Guilty Crime Story Magazine Issue One

Doing a general post about this magazine each issue offers many short stories from a variety of writers it focuses on crime and detective work and if you enjoy this genre you will be likely to enjoy the stories featured in the issues of this magazine.  Available for kindle and Paperback.

Blurb: Guilty is a magazine of crime stories, of criminals, their motivations and their beginnings and ends.  

In issue: 

“Midnight at the Oasis” by Robb T. White - Nate thought he and his uncle Rex were as close as brothers until one midnight at the Oasis changed everything.

“French Twist” by Joe Giordano - While on vacation in Paris, American Max Caspian offers police his assistance with a very unusual murder.

“Unprincipaled” by Stephen Sottong - Everyone wondered about the day Principal Taylor stole the truck. Nobody would have ever guessed the reason.

“Give Me a Reason” by Brandon Barrows - Something was taken from Chris Zender while serving in Afghanistan and if he can't get it back, he'll get revenge.

“Bridal Wreath” by Jill Hand - Robin was lonely for a long time. Then she met Richard, then Richard brought the flowers...

“Cymbaline” by Alec Cizak - When Raven and Sparrow saw an opportunity, naturally, they took it. Wouldn't you?

“Chasing 61” by Bruce Harris - The Babe set the record of sixty homeruns. Both Roger Maris and Frankie Z. aim to break it.

The Famous Last Words of Mickey Spillane” (Article) by Mike McHone All brand-new material by top crime writers!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58143802-guilty-crime-story-magazine?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=b86c8tR5l6&rank=1

amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095N7H23Q?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_0&storeType=ebooks

*Crime fiction  *Mystery  *Detective  *Multiple authors  *magazine 

Nina Jarrett The Captain's Wife

 Inconvenient brides prequel  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61115945-the-captain-s-wife

I picked up this book from book sirens so thank you for the book!  it was a quick read novella and when I started reading it was finished with it in a few hours.  

The story has several time jumps from present day to the past and begins when Captain Jacob Lewis after a lengthy period of time finally finds his wife Lydia.  Lydia was the daughter of a vicar and he had passed away leaving her wondering where she would go as a now on the shelf spinster with no marriage prospects and no family to take her in she had been thinking of taking up work as a governess.  

Jacob had always had his childhood friend Lydia in mind when it came to taking a wife but he decided  that it wasn't time to settle down and had been spending several years sowing his wild oats in hopes that Lydia would still be waiting for him when he did decide to settle down, when he finally came to the conclusion that he should return to court and then marry his friend he found that her father had passed away and she was soon to lose her home with no where to go.  

Jacob is due to return back to military service but asks her to marry him before he returns then giving her the option of staying with his family while he is away and offering his protection.  She agrees to the marriage but always feels like he did this out of obligation from their life long friendship as opposed to actually wanting to marry her.  While Jacob is away fighting in a war Lydia stays with his elderly grandfather and lecherous uncle things are going well... until they aren't and she is forced to flee in the middle of the night.

Lydia finds shelter at in a Duke's residence as the housekeeper, the Duke is friends with her husband she writes to her husband but never hears back thinking that he has forgotten about her (or worse died in war) she begins to move on with her life hoping that if her husband is alive he will move on with his life too since he married her out of pity. 

Jacob searches for years to find his wife and manages to find her from a newspaper article where her hidden identity is mentioned (he knew it was her from a story they discussed as children) he then does everything he can to prove to her that she is the love of his life and they belong together.  

Things I liked about the book:  The couple truly seemed to care for each other even though it is a short book you can see it from their interactions, Strong FMC she takes charge of her own life and gets out of a bad situation, happy ending.

Negatives for the book:  Too short to really tell a well thought out/planned story there were plot holes and not enough time to fix them everything felt rushed --> for example if Jacob has been looking for her why wouldn't he contact this good friend (the Duke where she has been staying) to help him.  

I thought the book was ok for a historical romance novella and the writing flowed well enough to move the story along I would like to try the next book in the series.

Have you read anything by Nina Jarrett?  What would you recommend? 

*Quick read  *Novella  *some spice  *Vicar's daughter  *Army Captain MMC 

*2nd chance for romance *historical romance  *book sirens book  *hidden identity FMC

*Miscommunication/no communication  *friends --> more

Emily Morgans: Kissing the Rake

The Howertys Book 2  (have not read the first book yet but plan to!)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219236335-kissing-the-rake

Lady Jessica Howerty is smart, beautiful, funny and caring she is given the opportunity to spend the summer at a neighboring estate (Hurst estate) and she accepts the opportunity to be a companion to Olivia who is coming to visit her uncle and as a younger lady in need of someone closer to her own age to spend time with.  The Duke at that point writes to his wayward son Jacob (the Earl of Wortham) to notify him that he will be spending more time with Jessica at the estate he goes on to relay that he plans to propose marriage soon if things go well.

Jessica has a secret that she has kept onto forever since it's not likely to turn into anything more than a crush but she has been in love with Jacob Hurst (her older brother's best friend) since she was young but he has always just noticed her as a little sister and nothing more.  He has also been widely known for his rakish ways and has at several points been at the center of the Ton's gossip due to his behavior with the ladies, she can never tell him her true feelings she must guard this secret.

Jacob receiving his father's letter at first is confused that he is even writing to him at all they have never been close and their most recent in person interactions have been anything but pleasant.  After the initial shock of this news Jacob finds himself traveling from London to his father's home in the country to spend time there and make sure that his father's plan to propose marriage to Lady Jessica does not come to be... he needs to stop this at all costs in fact.  

The more time he spends with Jessica the more he realizes that he isn't looking at her like his best friend's little sister anymore... he's looking at her as a beautiful woman maybe his rakish days are behind him and he can get on board with Jessica getting married... but not to his father to him.  

Conflict arises due to Jacob believing that Jessica is after his father for his title and wealth it leads to Jacob saying some rotten things to Jessica at times.  Jessica fights between her continued love for Jacob and the thoughts that he is never going to change and she should just move on and find a more suitable man who she can grow to love and during these times Jacob becomes more aware that his feelings towards Jessica are growing stronger.  

Jacob and Jessica's banter is perfect throughout the book and leads to some passionate encounters when they can't keep away from each other any longer this ends with them in a marriage of convenience but can they build something lasting with his past history?  Can he really stay with one woman forever when he has been so wild for years?  When old baggage comes back to haunt him will Jessica think the worst of him like everyone else or will she listen to his side of the story? 

I really enjoyed this story and plan to read the first in the series and the next book in the series when it comes out.  I did find myself struggling with our lead characters at times due to the length of time with no communication/miscommunication and running away from each other instead of talking.  I really loved Jessica's family and I'm looking forward to Rain's story, I also hope that Ravenscroft finds his love match he was a true sweetheart.    

Have you read any books by this author?  Have you read the first book?  

*ARC read 2025 *banter  *older brothers best friend *handsome rake  *Duke's son  *friends --> more

*long term pining (FMC huge crush on MMC) /she falls first  *drama 

 *miscommunication/no communication  *Forbidden romance *FMC has a wonderful close family

 *historical romance  *spice  *Marriage of convenience  *Happy ending

Christine Lawrence: To Have & To Kill

 read in 2025

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235961651-to-have-and-to-kill-book-2

I found this author on facebook in one of the ARC groups I'm a member of they were actually offering this book to someone else and I have been regularly checking the different groups to find new (to me) authors/Indie authors.  I usually read romance novels and occasionally branch out to read something in a different genre.

I really enjoyed this book it was a good cozy murder mystery with the feel of old school Murder She Wrote episodes with the small town vibes, the amateur detective work and continuing the investigation even though law enforcement has discussed how dangerous it could be to continue.

I have not read the first book in the series but I didn't feel lost with how the author added some bits of info from the story that took place previously.  Leah is the owner of a wedding planning business/hall in Ohio the story starts with her and her friends/co-workers planning an expo at their job site bringing in other people who run wedding related businesses for potential brides & grooms to peruse.

Leah is pretty soon after called in to act as a go-between for two vendors having a dispute one vendor believing they needed more space to air out their wedding dresses from their shop and moving into another vendor's space while this heated discussion is quickly doused a mystery begins when a few days later the wedding dress vendor is found dead in their home from unnatural circumstances with the other vendor (who owns a flower shop) being the lead suspect.

At first not wanting to get involved Leah gets talked into helping by her co-worker knowing that her friend needs their help.  Leah gets help from a private investigator (who helped with the case in the last book) and they begin to unravel the mystery finding that there were plenty of others that could have a motive for murder the victim had made several enemies prior to her passing.

This was a fast paced old fashioned who done it where you kind of have to believe that the people will that willingly give up information to a random person (not working with the police) really liked that small town amateur investigator feel, and since so many people popped up as a possible suspect it kept me guessing as to who the culprit was.  I enjoyed the story and plan to go back and read the first one at some point!  

*Cozy Mystery  *Murder mystery  *amateur detective  *quick read  

*2nd in series but could be read as a stand alone 

Lille Moore: Keeping the Countess

ARC read 2025  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235193727-keeping-the-countess

Faith (FMC) is the Countess of Rochford she is married but her husband is absent from the estate and it appears that he has been for quite some time.  Due to the husband's gambling and other nefarious activities  Ravenglass Hall (the estate she lives in) is falling apart and lacking funds it's hard to make the necessary repairs, this is made worse since the steward who has been placed in charge comes around when he feels like it and is stealing any additional funds the property might have.  

Jonah (a reverend) is on a mission to bring his father's killer to justice he gets a position as a tutor to the Earl of Rochford's young ward (his nephew Adam) he accepts he believes this position will help lead him to the person(s) responsible for his father's death.  

New to town and not quite sure where to go he ends up almost getting run down in the street by a small man on a horse (who he quickly realizes is actually a woman dressed in men's clothing), Jonah once he finally reaches Ravenglass knows immediately that Faith is the "man" who he had encountered the night before and he is drawn to her strength and determination she has been pretending to be an apprentice steward and helping the townspeople.    

Faith finds herself drawn to Jonah as well but she can't become involved with him she needs to keep her family safe and she is holding on to secrets of her own what will happen if he uncovers them?  She must see Adam safely enrolled in school before the funds are completely gone.  Will she ever be able to get rid of that awful steward?  Jonah is a stranger sent in by the church (who could potentially take her home and lands she lives on) can she even trust him?  

The book focuses mainly on the mystery surrounding Faith, the disappearance of her husband and the secrets she is hiding.  As far as "romance" goes there really didn't seem like much of one going on, I think maybe a lot of stuff takes place off the pages and there are confusing time jumps I had to re-read some sections to see if I missed something because they had very few encounters and next thing you know they are falling for each other and have some intimate interactions from what was there it was more of an insta lust/love situation.  It was also noted multiple times that they love the smell of oranges & lemons.     

I'd say that the book started to flow better after the half way mark but there were a few confusing things that maybe were not fully explained and I would have liked to see more of the lead couples relationship built on the page, I also get that the ladies husband was a bad guy and there were "some things" going on with it but she was still married to him while she was starting to build this relationship with the reverend. 

When the countess finds herself in a terrible situation will Jonah be able to help her in time?  Will they ever be able to be together or is their romance going to forever be hidden?  Will Jonah be able to bring the people responsible for his father's death to justice?  

Lots of drama, secrets and ulterior motives leaving you to wonder if our couple will reach their goals or if the villains will win in the end.  Not overly spicy for those who like a lower spice read.

*ARC read 2025  *Book Sirens *historical romance *mystery romance 

*FMC is married  *slow burn  *strong FMC *some spice  *forbidden romance 

Karla Sorensen: Focused

 Ward Sisters book 1 (I read this in 2023 or 2024?)  

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49473257-focused?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=TgWP6HxqMi&rank=1

Molly had a huge crush on the neighbor's son when she was a teenager finally deciding to do something about it she climbed into his window she was 16 and he was 19 (probably not too aware of her existence until she plopped herself on his lap).  Noah in college at the time and home for the day couldn't believe his luck having a beautiful girl climb into his window... his dad caught them and brought her home he then finds out she is 16 and realizes how close he came to ruining his future over a few minutes of fun he decided to change his ways and not get attached to any girls anymore and just focus on the main goal... his future in football and that has suited him just fine until that same girl who led to him losing his focus the first time comes back into his life. 

A large time jump happens (like 10 years) they are no longer teenagers Noah has been traded to the Washington Wolves football team after a misunderstanding that happened on his previous team with one of the team mates wives.  Molly's older brother (Logan) is Noah's new coach, Molly works with the team as well and he will be working closely with Molly on a project since he has been chosen for an episode of a documentary that focuses on the lives of football players and she is now his new point person that makes sure that he has everything that he needs for the day.

Molly would rather do anything else than be next to the guy that broke her heart ages ago but she does want a promotion and in order to get the promotion she needs the filming to go off without a hitch... Noah isn't making things easy for her he is grumpy and just wants to settle in working on doing well with his new team.  He also doesn't want to share with the world that he is a rather lonely guy who is so focused on his job he doesn't have much of a personal life he sees other guys on the team going home to wives/girlfriends and kids but he has never needed any of that he is fine being solo.

Noah begins to open up to Molly while spending more time with her she brings out a softer side that he didn't even know he had and it scares him what if he loses his edge in the game he has been set in his ways so long that he isn't sure how things will be if he does let someone in but somewhere along the way of working on the show he has fallen for Molly and now that he has he doesn't know how to keep her.

Part of the conditions for working on the documentary involved a no fraternization policy and while Molly has been trying to stay professional she can't help but fall for this handsome, grumpy guy once she cracks his outer shell he is kind and caring and when he looks at her like she is the only one that matters she melts.  What will happen if she takes a chance and crosses the line?  

Have you read anything by Karla Sorensen?  Have you read this series?  Who was your favorite Sister?

*age gap  *past history *enemies --> more  *football/sports romance  *Grumpy/sunshine  

*Brooding MMC  *miscommunication/no communication *drama *happy ending  *dual pov

*forbidden romance *2nd chance romance *some spice  *slow burn  

*love FMC's family and MMC's sassy grandma

I read this series after reading the original Washington Wolves series and I really enjoyed it I read it in a few days I've compiled some negative thoughts from other readers (proceed with caution may have spoilers):

• Some readers found the story predictable & boring
• The lead characters were boring with no chemistry
• Didn't feel enough of a connection between the couple to be believable as being in love by the end of the book leading to it feeling rushed
• Their past history Molly (16 at the time) tired of waiting for Noah to notice her didn't think of the potential consequences for Noah who was (19 and a college football star) but sneaking in his room and coming on to him could potentially have been setting him up for charges leading to ruining his future at such a young age.
• Molly's over protective brother (Logan) is now Noah's coach putting Noah in a bad position since he's now on this new team and this past history is hanging over his head when he was just a kid at the time too.  None of them mention the past history to the organization which could lead to further problems.
• Some people felt that Molly was pushy, spoiled and unprofessional especially when upon seeing him for the first time in years she cornered Noah in a elevator and pushed the stop button essentially forcing him to have a conversation with her

Kenzie Quivers: The Loneliest Number

The Thirst Trap Book 3  (I have not read the first two in this series)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234544426/reviews?reviewFilters=eyJyYXRpbmdNaW4iOjQsInJhdGluZ01heCI6NCwiYWZ0ZXIiOiJOVFFzTVRjMU1ETTFOekkzT1RRek1nIn0%3D

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be my last, when I say this book starts out coming in hot... woah!  😳  

Our lead female is into joining partners for one night only kind of fun, she doesn't give her real name choosing to go by the nick name Pixie, after an amazing night Cam (our male lead) gives her his phone number, she doesn't plan to use it but with his big personality, handsome face, and what he can do to her body... not to mention he has a sexy Scottish accent it's hard to not call him.

We next see our lead several weeks later finding out her name is Abby she is a hard worker and has a challenging family life so has made a family of her own with a good group of friends and her co-workers (she works as a bartender).  While on her way to work she often imagines what it would look like inside of this elegant run down building nearby and is torn when she finds out that there is someone who has come to town to actually fix it up she knows it would be amazing restored but it might also cause competition if they open a bar and are in the same neighborhood.  

Cam's grandmother has passed away and he learns that he is the new owner of a building in London.  No one in his family even knew the building existed the other weird thing is that a man he has heard of gave his grandmother the building it's a true mystery.  Cam heads down to London to fix up his new place and finds that he is the new owner of the very building that has enchanted Abby and ends up meeting up with her in the streets outside of his building when she comes up to see if she can help bring in supplies and maybe get a tour.

Cam wants to continue to get to know Abby (she finally told him her real name) better while Abby struggles with wanting to remain an independent unicorn (joining into other peoples relationships to spice it up for a night) and has never been one for just being with one person but Cam is different he is willing to explore with her and quickly finds himself just wanting to be with her in whatever way she will have him.

Cam is a good match for Abby allowing her time to open up on her terms and accepts her as she is never trying to change anything about her.  Will Abby let herself fall for Cam?  Throughout the book you can see maybe Abby is leaning more towards the idea that having someone special to come home to isn't always a bad thing.  Will they find out what the history is on this mysterious building that Cam now owns?   

Cute, quick read I enjoyed this book over all and plan to go back and read the rest of the series at some point --> some of the spicy scenes were spicier than I'm used to in multiple different partner pairings throughout the book.  Even with the amount of spice the author did a good job with moving the story forward and letting us get to know our lead couple better I was also interested to learn more about the mystery of how Cam's grandmother came into possession of The Juniper (Cam's new building in London).     

Have you read the rest of the series?  What did you think?  

*ARC Read 2025  *Polyamorous MF Pairing  *Ethical Non Monogamy  *Grumpy x Sassy 

*Scottish MMC/ British FMC  *Dual POV  *found family *MMC golden retriever energy 

*Spicy (lots of spice mixed in this book with multiple partners and MF pairing)  *kink club

*Will they/won't they *LGBTQ representation  *he falls first  *Curvy girl representation

*super stubborn FMC