Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock

Blair and Morgan's parents Thelma and Wayne own a Bed & Breakfast on Cape Refuge. The town council is trying to close it down because they say that the clientele that the B&B draws is undesirable for Cape Refuge. But while their daughters, Blair and Morgan are at a town meeting to fight the city council Thelma and Wayne are murdered. Morgan's husband is the prime suspect and Cade, the Chief of Police, arrests him. Morgan knows that her husband would never have killed her parents even though Jonathan and Morgan's parents had a huge public argument earlier in the day. Thelma and Wayne have always welcomed those that need healing whether they have a past criminal record or just need a place to regroup and heal. Blair has now sworn that she will find who killed her parents and she will not allow the City Council to close the B&B if it is the last thing she ever does.

Terri Blackstock's stories are always an emotional roller coaster for me. They are filled with suspense and drama. Blair has a lot of anger pent up. She has placed a hard shell around her emotions because of scars on her face that she obtained when she was a child. She doesn't allow people to get close to her and she has forsaken her parents belief in a God who saves and loves people. She frustrated me! The secondary story of a runaway that comes to Cape Refuge was good and heart-wrenching as well. I loved how her story and Blair and Morgan's blended together to make a very exciting and tense conclusion. I thought Cade's character was pretty good and I feel bad for him trying to get close to prickly Blair, but he seems to be a patient man even though people try to make him out to be a bungling buffoon in the pocket of City Council. I'll definitely be moving on to the next book and hope to see some development in Cade and Blair's relationship. An exciting read and definitely what I have come to expect from this author.

Christmas In Evergreen by Nancy Naigle

Lisa hasn't been to Evergreen since she was a child, but it has always stuck in her memory. So she has decided to go back for a visit and see if it is still as she remembered. Unfortunately the main store that she remembers has closed and its owner has passed away. Lisa remembers wishing on the snow globe that sat on the counter in the store. Now the store is in disrepair and the Mayor is desperate to sell it. Lisa offers to help stage the store to make an impression on potential buyers. She enlists the help of Kevin, also a local who has moved away but is in Evergreen for a visit. Kevin soon catches Lisa's enthusiasm for the project as well as fellow townsfolk. It doesn't take Lisa's heart long to become attached to the small town life of Evergreen.

Ok, in this case I can definitely say that the movie was better than the book. Hallmark movies are always pretty cheesy, but this book was even cheesier and much more annoying! The redeeming features of Lisa getting the townsfolk involved in the restoration of the store and her enthusiasm for the people and the place helped keep the book from being a total bust for me. On the page the characters of Lisa and Kevin just didn't hit it off as well as in the movie. My mother-in-law always loves to say, "Wait for the Hallmark ending" meaning that we need to wait for the Happily Ever After ending that Hallmark is known for. I kind of missed that in this book. It just didn't seem like it was "in-your-face" romantic like I expect from Hallmark, and the author threw in another character at the ending that I had no interest in whatsoever so yeah, not my favorite book for sure. Sorry Hallmark, I'll stick to the movies and leave the books for others.

Dead Silence by Susan Sleeman

As Kelsey races after the man abducting her stepson she trips and falls and knows that she will never catch up to him. Undercover  DEA Agent Devon Dunbar has been watching the man who has abducted Kelsey's son and knows he can't let the man get away.  So begins a partnership between Kelsey and Devon in an investigation that takes on many twists and turns. The first shock to Kelsey is learning that her stepson was not the biological child of both her deceased husband and his deceased wife. The Veritas group that Kelsey works for comes in handy throughout the investigation as well as the Blackwell Tactical team. Keeping her stepson safe is Kelsey's main priority, but finding out who her son's birth mother is and busting a ring of kidnappers may cause her to lose the most important person in her life. And what is this attraction that she has developed for Agent Dunbar? Kelsey has sworn to never trust another man, but Devon seems so trustworthy and caring, both for her and for her son. And what about Devon? Can he trust another woman with his heart after his former fiance' called things off? As danger creeps closer and closer can the two of them learn to trust each other even as they learn to trust in the God who brought them together?

DEAD SILENCE is the second book in the Truth Seekers series. I enjoyed it very much. The story was entertaining and moved along at a fast pace to keep the reader engaged. I loved both Kelsey and Devon. I liked that Kelsey didn't just rush in like a hysterical person to help solve the crime. She knew her expertise and she allowed Devon to use his expertise to move along the investigation. I know I always mention this, but I also enjoyed the elements of faith in the story. Both Kelsey and Devon experienced trust issues. Not just in relationships with former love interests, but also in their relationship to God. The faith elements weren't preachy or overstated, but they were there and they were impactful. I look forward to more books in the series and the Veritas group has several more professionals that need to have stories told!

Killer Cupcakes by Leighann Dobbs

Lexy Baker owns a bakery, she lives in her Grandmother's house, and she loves to wear stiletto heals. Her bakery is is known for it's cupcake toppers. When those toppers are used to poison Lexy's ex-boyfriend she knows that she must find the real killer in order to be able to open her business once more.

I enjoy a good cozy mystery. KILLER CUPCAKES was okay for me. Not my most favorite book, but also not the worst book I've ever read. It was just "okay". When Lexy met her hunky neighbor she had no idea that he would soon be investigating her for murder. I couldn't figure out how one minute she didn't like him and then the next minute she could be kissing him. Granted he was hunky and good looking, but does that mean a girl needs to swoon into his arms? That whole relationship seemed to be on the fast tract...but then the book was finished! Ah, now I get it, it was a novella! Or at least a novella in my opinion. The romance was quick, the murder was solved quickly with no twists or turns and hardly any build up to the grand finish. Soooo, if you like a quick romance, a quick mystery solved then try this beginning to the series. I'm reading the second book, DYING FOR DANISH, just to see if it moves as quickly and to see if this series will grow on me.