A Love of Witches

by Elisa Hordon

Hocus Pocus, Abracadabra, Expelliarmus...from Shakespeare to Harry Potter and beyond a mystical world of witches, fantasy and wonder.

My life has always been me with my head in a book, and yes, most of the time those books involve fantasy, supernatural and mysterious wonder, make believe worlds full of witches, dragons and more.

Now books with witches are what I'm focusing on here even though I love everything supernatural, fantasy, and sci- fi, trying to write about all of that in one blog post would take forever. I have read a lot of books about witches, so if I miss some it's generally not because I have not read them but because I have read so many I sometimes forget a few, so please list more witchy books in the comments just in case there are some I have not read yet. I am always interested in more books.

It all started with the Wizard of Oz; those books were a jump start into my own world of fantasy. Next came Narnia - that magical wonderful world where you step through a wardrobe and become a king or queen of a beautiful mystical world. It was followed by Roald Dahl's The Witches, Shakespeare's Macbeth, Homer's Odyssey where Circe the Greek Goddess of magic lures Odysseus away from his quest. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmerman Bradly about Arthurian times with Merlin and Morgan LeFay, the Beauchamp witches from The Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz, Bonnie Bennett from The Vampire Diaries, Millie and Pamela from Shannon Mayer's Rylee Adamson series, and The Blood Borne series by Denise Grover Swank and Shannon Mayer: all of these magical books paved my love of everything witchy and some of them have also been made into awesome movies and TV shows to bring the magic even more to life.

Cozy Mystery Witches

More recently I have found a love of cozy mystery books that center around witches, some of these include funny witch families and even whole magical towns, some where magic is known and practiced openly and some where it is used in secret. My all time favorite is Amanda M Lee's Wicked Witches of the Midwest, This series centers around a fictional town of Hemlock Cove and the hilarious Winchester Witches, namely the youngest generation Bay, Thistle and Clover Winchester and the antics they get up to around town helping solve murder and mysteries with their special gifts and sarcastic humor and, of course, their Aunty Tillie. No mention of this series is complete without Aunty Tillie.

Mindy Klasky writes the Jane Maddison series. Jane is new to the craft, and her stories are wonderfully funny to read as Jane learns her way around her new magical world.

The Magic and Mixology series by Gina LaManna is a delightful read featuring a witch, a blood intolerant vampire and a shifter who has trouble shifting and there is the rest of Lily Locke's family. This series is set on a magical island and you are transported to this magical island as you read.

Jollie Wilkins series by H.P Mallory is a great magical adventure, The Easy Bake Coven series by Liz Schulte is highly entertaining. Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery series is a good fun read.

Rose Pressey writes a lot of different series: some are supernatural, some are just great mysteries. Her Halloween Laveau series is my favorite and not just because it centers around witches and is set in my favorite place, New Orleans, but it is a really funny series with great characters.

An all-time favorite author of mine is Deanna Chase. I am a huge fan of everything she writes, but my first love will always be her Jade Calhoun series. Jade is just awesome; she kicks butt on a regular basis. Jade has style and her own flare, and she has awesome friends as well.

Camilla Chafer wrote the Stella Mayweather series. There are 5 awesome books in this magical series and each one is more awesome than the next.

Leighann Dobbs's Blackmore Sisters series about 4 sisters who work together as a family to solve magical mysteries is a great cozy favorite of mine. Dakota Kassidy's Witchless in Seattle series is just plain hilarious: Stevie is awesome.

Janet Evanovich is known for her hilarious Stephanie Plum series, but my favorite series of hers is Lizzy and Deisel. This series is pure magical fun from start to finish; each book is just awesome.

Larsen Quick and her Mayhem Sisters series is highly enjoyable in a supernatural magical way. J,A Whiting writes the Sweet Cove Mysteries which I love not just for the magical mystery side but the recipes included in this series are just wonderful. Adele Abbott's Witch P.I series is laugh out loud funny and a great blend of supernatural and normal worlds.

Supernatural Mysteries

Moving away from the cozy mysteries and into more full-on supernatural mysteries...

Misty Evans writes amazing romantic suspense thrillers but she also writes the amazing Witches Anonymous series. Amy Atwood is trying to not use magic. The problem is she has a penchant for getting into magical trouble, and it probably is not a good thing that Lucifer himself is her boyfriend or maybe ex-boyfriend. This series is full of magical hijinks.

I can't talk about witches without mentioning Harry Potter. I mean, seriously, if we are talking awesome magical books this series has to be right up there for fantastical, magical adventure. I cannot tell how many times I have read these books, listened to the audio books and watched the movies. Harry Potter really is the ultimate in witchy books about magical, mysterious people and places.

Witches in Movies

Witches on the big screen generally come from the books I've read. The Wizard of Oz is always a classic movie. Practical Magic, what can I say, this is one time when I prefered the movie to the book. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Diane Weist and Stockard Channing are all just amazing. Hocus Pocus is a funny witchy comedy with the always brilliant Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathi Najimny. Oh and The Witches of Eastwick with Cher, Michelle Pfifer, Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicolson, Harry Potter is an awesome set of movies, and even though the books were way better, I still enjoyed the movies. The Craft is an interesting 90's take on witchcraft.

Witches on TV

Now we move into TV and my favourite all time TV show: Charmed. Three sisters who learn they are witches with magical powers and how they deal with deamons on a daily basis, this series also has books availiable but they came after the TV show. There is also a graphic novel collection that took off where the show ended after 8 successful seasons. Bewitched, now there was a classic TV show about witches, so funny and awesome at the same time. Sabrina the Teenage Witch based on the character from the Archie comics.

These are just some of my favourites featuring witches on the screen as well as in books.


A few of my favourite quotes:

"A Heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." ~ The Wizard of Oz

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia." ~ The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

"Stars hide your fires, let not light see your deep dark desires." ~ Macbeth

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." ~ Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban


Song of the witches from Macbeth:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

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Review: Hidden Deception by Colleen Helme

by Elisa Hordon

Hidden Deception is the 9th book in the brilliant Shelby Nichols Mystery series and I am such a huge fan.

Shelby and her family are home from Paris, and Shelby is ready for some normal quiet family time........ Like that ever happens in Shelby's world.

After a call from Uncle Joey and a stop by the police station to see detective dimples, Shelby is now full steam ahead into mayhem and chaos ........ again.

In Hidden Deception, I found Shelby as a character was self-assured in previous books she still had some lack of self-confidence but in this book she really seemed to have it together so much more and I loved that. Even when Shelby was in trouble she handled herself perfectly, and when she found herself in a situation where she may have had jealousy issues in the past she again handled herself with style and it made the story even better. I really love reading a series with a strong female lead character who continues to gain strength and confidence with each story and we have seen a lot of character growth with Shelby over 9 books now.

I want to touch on Chris and Shelby. When I first started this series, I was not much of a fan of Chris. I felt he really didn't know his wife; he seemed to dismiss her a lot, and he always seemed to put her down. But after reading 9 books, I have a better understanding of just how much he has always loved Shelby. He worries about her so much more these days than he used to, which is understandable: her new abilities would be enough to make anyone close to her worry. I really love that even though they love each other unconditionally and know they are both together forever they can still get jealous of others showing interest. It's sweet and funny, especially Chris with Ramos. He wants to hate the guy but he can't because Ramos always keeps Shelby safe when Chris can't.

Everything felt more cohesive in this book. Shelby seemed to have the balance of home, Uncle Joey and Dimples working better than ever, and I loved that it really felt better like a family all coming together. I even felt a shift in Chris with Uncle Joey, which will certainly make for a more interesting storyline in the future. I am looking forward to reading about what Uncle Joey has planned there.

There was nothing I didn't like in this story. It really was well written; the mysteries were awesome. I always love how there are multiple mysteries in each story and how some link together it really makes trying to puzzle it all out more of an adventure. There were some great new characters. I really love Chris's new executive assistant and the new young lawyer working with Chris. I think they will really add to future stories and I loved that Shelby's kids and Miguel were in this story more.

All in all, I found Hidden Deception a delightfully adventurous mystery.

Buy Hidden Deception at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info: 
available formats: ebook and print (304 pages)
published: July 2016 
ISBN13: 978-1535311816
genres: cozy mystery, supernatural
a free ebook was provided for this review



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Review of Johnny Worthen's David (Unseen Trilogy #3)

by Elisa Hordon

For fans of the Unseen trilogy by Johnny Worthen, David is the final installment you have been waiting to read.

I did read Eleanor and Celeste before diving into David and I am glad I was able to read all three books at once. I would have been completely frustrated if I had to wait to find out everything.

The trilogy as a whole was a great YA mystery thriller with a supernatural twist and a good dose of teen drama.

Eleanor is a skin walker / shapeshifter. She tries to live her life unseen by others but people gravitate to her. Eleanor is a remarkable girl wanting to be unremarkable. It is hard to be unremarkable in a small town where everyone knows everyone else. Bullying and prejudiced is a way of life and you have to do anything and everything to survive.

David is the guy who has stood by her. Will they finally get to be together or will Eleanor finally push David away forever?

Eleanor is a born survivor. It is what she does survive because it is what she knows. In the aftermath of Celeste (book #2), Eleanor tries to stay unseen, but that won't work forever. Can Eleanor come out of her skin and live the life she has always wanted? Can she be a hero to the town that has always had mixed feelings about her? Can Eleanor let herself trust those closest to her? It was interesting how Eleanor put her shapeshifting to use in this book. She hides in plain sight and helps right wrongs that happened in the previous two books. I really enjoyed this final installment.

To sum up, the Unseen Trilogy was just brilliant. My uncertainty after getting through book #1 was all because it was a trilogy and I  wanted all the info in the first book. It just shows my impatience as this trilogy was different, captivating, and mind blowing. It did take me until book #3 to appreciate it as the great trilogy it is. Even my teenage daughter raved about these books from the first chapter. I started to wonder if it was just me. I wanted to read all three books before commenting at all. When I'm reading a book for review I always keep notes and you would laugh if you read my notes on Eleanor. They are quite negative. It was out of frustration that I had two more books to read before understanding her completely. I felt frustrated but in a good way, I guess that's the mark of a good series if it leaves you wanting more.

Eleanor is something else. She thinks she is a monster. I think she is just confused and not comfortable in her own skin. That makes sense when it is not actually her own skin.

I love the bond between David and Eleanor. I am hoping it stands the test of time but I do wonder how David will react when he finds out what Eleanor is. Can he handle it? Only time will tell.

Buy David at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: print (340 pages)
published: August 16, 2016 by Jolly Fish Press
ISBN13: 9781631630620
target audience: young adult
genres: mystery, thriller
a free ebook was provided by the publisher for this review

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Review: How to Bake a Murder by K.J. Emrick

by Elisa Hordon

One of my all-time favourite cozy mysteries series is K.J. Emrick's Darcy Sweet Mysteries. It is an awesome small town, supernatural mystery series with wonderful characters and I just love it. I was super excited to read How to Bake a Murder; the first book in a new series from this amazing author. After reading How To Bake A Murder, I am really looking forward to reading more about Cookie, Jerry and everyone else.

Cookie owns and runs the ‘Kiss The Cook’ bakery on her own, and she loves it. This place is not just a business to Cookie, it's her home. So when someone dies in her bakery and another person is trying to make her sell, Cookie is determined to keep her bakery running.

Clarissa is Cookie's 16-year-old granddaughter. She is sassy, sullen, and she loves trying everyone’s patience, but when someone threatens her grandmother, look out, Clarissa shows what she is really made of.

Jerry, one of the local police officers, calls into 'Kiss The Cook' bakery every day. He loves grabbing his coffee and bagel before work; he also loves getting a smile from Cookie. Jerry is a little smitten where Cookie is concerned. It's really cute and seriously made me feel good about falling in love at any age.

I love how Cookie is so passionate about her bakery, I also love how even though she has had her heart broken before she is also willing to let Jerry in. I am not a fan of her best friend Jamie. She seems like a horrible person, and Cookie deserves friends who stick by her, not stab her in the back the minute she turns it.

The mystery was brilliant. The killer really did his research, and if it wasn't for some smarter people like Cookie and Jerry, he may have gotten away with it. Talk about dastardly plots with lots of twists and turns!

The ending was brilliantly nail biting. The story as a whole was well balanced and an absolute pleasure to read.

Buy How to Bake a Murder at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook (195 pages)
published: July 2016 by South Coast Publishing
genres: cozy mystery





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Review: Lights, Camera, Murder by Nikki Haverstock #MondayBlogs

By Elisa Hordon

What could be better than a cozy mystery set around a reality TV show full of Savvy Socialites? Nikki Haverstock had me rolling around laughing with Lights, Camera, Murder (Reality TV Cozy Mysteries, #1).

Melissa McBallister is wants nothing more than to be a famous author just like her mom. When a reality TV show is looking for a new cast member Melissa jumps at the chance to put herself out there. Well maybe not jumps at the chance, there may have been a bit of cajoling from her sister.

Once she says yes, Melissa begins to doubt she has done the right thing. She has, even more, doubts when the woman she replaced on the show ends up dead and Melissa is a suspect. She will do whatever it takes to prove her innocence and find the real killer. But will that get Melissa killed before then end?

Ryan Sethi is the handsome producer for the reality TV show. He is smart, gorgeous, and loyal particularly to his sister Rebecca. Rebecca wants to break into the TV business with Savvy Socialites as her starting show. Ryan is not completely convinced this show will be a winner but he will do anything for his sister. Once Ryan meets Melissa he becomes more confident that this show will work if he can just convince her to be on it. Ryan is smitten by Melissa and things could get interesting between these two.

Melissa's family is divided about her doing the reality TV show. Some of her family think it is just not like Melissa to choose to be on the show because she is so introverted.  Some of her family think the show would be great publicity for the family's new ski resort. Melissa thinks being on the show might give her the fodder she needs to write her first great literary work. Melissa adopts Bubbles the dog from an animal shelter and both become popular to fans of the reality TV show. Bubbles is a wonderful addition to the show.

Melissa is a great character. She is shy but also witty, smart, and gorgeous a great combination. She brought something extra to the show that was completely different to the other women. I am really looking forward to reading more about Melissa. I can see her character coming out of her shell more and more.

This cozy mystery had a bit of everything. It is lighthearted but still had a great thrilling mystery to it. There are great laugh out loud moments, some wonderful sweet moments, especially at the animal shelter, and there is even a hint of potential romance for future books. I really enjoyed the whole book and I am looking forward to more from this series. If you like Nikki Haverstock you may also like her Target Practice mysteries. They are a favourite of mine too.

Buy Lights, Camera, Murder at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
Available formats: ebook and print (228 pages)
Published: July 2016 Ranch Dog Entertainment, LLC
ISBN13: 9781234444444
Genre: cozy mystery

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Review: Two Little Lies by Gina Lamanna

by Elisa Hordon 

Two Little Lies is the sequel to Gina Lamanna's One Little Wish, where we saw Scarlett and Mack reunited after 10 long years. So did Scarlett and Mack get their Happily Ever After? Or Did Mack disappear again leaving Scarlett behind in Luck, Texas to run her book shop? And did Mack's father get what was coming to him?

So many questions to be answered in one awesome book.

Scarlett finally has everything she wants: her book shop Happily Ever After is a hit in town, Mack's dad is about to go to trial and Scarlett cannot wait for that man to be out of their lives for good and then there is Mack, 'oh be still my beating heart Mack.' Scarlett really couldn't be happier to have Mack back in her life and loving her. So then why does she feel like something bad is about to happen? Is happiness really attainable? Or are we all just kidding ourselves? So many questions rattle around in Scarlett’s head and she has no idea how to figure it all out.

Scarlett has always been told her family is rotten to the core, but is this really true or are people in town too easily swayed by people with money and influence that they just believe what they here instead of believing the truth?

As a character, I feel in love with Scarlett from the very beginning. I love how she never gives up even when everything around her seems to be going against her. There is just a part of Scarlett that always holds onto hope. I really love how strong a person Scarlett is after everything she has been through in her life. Scarlett grows stronger and stronger no matter what awful things Mack's father puts her through. I also love that shy Scarlett is willing to let people into her life more and more. Sure she has Noelle and now Mack is back, but she also meets some new friends in this story and even though fans of Gina Lamanna will recognise Scarlett's new friends they are still new to Scarlett and I really enjoyed her opening up a bit to new people.

'They say one bad apple can ruin a barrel, but I hate to think that's true. People say I come from a line of bad apples, and I never quite know what to make of it. If the whole barrel is bad, is there really any hope for me.'

Scarlett is sweet but tough; she is strong and full of love, Scarlett tries to see the good in everyone and her love for Mack is all encompassing. Mack is, well, magical. Gina has a real knack for writing swoon-worthy book boyfriends that just make you want to keep reading and re-reading and Mack is no exception. He is everything: smart, gorgeous, strong and not afraid to show his romantic side.

'What if I don't want to date you forever?' He raised his hand, ran a finger across my lower lip. He watched my face for a response. When it didn't come, he pulled me even higher onto his lap. My dress floated around his jeans in a puddle of bright fabric. 'What if I want to marry you someday?'

That quote right there is why I love Mack so so much.

The sweetness of Scarlett and Mack is something I just love, Scarlett is such a loyal person to everyone she loves and she will do anything to make sure everyone she loves is taken care of even if it kills her. There really is nothing better than reading about someone with so much loyalty.

So what does Scarlett do when things start going wrong for everyone, especially Mack and Noelle, her two favourite people in the world? What can Scarlett do to make sure they are safe? Scarlett does everything she has to even if it means she is the one left alone and unhappy.

Mack's father is wreaking havoc again in Scarlett's life and she really wants to know what she ever did to Mr. Montgomery for him to hate her so so much. The truth shocks Scarlett, but it also gives her more understanding into the wickedly horrible man Mr. Montgomery truly is and I am amazed after reading this story at how Mack came out to be such an awesome guy.

Two Little Lies is a great story with some sweet tender moments, a lot of mystery and drama, twists and turns I did not see coming, new friends who will stand by Scarlett and Mack always and old friends who always have their back.

I'm not giving anything away. This story was awesome! Scarlett and Mack are back and better than ever even when everything seems to be falling apart and I really, really love old friends and new friends all rallying around Mack and Scarlett.


If you have not read One Little Wish start with that one then try Two Little Lies, They are great romantic mysteries.

Buy Two Little Lies at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook (232 pages)
published: July 2016 by LaManna Books
genres: cozy mystery, romance





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Review: Scorch by Liliana Hart

by Elisa Hordon

The long-awaited next book in the awesome Mackenzie series by Liliana Hart is finally here, and yes, Scorch was worth the wait.

I have been loving the Mackenzie family since 2011. I have loved every story in this series, and as we get closer to the final Mackenzie book I just have to say how much I enjoyed this series.

From Dane, the very first Mackenzie novella, through to Scorch, the latest release being Shane's story. I have laughed, cried, held my breath and enjoyed every word in these books. I do have to say Cade, book 6 is my all-time favourite; there was just something extra special about this story that left me speechless, and it is the Mackenzie story I re-read the most.

But back to Scorch which was released on July 26th. Fans of the Mackenzie series had been eagerly awaiting this release as we all knew from the end of Declan’s story that Shane had lost one leg saving Declan’s now wife Sofia. We all knew Shane was struggling with his new life, what we didn't know was Dr. Lacy Shaw's background and how she was brought into Mackenzie Security. Her story is fascinating, and I totally see how she was drawn to Shane.

I really loved that Declan saw something unique in Lacy all those years ago, and he did whatever he could to make her part of his family. However, it wasn't until Shane that Lacy could really feel a part of the Mackenzie clan and the way she finally embraces Shane, his family and everything else that goes along with being a Mackenzie is just amazing.

Shane is, well, truly amazing. He has always lived his life on the edge: 1000% adrenaline until that day when his world exploded into pieces along with his leg. But he saved his brother's woman and that’s what counts. Now he either wants to die or he has to find a new reason to live: a reason without his command, a reason without his SEALS. Shane is too lost right now to see any reason to live. Can he pull himself together to see what's in the mirror? Shane needs to live for himself first then everything else will fall into place, but if he can't see that as a person he is enough then coming back from this may not be possible for him.

Dr. Lacy Shaw is brilliant at her job. She is an amazing surgeon and researcher. Her mind is something else and is the main reason she has nothing to do with her own family, a family who never once treated her as anything but a science experiment. Lacy owes everything to Mackenzie Security and Declan Mackenzie, the man who saw something in her and believed in her. When Declan asks Lacy to help with Shane’s recovery, it's not just because she is a brilliant doctor, it's because Declan knows all about Lacy's past and he is hoping that by bringing two broken souls together they can help each other in more ways than one.

Scorch is a thrill a minute with a road full of twists and turns you won't see coming and an ending to die for.

Buy Scorch at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia where she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and homeschooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance, and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (286 pages)
published: July 2016 by 7th Press
ISNBN13: 978-1940499437
genres: romance, suspense, military




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Review: New Corpse in Town by Lucy Quinn

by Elisa Hordon

"Well..." Cookie James sighed quietly to herself, leaning against the doorframe of the Secret Seal Inn. "I could certainly get used to this view."
But despite the fact that the inn was situated on one of the highest points of Secret Seal Isle, affording her a perfect angle on the rest of the small twon spread out before her, all the way to the scenic coastline and the Atlantic Ocean beyond, that wasn't what had captured her attention.

I love a good cozy mystery with great laugh out loud moments. I got that and more from New Corpse in Town by Lucy Quinn.

Lucy Quinn is a new pen name collaboration from authors Deanna Chase and Violet Vaughn, I just loved their new collaboration.

Cookie James is an ex-FBI agent living with her Mother Rain Forest on the secluded Secret Seal Isle. Cookie and Rain are running a local inn and trying to lay low since Cookie retired from the FBI after a case she was working on got bungled and she is now wanted dead. Cookie's new life is looking up until Cookie's mom Rain tangles with a dead body while skinny dipping, and yes, I did say Skinny Dipping, in the ocean and a very dead body tries to drown Rain...lol. Cookie just knew things were going to go south pretty quickly.

So much for laying low! Cookie now has a dead body that the local police really don't care about, a killer on the loose and her hippy-dippy mom running wild. How much can a girl take?

Ok, so there's Cookie's love life steaming up with Dylan, the local handyman. Oh and then Cookie calls her ex-FBI partner in to see if he can help her solve the murder seeing as the local police really can't be bothered and when Hunter arrives Cookie finds herself the centre of attention for both Hunter and Dylan. And, omg, the testosterone is flying everywhere.....lol.

So now can Cookie keep her mom under control, find a murderer and stop Dylan and Hunter from killing each other? This was a non-stop thrillingly funny read right from the first page.

The first in what I hope will be many more funny collaborations from Deanna Chase and Violet Vaughn. This one was a 5 star winner for me.

Buy New Corpse in Town at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook (166 pages)
published: July 2016 by Seaside Story Productions
genres: cozy mystery





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Review: Melody Bittersweet and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency by Kitty French

by Elisa Hordon

A rip roaring laugh from start to finish.

Melody comes from an unusual family, ok ok they are all completely bonkers, crazy and totally insane, they also have paranormal gifts that make them different to everyone else.
Melody sees dead people, and yes it's true even if some people namely a nosy, sexy super-hot reporter don't believe her and think Melody and her whole family are fakes but that doesn't stop Fletch from kissing the bejeezers out of Melody every chance he gets which just leaves Melody frustrated and confused, it also makes for some really funny scenes, I really enjoyed all of the interplay between Melody and Fletch I could really see them going somewhere together once Fletch starts to believe....lol

Melody's love life is one disastrous date after another and her Mother just loves setting up blind dates for her they go from bad to worse to totally hilarious.

Melody's family run a business from home helping people contact spirits but Melody decides to go out on her own forming The Girls Ghost busting agency with her best friend Marina and then they take on Arty, the three of them work well together I could even see some potential romance between Marina and Arty at some point, Glenda who normally works for Melody's Mother is great at popping in to keep the admin side of the business organised.

The story gets even more hilarious when Melody's ex-boyfriend Leo Dark comes back into her life after dumping her and moving on to bigger and better things namely a TV spot where he uses his own paranormal gifts to make a name for himself. I really don't think Leo is a bad guy but he is selfish and arrogant he also uses Melody every chance he gets, Melody is much better off without him, Leo is all self-serving, I enjoyed the way Melody handled herself with the Ghosts and helped them move on by solving the murder where Leo just wanted his five minutes of fame in front of the camera Melody just wanted to help the ghosts I love how she went above and beyond so all three ghosts could move on.

I really enjoyed this new book by Kitty French it was light hearted, totally hilarious with a great supernatural ghost busting side that just hit all of the right notes for me, I loved every page from beginning to end and I am looking forward to a lot more in this series

A few of my favourite quotes :-)

‘For Bittersweet women, love is big and sweeping, all-consuming and life-altering.’

“I knew your skin would feel like that,” he says. “Too soft for all your hard edges.” I frown. “I don’t have hard edges.” “Yes you do. You’re all sharp edges, sarcasm and trouble, but your skin isn’t playing games. It’s smooth and warm, and it likes me much better than the rest of you does.” 

‘I’ve spent my entire adult life either trying to fit into the outside world like a square peg in a round hole,…and however hard I try, I’m never going to be a round peg.’

Buy Melody Bittersweet and the Girls' Ghostbusting Agency at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (290 pages)
published; July 2016 by Bookoenuture
ISBN13: 978-1786810397
genres: cozy mystery, supernatural




Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

Review: Death By Diploma by Kelley Kaye

by Elisa Hordon

As Emma Lovett discovers the perils of teaching high school in the fun cozy mystery Death by Diploma, she and best friend Leslie learn more than they ever wanted to know about the reasons people kill.

• Kelley Kaye was a new to me author and I loved Death By Diploma.
• This was a giggling good time.
• Right from the start I loved Emma, she is such a strong character.
• A witty, well written who done it.
• A quirky cast of characters that had me from the first page.
• A main character who I can't wait to read more from I really loved Emma.
• I loved all the twists and turn.
• I enjoyed the surprises.
• My absolute favourite thing about this story was all of the laugh out loud moments.
• A storyline to literally die for.
• I love stories about teachers and murder mysteries.
• Emma and Leslie are wonderfully delightful armature sleuths; they make crime solving fun.
• If you’re a Shakespeare lover like I am then you will enjoy the Shakespearian quotes bantered about in the story from Emma and Leslie
• What I didn't like was the way the author tried to write in a Southern accent for Emma's character, I found that dialogue hard to read, I prefer if an author just describes that the character has an accent because then I naturally hear it in my head when I'm reading.

Favourite quote from the book

'No. I don't believe in omens. That rabbit's foot in my purse is there only because petting soft things calms my nerves. Really.'

Buy Death by Diploma at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (228 pages)
published: January 2016 by Red Adept Publishing
ISBN13: 978-1940215624
genres: cozy mystery
source: author



Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. A free ebook was provided for this review. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

Review: Kitten Kaboodle by Kathi Daley #BigBookGiveaway

by Elisa Hordon

You really have to admire an author who can write 20 books in a series and still have her fans waiting for more.

Kathi Daley has done it again with Kitten Kaboodle, the 20th Zoe Donovan Mystery, which you can enter for a chance to win a paperback copy at the end of this post.

I am a big fan, I just love Kathi's cozies. They are always, fun, exciting and mysterious with a brilliant main character and a family of other brilliant characters that bring the whole story together.

Kitten Kaboodle finds Zoe home alone with Zak's honorary Nona and this wild senior is giving Zoe a run for her money as far as getting into mischief goes. Nona is stirring up trouble with a local animal activist who is attempting to shut down a kitten mill, so when the owner of the kitten mill is found murdered Nona becomes a suspect and Zoe's mother-in-law sweeps into town unannounced with a handful of other family members to reign Nona in. When Zoe finds her mother-in-law planning home renovations to her and Zac's house, things become more intense for Zoe and she is struggling to deal with everything on her own while Zac is out of town.

I really felt sorry for Zoe in Kitten Kaboodle. She had so much to deal with, it was no wonder she felt overwhelmed, but I do love how she handled it all. Zoe Donovan is a wonderful character; she is funny, smart and an awesome friend.

While Zoe is dealing with Nona, a murder, and Zac's visiting family, she is also worried about her best friend Ellie who is feeling under the weather. Zoe is doing her best to be there for Ellie too, but she is really worried something more than the flu is going on with Ellie. But being the loyal best friend she is, Zoe is trying to patently wait for Ellie to tell her what's going on.

To top everything else going on in Zoe's life, she has animals that need tending to both at home and at the shelter and she misses Zac and the kids more than she expected to but in true Zoe style she puts aside herself and focuses on everyone else. Zoe sets her mind to keeping Nona out of jail, finding a murderer and stopping herself from killing her mother-in-law plus homing all the kittens from the mill, oh, and finally finding out Ellie's big secret. Yep no big deal at all, not for Zoe....lol

Zoe Donovan sometimes seems like wonder woman to me as I have read and loved all of her stories. Each time I read a new one it's like reading about a best friend. This book is warm and inviting; you just can't put it down as the whole series is highly addictive.

And don’t forget as always there are some awesome recipes in the back of the book

Buy Kitten Kaboodle at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Plus, Kitten Kaboodle is one of 20 books in this month's Big Book Giveaway. You can see the full list of books in the giveaway here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (226 pages)
published: May 2016
ISBN13: 9781533139344
genre: cozy mystery




Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

Culinary Cozy Capers - Recipes Included

by Elisa Hordon

I love food. No, seriously I have a huge love for food and cooking. Once upon a time, a long long time ago, I loved food so much I went to school to learn more than what My Nan and Mum had taught me. Then I spent many years working in restaurants, cafes, resorts, even a bakery or two and a nursing home, so I got to cook a wide variety of food for many people. Now I cook for love and for my family which they greatly appreciate, so much so my daughter swears she is never leaving home because she knows she won't get food as good as mine anywhere else....lol

So that leads me to my topic of choice this week: cozy mysteries that also have a love of food. Some of these books even include recipes and yes I have cooked a lot of these recipes myself. I just couldn't help myself, when I'm reading a book and the author not only writes about food but describes it in such a way that I'm drooling I just know I need to try that recipe. So I am ever grateful for the recipes included with my mystery fix and if recipes are not included that's ok too because then I get to come up with my own versions of the food they describe so well in their books.

I know there are a lot of great books out there that add a love of food, these are my top 5 picks. They are my top 5 not just for the great mysteries but also for the amazing recipes.

Here are a few of my favourite recipes and an overview of each series.

Zoe Donovan Mysteries by Kathi Daley

Zoe starts her adventures with Halloween Hijinks and she is still going strong with her 20th mystery Kitten Kaboodle, which released May 2016. My favourite recipe from Halloween Hijinks is Apple Cranberry Crisp. Zoe runs the local animal shelter so there are a lot of awesome pets in these books too and who doesn't love great animal characters? They add so much love to the story. Zoe's best friend Ellie and her now husband Zac both love to cook so a lot of the recipes are food they make for gatherings during their mystery solving.

I loved this recipes because apples, cranberries and pecans just go so well together with cinnamon my all-time favourite spice.

Buy Halloween Hijinks at Amazon

Apple Cranberry Crrisp
4 cups apples peeled, cored and sliced thin
1 cup cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
2Tbsp cinnamon
2tsp nutmeg
1/2c oats
1/2c flour
1/2c brown sugar
1/2c butter but into pieces
1 cup chopped pecans
1 jar caramel sauce (I used Hershey's)

In a large bowl mix apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, place in a buttered baking dish.

Combine oats, flour and brown sugar withe butter until crumbly I use a fork you can use your fingers, stir in the pecans and spread over apple mixture top with drizzles of caramel sauce.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C  for 40-50min, best served with vanilla ice cream.

Southern Pasta Mysteries by Jennifer L Hart

Andy Buckland always dreamed of becoming a Chef, but when a food poisoning incident during her debut cooking show happens Andy's dreams come crashing down. Andy heads home to her overly loving Italian family and the family's Southern Pasta Shop, but what Andy wasn't expecting was to stumbled across a murder as a welcome home.

I love cauliflower so picking this recipe to try from The Southern Pasta Shop mysteries was an easy choice and it was delicious I make it often.

Buy Murder al Dente at Amazon

Baked Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower, cut into equal florets
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1tsp dried oregano
pinch of chilli flakes
salt and pepper
3 eggs beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and baste a foil lined baking sheet with olive oil.

In a shallow bowl, toss together the crumbs, cheese, oregano, chilli, salt and pepper.
place eggs in another bowl and dip florets in egg then crumb until well coated.
place florets on baking sheet, spray with olive oil then bake in oven for 40min or until golden brown and tender crisp.

Cedar Bay Cozy Mysteries by Dianne Harman

The Cedar Bay cozies are great mysteries Kelly Conner owner of Kelly's Koffee Shop stars in these books along with Sheriff Mike and Rebel, Kelly's gorgeously protective Boxer, I really love cozies that mix great food, awesome pets, wonderful mysteries with brilliant characters you just love reading more about.

Kelly loves solving mysteries and owning the local coffee shop is a great place for over hearing snipets of clues...lol. Sheriff Mike loves Kelly; he also loves Kelly's cooking. What Mike doesn't love is Kelly interfering in his cases. This makes for a great relationship between them...lol. Book 1 Kelly's Koffee Shop has my all time favourite cookie recipe, I make these cookies a lot because, well, they are awesome and addictive, Decadent Bacon Chocolate-chip cookies, I know who would have thought combining bacon and chocolate in a cookie they are happiness in every mouthful.

Buy Kelly's Koffee Shop at Amazon

Decadent Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1tsp baking soda
1/4tsp baking powder
3/4tsp salt
1 cup soften butter
3/4 cup sugar white
3/4 cup brown sugar
1tsp vanilla
12 ounce chocolate chips
12 ounces bacon

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Fry the bacon and drain it on paper towel. When bacon is cool, break into small pieces.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix the butter, sugars and vanilla until well combined then add eggs one at a time beating well after each one. Gradually mix in flour, when well combined stir through chocolate chips and bacon pieces. Drop round spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown, let cool before removing from cookie sheet.
Try to stop at one...lol

Hanna Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke

Hanna Swensen's first book was The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder and I must say I was hooked from the first book. Now Hanna's adventures have taken us through 19 books, the latest being The Wedding Cake Murder. Each book in between has also been a great mystery. I may not have loved each and every story but I have enjoyed most of them. I have loved Hanna through the series and her off siders Mike and Ross, Hanna's mother and sisters are always great side characters as is Lisa, Hanna's business partner but more than anything I have loved the recipes from these books and yes I have tried most of them so here are a couple of my all time favourites that I make regularly for my family and friends.

Buy Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder at Amazon

Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
2 C melted butter
2 C powdered sugar
1 C granulated sugar
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla essence
1tsp baking soda
1tsp cream of tartar
1tsp salt
4 1/4 c plain flour

Melt butter, add sugar and mix, cool to room temperature.

Mix in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, mix well the sir in flour a cup at a time mixing well after each addition. Chill dough for at least and hour I generally chill mine overnight.

Preheat oven to 325F/180C roll dough into balls place onto cookie sheet and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 10-15min or until golden brown cool on cookie sheet for 2min before transferring to a cooling rack.

These cookies can be decorated for the holidays, you can also roll out the dough and use cookie cutters instead of rolling into balls and you can change the recipe by adding chopped up caramels and pretzels or m&m's or rolling the dough in sesame seeds, there are a lot of options to change this recipe. Have fun with it.

Blueberry muffins
Preheat oven to 375F/180C

3/4 C melted butter
1 C white sugar
2 eggs beaten lightly
2tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 C blueberry pie filling or Blueberry Jam
2 C plain flour
1/2 cup milk

Crumb Topping
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C plain flour
1/4 C softened butter

For the muffins grab a 12 Cup muffin tin and spray with cooking spray then set aside.
Melt the butter, mix in the sugar then the beaten eggs, baking powder and salt mix well. toss a spoonful of flour through the blueberries until coated this stops them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.

Add the rest of the flour to the mix and stir through add the milk and stir then the coated blueberries mix well lastly add in the blueberry pie filling or jam your mixture will turn blue.

Fill the muffin tin 3/4 full allowing room for the muffins to rise, mix up the crumb and top each muffin before baking, then bake for 25-30 min let cool before eating.

Josie Rizzo Mysteries by JR Pearson

Josie Rizzo is a fairly new to me series. JR Pearson has 4 great cozy mysteries in this series and I fell in love from the first page. Josie Rizzo is a woman after my own heart. Her passion for food is amazing and her food blog 'Good Eatin' For the Curvy Soul' just grabbed me straight off. The fact she is also great at solving mysteries dosn't hurt either...lol

The first 3 books didn't have recipes but Josie's descriptions of food throughout the stories had me scouring the Internet for recipes and then in book 4 there were recipes included. Yay! This made me extra happy.

I was inspired in Buttered and Scrambled with Murder, book 4 in the Josie Rizzo Mysteries, to make breakfast for dinner one night this week. Josie's parents own a diner in her home town of Jewel Cove where they serve breakfast all day and seeing as breakfast is my favourite meal of the day it just seems fitting to post my favourite breakfast for dinner meal.

Buy Grilled and Seasoned with Murder at Amazon

Breakfast for Dinner (this recipe is for 1)
2 eggs whipped with 1Tblsp cream and 1tblsp melted butter
2 rasher bacon
2 slices toast
1 cup mushrooms
2 pieces Haloumi cheese optional

Cook bacon, set aside to drain on paper towel
Fry haloumi with bacon.
Add mushrooms to pan with a bit of mutter and fry until cooked about 5min put on plate
Pour egg mix into pan and scramble as eggs cook
Cook toast while everything else is cooking plate it all up and enjoy.



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Review: Hidden by Stephanie St Klaire

by Elisa Hordon

Following on from Stephanie's debut romance Rescued (read my review) is Hidden, the story of Colton, McKenzie Ridge's hottest fireman and Megan, McKenzie Ridge's new resident.

Megan only arrived in town a few months ago with her little nephew in tow. Megan opened her florist shop up and settled into life in McKenzie Ridge, but there is something about Megan that has a few residents of McKenzie Ridge watching her closely and it's not just because she is new in town.

Colton saw Megan for the first time at Dawson and Sam's wedding. We met Dawson and Sam in Rescued and if you have not read rescued yet it is worth the read. Colton was gone the first time he met Megan. He just knew she was the one and he also knew he would wait forever to make her his.

My favourite Megan quote from Hidden:

'He was the kind of guy who wanted a white picket fence and a relationship full of forever’s. He already had the white picket fence, but she couldn't be his forever, no matter how tempting he was.'

Megan fell in love with McKenzie Ridge the moment she arrived She fell in lust with Colton the moment she saw him. No, it was more than lust Colton Sparks made her feel, really feel more than any other man ever had and for Megan that was dangerous because she didn't knew how long she would be in McKenzie Ridge.

My favourite Colton quote from Hidden:

'my heart stops at the sight of you. My world stops if you're not in it. Every promise I've made to you, I intend to keep. I have waited so long for you; I will fight to keep you, no matter the circumstances. You never have to worry , that's my job forever.'

What is Megan running from? Can she really trust Colton enough to give up her secrets? Is time running out for Megan?

So many questions, so much intrigue, so many secrets and you will find all of the answers in Hidden, the latest steamy romantic suspense novel by Stephanie St Klaire.

Stephanie St Klaire knows how to write a great steamy romance. I absolutely loved her debut story Rescued and now with the release of Hidden, I am even more in love with her work.

Hidden is more than just a romance. Because it is also set in McKenzie Ridge, reading Hidden was like coming back home. I do read a lot of romances and I have to say, I love a romance series set in a fictional town were each book brings together old favourite characters and new characters. You really get to know the place and the people and if the author is great at writing descriptions you can visualize the town and its residents as you read. With each new book you're adding to your visions of the town and the characters. Stephanie is a great descriptive writer. I also love how she adds a bit of mystery and a few twists and thrills to her stories. For me, this sets them apart from just being about romance.

My review would not be complete without a quote from Granny:

'Well, hot damn! If I knew there was going to be a show today, I would have brought my fan and some dollar bills!” Granny hollered'

I am really excited to read a lot more of her books in the future and in the meantime if you want to visit with Stephanie more join her Facebook group Men of McKenzie Ridge or her fan page.

Buy Hidden at Amazon

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Book info:
available formats: ebook and print (306 pages)
published: June 2016
ISBN13: 9781533526960
genres: romance
source: author




Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. A free ebook was provided for this review. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.

Shelby Nichols Adventures by Colleen Helme

by Elisa Hordon

Mind reading at its best.

What do you get when a bullet grazes your head in a grocery store? I mean seriously all Shelby wanted was some carrots to go with dinner, what Shelby got was a gift for trouble.

Colleen Helme is the amazing author who created the Shelby Nichols series, you can find out all about Collen on her website and oh take a look at Shelby's online journal it is a great ongoing companion to the books.

Right now Colleen is busy finishing up book 9 Hidden Deception, which will be out soon. I am super excited about this book for many reasons but one really special reason that I am gonna keep secret until it's published. I wonder if anyone will be able to tell what was extra exciting about this book for me once you've read it.

I really want to know how Colleen will top book 8 Devious Minds because I have to say Shelby's adventure in Paris will be pretty hard to top in my book.

But I digress I need to gush about the rest of the series first before jumping to the most recent...lol.

Shelby starts out in her first adventure Carrots. When we first meet Shelby, she is written as your average housewife, married to her hunky lawyer husband Chris and has 2 great kids Josh and Savannah. Shelby is a very organised woman and her life is, well predictable, stable, some would say boring. So what changes? Everything! Really everything changes that day she walks into the grocery store to buy carrots for dinner and winds up in the middle of a robbery where Shelby ends up with a bullet grazing her head and all of a sudden she can now hear everyone's thoughts.

Some people might think this is a great gift but honestly who really wants to know how their loved ones really feel about them? Personally no thanks....lol. While it might come in handy sometimes, especially if you have gun men chasing you and mobsters asking for favours, there are more down sides to this 'gift', especially when it's all new and scary. Shelby is constantly feeling overwhelmed and I am loving that she was strong enough not to go crazy.

Shelby's family worries about her, especially her husband, and while he struggles to accept Shelby's new gift himself he tries his hardest to be supportive, which can be funny sometimes and not so funny other times but Chris does a good juggling act...lol. In the end they love each other no matter what and that really works for me with this series. Shelby needs someone supportive behind her but no one is perfect. Seeing Chris struggle at times shows us no one is perfect but to make any relationship work you have to put in the effort to make it work by loving and supporting each other.

I really love the relationships Shelby builds along the way with Detective 'Dimples' and Uncle Joey and Ramos. I mean really talk about a juggling act. Shelby has so many balls in the air at times I wonder how she manages it all at once. Between Chris and the kids, Uncle Joey and his special jobs plus his ties to the Mob, then helping out Detective 'Dimples' consulting on cases for the police and stopping people from trying to kill her all while trying to keep her mind reading skills a secret, which at times utterly fails, I am surprised Shelby is still alive...lol. But that is Shelby: she is tenacious, stubborn and willing to do just about anything to get the job done. Most people underestimate her, including her husband in the beginning, but over time when the people close to Shelby see what she can really do they all start to appreciate and admire her more.

This is a series full of mystery, mayhem, action and adventure, toss in some tender romantic moments, great friendships, wonderful family and a few laughs and you have the makings of a wonderful series that you will always remember.

Get the books in this series
Buy Carrots at Amazon
Buy Fast Money at Amazon
Buy Lie or Die at Amazon
Buy Secrets that Kill at Amazon
Buy Trapped by Revenge at Amazon
Buy Deep In Death at Amazon
Buy Crossing Danger at Amazon
Buy Devious Minds at Amazon
Hidden Deception (coming soon)

Elisa Hordon, reviewer. Elisa lives on the Southern Highlands of NSW, Australia were she spends her days reading, journaling, painting, cooking and home schooling her daughter. She has always been an avid reader, Elisa loves reading many genres of books except horror; her favourite genres would be mystery, romance and paranormal. Elisa also loves pursuing many creative outlets if she is not relaxing with a book she can be found writing, sketching, painting or cooking. Elisa loves to share her obsession with books especially with her family and friends. Reading and reviewing books is a favourite pastime of Elisa’s.

Get even more book news in your inbox by signing up for our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/mHTVL. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.