Home » Posts tagged 'resort'
Tag Archives: resort
Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands–connecting at Christmas
Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands
by Donna Ashcroft
This story is about friendship, handling grief, and being controlled by others. Ross feels guilty over his parents’ deaths and his grandmother and older brother Simon seem to blame him as well. Grandmother Miriam is extremely harsh and controlling and has been grooming Simon for his role as Laird since his parents’ passing. Anything to do with Ross warranted only a passing thought.
Ivy Heart had lost her father to a heart attack. Her mother had to try unsuccessfully to salvage his failing business and wants her daughter to never have to struggle to survive. So she tries to control Ivy’s career choice.
There are interesting characters along the way—supportive ones like Connell and Bonnibell, part owners of Christmas Resort where Ross works as an adventure guide, and the curmudgeon loner Grizzle, a reluctant friend to Ross. Ross has two pets: a golden retriever Moose and a wild boar Snowball.
Ross and Ivy are attracted to each other, but Miriam’s manipulations cause trouble. Ross and Ivy have to come to grips with their pasts and what they want for the future.
Ivy and Ross were not really characters that drew me in. I liked the animals in the story better than the people. I found Ross’ relationship as an adult with his grandmother and Ivy’s with her mother to be unrealistic. The expectations of the adults were intertwined, but focused on their own emotional needs more than those of Ross and Ivy.
I enjoyed Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands to the extent that I wanted what was best for the protagonists, but I wasn’t engaged in how they accomplished that end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: 1. #4 in the Christmas Village Series, but can be read as a standalone
2. Contains one open door bedroom scene.
Publication: September 18, 2024—Bookouture
Memorable Lines:
…he turned and headed towards the hallway, leaving Ivy feeling even more confused—because this was a man who wouldn’t speak to his own grandmother, but who’d brave bad weather to check on a friend.
“It takes a brave person to risk love and a stupid one to think they’d be happier without it.”
His whole life felt like it had just been through a washing machine cycle and everything he used to take comfort from had been rinsed away.
Shielding the Baby–a K-9 mystery/romance
Shielding the Baby
by Laura Scott
Officer Danica Hayes and her K9 partner Hutch, a German Shepherd, work with the Pacific Northwest K9 Unit. They are called out to a double murder at a bridge in the Mount Rainier area. While investigating that case, she interviews Luke Stark, the brother of the female victim, Stacey. She was a co-owner with a friend of three resorts in the area. Luke, a recently divorced medic, was released from the Army when his ex-wife died in a car accident. He is adjusting to life as a single parent to his adorable nine month old son Caden. They live at the resort.
After Danica meets with Luke, there are various attacks on both Danica and Luke and attempted kidnappings of little Caden. Danica moves into the resort to try to protect the father and son. Caden loves Hutch who has multiple skills as a K9 officer and is instinctively very protective of Caden.
The story moves rapidly as Danica tries to discover the identity of the murderer and the assailant. She needs to determine if one person is responsible for all of the crimes, and if so what could the motivation possibly be? Meanwhile, a romance develops between Luke and Danica, as they hesitantly open up to each other despite Luke’s marriage failure and Danica’s childhood trauma. Danica’s faith in God inspires Luke to examine his own faith and renews his interest in having a closer relationship with God.
I enjoyed this page turner. It’s always interesting to read about the skills of K9 officers and their bonds with their human partners. I hope to read other books in this series and others by Laura Scott.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Mystery, Christian
Notes: 1. Harlequin designates this book as “Inspirational Romance/Love Inspired Suspense” which helps readers know if this is a good choice for them.
2. #1 in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Series. Some threads were neatly tied, but there were other major threads left dangling. This is a series of eight books all written by different authors. I’m not sure how they will be connected. I do know that Colt and his dog, minor characters in this book, will take center stage in the next book, Scent of Truth by Valerie Hansen. I can’t tell if the unresolved issues will be sorted out in the second book of the series.
Publication: March 28, 2023—Harlequin Romance
Memorable Lines:
Shame on her for thinking the worst. Blame it on her tumultuous childhood.
The Pacific Northwest K9 Unit had been founded ten years ago, primarily funded through a generous federal grant bankrolled by Roland Evans, a philanthropist who strongly believed in their core mission of solving the most difficult crimes that transpired throughout several police jurisdictions in Washington State, including the three national parks.
Once he’d held his own on the battlefield, wielding a rifle while caring for injured soldiers, but civilian life, especially being a readymade father, was something completely outside his wheelhouse.
Frozen Detective–ski resort mystery
Frozen Detective
by Amanda Flower
I returned for a second serving of the Piper & Porter Mystery Series with the cozy mystery Frozen Detective. Darby Piper and Tate Porter are still getting used to working together as private investigators in the Finger Lakes area. Needing more work than just background checks, they accept a job from Cecily, Tate’s old classmate, from Harrington, NY. Clearly, now a sophisticated and rich businesswoman from New York City, Cecily hires the duo to find out who is sending threatening notes to her husband.
Darby and Tate find themselves working undercover at the Garden Peak Lodge, the most expensive ski resort in the area as “guests” of Cecily and her husband Dr. Madd, a dermatologist with a successful line of expensive skincare products. After a New Year’s Eve bash with a lot of uncomfortable guests, Darby spots someone lying in the snow in the early morning chill. Darby and Tate’s investigations, of course, refocus to find the murderer. There are lots of people invited to the weekend with motivation and opportunity. The spotlight bounces to various possibilities including the victim’s daughter and son. The clock is ticking as guests are eager to leave since the host, their potential gravy train, is out of the picture and a blizzard is on the way. Will Piper and Tate be able to solve the crime with the help of Tiny a lovable St. Bernard?
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: # 2 in the Piper & Porter Mystery Series but could be read as a standalone.
Publication: December 6, 2022—Hallmark
Memorable Lines:
“I’m usually easy to find around the lodge. Tiny is always at my side.” He let his hand rest on the massive dog’s head.”
There weren’t many things I was afraid of, but hurling myself down the face of a mountain on a couple of slick boards was one of them. Any bravado I’d been feeling when I first said yes to the idea had dissipated.
Instead of doing as I asked, he ran farther away from us and then stopped to look back. He barked again. “He wants us to follow him,” I said. “Sheesh, did this dog go to Lassie school or something?” Tate wanted to know.
A Stranger’s Game–from the boardroom to a boardgame
A Stranger’s Game
by Colleen Coble
Torie Berg introduces herself at Jekyll Island Club Resort as their new IT specialist. In reality, as the daughter of the owner of a huge resort chain, she spent her early childhood there. After eighteen years she has returned to find out what happened to her best friend Lisbeth who recently died while tracking down leads on Torie’s mother’s death.
Someone recognizes Torie and wants her to abandon her investigation. Who knows how far this creepy person will go in intimidating her and what their motive might be. Is it personal or does it have anything to do with the war games the Navy is conducting? Is Torie getting too close to the truth or does this involve the many important visitors the hotel is expecting for a major financial meeting?
Joe Abbott trains dolphins to intercept saboteurs and lives at the resort with his eight year old daughter Hailey in exchange for providing security. He is caught up in issues with the Navy when Simon, a dolphin he is training, catches a diver planting a bomb. As Torie’s neighbor on Jekyll Island, Joe becomes involved in protecting her from a mysterious stalker. He has not been interested in dating in the three years since his wife died, but he is attracted to Torie and she is drawn to his daughter Hailey as they share a sense of loss that both experienced in losing their mothers as children.
A Stranger’s Game is a fast-paced mystery that includes some psychological creepiness and suspense, but not enough for me to classify it as a thriller. It has a touch of clean romance, but the emphasis is on the plot. The Jekyll Island Club Resort setting is critical to the story. The characters are allowed to develop as the story progresses. The novel contains adventure and three major plot lines along with cross threads that give the book both color and cohesion. I did not guess the identity of the criminals behind the detailed plotting of various crimes or those who executed the plans. Well done! Colleen Coble has created a standalone that will send you looking for more of her books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery, Christian Fiction, Romantic Suspense
Notes: Standalone
Publication: January 4, 2022—Thomas Nelson Fiction
Memorable Lines:
“It’s hard to understand even for adults. But evil things happen to all of us, honey. Hard things, bad things. We don’t understand and a lot of the time, we can’t understand because we aren’t God. When those times come—and they come to everyone—all we can do is trust that God loves us.”
“By its very nature, life involves loss. If we stop taking chances, stop living our lives, we might as well crawl in the grave and let someone kick the dirt over us. Real life is worth the risk.”
The reserve she’d donned all her life had made ruts through her soul, tracks she followed like a mule plodding a well-worn trail.
A Fatal Fiction–editing can be dangerous
A Fatal Fiction
by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Mikki Lincoln is a retired middle school English teacher in Kaitlyn Dunnett’s A Fatal Fiction. In order to remodel her childhood home that has been neglected for many years, she supplements her retirement income using her skills as a copy editor. She lived in Maine for about fifty years, but has returned to her hometown, Lenape Hollow, NY. While stopped at a gas station, seventy year old Mikki is verbally attacked by a very angry businessman who has cheated a lot of people over the years by luring them into failing investments. Video of the encounter goes viral, even though Mikki never understood the cause of his anger. Mikki is the prime suspect when her attacker, CEO Greg Onslow, is found dead on one of the properties his company is developing.
Mikki is determined to discover who killed Onslow, but he was not a very nice man, so there are multiple suspects. Friends and family discourage her investigations as they seem dangerous at times.
The editing aspect of the story revolves around Sunny Feldman, last of the owners of a famous resort in the Catskills. She has hired Mikki to edit her semi tell-all memoirs of the celebrities who frequented the resort when she was a teenager. Onslow has bought the property for a development venture. Could their interests be colliding to cause these problems? Could Onslow’s ex-wife or even his second wife have killed him? There are some interesting locals who may have been involved as well. Most importantly, will the murderer set his or her sights on Mikki to cover up the crime and stop the investigation?
I would like to extend my thanks to Netgalley and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #3 in the Deadly Edits Mystery Series, but will work as a standalone.
2. At the end of the book, there is a section that will especially appeal to those who love language. It is composed of several pages of language and grammar tips including warnings on split infinitives, dangling modifiers, and usage of the terms swearing and foul language. The tips are interesting and often humorous.
Publication: June 30, 2020—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
Warmth crept up my neck and into my face. I was torn between feeling a sense of pride for standing up for myself and enduring acute embarrassment because I’d lost control.
Since I used the “teacher” voice I’d perfected over decades of dealing with junior high students, he caved, but he wasn’t happy about it. I’d have said he was sulking, except that there was a definite look of panic in his eyes.
Unfortunately, to properly put on the airs of a grand dame one really needs to be sipping tea from a delicate china cup. I was drinking my coffee out of a Star Wars mug, a Christmas present from my great-niece.
Thanksgiving in Paradise–Serenity doesn’t live up to its name
Thanksgiving in Paradise
by Kathi Daley
The gang is all back in the township of Serenity located near Paradise Lake when danger explodes, quite literally, in the town hall. Tj, a P.E teacher who helps her family run a resort, and her wealthy, tech savvy boyfriend, Kyle, team up with Deputy Roy Fisher to get to the bottom of the mystery. Was the explosion aimed at the building or at an individual? How was the bombing achieved? There are certainly more questions than answers as the shady side of quiet Paradise comes to light.
The plot elements are well done, and I enjoyed reading Thanksgiving in Paradise. I had two issues which I was willing to overlook as I do enjoy the series. One problem arises from the ease with which Deputy Roy shares information with Tj and Kyle, who then share it with family and friends. I had to keep reminding myself that they are close friends, it is a small town, and the deputies are shorthanded. Although skeptical, I must admit that the team effort pays off. Another minor irritation is the number of times author Kathi Daley tells the reader that Tj pauses giving herself or the person she is talking to time to gather their thoughts. Otherwise, Thanksgiving in Paradise is a fun read with a complicated plot and a successful resolution.
I would like to extend my thanks to Edelweiss and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: Could be read as a standalone, but be advised that it is #10 in the Tj Jensen Mystery Series.
Publication: October 8, 2019—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
I’m the worst person ever,” I said to Jenna two hours later after we settled in at her kitchen table with cups of coffee. “The worst person ever? Wow, that’s quite a claim. I imagine you have some sort of evidence to back up such a grandiose statement?”
I knew that I was doing what I have a tendency to do, which was to make things a lot more complicated than they needed to be.
It’s rare for the entire staff of a high school to be a fan of the principal, but in Greg’s case I can’t think of a single staff member who doesn’t admire and truly like him.
Killer Party–a good one!
Killer Party
by Lynn Cahoon
I had read the eighth book in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series by popular cozy mystery author Lynn Cahoon and was not excited as it focused more on extraneous details of the main character’s personal life and less on the mystery. I am so glad I gave this series and author another chance with Killer Party.
Set at The Castle, a luxurious resort/museum in South Cove, a small town in California, this tale finds Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More celebrating the upcoming marriage of her boyfriend Greg’s old college buddy. Cahoon does a great job of familiarizing the reader with old characters and introducing new ones, while jumping right into the plot. My favorite new character and coffee shop employee is Deek, who initially appears to be a disaster in the waiting. Despite calling everyone “Dude,” Deek is a talented, well-educated young man with great enthusiasm for his work.
There are lots of suspects and threads to the plot. Greg, who is the local police chief, is forced to investigate informally with Jill since he is a friend of the victim. Side issues evolve with Jill’s Aunt Jackie who is planning her own wedding.
Killer Party is fun, interesting and an all-round good cozy mystery. What’s next, Ms. Cahoon? I’m ready!
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Kensington Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #9 in the Tourist Trap Mystery Series, but works as a standalone
Publication: July 18, 2017—Kensington Books
Memorable Lines:
Actually I wasn’t sure why I was apologizing to this woman I’d never met before. I’d read a book that said one of the ways women give up their power is by saying I’m sorry for things that weren’t their fault.
I needed to have one good meal before we started skirting the law. It was part of the investigators handbook. Or at the least the one I was going to write someday after I made all the mistakes first.
I liked doing laundry. It calmed me in some weird way. Take something dirty and stained and make that all go away. Too bad life wasn’t like that.
Treasure in Paradise–family style resort
Treasure in Paradise
by Kathi Daley
Having read the first book in the Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Series, I was eager to read the newly released seventh book, Treasure in Paradise. It opens with the captivating “There is magic in beginnings.”
I must admit that although Tj Jensen stumbles onto a crime scene in the first chapter, it took me a little while to orient myself. I don’t think the fault of the confusion lies with the author but with my expectations. The series up to this point is set in a family owned resort in the mountains in Serenity, Nevada. In this book we find Tj spending the summer supervising the restoration of Turtle Cove Resort in South Carolina for a family friend who has had a stroke. She brings along four familiar faces, but we are also introduced to a whole new cast of characters.
Treasure in Paradise has interesting characters whom Tj and the reader meet in her efforts to discover the killer of the man she found murdered at the resort and a long lost treasure map of pirate vintage. She also has conflicts with a resort developer and a sheriff who seems to be hiding something. There are some relationship developments as Tj struggles with two half-sisters uprooted for the summer, her friend Kyle, and her father’s impending marriage.
I recommend this cozy mystery and am looking forward to the next one in the series, Fireworks in Paradise, to be released in October of 2017.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Henery Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, General Fiction (Adult)
Notes: This series is one of five created by Kathi Daley
Publication: April 11, 2017—Henery Press
Memorable Lines:
There is magic in beginnings. some beginnings come as a rite of passage, such as a graduation from college, the birth of a child, or a wedding day. Other beginnings start off more subtly, as nothing more than an ordinary moment that evolves into a crucial event that, in the end, helps define who you are and who you will become.
“…even if you find Prince Charming and he’s everything that you ever thought you’d want, sometimes that isn’t enough. My grandmother used to say that love isn’t logical, that sometimes you just have to trust your heart to find the other half of itself.”
I knew in my heart that sometimes seeking justice wasn’t justified at all.
education pathways 