Haunted, Kat Martin

 

Haunted 

By: Kat Martin

Recommendation: 🌕🌕 - (Out of 5 🌕)

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Length: 320 Pages

I was incredibly excited for this story. I do not have a lot of experience with Kat Martin other than a couple of books she has co-authored with authors I read. I had pre-ordered this book. Thought it was great timing to read a ghost story considering Halloween is at the end of the month. Add to that 'Haunted' is one of my favorite genres, historical fiction.

Unfortunately, the author's fixation on the weight of her characters was a huge turn off for me. I noted 13 times in which Martin referenced a heavyset or overweight character; all of them were female. The comments started as early as page 29 and I didn't tag all of them, just the ones that were blatantly obvious.

Here are a couple of examples....

Page 28, "Maria Delgado, a short woman, twenty pounds overweight,..."

Page 96, " She was a nice girl, a little overweight but working on it,..." 

Page 191, "Cleopatra was already there when Jenny arrived, a big woman, late sixties, close to three hundred pounds, with breasts the size of melons.....Cleo hoisted herself up off the burgundy horsehair settee in the lobby. Thankfully, it was a sturdy piece that had lasted for over a hundred years."

Poor Ms. Cleo, she was the main focus of the heavy weight commentary. Her double chins were mentioned twice and the furniture surviving her weight mentioned twice.

I understand describing a characters physique in order for the reader to create a picture while they read but I do not need to be told every time that Ms. Cleo's character enters a room that she has a weight issue. For someone of her statue she is quite mobile.

The icing on the cake is a main male character that can be at times a little too 'alpha'. I can't believe I just said that considering I am all about a strong, dominating, man. At one point in the story Cain, the MMC, admitted to Jenny, the FMC, that he already all there was to know about her from the back ground check his detective ran. Kind of creepy. Unfortunately, this wasn't as big of a deal breaker for Jenny and I thought it should be.

'Haunted' takes place in Jerome, a real town in Arizona. Jerome was once known as the Wickedest Town in the West and has a dangerous history as part of the wild west. Many of the historical characters and the events in their life found in Martin's story are factual. 'Haunted' is a work of fiction based on these true life events.

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Before I Knew (The Cage Family, 0.5) Carrie Ann Ryan

 

Before I Knew (The Cage Family, #0.5) 

By: Carrie Ann Ryan

Recommendation: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕 - (Out of 5 🌕)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance

Length: 73 Pages

***First book in the series.***

Carrie Ann Ryan dropped a little something something to tease and tantalize us before her next fabulous new series release. Meet the Cages. With a whooping total seven male Cage siblings, this family is going to be a testosterone overload. Born into generational wealth, the Cage males all have a stake in the family business and apparently the family town.

'Hello? Do you know how to exit a group chat? Not that this hasn't been enlightening, but I don't think I'm supposed to be here.'

Blakely Graves was accidentally added to the Cage sibling's group chat. The first 18% of the short novella is just a group chat text between the brothers. I never realized before how much I enjoy reading good dialogue, most entertainment I have read in a long time. You learn a lot about individual characters and the family dynamics just from their interaction and banter. 

'Before I Knew' is the introduction of a story that ties 'His Second Chance' to the first book in Ryan's new series, 'The Forever Rule'. The Cage family secret revealed at the end of 'His Second Chance' will spill over into the new series. If you haven't read the last book in the Montgomery Ink Legacy series I highly recommend you do.

'Before I Knew' is available now. 'The Forever Rule' will not be available until January 6, 2025 (OMG, I can't hardly wait!)

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Second Chance Husband (First Time, #3) Carrie Ann Ryan

 

Second Chance Husband (First Time, #3) 

By: Carrie Ann Ryan

Recommendation: 🌕🌕🌕🌕 - (Out of 5 🌕)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance

Length: 380 Pages

Trope: (Lovers to) Enemies to Lovers

***Last book in the series. Book 3 of 3.***

'Country western anthems are written about women like Paisley Renee, loved them and lost them, didn't love them and left them, but in the end learned that she really didn't need them, she was enough and when the time was right, real love would come without looking.'

The Cassidy siblings have not had great examples for how a relationship should properly function. Their parents, Julia and Gerald, have been married and divorced two times and are planning their third wedding. To make matters worse, each time the Cassidy's split, their children would also be forced to separate. Their mother would take their sister Greer to live with her while all three boys lived with their father.

At one time August Cassidy thought he had found the woman of his dreams. He and Paisley had married young. They had also divorced young. He was a high school chemistry teacher. It was all he wanted to be. Could he have done more with his Chemistry degree, of course, but teaching was it for him. Paisley was going places. She was dedicated, had drive, was ambitious and smart. She was destined to be a success. That was why August had walked away from their marriage; he never wanted to bring her down.

Paisley Cassidy Renee was a multi-millionaire before the age of thirty. Was she incredibly successful in her business dealings? Yes. Sadly, wealth and success alone does not make for a happy life. Having just signed the divorce papers for her second marriage, Paisley vows to never get married again. She obviously is a failure in love and she never wanted to be like Julia and Gerald Cassidy; thrice married and thrice divorced. Unfortunately for Paisley, her two best friends have married the brothers of her first husband, August. When everyone gets together, Paisley and August must make nice and be social. The sad truth is that there is a reason that Paisley never dropped 'Cassidy' from her name, she never stopped loving August.

More than enemies to lovers, 'Second Chance Husband' is a lovers to enemies to lovers romance.  I absolutely love Paisley. She is the exact right mix of ice queen, doting auntie, and loving friend. She is a philanthropist who strives to make others just as successful in life as she has come to be. At the same time she is not going to let anyone change her for their own life purposes. August is a little tougher to love. When he left Paisley he didn't actually do it in the best manner. He never explained why. I will admit, the scenes in the book with him and his two adorable nieces melted my heart; he is wrapped around those girls fingers. I also loved that even though he and Paisley were not on the best of terms, August stuck up for Paisley and went very alpha male when he discovered what a true jerk her second husband had been. This is the series finale and I am glad for the happily-ever-afters, I am sad to see we have come to the end. The Cassidy's went out with a bang and my favorite trope of all time, a true enemies to lovers story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

'Second Chance Husband' releases October 7, 2024. 

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