TopShelf Magazine June 2023

REVIEWED BY ROXB

DELIBERATELY EXPLOSIVE THRILL RIDE

Lisa Towles pulls readers into her books, and Salt Island is another thriller continuing private investigator Marissa Ellwyn’s adventure. Mari is a headstrong and capable character who is as secretive as her father. The random postcards from her father fuel her need to find where he calls home. She takes off to discover her father’s location without alerting her partner, Derek Abernathy, that her travels are taking her to the British Virgin Islands. Expertly crafted descriptions of the sights, sounds, and colors surrounding Mari make readers feel they are experiencing the stunning beauty firsthand. The ominous winds of adventure bring the parallel storyline of the threat to Jack Darcy, the billionaire CEO who hired E&A to find his wife.

Suspense builds when these two threads get superbly interwoven with realistic dialogue between Mari and Derek. These perfectly-paired diverse characters have each other’s back and portray an uncanny sense of one another’s next actions. Derek heads in one direction while Mari takes another, upping the uncertainty with the fast-paced acceleration of this thriller. Each page brings snippets of answers yet creates more questions allowing for dramatic twists and unexpected connections.

Ms. Towles is dynamite at creating an intriguing crime mystery with layers of thrills to keep readers engaged with heartpumping action at perfect intervals. The characters are threedimensional to fit with the storyline in unexpected perfection. ...

Read the complete review on the Rox's site.

https://roxburkey.com/salt-island/

REVIEWED BY ROXB

INSIGHTFUL LOOK AT ADOPTION

Maura Beth Brennan sets the stage for love between adoptive children and parents. It begins with a fanciful story by a grandmother to her granddaughter. The creative imagination behind tales of fairies, Santa, or the Easter Bunny creates family memories. In Sara’s case, the magic becomes a wedge of betrayal that takes years to resolve.

Most families open their hearts to their children. They try to protect and allow them to enjoy their youth. Ms. Brennan delivers beautiful descriptions of the places filled with colors and sounds, bringing readers into the story. The dialogue is realistic and perfect for each character as the heartache of a family and adopted child is revealed.

Fans of women and family short stories will discover a rarely discussed or shared perspective of adoption and potential missed steps. Ms. Brennan, a master of story tales, exposes a viewpoint women of all ages will enjoy.

REVIEWED BY PELICANFREAK

Whoa—this gets off to a very dark start and … judge me all you want, but it hooked me. I remained hooked for the duration— which is impressive, given this is a 12+ hour book. There’s so much going on and it’s all woven together juuuust right, such as:

* Small town / everyone knows (or thinks they do) everyone’s business.

* College setting.

* Fresh start … but at former small town residence, so built-in drama.

* A young, single mother …

* … who moves in nextdoor to a young, single dad.

* Bitter exes.

* Miscommunication trope.

* Non-con (yea, check the triggers).

* New Adult (female lead is 22, her bitter exes are 25ish).

* Age gap-ish (male lead is 30).

* Major hazing & bullying. It’s BRUTAL. I hated it, but I sorta loved hating the bullies.

* Graphic M/M.

* Fake relationship (with what seems to be the most amazing gay-bestie who I came to LOVE).

* This might’ve been instalove, but it still felt like the leads took it slow, if that makes sense. Makes it very plausible.

* Very open-minded, gentle male-lead.

* Secrets … and the way they come to light is beautiful, every time.

Read the complete review on the PelicanFreaks GR https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5574607216

REVIEWED BY PELICANFREAK

This was an awesome read that I absolutely hated to put down. I only did because of life and responsibilities and all that—adulting is hard. But I missed it pretty hard whenever that happened and ended up binging the last 50% or so.

Peyton is a strong female lead that I found highly relatable— and not just because she hails from Boston like myself. She doesn’t come from a supportive family and ends up having little to no support when making big decisions, or really doing anything. She’s fairly self aware and resolves to start standing up for herself. As this is more easily said than done, we really see her grow throughout the book and it’s expertly done. This is possibly some of the best character development I’ve seen in romance.

We see the male lead grow up some as well, and as they grow together, of course there are some growing pains but not necessarily the exact ones you’d expect.

It’s hard to pick a favorite aspect of this read, because there’s just so much to love—but if I had to pick one, it might just be Ben. If you’ve read this far, and read the book, please discuss.

Tropes, things I loved or generally found noteworthy:

* Increasingly strong female lead.

* Adorable children, who are age-appropriate, sassy, and lovable from the get-go.

* No other-woman drama, a super amicable ex-wife and it works out well.

* Lots of bullies / people I loved to hate.

* Small town / country vibes.

... Read the complete review on the PelicanFreaks GR https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5587307259

REVIEWED BY DEENA RAE

BROUGHT BOSCH AND TERRY MCCLAIN TOGETHER

In this crossover book of Harry Bosch (Book 7) and the Terry McClain series (Book 2), A Darkness More Than Night is Michael Connelly at his best.

With a crime that rocks Hollywood — a hot shot director is accused of murdering a starlet during a sexual encounter — this is a storyline that the Prime series has used as a blueprint for a series…with many changes.

With both old and new nemeses, Bosch is constantly fghting against the criminal element as well as the upper echelon of the police department. Someone always has it in for him. But this time he's in the sights for the crime of murder as a suspect himself.

The perfect thing about Bosch is he cares about the crime and the victim. Career politics doesn’t enter in his mindset, that puts him at odds with the “Brass” as well as the perps. He only cares about solving crimes and the victims. That makes him an epic hero on an epic journey

Recommend?

I recommend this book to everyone who loves the series on television and with a love of police procedurals. There is enough backstory in the novel so that you do not have to read the books before, but it's helpful.

Read the complete review on the EBookBuilders site. https://ebookbuilderspro.com/a-darkness-more-than-night/

REVIEWED BY DEENA RAE

Through the books, readers have been wondering how Violet is able to do what she does, experience the spooky and come through. Finally, we are getting some answers but not all. Things are coming together to give the reader more information and more meat on the bones of the stories in the series.

Because this is a series, the book ended on a cliffhanger and to be honest I wanted to start the next book right away (so I did).

Several new characters made an appearance in this installment of Deadwood Mysteries that warrant a mention. First is Freesia, who Violet had an immediate connection with as the owner of a rooming house and possible client. Second, I should mention Stone Hawk (what a moniker huh?) who is a smarmy law enforcement officer who has a not-so-great history with Coop. Lastly we meet Violet's sperm donor who elicits an immediate reaction of revulsion and wondering WTH Violet was thinking in the first place.

Violet's children play a part in this storyline but it's more peripheral than other books so far. Something tells me that won't be the case for long as a picture of Violet's son is found in a murder victim’s home.

I love this series! Each book gets better and better. Every plotline is fresh and exciting. Filled with ghosts, demons, murders and other unexplainable phenomenon, ...

Read the complete review on the EBookBuilders site.

https://ebookbuilderspro.com/an-ex-to-grind-indeadwood/

REVIEWED BY DEENA RAE

IT WAS SCANDALOUS BACK IN THE DAY

I really took a walk down memory lane and the only reason I have is that something I either saw or heard last week put this book in my mind and I had to re-read it. Yes, I read this book about 10-15 years ago when I was on a Jacqueline Susann binge, reading Valley of the Dolls, Love Machine and this book.

What really got me then and now it's The low-key and not so low-key incestuous vibes off the main character and her daddy. It wasn't anything overt or actionable, but the interaction and responses were off.

Every time I have read this, I wonder what Ms. Susann was trying to convey. I mean Dolls was a commentary on drugs, Machine was about the sexual revolution but other than women's empowerment angles I am not sure. With Hollywood Glitterati and New York Literati, this book was a step back in time. Insane ideas about skin care (if you read it you will understand), MayDecember romances and not just older men with younger women, there was bisexuality and a large dose of Daddy issues. Drugs, sex, money... this book was scandalous when it first came out, now it seems tame in some ways. Viva La

Like all Susann books, the characters are larger than life, the social commentary while featuring over the top excesses in some ways shows the drawbacks of the societal norms of the time.....

Read the complete review on the EBookBuilders GR. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5557579265

BY

DEENA RAE

CRAZINESS AND FILLED WITH SO MANY “WTH?” MOMENTS IT WAS INSANE

First you don't know who Jack and Jill are, then you do… only to realize you don't. Not at all. Guessing all the way through. Who is Jack? Who is Jill? Really?

Twists and turns doesn't even describe this storyline. First you know Jack and Jill are the killing duo, then you don't, then you do, it's hard to keep up.

Alex cross, doctor -detective is back, and maybe he's found a new love interest while searching for killers.

Boom, nothing is as it seems. This was a crazy, twisty storyline.

Even after I closed the book for the night I was thinking about it

Disclaimer I received via the OverDrive/Libby app from the Harris County Library system. It was read as a Kindle Book.

REVIEWED BY DEENA RAE

I WAS EXPECTING AN OFF THE CUFF MEMOIR, I GOT A MEMOIR THAT ALSO CITES STUDIES ON WHY ITS IMPORTANT TO LAUGH AND WHY YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE YOURSELF SO SERIOUSLY.

This book was nothing that I was expecting. I honestly thought it would be manually a biography instead it was a well thought out examination on humor in the age of cancel culture, social media and self-censorship.

Citing multiple studies, reports and even monologues, Ms Timpf makes a great case for the need to protect free speech, comedians and comedy performances. She does this all with examples from her life and how humor helped her survive difficult and harrowing experiences. (I totally agree, the entire time I was underground treatment for stage III cancer it was almost a nervous reaction for me to crack jokes with my team of doctors, medical students, oncologists, radiologists, nurses and lab techs. I honestly don't think I would have lived (and there were multiple occasions where survival was not guaranteed and was actually a long shot) if it wasn't for laughter and humor.

I recommend this book to those who love comedy and free speech.

Read the complete review on the EBookBuilders GR. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5564475579

REVIEWED BY DEENA RAE

STRONG FEMALE LEAD WHO KICKS ASS AND DOESN'T BOTHER WITH NAMES

Yes, some of the dialogue is weak but it was an enjoyable read, especially if you want to see a woman save the day.

When Atlee Pine was a 6-year old child, a kidnapper creeped into her bedroom, knocked Atlee out and absconded with her twin sister Mercy. That pivotal event changed Atlee and led her to pursue a life in law enforcement. She has a visceral need to stop the human monsters that go bump in the night.

Atlee Pine is a uber-capable FBI special agent and Mrs Blum is her secretary. Atlee has some trust issues and the reader gets to see her slowly thawing to Ms Blum and several other special characters. Atlee is stationed at the Grand Canyon as the only agent assigned out of Arizona. When a visitor goes missing, she is trying to figure out why when she gets pulled off the case by higher ups. But Atlee isn’t someone who is comfortable letting things go, even if could cost her job or her life.

Recommend?

A great read for someone who wants a easy read or an introduction to international thrillers with a dash of espionage .

Disclaimer

I received via the OverDrive/Libby app from the Harris County or Houston Public Library system. It was read as a Kindle Book..