Sweet Hush

Sweet Hush by Deborah Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Hush has spent her life trying to survive first the death of her parents when she was a young teen, then having to fight to hold on to her family orchard and raise her baby brother. Through it all Davy was there to help, but when his "help" leads to an unwanted pregnancy he can't deal with the fact that Hush is less than pleased about giving up her dreams of college to marry him and raise a baby.

As Hush creates a successful business out of the apple orchard and raises Davis to be a successful young man Davy spends his time racing cars and discretely chasing women until one secret to many drives him to his death. But through it all Hush maintained appearances and Davis hero worships his Father.

At Harvard Davis secretly marries Eddie (the President's Daughter) and brings her home to The Hollow. Eddie's parents are none to please and send Nick to bring her home. But Nick soon falls under Hush's spell and she under his.

But the reporters won't stay away and soon they start to uncover the Family Secrets, Hush has worked so hard to keep. Will Hush lose her family or will the truth bring them closer together?

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The Next Always (Inn BoonsBoro, #1)

The Next Always by Nora Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sweet romance.

After her husband dies Clare moves back to Boonsboro with her three young sons and buys the bookstore across from the Inn, that Beckett and his family are renovating. Beckett and Clare soon fall and love.

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Private London (Other Private Offices)

Private London by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fast paced thriller. When Hannah is 13 years old she and her Mother are kidnapped her Father (Harlan) refuses to pay the ransom but hires Jack Morgan (who is working for another agency at the time) to rescue them. Hannah sees her mother raped and killed before Jack gets there. The young girl blames her Father for not paying the ransom.

7 years later Hannah is attending University in London. Dan Carter has been assigned to keep an eye on the young girl and he places his god-daughter Chloe at the school to keep tabs on her. Hannah, Chloe and Laura are at a bar parting. Chloe, who hasn't been drinking like the other girls begins to feel bad. She loses track of Hannah and Laura and when she goes to catch up with them she finds them being attacked. She goes to their rescue but is viciously clubbed down, Laura receives a scratch and Hannah is kidnapped.

Harlan fearing for his daughter's life and desperate not to make the same mistake agrees to pay the ransom. The first drop goes wrong when the police show up, but another drop is arranged. The kidnappers release Hannah but now Harlan is their prisoner, and due to his work the game has been greatly upped.

Meanwhile Dan's ex Kirsty is investigating murders where the ring finger is removed from the victims hand and organs are removed. Private offers her their services in unraveling the crimes.

Dan slowly realizes that Hannah and Laura were part of the kidnapping plot and that it was masterminded by their University Professor Annabelle Weston who has ties to Palestinian activist. The only question is will Private be able to save Harlan.

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Shock Wave (Virgil Flowers, #5)

Shock Wave by John Sandford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As always Virgil entertains.

Someone is trying to prevent a PyeMart from being built in Butternut Falls, the key is finding out how they snuck a bomb into the highly secure PyeMart headquarters.

Virgil is also investigating the bribing of local officials who changed the zoning code allowing the PyeMart to be built. When he discovers one of the officials who took a bribe is cheating on his wife, Virgil uses the info to get her to betray her husband. The cheating hubby then agrees to wear a wire so they can get the goods on the other officials.

Then it appears the bomber blew himself up, but Virgil isn't buying it. He continues to investigate and when all clues point to Wyatt sticks a tail on him. But when he is blown up shortly after entering the old farmhouse on his property, Virgil knows he is being manipulated and the key is Wyatt's wife.

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The Lost Island (Gideon Crew, #3)

The Lost Island by Douglas Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A real page turner

Gideon steals a page from The Book of Kells at Eli Glinn's request. The page turns out to be a treasure map that Glinn believes will lead them to a plant with curative properties. Teamed up with Amy (aka Amiko) Gideon sets out to retrace Odysseus journey to the Land of the Lotus Eaters.

After a run in with pirates Gideon and Amy find themselves shipwrecked on Mosquito Island where the natives give them shelter and food. An exchange of gifts nets them a Lotus Plant, but in an effort to find the source of the plant Amy fakes being sick and is given the Lotus Plant. The natives then take them to the island that the Lotus Plant grows on but the catch is the natives plan to sacrifice Gideon. Amy rescues him and they flee only to be captured by the last remaining Cyclops. Amy and Gideon make friends with the Cyclops and he takes Gideon Lotus hunting. Gideon realizes the plant is actually a type of fungus (like Truffles) that grows completely underground. The Cyclops also takes them to the crypt where his ancestors are buried. Amy and Gideon make plants to take some of the Lotus and sneak off the island and vow they won't tell Glinn the location in order to protect the Cyclops (who is in love with Amy). But before they can Glinn shows up with a small army and a cage. Glinn plans to capture the Cyclops. When Gideon and Amy go to confront Glinn her screams bring the Cyclops to the camp and he is taken prisoner. Glinn arranges to fly Amy and Gideon off the Island but Garza who fears Glinn has become unhinged puts them back down on the island.

Gideon and Amy retrieve the Lotus from the crypts but Amy double crosses Gideon and takes the Lotus (except for one she leaves with Gideon) and goes to rescue the Cyclops. Gideon gives the Lotus to Garza and attempts to save the Cyclops who has gone on a killing spree and taken Amy with him. The island is inadvertently set on fire and Gideon and Amy barely escape with their lives.

Months later Glinn (who is recovering after eating some of the Lotus) visits Gideon and ask him to help retrieve/kill the meteorite (seed) from The Ice Limit. Gideon's terminal medical condition appears to still be unchanged. And Amy has disappeared.

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The Queen's Fool (The Tudor Court, #4)

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hannah flees Spain with her Father when her Mother is burned as a heretic. Disguised as her Father's apprentice Robert Dudley begs her as a Fool for King Edward. John Dudley (Robert's Father) rules England as Edward lies dying. In an attempt to prolong his rule of England John marries his younger son Lord Guildford Dudley (as Robert was already married to Amy) to Lady Jane Grey, the King Edward's Protestant heir to the throne. Robert sends Hannah to Mary to spy on her.

Mary becomes Queen and keeps Hannah in her service. Robert is kept in the tower, but John and Guildford Dudley along with Jane Grey are executed. When Mary chooses to marry Prince Philip of Spain the English people turn against her, and when her pregnancy proves to be false her popularity further falls. When Mary brings the Inquisition to England Hannah is terrified, but agrees to stay with Elizabeth who expects to be executed any day. Hannah's Father, her fiancee Daniel and his family flee to Calais. Daniel promises to come when Hannah sends for him. Elizabeth manages to enchant Prince of Spain, King Regent of England Philip and wins her freedom, but Hannah stays on at court until she is arrested for heresy. John Dee who managed to become Bishop Bonner's secretary after his own arrest for treason manages to free her. Terrified for her life Hannah send for Daniel and goes to Calais with him. They live together somewhat happily except for the Mother in law from hell until her Mother in law reveals that Daniel has a son by another woman that he goes to visit on the days he is supposedly working late. Hannah leaves her husband and opens a bookstore with her Father. Her Father soon dies from a growth in his belly, but Hannah refuses to return to Daniel.

The French invade Calais. Robert Dudley is leading the English troops and when he sees Hannah gives her his ring so she can board his ship and safely return to England. Hannah sees Daniel's mistress moments before she is killed by French soldiers and she gives Daniel's son (also named Daniel) into Hannah's care. Robert takes Hannah and the boy to England with him and sends her to the countryside with his wife Amy. Robert eventually brings Hannah back to court to spy on Mary, who is supposedly again pregnant. Again there is no child. Mary sickens and dies, Elizabeth who is besotted with Robert becomes Queen and Hannah is reunited with Daniel.

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Ready to Die (To Die, #5)

Ready to Die by Lisa Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Sheriff Dan Grayson is shot Regan Pescoli and Selena Alvarez are determined to find the shooter before he harms Grayson again. When Judge Kathryn Samuels-Piquard is found dead the investigation turns to ex-cons with a beef with the Sheriff and the Judge. Pescoli zeroes in on ex-con Verdago who has disappeared to a cabin in the mountains. Unfortunately her first attempt to corner Verdago leads her to (Kathryn Samuels-Piquard's brother)Vincent Samuels' cabin, where the hermit is told of his sister's death at gun point to the glee of the media who make a big deal out of Pescoli's wild elk chase, so when she gets a lead to where Verdago may be holed up she goes in alone. Only to discover his girlfriend Carnival dead minutes before Verdago arrives at the cabin. Before Pescoli can arrest him acting Sheriff Brewster and Alvarez arrive. Brewster guns down Verdago supposedly to save Pescoli's life.

But Selena doesn't buy Verdago's guilt and thinks things worked out a little to neatly so with the help of a computer hacker she digs deeper and discovers that Brewster was having an affair with the Judge. Worried about Grayson's safety she heads to the hospital to make sure Brewster can't harm him.

Meanwhile Jeremy (Regan's son) calls begging Regan to meet him. Heidi (Brewster's daughter, Jeremy's girlfriend) found a sex tape and incriminating pictures on her Dad's computer. Regan heads to the Brewster cabin to arrest the acting sheriff. But before she can Heidi and Jeremy arrive and Brewster gets the drop on her forcing Jeremy to shoot him.

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