Book Review with Featured Author: What Shows the Heart by Karen A. Wyle

 

What Shows the Heart by Karen Wyle

 

Publisher & Release: Independently Published, July 13, 2021

Setting:  Late 1800s, Cowbird Creek

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 268 Pages

Rating: 4.5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

Will he reveal his secret? Will she expose her heart?

After Jake, son and grandson of preachers, tried and failed to protect Mamie from small town cruelty, Mamie left their small town to fend for herself. Neither expected to see each other again. Now, many years later, Jake is a bitter man with little beside regrets, and Mamie, after much struggle and hazard, runs the thriving parlor house in Cowbird Creek. Can they make a future together, or will the shadow of Jake's past overtake them both?

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/What-Shows-Heart-Cowbird-Creek-ebook/dp/B099DHLCM9

 

FREE on Kindle Unlimited

 

Add to Goodreads & BookBub:

 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58742467-what-shows-the-heart

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/what-shows-the-heart-cowbird-creek-book-3-by-karen-a-wyle

 

Vikki’s Musings

 

Thanks goes to the author for suggesting I read and review What Shows the Heart by Karen Wyle. Since it’s part of Kindle Unlimited, I borrowed it. 

 

What Shows the Heart is a lovely historical romance set in the late 1800s. I enjoyed the characters, especially the women in the “Parlor House”. I also enjoyed seeing the characters from the first two books in this series. The pacing pulled me in from the start and kept me engaged until the end.  

 

Mamie is the heroine, and what an unusual female lead. Even though Mamie’s profession is far from typical for an historical romance, it worked for this story. She is protective of her girls and determined to succeed against all odds. 

 

Jake is our hero, and I LOVED him from the start. His softer side pulled into the story, and my admiration for him grew. His acceptance of Mamie’s position as the owner and operator of the Parlor House, had me melting.

 

The romance between Mamie and Jake is sweet and lovely. The tender touches, the building of the sexual tension is amazing. I enjoyed being part of their love story, and they are perfect for each other. I truly wanted them to find their happy ending.

 

If you enjoy historical romance with endearing characters and a unique plot, then you will love What Shows the Heart as much as I did. I have thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming series. I am so glad I found Karen Wyle’s books. Happy reading!

 

Author Bio:

 

Karen A. Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. She is an appellate attorney, photographer, political junkie, and mother of two daughters.

Wyle's fiction includes various varieties of science fiction, historical romance, and afterlife fantasy -- so far. She has also written one nonfiction resource, explaining American law to authors, law students, and anyone else interested in better understanding the legal landscape. 
Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Her personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.

 

Social Media:

Website: https://www.karenawyle.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenAWyle

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenAWyle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kawyle/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/karen-a-wyle

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5252444.Karen_A_Wyle

Book Review: The Intended Victim by Alexandra Ivy

The Intended Victim by Alexandra Ivy

Publisher & Release: Zebra Books, December 31, 2019

Time and setting:  Present Day, USA

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Length: 384 Pages

Rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Book Description: 

The body lying on a cold steel slab bears all the hallmarks of the Chicago Butcher. There’s a cruel slash across her throat, deep enough to sever the carotid artery, and a small crescent carved into her right breast. Her delicate features are painfully familiar to Ash Marcel, once a rising star in the Chicago PD. But though the victim resembles his former fiancée, Remi Walsh, he knows it’s not her.
 
BUT THIS TIME
Though Remi escaped a serial killer five years ago, her father died trying to save her. Grief and guilt caused her to pull away from the man she loved. Now Ash is back in her life, insisting that Remi is still in danger.

IT’S A DEAD END . . .
Someone is targeting women who look just like Remi. With or without a badge, Ash intends to unmask the Butcher. But the killer isn’t playing games any longer. He’s moving in, ready to finish what he started, and prove there’s nothing more terrifying than a killer’s obsession . . .

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Intended-Victim-Alexandra-Ivy-ebook/dp/B07Q7WLTW5

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-intended-victim-alexandra-ivy

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44773356-the-intended-victim

Vikki’s Musings

Thanks goes to the publisher, via Net-Galley, for the opportunity to read and review The Intended Victim prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Intended Victim is a spin-chilling romantic suspense that had me biting my nails until the very end. The pacing is quick, and the action scenes are heart throbbing. The writing is crisp and perfect for this book. I love a “who done it” where I really have no clue who the villain is until they are revealed in the climatic ending. Wow, just wow!

Remi’s character has been running from the nightmare that occurred five years before. She has a job that fulfills her and has moved on at last. Then, her ex-fiancée returns turning her safe world upside down. Feelings and emotions run high and has her questioning the decisions she made after losing her father. I could sense her turmoil and experienced her fears when she learns the serial killer is back.

Ash Marcel is a great hero, one who rushes in to the safe the damsel in distress. He is determined to protect Remi from the Chicago Butcher, no matter what it takes, and if his love for her is reawakened, then so be it. I loved his willingness to dive in without any thought or concern for his emotional turmoil, upon seeing Remi again, causes him.

The romance between Remi and Ash is amazing. The chemistry between them is visceral and stirred me in ways I’ve not experienced in quite some time. Remi and Ash are perfect for each other.

If you enjoy romantic thrillers with “sit on the edge of your seat excitement,” then you will love The Intended Victim as much as I did. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Ivy, but it will not be the last. Happy reading!

Author Bio:

Alexandra Ivy graduated from Truman University with a degree in theatre before deciding she preferred to bring her characters to life on paper rather than stage. She started her career writing traditional regencies before moving into the world of paranormal with her USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestselling series The Guardians of Eternity. Now she writes a wide variety of genres that include paranormal, erotica, and romantic suspense. 

Social Media:

Website: https://alexandraivy.com/meet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexandraivyfanpage

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlexandraIvy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandra.ivy/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?rs=ac&len=2&q=alexandra%20ivy&eq=alexandra%20ivy&etslf=1942&term_meta[]=alexandra%7Cautocomplete%7C0&term_meta[]=ivy%7Cautocomplete%7C0