Standoff, by Patricia Bradley, 2020, Revell(Baker Publishing Group)

I met Patricia Bradley in a small Zoom conference for writers last month, and she kindly offered to do a critique for me of the novel I am working on. What an honour! Now I’m excited to be reading her latest novel that just came out. I chose it out of several books that Revell wanted reviewers for. My review is due today, though probably because of COVID19, I only received it here in Canada a few days ago. So far I’ve managed to get a third of the way into this 384 page novel. I don’t want to spoil my enjoyment by skimming ahead, but already I can recommend it.

Standoff, by Patricia Bradley

Standoff is a romantic suspense, the first in a series called Natchez Trace Park Rangers. Chapters are short and each one is written from a different character’s point of view, so it took a few chapters for me to get familiar with who’s who. The main character, Brooke, is in her early 30s. She is about to embark on a new career, following in her father’s footsteps as a park ranger, when everything goes awry.

So far, a third of the way in, three people have been shot, there are many suspects, and two great prospects are vying for Brooke’s affection. The story is fast-paced, although I admit that I have to stop from time to time to sort out the characters and their positions. Various levels of investigators and law enforcement are involved in solving the mysteries of who shot who and why. It has to do with a major ring of drug smugglers at a time when the government is considering legalization.

Brooke doesn’t know who can be trusted. As a reader I catch glimpses of several secrets and dangers. I hope she will stay safe and perpetrators will be brought to justice. And I hope she will choose the right suitor. One of them is giving me a bad feeling.

Natchez Trace is a parkway in Mississippi. Several scenes take place at historical tourist sites. I think from now on I’ll always be wary when visiting tourist attractions. Characters are armed with various types of guns, something I’m unfamiliar with as a Canadian. Learning lots! If you like mystery and suspense with some romance in the mix, with family values and spiritual thoughts too, then this is for you!

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Secrets of the Treasure King, by Terry Ambrose, 2020, Satori

Up to $50 Off Select Kobo (Ends May 14) (Affiliate link. If you click on this link and buy something, at no extra cost to you it helps keep my website running. Thank you 🙂 )

I am pleased to participate in this book blog tour with Great Escapes, from whom I received the e-book to review. I am trying to be as impartial as possible in my review. This is not a genre that I often read. I chose this book because I thought it might be fun to read about a father and daughter running a B & B and to read something different for a change. It seems to me that it was written in a style suited to a younger audience.

Will this map show the location of the sunken treasure?

This cozy mystery is part of a series (Seaside Cove Bed & Breakfast), but although I have not read any of the previous books in the series, I didn’t feel that I was missing any background information that was pertinent to the story.

The story centers around Rick and his eleven-year-old daughter, Alex. Rick is the owner of a Bed and Breakfast inn, in the small town of Seaside Cove. Alex’s mother has left them, and Rick is sweet on Marquetta, who helps him run the inn.

Point of view alternates by chapters between Rick and Alex. Alex’s chapters mostly consist of her journal entries and are quite short, although she is the real star of the story. She is a wannabe sleuth and also matchmaker and writer. Because of her centrality, the book has a present-day Nancy Drew feel about it that would appeal to young readers around Alex’s age.

A treasure hunting tour boat docks at the harbor. It becomes apparent to the townsfolk that the captain, crew, and passengers are bickering and unhappy. There is a brawl between them, in a restaurant where Rick and Marquetta are dining with friends, and the next day the captain is found dead.

Rick is a friend of the police chief, who asks him to help solve this crime, and Alex can’t be stopped from getting in there and doing her own detective work. She enlists a couple of friends to help her, but she is the one who oversteps the boundaries, venturing into trespassing and danger.

The story-line has several strands running through it. Besides the who-dunnit theme there is some light romance between Rick and Marquetta as well as between an elderly pair staying at the lodge. Alex is actively encouraging these romances.

Alex also interviews several people to gather information for a newspaper article about the treasure-hunters and their ship.

There are some scares when Alex and others are in danger, but I won’t tell you about those or the results of the mystery or romances here. You’ll just have to read it for yourself!

Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Satori (April 29, 2020)
Print Length: 261 pages
Digital ASIN: B085DC4ZVS

Click on this link for a chance to receive a free give-away:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921050/?widget_template=56d5f80dbc544fb30fda66f0

Check out the other stops on the tour for more chances to enter the draw and to read author interviews and more!

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

May 12 – I’m Into Books – SPOTLIGHT

May 12 – PearlAdaPridham.com – REVIEW

May 13 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, RECIPE

May 13 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

May 14 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 15 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

May 15 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

May 16 – Diane Reviews Books -GUEST POST

May 17 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

May 18 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 18 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

May 19 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

May 19 – The Journey Back –  CHARACTER INTERVIEW

May 20 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

May 20 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT

May 21 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

May 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT

May 23 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW

May 23 – ebook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT

May 24 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

Tabbouleh (parsley salad)

My version of tabbouleh

Last week someone posted a photo of her tabouli on Facebook and it looked so good that I suddenly wanted to make some too. My version is a bit different from hers, and you can change it up according to what you have on hand. I used Italian parsley, wheat bulgar, chopped yellow and red tomatoes, half a cucumber, and some lemon zatar dressing.

You can use olive oil, squeezed lemon or lime, and salt & pepper for the dressing, and grate some lemon or lime zest into it and a bit of garlic if you like. Try tossing in a few chopped olives too, and scallions and mint leaves if you have any.

First I put a quarter cup of the bulgar into a small bowl and poured boiling water onto it to soften it for 15 minutes. Meanwhile I chopped the other ingredients and put them in a serving bowl. Lastly I poured the water off of the bulgar, mixed it into the salad, and stirred in the dressing.

So fresh, juicy, and flavorful! Parsley is high in zinc, which helps fight viruses, is healing for the skin, and is especially good for men to prevent prostate cancer.