Let It Be by Colleen Coyne

                                   Secrets don’t die; they wait.

 About the Book: This gripping contemporary thriller reveals buried secrets, fractured families, and the devastating cost of silence. Aiden Hadley thought his past was behind him, until an email from a former lover reveals a daughter he never knew existed and a dangerous secret tied to his wife’s death. When his estranged son is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Aiden must navigate blackmail, betrayal, and a deadly chain of events before the truth destroys them all.

     Let It Be is heart-pounding suspense where every secret has a cost—and no one escapes unscathed.

 Our Review: Just when he thought his life was finally getting back to normal, widower Aidan Hadley is blindsided by an email from an old lover—the former student he chose over his wife and their young son. Assuring himself he’d made amends to his late wife before her death, he’s dealt a second blow when he discovers the wife knew about the affair all along—and chose to forgive him for the sake of the family unit.

     Adding a load of bitter fuel to the fire, there is an adult child—one he never knew about—who might well suffer from the same genetic abnormality that claimed another child at birth.

     It doesn’t stop there; the heat keeps on coming. Mysterious women appear in his life, only to fade away. Bizarre, threatening emails continue. The apparitions continue—including a young woman in a wheelchair who bears a remarkable resemblance to the woman who once infatuated him.

     As the risk for losing his son heightens, Aiden must buckle down, use common sense and reasoning, then admit he must depend on others in order to face the secrets that continue to wait.  

    Based on a scale of 1-5. Let It Be merits a 5.

Kat Henry Doran, a Wild Women Review 

Balancing the Woofs by Tara Choate

 About the Book: Irene Lisner feels like her life is finally on track. Her sister Angie has moved hundreds of miles away. Her mother, Jennifer, appears to have followed Angie, so is rarely around. Goose, the new dog, is fun, and energetic, and the two are about to start agility training.

     On an even better side, her MS symptoms look to be easing up; work feels smooth, with no big cases on the horizon. She even has a boyfriend. It’s all too good to be true.

     But after she is assigned to help another department with a standard audit, the non-standard review sends things into a downward spiral.

 Our Review: We’ve said it in the past and will continue to shout it to the sky: a well-written, interesting book contains a minimum of three important criteria: well-drawn, multi-faceted characters, a compelling conflict, and a plot line that teaches the reader something they did not know before they turned the first page

Balancing the Woofs has it all, and more. Irene Lisner’s job as an auditor for the State of Oregon takes her into new and interesting situations, meeting some often not so nice characters…thus the reader learns something new. Irene suffers from Multiple Sclerosis but, with the advice and guidance of trusted friends and professionals, she’s coping as best she can and leading a healthy, productive life. Last, training dogs for a myriad of different events one often sees on their favorite media site is fascinating. As the book concludes a new opportunity for Irene and Goose, the energetic rescue pup, crops up—and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for this intrepid woman who never gives up.

 Based on a scale of 1-5, Balancing the Woofs merits an 8.

 Kat Henry Doran, a Wild Women Review

The Carrot Marmalade Murder

Roxy and Nate are finally headed down the aisle, but when his ex ends up dead, Nate becomes the prime suspect. Roxy needs to find the real killer before the wedding goes completely off the rails.

 About The Carrot Marmalade Murder: Roxy and Nate are finally getting married, but murder was never on the program. In the midst of wedding prep, Roxy has to deal with Nate’s trouble-making ex who thinks she can rekindle their romance. Then, things get serious after the ex ends up dead in a Shavano back alley.

     Now Roxy needs to clear Nate’s name, sell her customers on her latest new flavor: carrot marmalade, and find herself a wedding dress. All before it’s time to take a deep breath and confront her own wedding jitters.

 Our Review: As a small businessperson who is routinely stretched for time, there’s nothing like discovering about a character who thinks, acts and sounds just like us [been there, done that, got the T-shirt to prove it], hates, loathes and despises dresses in any form or fashion [thereby finding the perfect something to wear for that walk down the aisle is more annoying than the pickiest of customers]. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, murder steps in to gum up the works. Death in a back alley in a popular tourist town likely qualifies for the emergency of the century—even if the victim probably earned more than her share of enemies for her aggressive attitude alone.

Author Meg Benjamin has a talent for creating setting. Again, this die-hard East Coaster is dying to visit the Colorado Rockies. Adding to that, offering the minute details on the preparations that go into catering large and small events made our mouth water [those Asian meatballs sound yummy beyond belief]. There’s nothing like an intriguing cozy mystery written by Meg Benjamin.

Based on a scale of 1-5, The Carrot Marmalade Murder merits an 8.

Kat Henry Doran, a Wild Women Review