Caught Dead: A Rick Van Lam Mystery by Andrew Lanh

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read. Rick Van Lam is a product of the Vietnam war. His father is a nameless American G.I and his mother is Vietnamese. He isn't accepted by either the Americans or the Vietnamese. When he is 13, he is sent to live in America and is eventually adopted. He becomes a police officer but finds that he doesn't quite fit so he moves and becomes a private investigator. He also teaches a class through the summer at the local college.

When his friend Hank asks him to look into the death of Mary Le, he tells him he will ask some questions, he knows that the Vietnamese community wouldn't talk to him. Mary was killed in the wrong part of town in what the police called a drive-by. But no-one can explain why Mary was in that part of town to begin with. A week later her sister is killed in the same place, in the same manner.

With plenty of clues to follow, Rick plods along, being snubbed by the Vietnamese community and eventually get to the right conclusion. The author has done a wonderful job of describing the characters, Hanks Grandma is a gem. The storyline is intriguing and wonderfully descriptive of a community that don't like outsiders.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of murder/mysteries.

My Best Everything by Sarah Tomp

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet little romance with a side order of desperation and a dash of crazy. I was drawn in from the first chapter, I was laughing at Lulu's experiment to see what her alcohol tolerance would be and how she met Mason.

Lulu finds out that her daddy has lost the money for her college education and things take a wacky turn from there. She is desperate to go to college and comes up with a plot to make and sell moonshine, something that is highly illegal. But Lulu is determined not to stay in Dale, she wants out of the town as soon as possible and manages to persuade her best friends and the outsider Mason to help her set up and get a still going.

I wasn't sure at first if what I was reading was a letter to a dead person, a letter of apology or a letter explaining and asking for forgiveness. It wasn't until I was part way through that it fell into place. It's definitely an apology with a question added at the end.

She didn't plan on getting attached to Mason. He was just supposed to help her get the still up and running but love has a way of tripping people up and throwing spanners into the works.

This is a lovely read, it has a great cast of characters, the story line is entertaining and well-written but it's not too sweet. There is some heartache in there too, not just for Lulu but also for her best friends.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great read.

Undertow by Michael Buckley

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the very beginning, the storyline is interesting and although not unique, is done in a way that makes it seem fresh and new. It is well-written with a great cast of characters that are both interesting and charming.

When the Alpha's first arrived en-masse, they were forced to live on the pier and beach at Coney Island, now known as Fish City. Now the Government are trying to integrate them into their lives. Starting with sending some of the Alpha teenagers to school.

Our leading lady, Lyric Walker is caught between a rock and a hard place, she has to balance school life, a friend who is being abused, a manipulative head teacher, a crazy senator who is hell bent on getting the Alpha's locked up or killed and being forced to spend time with Fathom, the Alpha's prince, all whilst keeping a dark secret that could get everyone in her family killed or worse.

I will be honest, this book made me cry in places but it also made me laugh and I cannot wait for the next book to come out. Talk about leaving me hanging.

Hotter Than Helltown by S.M. Reine

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I started to read this book I had to stop after the first chapter and purchase the first two in the series and read them first. I have a weird quirk, I can't start reading a series part way through, I have to start at the beginning. And what a great series this is.

Agent Cesar Hawke is trying to track down a murderer who is capable of clearing the minds of the dead so there is no way for him to find out what they last saw even with the help of a specialist. Soon enough he finds himself on the trail of the killer and even though that trail heads into Helltown, the bad guys there are scared of this killer.

When his boss is kidnapped, he works out why people are being killed, what is doing the killing and the reason why his boss has been taken. With the help of a medium, he tracks down his boss and in the process of rescuing him, he ends up bonding with him.

There is quite a lot I could say about this book but I don't want to give away any details. I will say that it is a fast-paced read with a great storyline, wonderful characters and witty one-liners.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes Urban Fantasy

Ice Man Cometh by C.T. Wente

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Although it took me a few attempts to get into this book, I'm glad I stuck with it. I found the characters interesting, I adored the letters that Jeri was receiving, I was intrigued as she was by them.

I liked how the plot widened to encompass the FBI and Homeland Security and showed what a piss poor job of communicating goes on between one group and another.

I was especially pleased with the ending.....I'm not going to write anything else as I don't want to spoil this really great read for anyone else....... Just remember...... Don't Order Dog.