The Mistletoe Countess by Pepper Basham

Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future. 

My review:  Grace was a naïve young woman.  Frederick was a man of the world needing a rich wife.  When plans for Grace's sister to marry Frederick  feel apart, she stepped in to be the bride.  Grace looked at life through the books she has read.  She tries to solve the mystery by thinking the way the sleuths in the books she's read would do.  Overall this was an enjoyable book.  The beginning was a little slow.  But it was setting stage for how Grace ended up marrying Frederick.  Once they got to England after the wedding the book moved along at a much faster pace.  A good mystery and I enjoyed Grace's impulsive personality.  

I would recommend this book to all who enjoy a lively mystery.

I was given this book by Barbour Publishing via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.  

Carved in Stone by Elizabeth Camden

After years of tragedy, Gwen Kellerman now lives a quiet life as a botanist at an idyllic New York college. She largely ignores her status as heiress to the infamous Blackstone dynasty and hopes to keep her family's heartbreak and scandal behind her.

Patrick O'Neill survived a hardscrabble youth to become a lawyer for the downtrodden Irish immigrants in his community. He's proud of his work, even though he struggles to afford his ramshackle law office. All that changes when he accepts a case that is sure to emphasize the Blackstones' legacy of greed and corruption by resurrecting a thirty-year-old mystery.

Little does Patrick suspect that the Blackstones will launch their most sympathetic family member to derail him. Gwen is tasked with getting Patrick to drop the case, but the old mystery takes a shocking twist neither of them saw coming. Now, as they navigate a burgeoning attraction and growing danger, Patrick and Gwen will be forced to decide if the risk to the life they've always held dear is worth the reward.

My review:  This was an interesting book.  Class clashes, union clashes, prejudices all around.  Patrick is a lawyer who serves the poor.  Gwen is a very rich lady who doesn't like to venture off college campus who has discovered that her husband was a scoundrel and had a mistress.  Then there's the long lost brother who was kidnapped before Gwen was born who everyone thought was dead.  All these things come together when the Blackstones try to take over the steel industry.  

Gwen is very insecure.  She wants to live in her well ordered world.  Patrick doesn't feel that him and Gwen have a chance of making a go of it because of his background.  Gwen's family is not accepting of him at all. Then there's Liam.  He was raised to be brash and crude.  It all comes together in the end for an enjoyable book.

I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

Love on the Range by Mary Connealy

While his brothers and their new wives search for who shot him, Wyatt Hunt is temporarily bedridden and completely miserable. Somehow Molly Garner's limited skills have made her the most qualified in their circle to care for Wyatt. But by the time he's healed, she's fed up with him and the whole ungrateful family. For even worse than his grumpiness were the few unguarded moments when he pulled at her heartstrings, and she has been long determined to never repeat her mother's mistakes.

When alternate plans of finding her own independent life fall through, Molly volunteers to work for the Pinkertons and help investigate nearby ranch owner Oliver Hawkins. She signs on to be his housekeeper, hoping to find clues to prove his nefarious, and possibly murderous, past. Wyatt refuses to let her risk it alone and offers to act as Hawkins's new foreman.

But when another Pinkerton agent gets shot, they realize Hawkins isn't the only danger. The Hunt brothers will have to band together to face all the troubles of life and love that suddenly surround them.

My review: This is the conclusion to the Brothers in Arms book series.  It would be helpful to read the first two books in the series before reading this book.  This book picks up where the second book ends.  With Wyatt being shot.  Molly has the task of taking care of Wyatt.  She also is the best cook among all the Hunt brothers and their spouses.  Molly finally has had enough of their taking her for granted.  So she leaves and gets a job in town as the new school teacher.  The brothers are not having that.  That starts an entirely new adventure for Molly has undercover spy.  In typical Mary Connealy fashion this book is full of mystery and humor throughout.  

I recommend this book to all who enjoy a good read.  I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.

Labyrinth of Lies by Irene Hannon

When the daughter of a high-profile businessman disappears from an exclusive girls' boarding school, police detective Cate Reilly is tapped for an undercover assignment. It doesn't take her long to realize that beneath the veneer of polish and wealth, things are not as they seem at Ivy Hill Academy. But the biggest surprise of all? The only man she ever loved is also working at the school.

Zeke Sloan has never forgotten Cate, but now isn't the best time for their paths to cross again. When their two seemingly disparate agendas begin to intertwine--and startling connections emerge among the players--the danger escalates significantly. But who is the mastermind behind the elaborate ruse? And how far will they go to protect their house of cards?

My review:  Cate is a women 33 years old.  She was tapped to go undercover at an all girls school to pose at a 17 year old teenager.  Her task is to find out all she can about a teen girl who disappeared from the school.  Cate didn't want to go undercover again.  But she was persuaded to go because she was the only one who could pass for a teenager.  She was told it would be an easy assignment.  Wrong.  She gets there and almost immediately runs into an old boyfriend who left her for an undercover assignment with the DEA.  She's never recovered from the heart break.  The deeper she digs the more dangerous this assignment becomes.  She finds out that the teens disappearance is connected to Zeke's undercover job at the school.  The ending was surprising as I never guessed who the culprit was.  

I recommend this book to all mystery readers.  I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.  

Trace of Doubt by DiAnn Mills

 Fifteen years ago, Shelby Pearce confessed to murdering her brother-in-law and was sent to prison. Now she’s out on parole and looking for a fresh start in the small town of Valleysburg, Texas. But starting over won’t be easy for an ex-con.

FBI Special Agent Denton McClure was a rookie fresh out of Quantico when he was first assigned the Pearce case. He’s always believed Shelby embezzled five hundred thousand dollars from her brother-in-law’s account. So he’s going undercover to befriend Shelby, track down the missing money, and finally crack this case.

But as Denton gets closer to Shelby, he begins to have a trace of doubt about her guilt. Someone has Shelby in their crosshairs. It’s up to Denton to stop them before they silence Shelby―and the truth―forever.

My review:  This is not an edge of your seat thriller.  But it is a great mystery.  Shelby went to prison for fifteen long years for a murder she didn't comment.  She's also being hounded for the $400,000 that she is accused of stealing.  That's not the lest of her worries.  Somebody wants her dead.  Denton is the FBI agent that helped send her to prison and is sure she stole the money.  As the story evolves, he's beginning to believe in her innocence.  They finally work together to prove what really happened to Shelby's brother in law and the money.  The end result was quite surprising. 

I recommend this book to all who love great mysteries.

I was given this book by Tyndale Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.    

To Write a Wrong by Jen Turano

Miss Daphne Beekman is a mystery writer by day, inquiry agent by night. Known for her ability to puzzle out plots, she prefers working behind the scenes for the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, staying well away from danger. However, Daphne soon finds herself in the thick of an attempted murder case she's determined to solve.

Mr. Herman Henderson is also a mystery writer, but unlike the dashing heroes he pens, he lives a quiet life, determined to avoid the fate of his adventurous parents, who perished on an expedition when he was a child. But when he experiences numerous attempts on his life, he seeks out the services of the eccentric Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency to uncover the culprit. All too soon, Herman finds himself stepping out of the safe haven of his world and into an adventure he never imagined.

As the list of suspects grows and sinister plots are directed Daphne's way as well, Herman and Daphne must determine who they can trust and if they can risk the greatest adventure of all: love.

My review:  Daphne is a famous mystery writer.  But nobody knows it's her because she writes under a mans name.  In this time of history women did NOT pursue a writing career.  Her landlady at the boarding house she lives in runs the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency.  In a series of mishaps she is hired to find out who wants to kill Herman Henderson.  He is also a mystery writer.  Through a series of humorous events Daphne solves the case.  Of course we know that Herman and Daphne fall in love.  But the road to true love is sometimes rocky as they find out.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes a good mystery and love story with laughs along the way.  I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any. 

A Warrior's Heart by Misty M. Beller

Brielle Durand is still haunted by the massacre that killed her mother a dozen years before. Vowing to never let it happen again, she's risen to be the key defender for her people's peace-loving French settlement living in hidden caves in the Canadian Rockies. When a foreigner wanders too near to their secret home, she has no choice but to disarm and capture him. But now, what to do with this man who insists he can be trusted?

Hoping to escape past regrets, Evan MacManus ventured into the unknown, assigned to discover if the northern mountains contain an explosive mineral that might help America win the War of 1812. Despite being taken prisoner, Evan is determined to complete his mission. But when that assignment becomes at odds with his growing appreciation of the villagers and Brielle, does he follow through on his promise to his government or take a risk on where his heart is leading him? Either choice will cause harm to someone.

Brielle and Evan must reconcile the warring in their hearts to have any hope of finding peace for their peoples. 

My review:  I had trouble getting into the book until about half way through.  I kept waiting for something to happen  It's hard to imagine a group of people that have been able to stay hidden from the outside world for years. They all seem to speak three languages fluently and are highly educated.  Brielle is head of the security section for the community.  Her fighting skills are above every one else.  Evan is a spy working for the US Army trying to find a material that is combustible to help the US win the war against the British in 1812.  He is shot with an arrow by Brielle in the stomach as he approaches their dwellings.  This is how the story begins.  The first half of the book is about his care and how he wants to escape.  The second half begins with conflict within the community and how Evan and Brielle have to work together to quell it.  

I'm giving this book a three star rating because it took so long for me to really get into it.  I was given this book by Bethany House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way.