Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson caught my eye with its creepy cover and synopsis. Dawson takes us to Savannah Georgia after Hurricane Josephine and through the eyes of Carly; we reawaken to discover something sinister arrived with that storm. Servants of the Storm is an atmospheric Gothic tale with a slow-building mystery that hooks its claws into you.
There is nothing like a good thriller to get your heart racing as the world slips away, and you become completely absorbed in the characters and their fates. Phantom Instinct by Meg Gardiner was one heck of a heart-stopping thriller with fleshed out characters and a climatic ending that had me holding my breath.
I love westerns, historical novels and mail order bride tropes, so when the chance to read, In Want of a Wife by Jo Goodman came up I snagged it. Boy Howdy, am I glad I did. This historical romance had everything. Goodman spun a tale of ranch life, romance and then weaved a suspenseful plot around our heroine and hero. I consumed this in two sittings and I am looking forward to reading more from Goodman.
I love Michelle Diener’s historical suspense mysteries. They are all based around actual events, with delightful characters and a side dish of romance. A Dangerous Madness is connected to her previous novels; The Emperor’s Conspiracy and Banquet of Lies since we see characters from those novels but all are standalone and can be read in any order.
I am a sucker for tropes with marriage wagers, bargains, and agreements. They never work as planned and offer up a delicious tale as the characters find things more complicated than they ever imagined. Jane Ashford’s Marriage Wager delivers a historical romance with suspense; unique characters and a complicated romance between two stubbornly flawed characters. Mini review: entertaining, colorful characters, romantic.
