Secondary Target (The Secrets of Kincaid #1) by Angela Carlisle

Genre: Suspense, Romance
Publisher: Bethany House Publisher
Publication Date: May 2024

Years after the murder of her mother and brother, Corina Roberts has rebuilt her life in Kentucky. But the past is anything but buried when strange occurrences begin, and Corina finds her life in jeopardy. She has no one to turn to other than the man she once loved.

Back in town, army veteran Bryce Jessup vows to stay far away from Corina or as far as possible when trapped as next-door neighbors in a small town. But when a brutal killer tracks her down, Bryce knows that’s one promise he won’t keep because protecting Corina is more important than safeguarding his heart. As the pair uncovers long-hidden secrets, they will face a killer determined to eliminate Corina’s entire family and anyone who stands in the way.

Fast-paced suspense packs the pages of Angela Carlisle’s debut Secondary Target. With the perfect balance of romance and action, it offers all the characteristics a reader of the genre could hope for — engaging characters, a tangled mystery that keeps one guessing until the end, and settings that turn from peaceful and beautiful to terrifying and deadly in the span of a paragraph.

A few things at the end that I can’t mention due to spoilers felt a bit farfetched and unrealistic, but it didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying the story as attested by the fact I devoured it within 24 hours. I cannot wait for book two in the Secrets of Kincaid series. I recommend Secondary Target to fans of Dani Pettrey and romantic suspense novels.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Split Time
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: April 2024

1910

Effie James’ sister falls into a catatonic state after witnessing a horrific crime. Effie is determined to protect her from a killer’s reprisal. The problem is no body has been found and no one believes her. When a British gentleman arrives in town searching for his missing wife who was last seen at none other than 322 Predicament Avenue, the scene of the murder, he believes Effie. However, her relief is short lived when their search for the truth uncovers secrets some have already killed for.

Present Day

Drowning under the weight of social anxiety and grief, Norah Richman struggles to run her late great-aunt’s bed and breakfast at 322 Predicament Avenue. Norah longs to escape the haunted building and all its memories, but she is determined to keep her murdered sister’s dream alive. BnB guest and podcaster Sebastian Blaine’s investigation into the past pokes dormant ghosts back to life, threatening to bring death once more to the doorstep of 322 Predicament Avenue.

Jaime Jo Wright returns with another gothic tale that will keep you guessing until the end. As always, the author pens vivid settings that transport the reader deep into other worlds and time periods. It’s no secret that I love pretty much everything about her books—the unique characters, creepy mysteries, mind-twisting plots—but the settings are hands down my favorite. They stick with me long, and I mean LONG after finishing the last page. I have read all Wright’s stories and her early books stick with me as clearly as her latest ones.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue delivers all Wright’s trademark elements—ghouls of the human kind, breath-snatching mysteries, and of course a message of hope. I strongly recommend Wright’s novels to readers who enjoy stories on the eerie side that don’t sacrifice morality and faith.

Review copy provided as part of the Austenprose Book Tour. Thank you!

The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater by Jaime Jo Wright

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Split Time
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: October 2023

Barlowe Theater stole Greta Mercy’s eldest brother during its construction. So when her younger brother vanishes within its walls after the final hammer has been silenced, Greta vows not to let the place rip another loved one from her life. With the help of a local police officer and some friends, Greta will descend to the very depths of Barlowe Theater to unravel its ghostly secrets.

Decades have passed, but ghouls still haunt the theater’s darkened tunnels. Any doubts of this fact evaporate when Kit Boyd’s best friend goes missing while leading a tour for a ghost-hunting television show. Desperate that her friend’s disappearance not become another on a long list of unexplainable occurrences, Kit has no alternative but to join forces with the show’s co-host and skeptic Evan Fischer.

Ghostly appearances and mind-bending happenings weave an eerie tale within the pages of The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater. Known for her Scooby-Doo-like resolutions, this is one story that will have readers questioning if Jaime Jo Wright has crafted a mystery even she can’t explain.

After ten books, several of which I’ve read numerous times, one would think I could figure out the villains by now. If nothing else, I should at least know how the author’s brain works, right? Wrong! Sure, I uncover a twist here and there, a potential motive, even a culprit or two but without fail, she shocks me. For that reason, when I read The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater, I suspected EVERY. SINGLE. CHARACTER. Okay, every single character … except one. I’m sure you know where this is going. Despite knowing better, I never doubted him/her for a second. It didn’t even cross my mind to doubt him/her. You can imagine the very real, very loud gasp that erupted from my throat when his/her true nature came to light.

I recommend this novel to readers who enjoy rich storyworlds, deep characterization, and eerie mysteries. New and old fans alike won’t be disappointed.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Historical Fiction,
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: April 2023

1870 Wisconsin

Fleeing her past, Daisy François accepts a position as housemaid at an isolated castle. As she comes to know the eccentric owner and the haunting legend surrounding the place, Daisy finds she may have traded one set of horrors for another.

Present day

Hired by the grandson of a wealthy family, Cleo Clemmons arrives at Castle Moreau tasked with sorting through everything the aging matriarch has hoarded. Amongst the boxes and stacks of dusty knick-knacks and all-but-forgotten history, Cleo uncovers a terrifying mystery. For a century, women have vanished from the castle, and she might be next.

With haunted corridors, mysterious sounds, and ghostly figures, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau possesses everything one would hope for from a gothic tale. Jaime Jo Wright continues to show why she is the queen of this genre.

This book is different than Wright’s previous ones. I won’t say more than that due to spoilers, but I will say it ensured that I hunted for ghosts in all the wrong corners and was happily outsmarted.

Out of all Wright’s heroines, Daisy and Cleo are the most paralleled to date. I did mix them up and get confused a couple times in the beginning, but once I realized this fact and got to know their characters, I quickly sorted out their threads.

Although a gothic and atmospheric read through-and-through, The Vanishing at Castle Moreau isn’t quite as creepy as some of the author’s previous works. This would probably be a good place to start for readers who have wanted to try one of Wright’s titles but have been hesitant till now. But whether new or returning, mystery fans are in for a treat of castle proportions.

Review copy provided as part of a book tour. Thank you!

Trust Me by Kelly Irvin

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Romance
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: February 2022

A decade ago, Delaney Broward’s life imploded when she discovered the body of her last living family member — her brother — and her boyfriend went to prison for the crime.

Hunter Nash is finally walking out a free man after serving for a murder he never committed. He is determined to prove once and for all to Delaney and everyone else that he is innocent. But he didn’t count on someone killing her best friend hours after his release or the police showing up at his door ready to pin the crime on him for a second time.

Delaney has no desire to let Hunter re-enter her life, but when he begs her to help him prove his innocence, she agrees determined to eliminate any doubt as to Hunter’s guilt or find a true killer who has eluded justice for ten years.

A tale of redemption and forgiveness, Trust Me by Kelly Irvin is a novel I wanted to love but unfortunately didn’t. I gravitate toward romantic suspense tales with a mystery to solve, and Irvin approaches the page with a quick-paced and engaging writing style that I liked. However, I soon found myself not caring for the characters and therefore ambivalent about their story.

The protagonists simply didn’t ring true. For someone who supposedly suspected Hunter of murdering her brother, Delaney agreed to be alone with him too easily. She never showed the trepidation or fear one would expect, which led me to wonder if she ever truly suspected him in the first place, and if she hadn’t, why treat him and act the way she did? On his part, while Hunter exemplified forgiveness, he didn’t come across as someone who spent years locked away. His personality did not match that of a man who had been isolated from the outside world and forced to survive in close proximity to hardened criminals.

Consequently, I often set aside the book, not returning for several weeks. I can’t say Trust Me was a bad book, which leads me to believe, I simply wasn’t the right reader for it. Irvin’s engaging tone does have me wanting to try another of her books to see if I connect with the story and characters more. Mystery readers who like the San Antonio art scene could enjoy this.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!