A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay, George Newbern (Narrator)

5 Stars 

Audiobook, Published July 24th 2018 by HarperAudio

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Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough

3.5 Stars

Published September 4th 2018 by William Morrow

The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet, Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden & Elliot Hill

4 Stars

Published May 22nd 2018 by Penguin Audiobooks

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

4 Stars

Published June 9th 2015 by Atria Books

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne

5 Stars

Published June 13th 2017 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1) by Melinda Leigh

4.5 Stars

Published December 9th 2014 by Montlake Romance

I read the second and third books of this trilogy before this one. It was okay, there were not a lot of things that I already knew that the story was spoiled, but if you can read them in order, that is what I would recommend.

The story begins with Lee and Kate Barrett being shot and killed while out for dinner. Left behind are their two young children, three siblings and a father with dementia. Major Grant Barrett returns home from Afghanistan to care for his niece and nephew until one of his siblings is in a position to do so. He’s reeling from shock and grief over their murders, and he feels out of his element caring for two small children. Grant’s main objectives are bringing his brother’s killer to justice and the welfare of his brother’s orphaned children. He thinks this the worst of his problems until the house is burglarized, someone tries to kidnap the teenage babysitter and the children, and his neighbour, Ellie, the babysitter’s mother, is threatened. What was Lee into? Who is looking for casefiles of a civil suit? Why is a killer after the children? When Hannah and Mac arrive home and band together, the Barrett family will not stop until they know the children are safe and the murderer is behind bars.

Grant is a great romantic hero. He is strong, protective, handsome, and determined to find his brother’s killer, but with tenderness that any female would find hard to resist. He was so good with the kids. Six-year-old Carson immediately latched onto Grant, his only security after finding out his parents were never coming home. Baby Faith was a colicky four-month-old that could test any parent’s limits with lungs loud enough to wake the dead. Family and neighbours took turns helping out with the children as Grant adjusted. Ellie was also a great character, a single mom trying to do what’s best for her family. She was scared to death over the threat to her family, and was not sure who to trust, but as she got to know Grant better, she realized that he would also protect her and her family. As Grant and Ellie got to know each other better, they remembered the tug they felt the last time they met. They tried to resist their feelings toward each other as Grant was heading back to Afghanistan after his leave ended.

Hour of Need combined all the elements of romantic suspense that I love: danger, mystery, action and a solid love story. Grant and Ellie were likable, multilayered characters making this more than just an action packed mystery, but a story with heart and depth. The next two stories in this series, sharing the stories of Hannah and Mac are just as well written and entertaining.

A Merciful Secret (Mercy Kilpatrick #3) by Kendra Elliot

4 Stars

Published January 16th 2018 by Montlake Romance

This is the third book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series and the best one so far. FBI Agent Mercy Kilpatrick is not only a dedicated agent, she is also a ‘prepper’, not a an anti-government person, but someone who believes that a catastrophe will occur someday and they need to be prepared. She was raised this way by her parents and even though she left home as a teenager, it is ingrained in her mind. She has a cabin deep in the woods where she goes every chance she gets where she has stockpiled food, ammunition, and other supplies. She is on her way to her cabin late one night, when a young girl runs out of the woods, covered in blood, asking her to help her grandmother. She has been stabbed in a ritual way and does not survive. Knowing this is not an FBI case, she calls Police Chief Truman Daly to the scene. It is the next day that they discover a judge, miles away in Portland has been killed the same way. What is the connection between the judge and an elderly woman known as a witch, complete with potions and spells and many ritual knives hidden behind the wall. Now it is an FBI case.

The book is well written with a great plot. Even though this series is labelled romantic suspense, I find it is more suspense with a bit of romance. The young girl, Morrigan, and her mother Salome, are running from someone, but it is not until the very end of the book that we finally find out who is after them and why. The suspense builds and builds until the surprising, explosive ending. Of course Mercy is once again threatened and in some danger as she does her best to protect these citizens of Eagle’s Nest. I love the character of Truman. He is steady strong, standing by Mercy in her personal dealings with her family and when she needs his support through her work. They are a great couple. I am glad to see their relationship move forward. This book can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend that you read them in order to find out the whole story of Mercy and her family. Once again, I read and listened to this book with Kindle Unlimited. I continue to enjoy listening to this series.

A Merciful Truth (Mercy Kilpatrick #2) by Kendra Elliot

4 Stars

Published June 6th 2017 by Montlake Romance

I am really enjoying my Kindle Unlimited Subscription, especially with these read and listen books. I am enjoying the narration of this series by Teri Schnaubelt. She is a great narrator and does a good job with the voices in this story. In this addition to the series, the book starts off with a bang. There have been some small fires in the town, so when the barn fire is called in there is not a big concern until two deputies get killed. This brings in the FBI, with Mercy Kirkpatrick being the main agent investigating the crimes. This is the second book in the series, and even though there is enough information to bring the reader up to date, I would recommend reading this series in order.

Mercy is a great character with quite a past. She was born to a family of preppers, but shunned by them since her late teens, when she moved away to go to school. She is working hard trying to repair the relationship with her family, but not having a lot of success. She is leary of trusting anyone, but she has gotten involved with Police Chief Truman Daly since they worked together in the last book and has decided to remain in Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. She has taken on the care of her niece Kaley, since her brother Levi was killed in the first book of this series. This shows us another side of Mercy. I enjoy seeing Mercy’s growth in this book. She is learning to trust again and repairing relationships with some of her family. Truman is still a bit of a mystery, as his role in the story seems to be helping Mercy solve the crimes and as her partner to assist her in dealing with trauma and the situations she finds herself in. I hope to see more of him in future books as well as learn more about him.

Kendra Elliot does a great job with the “Prepper”storyline. We see the spectrum of anti-government sentiment that seems to go along with this group. Although Mercy’s family are preppers, they are not strong advocates in militias. As Mercy gets involved in this investigation and closer to the man who seems to be “in charge” of this new group setting up in Eagle’s Nest, she becomes worried about her family and how they are involved with this group. The ending came hard and fast once you reached the climax and I raced to the end to see what was going to happen. There was a big twist at the end that I was not expecting, and it added to a great ending. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, A MERCIFUL SECRET.

Minutes to Kill (Scarlet Falls #2) by Melinda Leigh

3.5 Stars

Published June 30th 2015 by Montlake Romance

This is the second in the Scarlet Falls series, but the first I read/listened too. This was a romance hidden in the pages of an intense suspense book. The subject matter was quite disturbing as it dealt with human trafficking of underage girls as well as rape and murder. This stuff actually happens all over the world, so sometimes it is hard to read about. This did not take up a lot of the book, but enough to make it hard to read at times. Hannah, a successful lawyer, finds herself in the middle of a kidnapping and unfortunately fails at saving the young teenage girl. She can’t forget the look of terror in that poor girl’s eyes, and she can’t give up on trying to find her. The kidnapper, gets her back, but is concerned that he can be identified. Grabbing Hannah’s purse, he now knows how to find her and he will not give up even if it means traveling cross country to do it.

The criminals in this book are psychopaths. They are nasty and leave a trail of bodies in their wake. With all this going on, you would think this book would be a depressing story, but the romance kept it headed in the right direction and saved the story for me. Brody was a great hero. He respected Hannah and was a perfect match for her strong willed personality. I loved hearing about her family and how her father made sure all his children had the skills to protect themselves in any situation. My one complaint was that the ending was a bit anti-climactic. I would rather that all the girls had been saved and the ring squashed, but that isn’t the way most things end. Jewel survived and Hannah was happy about that, but it was just meh. I recommend this for readers who like a little romance with their suspense, and those who prefer a little less heat. If you can not stomach the topic of sex trafficking and rape, then you might want to pass on this one. Once again, I love being able to read and listen to this book at the same time from Kindle Unlimited.