Review: Kill or Be Kilt by Victoria Roberts

Goodreads Blurb

Lady Elizabeth Walsingham pined after the same man for years. When she finally realizes the brawny Highland laird doesn’t return her feelings, she decides to leave for London and start anew. It seems that her prayers are answered when she catches the eye of a charming actor at the Globe Theatre – a man who is the complete opposite of the Highlander she once loved.

Laird Ian Monroe spends his time avoiding the bothersome young girl who dreams of their union. But when he travels to London and discovers that she has a new love interest with a dishonorable agenda, his perspective changes. Ian soon realizes that Elizabeth is no longer a child with a crush, but a beautiful woman in need of his help. He may have what it takes to rescue Elizabeth from her scheming beau, but does he have the courage to reclaim Elizabeth’s heart as well?

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Highland Spies series. Was very happy that after three years Ian has come back to see his friend Ruairi. The chemistry between Elizabeth and Ian still has sparks. As much as he doesn’t want to show weakness that he has fallen for Elizabeth, he just can’t help himself following and protecting her. I was laughing at how he was following her all over the court and was jealous. He still can’t get over that she is a lot younger and strikingly beautiful. Ian doesn’t think he has any good looks and feels that lasses don’t really love him. To find out the after three years Elizabeth loves him, he just can’t see the possibility of it being true. Love conquers no matter age and beauty. Love that this story has a murder mystery made the book very interesting. Thanks, Victoria, for another amazing story with some Highlanders. Please don’t miss out on this book and series.

Author Biography

Award-winning author Victoria Roberts writes Scottish historical romances about kilted heroes and warriors from the past. She was the recipient of the 2013 RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice award for Best Medieval Historical Romance for X MARKS THE SCOT, as well as the 2014 BTS Book Reviews Red Carpet award for Best Historical and Best Book of the Year for MY HIGHLAND SPY.

Represented by Jill Marsal of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, Victoria is a member of Romance Writers of America, Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, several local chapters, in addition to being a contributing author to the online magazine CELTIC GUIDE.

Victoria resides in western Pennsylvania with her husband of twenty two years and their two beautiful children–not to mention one spoiled dog. When she’s not plotting her next Scottish adventure, she’s dragging her clan to every Scottish festival under the sun. Please visit Victoria at VictoriaRobertsAuthor.com.

Review: Braking for Bodies by Duffy Brown

Goodreads Blurb

Moving from Los Angeles to small, picturesque Mackinac Island to work in a bike shop might seem crazy, but Evie knows it’s the best decision she’s ever made. That’s not to say she’s gotten rid of all her stress; after all, the upcoming Lilac Festival has everyone in town riding in circles.
 
But things really go downhill when a ferry full of tourists—including Evie’s friend Fiona’s former boss, the editor of a sleazy rag in LA—arrives on the island. No one knows why Peephole Perry came all the way to Mackinac, but things aren’t looking good for Fiona when Peep is found dead. Now Evie has to gear up and get a grip on the truth if she wants to clear her friend’s name…

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book. It is a murder mystery that had me guessing all the way till the end. The characters were perfect for this book. Evie and Fiona are hysterical. Loved that a murder was committed in such an important time for the town. The town was having their annual Lilac Festival. Rudy and Irma were going to get married, and that became a whole fiasco of events. You don’t want to miss this mystery. Do you know who murdered Peep?

Author Biography

Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, her license plate is Sherlok and she conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley Prime Crime. Duffy’s national bestselling Consignment Shop Mystery series is set in Savannah and the Cycle Path Mysteries are set on Mackinac Island.

Upcoming Book Event: Anne & Claire Berest

Information was taken from the Montclair Literary Festivals website.

Join us on Tuesday, April 29th, at 6:30p.m. as Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival, the Montclair Public Library, the Montclair Campus of L’Alliance New York, and Watchung Booksellers welcome Anne & Claire Berest in conversation about Gabriële based on the life of their bohemian, brilliant great-grandmother with moderator Violaine Huisman. Event will be held at the Montclair Public Library.

Tickets to hear Anne & Claire Berest in person cost $33 and include a copy of the book. Doors open at 6:00p.m.

Gabriële was originally published in French by Europa Editions and was translated by Tina Kover. It’s a sensational, exuberant novel about love and sex, art and revolution, experimentation and creativity. Moving between Paris, New York, Berlin, Zurich, Barcelona, London, and Saint-Tropez, the book is as audacious, uninhibited, intimate, and unforgettable as its central character, the mercurial, pioneering Gabriële Buffet.

Anne Berest’s first novel to appear in English, “The Postcard,” was a national bestseller, a Library Journal, NPR, and TIME Best Book of the Year, and winner of the Choix Goncourt Prize, France’s highest literary honor. It was described as “stunning” by Leslie Camhi in The New Yorker, as a “powerful literary work” by Julie Orringer in The New York Times Book Review, and as “intimate, profound, essential” in the pages of ELLE magazine. 

Claire Berest is the author of four novels including “Rien n’est noir,” winner of the ELLE Readers Grand Prize, and two works of nonfiction, “Class Struggle: Why I Resigned from National Education,” and ”Lost Children: An Investigation in the Minors Brigade.” Her most recent novel is “Artifices.” 

Violaine Huisman is a French writer. Her debut novel, The Book of Mother, won the Prix Françoise Sagan and was long-listed for the International Booker Prize. 

This event will be held at The Montclair Public Library, 50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042. If you require any special accommodations to attend, please email montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com before the event.

RSVP Link: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/event_step2/MjI5NTAw/302271

Upcoming Book Event: Christian Allaire

Information was taken from the Montclair Literary Festivals website.

Join us on Tuesday, April 29th, at 7p.m. as Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival and the Montclair Art Museum welcome Christian Allaire in conversation about From the Rez to the Runway: Forging My Path In Fashion with moderator Elaina Patton.  Event will be held at the Montclair Art Museum.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets to hear Christian Allaire in person cost $25 general admission, $15 for MAM members and $10 for students (must have valid student ID), and do not include a copy of the book. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

This event is presented at a special discount for MAM member MAM Member Tickets.

Christian Allaire is currently Senior Fashion and Style Writer at Vogue, where he covers celebrity style, red carpet fashion, trends, emerging designers and specializes in coverage of Indigenous fashion across North America. He is First Nations (Ojibwe), Italian and French and grew up on the Nipissing First Nation reserve in Northern Ontario with dreams of working in the fashion industry. Allaire writes with feeling about the struggle to find his place—and community—in the highly exclusive world of fashion. Full of joy, honesty, adversity, and great clothes, From the Rez to the Runway: Forging My Path In Fashion

is a gripping memoir about how to achieve your dreams—and elevate others—while always remaining true to yourself.  

Elaina Patton is a New York-based freelance entertainment and culture writer and regular contributor to Vogue, IndieWire and NBC Out among others.
This event will be held at The Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042. 

If you require any

special accommodations to attend, please email montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com before the event.

Link to RSVP: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/event_step2/MjI5MzE2/301607

Cover Reveal: Sweet Chaos by Kimberly Quinn

BOOK DETAILS:

Sweet Chaos

by Kimberly Quinn

Publication: May 25, 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

The man I’m being forced to seduce is ruthless, dominant, and untouchable.
And he should be. He’s a hitman.

But now, he’s my mark, and I don’t have a choice—deliver Dex to the Bratva, or lose everything.

Playing seductress is nothing new, but the stakes are. Dex unexpectedly changes the rules, twisting the game, pushing me to stay one step ahead…

Then, he puts his hands on me.
Suddenly, I lose all control.
And in Dex’s arms, I realize maybe I never really had control of a damn thing to begin with.

What will remain amid the savage chaos we’ve created when the hunter becomes the hunted?

We’re both about to find out.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230860203-sweet-chaos

Pre-order: https://amzn.to/4cgYWSe

AUTHOR BIO:

Kimberly is a contemporary romance author, born procrastinator, and lover of morally gray heroes. She enjoys lively conversations, usually with imaginary people, and can often be found daydreaming at work.

She writes gritty, messy, dangerous romances, featuring beautifully flawed characters, pursuing love at all costs. It’s romance with rough edges.

When she’s not busy writing, you can find her with a coffee in hand, dog at her side, and exploring the wilds of her hometown in Ontario, Canada… Or on her couch, getting lost in a good story.

Author links:

https://www.kimberlyquinnbooks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/kimberlyquinnbooks

https://www.instagram.com/kimberlyquinn.books/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/27348216.Kimberly_Quinn

Upcoming Book Event: Colum McCann

Information was taken from Montclair Literary Festivals website

Succeed2gether’s Montclair Literary Festival is thrilled to welcome Colum McCann, bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin, in conversation with Garth Risk Hallberg

about McCann’s new novel Twist on Monday, April 28th at 7p.m.

This event will be held at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, 67 Church Street, Montclair, NJ 07042.

Twist is a propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean. It follows an Irish journalist assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. Resoundingly simple and turbulent at the same time, Twist is a meditation on the nature of narrative and truth from one of the great storytellers of our times.

Colum McCann is the author of eight novels, three collections of stories and two works of non-fiction. Born and raised in Ireland, he has been the recipient of many honors, including the U.S National Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, election to the Irish arts academy, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts. His work has been published in over 40 languages. His 2009 novel Let the Great World Spin has sold a million copies in the United States alone, and was voted on the New York Times Readers List, “100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” Apeirogon, published in 2020, became an immediate best-seller and won several major international awards.

Garth Risk Hallberg’s first novel, City on Fire, was an international best seller and was selected as one of the best books of 2015 by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Guardian, and Vogue, among others. It was adapted into the AppleTV+ series of the same name. In 2017, Granta named him one of the Best of Young American Novelists.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets to hear Colum McCann in person cost $35 and include a copy of Twist.

If you require any special accommodations to attend, please email montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com  before the event.

Link to RSVP: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/event_step2/MjMwMTA5/303346

Upcoming Book Event: Scott Turow

Information was taken from Montclair Literary Festival

Scott Turow ‘Presumed Guilty’

In-person – Thursday, April 17th, 7pm

Join us to welcome the wildly popular author Scott Turow in his only appearance in our area. Turow, the bestselling author of Presumed Innocent-the phenomenon that redefined the legal thriller and is the basis for Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series ever, is in conversation withSarah Lyall about Presumed Guilty, his scintillating new courtroom drama.

InPresumed Guilty, a retired judge returns to the courtroom one last time and starts to question whether the system to which he has devoted his life can ever provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.

Scott Turow, a writer and former practicing lawyer, is the author of thirteen bestselling works of fiction. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted for movies and television. Mr. Turow has also published two nonfiction books, including One L, about

his experience as a law student.

Sarah Lyall is a writer at large at The New York Times, where she writes news, features and reviews, and has a monthly column on thrillers.

This event will be held at Temple Ner Tamid 936 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets to hear Scott Turow in person cost $35 and include a copy of Presumed Guilty.

If you require any special accommodations to attend, please email montclairliteraryfestival@gmail.com  before the event.

Link to RSVP: https://www.flipcause.com/secure/event_step2/MjMwMjkz/303692

Review: Holidayville’s Lucky Easter Surprise by Renita Bryant

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This was a fun book. It mixed Easter and Leprechauns when the three children end up in Leprechaun Land. The children are out on an Easter egg hunt, hoping to find the golden egg. The person who finds the golden egg would be showcased in the newspaper. When they get transported to Leprechaun Land, they are excited to explore this other world. This book will have children excited to do an egg hunt. It’s a book that connects children with friendships, exploration, imagination, and adventure.

Author Biography

Renita’s debut novella, Yesterday Mourning, was released a decade ago to positive acclaim. Since that time, she’s published three poetry collections and a children’s book, Rihanna’s Can-Do Adventures.

In 2024 Renita is relasing the 10-Yr Anniversary Edition of Yesterday Mourning along with book 1 in her new children’s book series, Holidayville Adventures.

Renita is the Publisher at Mynd Matters Publishing (www.myndmatterspublishing.com) where she and her team have supported over 220 authors to publish over 380 books since launching in 2013.

Renita currently resides in Atlanta, GA.

Review: Cliffs, Clues, & Conspiracies by Tonya Kappes

Goodreads Blurb

Welcome to Normal where nothing is normal.

Get ready for a cozy mystery adventure with a southern twist in Cliffs, Clues, & Conspiracies!

Mae West is just hoping for a peaceful weekend at Happy Trails Campground during the Climb the Cliffs Festival in the heart of Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest. But when the festival’s star climber, James Rafferty, is found dead at the base of the Cascades, Mae’s plans for a quiet weekend crumble faster than a buttermilk biscuit.

What looks like a tragic accident turns out to be murder, and Mae armed with her sleuthing notebook and the unwavering support of the Laundry Club Ladies, is on the case.

Mae follows clues from cryptic coordinates to suspicious boot prints, she soon discovers that secrets run deep in the close-knit town of Normal, Kentucky. But with a killer determined to keep those secrets buried, Mae’s about to find out that some cliffs are more dangerous than they seem.

One thing’s for sure—this mystery is about to take a deadly turn.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

When cliffs are the perfect murder scene for an accidental death. Get ready to sleuth with Mae. When an expert climber, James Rafferty, is found dead, Mae and the Laundry Club Ladies will figure this murder in a jiffy. How far will you go to protect the environment? James made many enemies, competing in his climbing sport. His arrogance made new enemies on his way up to fame. His arrogance will get him murdered by someone who wasn’t even trying to compete with him in his sport.

Tonya led the readers to climb their way to the killer with all the clues. The characters were well developed and worked well in telling the story. I loved how the Laundry Club Ladies work well at solving murders. They are funny and are great at piecing together the evidence in order to solve the murder. Tonya’s storytelling will transport the readers to Normal to help Mae solve this murder.

Author Biography

Tonya Kappes has written more than 180 southern cozy mysteries, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today . Best known for stories charged with southern charm, emotion and humor and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband in northern Kentucky. Now that her four boys have flown out of the nest, Tonya writes full-time in her camper!

You can find her all over social media and at Tonyakappes.com .