Hunting Prince Dracula(Stalking Jack The Ripper,#2)

 

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Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine... and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend. 

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.
In this New York Times bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco's haunting #1 debut Stalking Jack the Ripper, bizarre murders are discovered in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life? 

 

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 Magnificat. Magical. Those are only a couple of words to describe HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA . I should know after reading STALKING JACK THE RIPPER over the summer. I was curious about Audrey Rose and how she dealt with Jack The Ripper's identity's shocking discovery. I cannot believe that I waited this long to read the next book in the series. I loved the first book, but this one… was the one that made me fall in love with the series and Thomas. I liked him in the first book, but after reading HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA he became one of my favorite characters, besides Audrey Rose. Since the ending of the first book, I wondered how the two of them would do at the school, what adventures they would have to face there. I loved all the descriptions. KERRI MANISCALO has such vivid descriptions of what was happening, the atmosphere. It was easy to picture the school, Romania, despite never being there. After reading the book, I wanted to go to Romania for a chance to explore it myself. 

I loved how the book kept you guessing. The suspense remained all through the end, up until the shocking discovery. It was like a real mystery, where you wonder who the killer is, up until the end. This type of puzzle is my favorites. My favorite parts were when Thomas and Audrey Rose were gathering up clues, trying to figure out what was going on. After what happened last time, I did not think that Audrey Rose would want to involve in another mystery. I would never guess the identity of the real killer. I am not sure if I want to believe it. I don't think that I have the words to describe how I felt, once the truth was discovered. Now I am eager to see what happens with Audrey Rose and Thomas next. I loved the scenes between Thomas and Audrey Rose the most; it's clear to anybody who is reading how crazy they are about each other. All through the book, I was waiting for them to figure it out for themselves. I wanted them to figure it out. 

Don't you love the titles? That was one of the first things I noticed about the books. I am glad that I picked up and read it. A series that I could get lost in. I was wishing that I was reading while I was doing homework. I wanted to keep on reading until the end. I found myself transformed into the castle, trying to solve the mystery along with Audrey Rose and Thomas. HUNTING PRINCE DRACULA is not a book you can forget, it's a book that you will be telling all your friends about. I was. As I read the book, I found myself remembering all the Anatomy terms I had studied in my Anatomy class this semester. For me, it was easy to understand because I knew what they were talking about. I could not get enough of the story; I was on the edge of my seat until the end. I cannot wait to see where their next case will take them.

The Last Train To Key West (The Cuba Saga,#3)

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In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton's captivating new novel.

 
Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. 

The Cuban Revolution of 1933 left Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position. After an arranged wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to the stranger she’s married, her new husband’s illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. 

Elizabeth Preston's trip from New York to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles as a result of the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. 

Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys 

 

 

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Thrilling. Mysterious. Powerful. 

THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is filled with adventures. When I came across the book, I had a good feeling about this book. On the other hand, I did not have high expectations when I picked up because this author is new to me. I should have. After a few pages into the story, I was hooked. I could not get enough of the story, and only after a few chapters, I felt as if I knew Mirta, Helen, and Elizabeth. I loved reading the story from their point of view, and each of them had their own story to tell, the reason for ending up on Key West. Interestingly, at some point in the book, all the three women ended up meeting one another at some point, connected. As you read the story, you could not help but wonder what to come for the women next, if they were going to survive this hurricane. There were many emotions in the book, yet it was almost impossible to put down. Every page had you craving for more. 

I have been to Key West in the past, but that was years ago. Yet as I read THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST , it felt as I was going back there, except at a different time. I have been through a hurricane in the past, but it was not as strong as Key West experienced that Labor Day. I can only imagine how they must be feeling at that time. I could feel their fear. I was hoping that they would make it through it. I loved all of the three women; I don’t think that I would pick a favorite. Helen was the one I was the most one that I was scared for, hoping that she could escape him; I don’t know how she lived in that fear for such a long time. I loved the relationship that Mirta developed with his husband, considering it was an arranged marriage. I was surprised how he cared about her, and it did not take long to see the love he had, how he wanted for the marriage to work. I am curious about what happened to them afterward. 

All these women had something in common; they were trying to escape something. Despite what they faced, they were all strong, and all of them had hope for a better life. THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is unlike any of the other historical fiction books I read this year, and of the reasons that I fell in love with it. This is the story that will stay with you, a story that you will find yourself coming back to. Now that I have read a book by CHANEL CLEETON , I am excited to check her other books out. THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST deserves much more than five stars. It’s real. It’s extraordinary.

Daisy Jones & The Six.

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A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up. Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. 

Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. 

 

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 Intoxicating. Extraordinary. Thrilling. 

This book… There are so many words I could use to describe what I read. I cannot stop thinking about the characters, the story. How did I not read this book sooner? DAISY JONES & THE SIX is the book that I have heard for some time. Now that I read it, I cannot get out of my mind; I do not think that I ever will. DAISY JONES & THE SIX isn’t a real band, and yet it felt real to me. I wanted them to be real, for their music to be real. I felt as I was there along with Daisy, with the band, making music with them. The emotions in this book, I felt everything they felt, were the struggles they were going through. How could I not? Everything that they faced’s everything that can happen in real life. As I read DAISY JONES &THE SIX I felt watching a documentary. Sometimes it was hard to believe that it was not real. 

The music, those lyrics at the end of the book. It had me wishing that the band were real so that I could hear them. I was glad that she posted the lyrics to the songs at the end of the book. I loved the way that book was written, unlike any of the other books that I have read. DAISY JONES & THE SIX was written in interview transcript format from everyone. It made the story like a documentary, more real. I love that the book explored addiction so well and portrayed the way that addiction should be. It’s not something you can get rid of, and it’s not something that you will admit that you have. It showed how fast you could go downhill with addiction. I did wonder if Billy will get back into addiction when Daisy joined the band. I saw the connection, the attraction between Daisy and Billy, and I wondered if Daisy would end up being the one who will end their marriage. It did not take long to see how Daisy felt about Billy. That’s why I wasn’t all that surprised by the ending of the book. 

I loved how all the women in the book, how strong they were. No matter how they were feeling, they never let anyone take advantage of them. It was hard not to like them. There wasn’t anything about this book that I didn’t enjoy. I have read a book about a band before, but it wasn’t anything like this. DAISY JONES & THE SIX had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning and until the end. It’s a story that I will never forget. It’s a story that I will come back to. It was a masterpiece. A must-read.

Three Hours In Paris.

  

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  Kate Rees, a young American markswoman, has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris with a dangerous assignment: assassinate the Führer. Wrecked by grief after a Luftwaffe bombing killed her husband and infant daughter, she is armed with a rifle, a vendetta, and a fierce resolve. But other than rushed and rudimentary instruction, she has no formal spy training. Thrust into the red-hot center of the war, a country girl from rural Oregon finds herself holding the fate of the world in her hands. When Kate misses her mark and the plan unravels, Kate is on the run for her life—all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up. 

Cara Black, doyenne of the Parisian crime novel, is at her best as she brings Occupation-era France to vivid life in this gripping story about one young woman with the temerity—and drive take on Hitler himself. 

 

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 When I came across this book at the library, I didn't know what to expect. I had not read this author before. I am always eager to check new authors. Some of my favorites, that's how I discovered them, by coming across their book. I enjoyed this book, just not the way that I thought I would. I love historical fiction, and especially books that take place during World War 2. There were interesting parts in the book that wanted me to keep on reading. This year, I read a few books that dealt with resistance, and it's a fascinating subject for me to read about. That was one of my favorite parts of these books. You couldn't help but wonder if Kate would get caught, and what would happen to her if she did. Would she break under pressure? I thought that Kate was a strong character and dedicated. Not once did she give up. I loved her character from the start. Kate was the one character who developed the most in the story. 

Twists, that was another that I loved in the story. THREE HOURS IN PARIS had few unexpected twists that even I did not see coming. They had me turning the pages to see what would happen next to her husband and daughter. I could not imagine how she felt, how heartbroken she was. To lose her family in one night. It's no wonder that she was angry. If it were me, I would not have made it as far as she had. I did feel that the book was a bit slow and a bit too long for my taste. There were parts of the book that thought that they were dragging on. I enjoyed reading the book, and there were relatively few exciting parts that made the book enjoyable to read. However, it was not the best book that I read about World War 2. If you like historical fiction, it is a book that is worth giving a try.

Case For Jamie (Charlotte Holmes,#3)

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CONTAINS SPOILERS

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken.

Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for. 

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex—and Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows her Watson can’t forgive her. 

Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but when strange things start happening, it’s clear that someone wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time.
Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead. 

 

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I love mysteries. I had loved mysteries from the moment I read Nancy Drew in middle school. However, it’s Sherlock Holmes that had me falling in love with mysteries. It’s one of my favorite genres to read. I had came across Charlotte Holmes in 2016. I couldn’t help but be curious about the series. I ended up re-reading the first book so I could read CASE FOR JAMIE . I cannot get enough of these books, and after reading CASE FOR JAMIE , I am eager to pick up the next book in the series; how can I not? I loved that Charlotte’s POV was introduced in this book. From the moment that I started reading the books, I was curious about how Charlotte was feeling, what she was thinking. Charlotte Holmes Is one series that I wished I discovered sooner than I have. I wish that Charlotte and Jamie were not separated for most of the book, but I understood why they were. I was wondering what would happen between the two of them since the ending of the last book. I was waiting for them to reunite and realize that they need each other. 

I loved the first two books. However, CASE FOR JAMIE was my favorite of the series so far. It had me wishing that I didn’t have classes. I wanted to keep on reading; I wanted to see what happened with them. If the two of them would make up. The two of them were like Sherlock and Watson. Their bond. Their friendship. I wasn’t sure if they were good together, in a relationship. Anytime they tried, something happened. It seemed that whenever Jamie was with Charlotte, something bad happened. Yet, they wouldn’t be able to do it on their own. At least that is the feeling I got. I am eager to see what happens to the two of them next. Most of all, what trouble they will find each other in next. CASE FOR JAMIE will have you turning page after page. One chapter will turn into ten more. I don’t think I can’t count how many times I told myself I would stop, only to find myself reading for two more hours. This is not a book you will want to put down. 

I don’t remember the last time I like characters, as much as I love Charlotte and Jamie. I feel as they became my friends. They are the type of people I would befriend. However, Charlotte can be a little intense and scary at times. This is a series I will be re-reading multiple times. It is a series that I recommended to my friends. It’s one of the books that I don’t want to come to an end. Yet, at the same time, I do wonder what will happen. Especially with Jamie and Charlotte, will two of them end up together or remain best friends. As you reach the end of the book, the questions that you find yourself asking. I was curious who was messing with Jamie and why. I knew that if anyone could help him figure out, it’s Charlotte. I wonder what case they will end up solving next. Do you love mysteries? Even if you were a fan of Sherlock Holmes, this is a series that you will not want to miss. Be ready for the adventure of a lifetime!