the one that Lucas broke up with because he didn’t feel like she was ambitious enough for him. He goes on to become successful and she lives her life proving she can be just as successful. Neither one of them are happy when their paths cross again. Can Bella forgive Lucas for breaking her heart? Can Lucas go on knowing that Bella was the woman for him? Ah my friends, you have to read this book for yourself to find out.
I will tell you that this is possibly the most romantic book I have ever read! That is saying a lot since I love a good romance. In my opinion, this book is a must read and deserves to be on your nightstand. Get yourself a warm cup of tea and go snuggle up in bed with Ashley Farley’s The First Last Kiss! You will have some wonderful dreams. Until next time… Happy Reading!
Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
SYNOPSIS:
She built her life to prove him wrong. The life he thought he wanted means nothing without her.
When overworked investment banker Lucas Porter takes a detour through his Brooklyn Heights neighborhood one winter evening, the last thing he expects is to glimpse Bella Quinn—the girl he once loved and lost—through the window of a cozy flower shop. In a city glowing with holiday lights, the sight of her stops him cold.
Years ago, Lucas broke Bella’s heart with a single careless truth: she wasn’t ambitious enough for his world. Now she’s everything he said she should be—successful, admired, and in demand—but her dazzling new life leaves her lonelier than ever.
Determined to earn a second chance, Lucas begins sending anonymous gifts: Juliet roses, peppermint hot chocolate, the new Christmas release by her favorite author, each one a message from the man who never stopped remembering. As Christmas fades into New Year’s Eve, his quiet gestures rekindle something in Bella she thought had long since wilted.
But when the truth comes out and old wounds resurface, forgiveness might be the only gift that can bring them together again—just in time for a midnight kiss beneath the New York sky.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Amazon Charts and USA Today bestselling author
Ashley Farley writes heartfelt, faith-infused women’s fiction about love, loss, and second chances. Her stories shine a light on everyday women—mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends—facing life’s toughest moments with courage, hope, and grace.
Originally from South Carolina, Ashley now makes her home in Virginia’s Northern Neck, but her heart still belongs to the Lowcountry—with its moss-draped oaks, salty air, and soulful Southern charm. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with family or wrangling her two opinionated Labradors.
With geopolitical tensions rising and energy markets shaping global decisions, Crude by Mike Bond pulls its story straight from the kinds of crises dominating today’s headlines. The book frames its opening around a nuclear-attack warning that sends political, financial, and media spheres into immediate upheaval. A sudden FEMA alert warns Americans to take shelter from an incoming nuclear attack, setting off a chain reaction of fear and political volatility. As tensions between the U.S. and Russia climb toward the breaking point, energy CEO Ross Bullock steps in with a warning he believes could prevent catastrophe. His attempt to alert the country backfires when the media turns his message into political ammunition, casting doubt on his motives. Then a Rawhide Energy platform in the South China Sea is destroyed, killing hundreds. The timing suggests strategy, not coincidence. As pressure builds across Washington, Asia, and Europe, Crude blends military tension, global markets, and the dangerous momentum of misinformation into a high-speed thriller rooted in the uncertainty of right now.
EXCERPT:
1
B L O O D I N T H E WAT E R
The shark hit so hard he thought it was a ship keel out of the deep, its gritty hide rasping his thigh and its huge tail ripping a dive fin off his foot. He yanked a repellant tube from his divepack, fumbled and lost it, couldn’t see it in his headlamp, faced the shark but it wasn’t there, was above him, to the left, below, grinning jaws.
He dove, grabbing for the repellant, watching the shark. It attacked, feinted and dodged, the biggest tiger shark he’d ever seen. His hand bumped the repellant, knocking it away. He grasped for it, trying to circle to face the shark, to stay upright despite the missing fin.
Don’t panic.
The shark dove, then rose toward him, teeth glinting in his head‐ lamp. His wrist grazed the repellant, driving it lower. He snapped on his Orca torch, looked around frantically for Two, but the other diver wasn’t there.
Don’t panic.
He sank deeper. His face touched the tube. He grabbed and squeezed it, repellant blinding his mask. The shark circled once, slid into the depths.
The repellant faded. He coughed, realized he had spit out his mouthpiece. He shoved it in, gurgled water, coughed and spit it out. His legs and feet were still there. The shark had just nicked him, tested him. Maybe it had smelled blood from when he’d torn his knee climbing out of the sub.
Or blood from someone else?
Where was Two?
The shark darted beneath him. He wanted to shine his torch at it, but that might attract it, anger it. He pulled in his legs and yanked out a second tube. Black repellant spurted out.
Don’t panic.
One tube left. The rebreather thundered with his panting. Larger and larger, the shark nosed toward him through clouds of repellant, crunching its jaws.
He ripped off his divepack, the rebreather hissing, and smashed the shark’s snout. It dove, tail slamming him sideways, swung round and began to circle him, closer and closer.
Don’t panic.
Faster the shark circled. With only one fin he couldn’t keep up; it would get him. He fired the last repellant.
It clouded the water and he couldn’t see the shark, only felt the crush of water as it smashed past, couldn’t hear over his own frantic gasps. Choking and crying, he shoved his arms back through the divepack straps, tugged up his legs against his body.
Beyond his torch light the watery darkness expanded forever. Without Two, how could he finish? Should he return to the sub? Maybe Two was already there, had abandoned the mission because of the shark? There’d been no message from the sub.
The water grew colder, darker; he was sinking too deep. The repellant was gone. With tiger sharks, he remembered, when there’s one, there’s many.
His watch showed 38 feet. He couldn’t see the shark. Fish schooled past, fusiliers or jacks.
01:52, the watch said. One hour left. If one diver didn’t reach the platform, the other had to do it alone. He turned to 347 degrees and began to swim, slowly kicking the one fin.
Above him the black waves glinted with light. He ached to go up, but the shark would attack if he rose to the top like a dying fish. He swam toward the light till it brightened the wavetops, then surfaced quickly to check his approach.
Before him, a wide platform of brilliant lights towered ten stories into the night, a glittering city on pylons over the waves, its gas flare blazing across the black sky.
A school of barracuda shot like missiles beneath him. He checked his watch: 02:03. He sank back into the gloom and swam northeast toward a huge metal strut descending into the sea. His first position – the southeast corner pylon. In the oily rushing darkness there was no sign of Two. For an instant, he wondered who Two was – on missions like this you never knew the others’ names, you just had numbers.
Waves roiled round the pylon, greasy and oil-turbid, slamming him against the barnacles and clams on the steel. Bounced back and forth, he tried to set his course northwest at 320 degrees and almost swam into another strut of the pylon, so big it took him half a minute to go around it. Fish struck his face – butterflies and angels and little trash feeders drawn to his headlamp.
The platform’s light dissolved down through the oily water. 02:19. He sank below it, watching for the shark, for sea snakes and scorpion fish.
At the platform’s center, a huge cluster of four pipes descended straight down. They roared with the gas rushing up them toward the platform above.
Easy part now. He touched a pipe, then yanked back his hand. That gas comes out of the earth at boiling point. And a burn attracts sharks just like blood.
He was losing it, too worried about the shark, about Two.
Don’t panic.
Above him, waves lashed the pylons, fell back on themselves and raveled on. Oil streaked the surface, distorting the light from the platform’s flare. How strange, he thought, to bore into the earth. Suck life from the past. And burn it in the sky.
He dove down the pipes to fifty feet, where a great steel ring clamped the four pipes together. The bolts on each flange were big as his head. He unslung the divepack and took out a heavy package. It was solid, malleable, crescent-shaped, as long as his forearm. He pinned it into place under the lower flange, near one of the four hot pipes.
He placed a second charge against the upper flange. Unrolling the coil of wire that linked them to two other charges from his pack, he swam a third of the way around the pipes till the wire grew taut, and fitted the two other charges above and below the flange.
On the unrolled wire midway between the two pairs of charges was a water-sealed box like a soap dish that he tucked under the flange. He ran his finger and thumb along each wire; there were no kinks, no cuts.
02:47 – ahead of schedule, despite the shark. Even without Two. When his watch hit 02:55, he pushed a two-inch button on the right side of the water-sealed box, then swam up to twenty feet below surface and southward from the platform, rechecking his watch often for depth and direction. He craved to shine down his torch to check for the shark, but that would only attract it.
Don’t panic.
You can do this in your sleep. In seven minutes you’ll be back in the sub. Fuck Two.
Far below, a huge shape crossed the deep. No, he begged. Please no. He lit the torch. The shape undulated onward, trailing phosphores‐ cence. A giant squid.
But now he’d turned on his torch.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mike Bond is the author of nearly a dozen bestselling novels and an ecologist, war and human rights journalist, award-winning poet, and international energy expert. His work spans more than thirty countries across seven continents, often drawn from firsthand experiences in remote, dangerous, and war-torn regions. His novels are praised worldwide for their intricate plots, vivid settings, and explosive pacing. His reporting has covered wars, revolutions, terrorism, and major environmental crises. Learn more at his website. Amazon: https://bit.ly/4ocGtKG
Many years ago I woke from a dream of being in a large place like a supermarket full of people. I met a young man with long dark hair who looked like me.
“Why are we here?” I asked him. “To find out what it is.” “What what is?” “Life.”
I awakened understanding that this was the task we are all given in life. That in good years and bad, joys and sorrows, our unerring goal is to understand life, to seek the meaning of this vast mystery encompassing us. To find out what life is and spread the word, like scouts returning to the tribe from distant and dangerous lands.
We are in an infinite universe of endless infinities. They stretch in all dimensions far beyond our feeble cognition. Time is forever, and forever unknowable. Even deep inside ourselves we cannot begin to understand.
We are children of the void. We go through many joys and sorrows in life, many magical mysteries we cannot comprehend. Perhaps what we experience feeds a greater wisdom far beyond our ken; we cannot know.
Like many people, I have lived through great joys and dangers – atrocious wars and vicious perils, and deep, long-lasting love, that have all made me believe in God. And to live deeply, intensely, to love, have children and give them the magical mystery of life – this is what we are born for.
Nothing else matters.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Writing Process & Creativity
How did you research your book? I don’t research my books, but write from my own memory of events.
What’s the hardest scene or character you wrote—and why? The killings of Jack and Bobby Kennedy (whom I knew and loved) by the CIA.
Where do you get your ideas? From my own past experiences, or from issues that concern me, like the danger of nuclear war. Or wars I have been in and I wish to expose how they happened, and who is responsible for all the deaths, sorrow, and destruction.
What helps you overcome writer’s block? Never had it. Too many things to write about.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received as a writer? Among many other critical praises, when BBC called me “The master of the existentialist thriller.”
Your Writing Life
Do you write every day? What’s your schedule? I write when I want to.
Behind the Book
Why did you choose this setting/topic? Because nuclear war will end all life on earth, which is a far more important issue than anything else.
Which author(s) most inspired you? Hemingway – the greatest American writer of the 20th century. And Tolstoy, Gogol, Zola, Aristotle, Cicero, and many others.
Fun & Lighthearted Qs
What’s your go-to comfort food? For writing — Gin or vodka.
If you could time-travel, where would you go? Somewhere in our Paleolithic past, or among the Cheyenne or Sioux before the coming of Europeans.
What 3 books would you bring to a desert island? If I were on a desert island I would be happy there and wouldn’t bother with books.
Genre: Women’s Crime Fiction Release Date: December 1, 2025
REVIEW:
Kerry Schafer and Kerry Anne King have brought us a very unique Christmas story! It is A Party to Die For. If you are looking for a break from the normal holiday romance, this one might be for you. If you love a book that not only takes place during Christmas and is quirky, fun, with a little supernatural, has some odd characters and has not one but two murder stories in one book then this book is definitely going to be in your wheelhouse! This is the second book in the Addy Winters mystery series with the first one being Party Planning Can Be Murder. I found both books highly entertaining.
Addy Winters is a party planner and is quickly becoming known for throwing after death parties. This one is for Johanna Meyers. She was just told by her Psychic that she is going to die before Christmas and she wants Addy to plan an after death Christmas Party for her neighbors. I must tell you that Johanna is a recluse and has not left her home in years so there is a lot of speculation about her in the neighborhood.
This is a book that is so full of stuff going on that it will keep you turning the pages to see what is going to happen next! There are some quirky characters and then there are the characters that are like people we know in our own lives. I am not really sure how Addy keeps up with everything, but apparently, her brain is much younger than mine.
Without being in my face about it, A Party to Die For kind of made me think about how I want my “After Death” party to be handled. I think I would like to go out with a huge party rather than some funeral with everyone in tears. I’d like to lighten it up some and hope my loved ones have a blast at my expense!
Both of these books are standalone. I think you might get a little more kick out of them if you read the first one before you read A Party to Die For, but if you want, jump right in. Now is a good time to start. Kerry Schafer and Kerry Anne King did a great job with this book and I highly recommend you don’t miss this experience! Put this on your nightstand and you will go to sleep with a smile on your face. Until next time…Happy Reading!
Don’t forget to support the authors you read by leaving a review. Even a few words help.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not required to write a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
SYNOPSIS:
Nothing says small-town charm like a neighborhood Christmas party—unless the guest of honor has been murdered and the primary suspect is the party planner’s father.
“Please help me, I’m dying.” As new-client voicemails go, this one’s a doozy and Addy Winters is quick to respond. The request, an after-death Christmas party for the neighbors on Johanna Meyers’ block, is totally in Addy’s party planner wheelhouse.
Two small problems: Johanna’s imminent demise has been predicted by a psychic, not a doctor, and she wants to give away her house as a door prize. Addy feels sorry for the reclusive, lonely, and apparently delusional woman and plays along, fully planning to refund the deposit when Christmas rolls around and Johanna is still alive. What could possibly go wrong?
But then Johanna is murdered right on the psychic’s schedule and Rich, Addy’s grifter father, vanishes without a trace. Turns out he’s managed to find his way not only into the dead woman’s bed but also into her freshly written will. He’s got motive, means, and opportunity and now there’s a warrant out for his arrest.
Addy dives headlong into a tangle of psychic predictions, romantic complications, and one very messy family reunion. With Christmas only days away it will take all of her ingenuity and party planning mojo to find her father, fulfill Johanna’s dying wish, and unmask the killer.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Kerry Schafer & Kerry Anne King
Kerry Schafer (aka Kerry Anne King) is the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of fourteen novels. An incorrigible genre hopper, Kerry has written fantasy, paranormal mystery and book club fiction. Known for her lyrical writing and memorable characters, Kerry weaves deep emotional insights, humor, and often a touch of magic into all of her tales. Her most recent writing venture is an amateur sleuth novel, Party Planning Can Be Murder.
In addition to writing, Kerry co-hosts the One Happy Thing podcast with bestselling authors Jennifer Moorman and Maddie Dawson and runs Author Genie, where she provides virtual assistant services to fellow authors.
Kerry lives in a small town in northeastern Washington with her real-life Viking and a crew of neurotic rescue animals—two dogs and three cats—whose favorite pastime is interrupting her writing.
Phyllis Jones Pisanelli Reviews 