Book Review: What She Doesn't Know by Beverly Barton

A great suspense/mystery novel i have read in a long time.

Summary from goodreads.com

It's been 20 years since Jolie Royale witnessed the brutal crime that left her mother, her aunt, and her aunt's lover dead, and Jolie critically wounded. Ruled a murder-suicide, the case was closed, although rumors of the murderer's true identity abounded. Now, Jolie is coming home with mixed feelings about her father's funeral. Those feelings turn to dread when the case is reopened--and it becomes clear the killer is still on the loose

I think this was one of the best romantic suspense i have ever read. Ms. Barton has nicely balanced the romantic and suspense part of the story in her book. It captures your complete interest from the first single page.

This is the story of Jolie Royale, the only daughter of a wealthy southern couple, and Max Devereaux, the son of a former prostitute. When Jolie is 14 years old, her family is attacked by a unknown murderer and her mother and aunt are killed with her critically wounded. Once after the incident she leaves her home town and vows to never come back as her father marries Max's mother not long after her own mother's death. The story picks up twenty years later and Jolie still hates her father's new family but still harbors the 14 year old crush for Max. Max also resents Jolie as she is bend on hating his mother and her half-sister but same time fights with an unexpected attraction for Jolie. Ms. Barton has beautifully depicted the love/hate relationship between Max and Jolie. Their relationship is really intense and the romance is sweet. The suspense part of the story unravels when Jolie decides to search for the real murderer of her family with the help from Max.

Both of Max and Jolie characters has a lot of depth, but only one thing i found odd was sometimes Jolie's reasoning was not at all acceptable. From the first itself she was under lot of assumptions based on which she makes lot of decisions which she later realizes were wrong and accepts the life as it is. Max whereas is a good man who cares about his family more than anything and i loved both Jolie and Max. There were lot of secondary characters, each having their own important part in the story. By the end, i was so sad the book was getting over, even though i wanted to know the suspense badly, i wanted the happily-ever-after to extend for some more pages.

Wow! all in all, a good read!!

Book Review: Senseless and Merciless by Mary Burton

As iam an avid ready of contemporary romance, i thought for a change i will go for suspense novels. So when i went in search of good suspense books, i came across books by Mary Burton...and i was so much interested by her titles and book summaries that i started reading her books!! Her books are of romantic-suspense genre literally, but in reality, the romance part of the novels are just sub-plots , the plots deals with. But, i wont complain as the romance in itself, even as a sub-plot, is wonderful and sweet.

The first one of Ms. Burton book i read was Dead Ringer, it  is a riveting, page-turning tale about a serial killer obsessed with a TV news anchorwoman, Kendall Shaw and the detective working on the case, Jacob Warrington. 

The second one i read - Dying Scream was , you can tell it is a kind of connected to the first as some characters are common in both books. The story's main character are Kendall's sister Adrianna Barrington and detective Gage Hudson. The book was ok, little bit boring but at the end suspense was interesting.

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The next i read was Mary Burton's Senseless - a surprising and fantastic suspense novel, i loved it.

Here is the hardcover Summary of Senseless:

Every Serial Killer Knows. . .

The vicious burns scarring the victims' flesh reveal the agony of their last moments. Each woman was branded with a star, then stabbed through the heart. With every death, a vengeful killer finds a brief, blissful moment of calm. But soon it's time for the bloodshed to start again. . .

The Perfect Time. . .

Ten years ago, Eva Rayburn and her sorority sisters were celebrating the end of the school year. That party turned into a nightmare Eva can't forget. Now she's trying to start over in her Virginia hometown, but a new nightmare has begun. Every victim is linked to her. And Detective Deacon Garrison isn't sure whether this mysterious woman needs investigating--or protecting. . .

To Make His Mark

Only Eva's death will bring peace. Only her tortured screams will silence the rage that has been building for ten long years. Because what started that night at the sorority can never be stopped--not until the last victim has been marked for death. . .

My review on Senseless:It is a fantastic book with lots of good suspense and twists, great mystery and wonderful tension with a nice romantic sub-plot. Both the characters Eva and Deacon were full of depths with their own motivation and purpose in the story.

The female character Eva is an ex-con who is trying to establish her new life after 10 years of prison life, that also for a crime she never remembers doing. She is strong, incredibly smart, beautiful and tough. With a tragic past where Eva was attacked and branded with four-point star, she gets trapped in her sorority house fire and she barely escapes with her life. Her attacker, Josiah Cross, dies in the fire, and Eva is convicted of killing him. Homicide Detective Deacon Garrison is investigating the current case , similar to the 10-year old case where the victims are branded with four-point start and murdered. The chemistry between Garrison and Eva is good and the romance even though as a sub-plot is touching. 

The best part is the suspense of the story which leaves you on edge till the end. A good recommended book!!

Okay, so when i finished Senseless, i was eager to read the linked suspense novel - Merciless with Detective Malcolm Kier's story who was Garrison's partner in Senseless. And Merciless is the "best" one from all the books i have read of Ms. Burton.

Here is the hardcover summary of Merciless:

No Pity

Each skeleton is flawless,gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing

No Compassion

When bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr. James Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defense attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath.

No Escape

Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy

My review on Merciless:An engrossing thriller!! This is a on the edge follow-up to Ms. Burton's previous book Senseless so it would be better if the books are read in order. There are lots of references from Senseless in this book.  This book  is  an intense, mystery suspense. I liked that Ms. Burton has told the story from different povs including Kier, Angie and the serial killer's.

Not much of romance in the book, but the romantic sub-plot between Kier and Angie was interesting. Initially, the relationship between Kier and Angie was strained which slowly develops from hate to love by the end of the book. There was lot of space and time given for both of them to deal with their issues and develop a strong relationship.

The bad guys are violent and lot of gory details described in the book but the end-suspense is surprising and thrilling. The ending is unbelievable and action-packed.

A good recommended read for suspense lovers.

Dragon Chicken - An Easy Indo Chinese Recipe

I'm a great fan of Chinese food. Whenever we go to a restaurant, we have Dragon Chicken as the appetizer and both me and my husband love it. So i just had a sudden idea today to prepare it at home. It was an Indian-Chinese version as i have used some Indian spices also, but it was tasty....and delicious!! I got the basic recipe from one of the online site, but changed it to make a new recipe with my own requirements.  
As it is little bit sweet, it will be best as a starter before meal. It will be good when served with chapattis, fried rice or plain rice or you can simply munch it as snacks......

Here is my recipe for Dragon Chicken:

 

 

Ingredients Required:

450 gm Skinless Chicken cut into pieces (Boneless chicken will be better)
1 big Onion (chopped finely) 
2 tspn Garlic (minced)

2 tspn Red Chilly flakes

3 tbspn Tomato sauce

1 tbspn Soya sauce

Oil required

For Marination:

2 tspn Ginger-Garlic paste

1 tspn Pepper powder

1 tspn Red Chilly powder

1 tbspn Soya sauce

1 Egg

1.5 tbspn Cornflour

Salt required

Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the ingredients as mentioned in marination section   and refrigerate it for 15 minutes.
2. Cook the marinated chicken in low flame till it is half-cooked.
3. Pour oil in a pan and Fry the cooked chicken pieces till crisp and tender.
4. In the  remaining oil in the pan, add onion and garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add red chilly flakes and mix it and stir for one minute.
5. Once onion mixture is done, add tomato sauce and soya Sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
6. Now, finally add the fried crispy chicken pieces to the pan and saute it for 5 minutes until the chicken pieces are uniformly coated with the sauce mixture.
7. Dragon chicken is ready to serve. You can add cashews to the chicken if you want.

  

 

Book Review: Wife for Hire by Christine Bell

I was attracted to this book by its name 'Wife for Hire'. I thought it was an interesting idea for a novel. I loved Ms. Bell's writing style and characterizations. 
The book was entertaining, with lots of fun filled, quirky dialogues.

Book summary from goodreads:

He needs a wife for three weeks…

Owen Phipps is out for revenge. His mission? To expose the man who stole his sister’s money and dignity. All he needs is a “wife” who can play along. Too bad his last best hope is an actress who tries to mace him with perfume when he offers her the role of a lifetime.

Lindy Knight is a real sap. She loves too hard, feels too deep, and often finds herself saying yes when she should be saying “Let me think about it.” She can’t believe her good fortune when Owen offers her more than enough money to hold off foreclosure until she can find a job. Three weeks at a resort, money she desperately needs, and she gets to help bring a criminal to justice? Score.

It seems easy enough until the first time a couples bonding game turns intimate, and they realize how dangerous their mutual attraction could be. Can they keep their hands to themselves long enough to find the evidence Owen needs? Or are the close quarters more temptation than they can handle?

My review, Wife for Hire is just simple fun with a happy ending which makes you smile. This is a terrific one to read if you need a sweet story to just smile and laugh and not to think much. The way the story is told by the author is really good.  

The story is about Owen Phipps, in order to right some wrong done to his sister, he hires Lindy Knight to play the part of his wife for three weeks to accompany him to a couples retreat.There starts a game of attraction which later buds into a sweet romance. They are in the Couple's retreat to find any discrepancies related to Owen's sister, Cara's ex who has cheated Cara of her life-long savings and left her with a broken heart. There is the little suspense part of the story as from the first we are unaware of the wrong that is happening in the retreat, if anything at all. By the end only, every loose-end of the story ties up in a perfect package, that is, a happy-ever-after package.

The main reason for me to review the book was i loved Lindy's character. I think i will always remember Lindy as one of the best female characters from all the books i have read. She is so sweet....and so innocent, but yet strong-willed. Lindy is very talkative, funny and totally genuine, down-to-earth and i loved her from the first to last page.

Owen is a business tycoon, entirely opposite to Lindy outside but inside he is just as lonely and has a good heart. He is caring and generous towards everyone, especially Cara even though Cara is his step-sister from his father's second wife. But due to his father's betrayal, he does not believe in love and relationships. During their three weeks fake marriage in the retreat, Owen realizes and learns what is love from Lindy as she is so open to love and feelings.

Even though, i have read similar story lines , this was pretty good because of its characters and the simple, entertaining approach.

I would recommend this book if you need something to read when you are low and sweet Lindy will obviously cheer you up!!

Book Review: Tribute by Nora Roberts

It has been a long time since i have read a Nora Robert's book! I had almost forgotten Ms. Robert's writing style but when i started with Tribute, i was so enthralled by the depth of her story and depiction style that i was not able to put it down till i finished it. Ms Robert writes romance novels with a strong storyline, not the 'falling in love at first sight' romance but 'falling in love with time by knowing each other' romance.
Tribute is exactly such a novel about people, their pasts and relationships. The book is a romantic-suspense with keeping a perfect balance between romance and suspense, neither high-intensity suspense or highly-emotional romance.

Book Summary from goodreads:

Cilla McGowan, a former child star, has found a more satisfying life restoring homes. So she comes to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to save the dilapidated farmhouse that once belonged to her grandmother, a legendary actress who died of an overdose more than thirty years ago.

Plunging into the project with gusto, Cilla’s almost too busy and exhausted to notice her neighbor, graphic novelist Ford Sawyer. Determined not to carry on the family tradition of ill-fated romances, Cilla steels herself against Ford’s quirky charm, though she can’t help indulging in a little fantasy.

But it’s reality that holds its share of dangers for Cilla. A cache of unsigned letters found in the attic points to a mysterious romance in her grandmother’s life and may be the catalyst for a frightening, violent assault. And if Cilla and Ford are unable to sort out who is targeting her and why, she may, like her world-famous grandmother, be cut down in the prime of her life.

I love Nora Robert's books about how efficiently she describes both nature and people. You will get a real look and feel of the situations. When you read the below lines, you will understand, its so sweet!. This is one of the thing that is best about this book...lot of beautiful descriptions of nature and house renovations.

Quotes from Tribute:

Cilla describes about her litte farm:

"SHE SAT on the lovely patio with the view full of the pretty pond and the green hills that rolled back to the blue mountains. Roses and lilies stunned the air with perfume that had the bees buzzing drunkenly and a hummingbird, bold as an emerald, darting for nectar. The sun poured strong and bright out of cloudless skies to wash everything in the golden light of fairy tales. Birds sang their hearts out in Disneyesque harmony."

Ford is describing about Cilla:

"She was a ride on a dragon, a flight through space, a dive into the deep waters of an enchanted sea."

Cilla McGowan is on a journey to find herself, who she is and what she exactly wants in life. Coming from a long line of actors, she was a child actor for a TV series, then did lot of commercials but was never happy with her work. Thirty-five years later after her grandmother's death, Cilla  has just purchased her grandmother's beloved little farm in Virginia from her difficult mother, Janet Hardy's daughter. Cilla seems drawn to the farm and decides to take the terribly neglected farm and make it once more into a home of beauty and charm as in its past as a tribute to her grandmother. 

Cilla is determined to do the all the hard-work needed to repair and renovate the little farm house but, she also has a vulnerable side which craves for love and care, which she has never got from anyone in her life. She shares a close relation only with her ex-husband , forever best friend, Steve. When she comes to little farm, her father and his new family tries connecting with her but, as she has never received any affection till now, she is confused about her feelings. But, she is unable to resist the affection and care shown by her neighbor,Ford and his ugly but charming dog, Spock  at her good or bad moments.

Ford is a graphic novelist, a geek, charming, funny, irresistible, easy-going and caring ..wow...i loved him! He is full of positive attitude towards life. At times, he is little bit dominating but only when Cilla was being stubborn not wanting anyone's help when she needed it. But i loved his character, as Cilla is saying that Ford is someone who cared enough to get pushy and bossy about her welfare and she is happy to be flexible or accommodating sometimes. For Cilla, Ford is always a stable guy and she wonders how she has connected with someone so blessedly stable!

Ford is very protective towards Cilla and he is not afraid to let her know how much he loves her, and he makes certain that she knows he will keep her safe and never leave her alone. He is sometimes so sweet and endearing, like when he says about construction work "Tools and I have a long-standing agreement. We stay away from each other, for the good of mankind." He is happy to observe while watching Cilla work with power tools on her house renovations and he is always ready to provide her moral support. When Ford's pictures comes in tabloid with Cilla after an attack on Cilla, and she is described as reincarnation of Janet Hardy and Ford as seduced by the lonely, trapped spirit of Janet , he reacts so unexpectedly, he takes it as funny, not at all bothered by it, just explains his unique thought process. Excellent work with Ford's character...he is my favorite hero! He is a perfect guy for Cilla who needs someone like him in her life to help her "find" herself.

Cilla and Ford are attracted to each other from the first but more than the way they find each other attractive on the outside, they are attracted to each other's smartness, intelligence and strength. When they develop a romantic relation, it is sweet and tender. I loved Ford and Cilla's relationship, the affection and understanding between each other they were having from the first and slowly how it develops into true love. The conversations between Ford and Cilla were really sweet and funny. Even though both of them fall in love with each other, Cilla is not convinced to take the next step as she is scared due to her past history of Hardy women but, eventually Cilla falls for Ford's persuasiveness once she realizes that Ford has seen her true self and loves her unconditionally.

The suspense part of the story is fairly good as we keep guessing from the first who is the mysterious lover from Cilla's grandmother's past who has written the letters she has found in the attic. It was obvious by the first half of the story that someone hates Cilla and her family and is causing harm to her and her property. And Ms. Roberts did a superb job of throwing suspicion around and kept me guessing throughout nearly the entire story as to who the antagonist was. At the end, Cilla decides to find the 35 year old truth which she thinks she owes to her grandmother as a tribute, with Ford's help and that is when the suspense unravels.

One of the odd things about the book which i did not like much was the dreams Cilla use to have where she is conversing with her late grandmother. I was little bit unsure about it but one thing was clear as Cilla was living and rehabbing her grandmother's favorite farm, she is closer to her than ever and she was trying to connect to Janet through her dreams.

All in all, Tribute was an entertaining read. The most part of the book is about the rehabbing of the farm by Cilla, her construction and landscaping crew.  There are lot of jargon and dialogues based on house renovations and Minute details about sinks, tiles, shower blocks, paint, and trim.

A quote from Tribute where Cilla is thinking about Ford and her love relation:

"They could take some time, couldn’t they, to build on that? To restructure, to decide on tones and trim? They could take a good look at the foundation, evaluate. Because hers was so uneven. Lots of cracks there, she mused, but maybe they could be shored up, supported and repaired. Since his were so solid, so sturdy, there had to be a chance to make the whole thing stand. To make it last. She so badly wanted to make things last."

There is one quote Cilla describes about Ford, it is really a fabulous one....

  "A slow leak, unchecked, eventually eats through just about anything. Stone, metal, wood. It doesn’t make much noise, and it’s a long way from the big gushing flood. But it gets the job done."

It is interesting  right? But,for someone who doesn’t like home renovations, it might be a bit boring. As i love reading about home stuffs, i loved it...each and every dialogues!! And there is also Ms. Roberts way of describing each and every small thing beautifully, you just can't resist getting interested!

One of my favorite quote from the novel:

Ford's dialogue to Cilla's dad

“She needs me. She needs someone who understands and appreciates who she is, and who she’s decided to be. And I need her, because who she is, and who she’s decided to be are—big surprise to me—what I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

Tribute was just a great, enjoyable read and i enjoyed reviewing it!!