The Last Word by Taylor Adams

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Word by Taylor Adams - 320 pages

Emma Carpenter lives in isolation with her golden retriever Laika, house-sitting an old beachfront home on the rainy Washington coast. Her only human contact is her enigmatic old neighbor, Deek, and (via text) the house’s owner, Jules.

One day, she reads a poorly written—but gruesome—horror novel by the author H. G. Kane, and posts a one-star review that drags her into an online argument with none other than the author himself. Soon after, disturbing incidents start to occur at night. To Emma, this can’t just be a coincidence. It was strange enough for this author to bicker with her online about a lousy review; could he be stalking her, too?

As Emma digs into Kane’s life and work, she learns he has published sixteen other novels, all similarly sadistic tales of stalking and murder. But who is he? How did he find her? And what else is he capable of?

My first reaction to this book-Wow.  How does giving a book on Amazon a one star review turn into an evening of terror?  Why did Emma decide to leave Salt Lake City to live on an isolated island in Washington?  This book is action packed and has so many twists it had me glued to the book.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the mystery/thriller genre.  

The Next Always by Nora Roberts

The Next Always by Nora Roberts - 489 pages
The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy #1

Beckett Montgomery has had a crush on Claire Bennett since high school.  He missed his chance before as she married her high school sweetheart and moved away.  Now she's back, widowed with three young sons.  He's fought these feelings for several years when the ghost in the inn they are rehabbing steps in and gets them together.

This is the first book in the Inn Boonsboro trilogy.  I actually listened to the second book before this by accident.  I am enjoying this series and have just started on book three.

'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick

'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Trent Hastings is suspicious of Calista Langley's "introductions" business that his sister has signed up for.  He's worried that his sister will be taken advantage of by Calista's other clients.  While he quickly discovers he has nothing to fear for his sister, he also discovers that Calista is being stalked by a madman giving her funeral momentos engraved with her initials.

I really enjoyed this historical romance suspense by Amanda Quick.  I like that she is no longer focusing on paranormal romances.  The mystery was quite good and while I had figured out parts of it, the ending was still a surprise.

The Obsession by Nora Roberts

The Obsession by Nora Roberts - 453 pages

Naomi's life was turned upside down when as a child she followed her father one night and discovered his secret - he was a notorious serial killer.  She has spent her whole life trying to put the incident in her past and hiding her true identity from everybody she meets.  Then she settles in Sunrise Cove.  It's the first time since college that she has settled in one place for more than three months.  She makes friends and even starts a relationship.  Then women start disappearing and being killed . . . reminiscent of her father's killing style.

I really enjoyed this book. I think it is one of Nora Roberts' best books in years.  It was engrossing enough that I finished it in one day.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes romance or suspense.

Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz

Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz - 337 pages

Grace has moved back to her childhood hometown after finding the body her motivational speaker boss.  She's using the time to figure out what she wants to do next in her life.  Unfortunately, it seems that some people think she killed her boss, some people think she embezzled money, and someone is stalking her.  Luckily, her blind date Julius is determined to help her figure it all out.

I listened to this on audio.  It is a typical romantic suspense from Jayne Ann Krentz.  I'm glad she's moved on from her paranormal romance she was writing for so long and has gone back to romantic suspense.  It was a pretty good book.  It was fairly easy to figure out the culprits early on, but it was still interesting to listen to.  My only problem was with the audio itself.  It had some really long awkward pauses throughout the book.

One Wish by Robyn Carr

One Wish by Robyn Carr - 296 pages
A Thunder Point Novel

Grace is the owner of the flower shop in Thunder Point, Oregon.  What nobody knows is that she was an Olympic gold medalist figure skater before leaving that world behind.  She's just started dating high school teacher Troy and is debating whether to tell him about her past when her past comes to threaten her.  Now she has no choice but to reveal her secret to not only Troy but also to others in her town.
I picked up this book to read after reading a review of it. Unfortunately, I don't quite agree with the review.  I thought the characters and a few plot points stretched credulity a little.  It doesn't seem possible that someone as famous as Grace supposedly was would be able to completely hide her identity simply by going by her middle name.  Someone would have recognized her.  Also, the great menace was too simply resolved and then forgiven for it to be believable.  I also thought the introduction of character of the next book in the series was a little awkward.

Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz

Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz - 337 pages

Grace thought she had finally found the perfect job for her -- until she finds her boss murdered.  The experience is heartbreaking.  Not only did she lose her likable boss and her dream job, but the vodka bottle found by the body reminds her of a terrible event in her past.  Then she starts receiving emails from her dead boss - emails that are slightly threatening.  So she returns to her hometown to recover and decide what to do next.  Then she has a disastrous set-up with Julius.  Or was it disastrous?
This is the second non-paranormal romance Krentz has written since her popular Arcane Society series.  I'll admit that I really do enjoy her regular romances more than her paranormal romances.  I think she had played out what she could do with them.  This was also better than her last non-paranormal romance which seemed to take one of the Arcane Society book plots and rewrite it without the paranormal aspects.

Grand Passion by Jayne Ann Krentz

Grand Passion by Jayne Ann Krentz - 392 pages

Max is obsessed with finding the Amos Lutrell paintings that his former boss and mentor Jason Curzon left him.  It leads him to take an unconventional job with innkeeper Cleo Robbins in the hopes of finding the paintings somewhere in the inn.  What he does find is a family, security, and love.  I always enjoy Krentz's books and I enjoyed this one.