A gruesome murder, a loved-one’s betrayal, and her missing sister are more than enough for Tara-Grace to contend with. Now she’s forced to come back to her hometown to claim her inheritance―the family home and equine therapy business.
Bizarre and disturbing events, a child who can’t talk, and the threat of imminent danger are enough to push anyone over the edge.
Animal lover and chocolate addict, I write contemporary small town Romantic Suspense, Romantic Mysteries and Romantic Comedy. In-your-face, spicy, zany, sassy, suspenseful, terrifying, chilling and definitely in bad taste.
One of my publishers, Soul Mate Publishing, went out of business and 5 of my novels disappeared off the internet. On January 15th, 2025, I just re-published CAPRICORN CRAVINGS. Reviews and ratings are thankfully to be seen here on Goodreads. Check it out.
The two main points of view are Tara and Jared. I started off liking both of them and their relationship but as the book progressed I started to feel like their relationship was forced and that neither character was really relatable. Which sucks because at the start I really liked them both and the way they were together. That all started to fall apart about halfway through where it felt like their liked their history together more than each other and I didn’t feel that spark. Cassie also got some time in the limelight but even though her story was super compelling and I liked her alot, I also felt like her character was an inch thick.
Plot
This started out super strong. I kept wondering who the killer could be and would it be some amazing twist on who it was. The setting was easy to fall into and the romance enjoyable at the start. Everything had a down to Earth feel that had this quiet grittiness to it. About halfway through the romance turned on its head and the mystery in the last quarter was awkward instead of captivating. That being said the book did a great job of keeping the suspense up, enough that I was curious how it would end. Also there is one small twist that is hinted earlier in the book and totally linked in but it had this far-fetched feeling in the end. Making the mystery aspect just so-so.
Overall
There is a subtle suspense throughout the book that did a good job of building the tension. However, Tara really went down hill as a character and made some really questionable choices about her business that put people’s lives at risk. After that, even though see seemed like such a tough but loving character, I had a hard time respecting her. Jared was a sweetie and my only problem was how he was with Tara. Like he was constantly “in love with her” but it didn’t feel genuine. More like he was trying to recapture who he was before he served time.
In the end there was this awkward feeling of “these are flawed characters and this had such a real feel to it” being mashed together with “these scenes and scenarios feel far-fetched and not grounded” that was only saved by its excellent suspense and strong start. I did like the big showdown at the end too and can see some amazing potential with this writer’s style as it was an enjoyable read, just needs some work on characters and plot. I’d give this author’s books another shot in the future.
Rating
3.5 stars (rounded down)
A suspenseful story whose mystery and romance were strong out of the gate but lost ground.
I received an ARC from the author thru Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving my review. This is this first book that I have read of Trish's and I really enjoyed it. The twists and turns in the storyline kept me reading. He is to be executed for killing her loved ones. A crime he didn't commit. Their second attempt at love covers all emotions. There are things uncovered that might break thru her hate and his need for revenge. But can they find their way thru years of pain and get to the bottom of it all? You need to read this story and discover an author that can spin a story into a great book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Tempestuous Taurus is a romantic suspense novel set in Texas. Tara has inherited her parent’s equine therapy centre along with her siblings, but her sister is missing and her brother isn’t interested in being a part of it.
The centre has recently been run by Tara’s aunt after her parents were viciously murdered, but now her aunt has passed away too and Tara must come back and face some emotional hurdles. One of those is renewed acquaintance with her childhood sweetheart Jared; the man that was once accused of killing her parents.
The story starts well and I enjoyed the first half of the book, with chapters mainly alternating between Tara and Jared. Then suddenly there is a chapter from Tara’s missing sister, for me this jarred the flow of the story and I didn’t think it added anything to the main theme at this point. Later chapters contained a mix of paragraphs from different characters with no indication that the narrator had changed, which was confusing to the extent that it felt as though the editing had ended at the half way point.
I liked Tara and Jared when I first met them, but I thought that the author missed opportunities to develop them into rounded and believable personalities as the story developed. Tara’s sister is described as being autistic, but sadly I was never convinced of this in any of her characteristics or actions. Overall, I liked the idea of the story but it lost its way after a good start.
This is my first book from this author and I will definitely be checking out more in the future. It was a good read that pulled me in and kept me reading right until the end. There was enough going on to hold my interest and not want to put it down.
This book had several elements going for it. A bit of second chance romance, with a huge hurdle to overcome. A murder mystery. A missing sibling. A family business in trouble. Oh, and what's going on with the horses? So, there were a whole lot of things to hold suspense tight throughout.
I enjoyed the pace and the way the plot lines wove together. There were a few things that kept it from being great for me, personally. The romance was a bit off, taking a back burner to the mysteries. And there were a few too many explanation passages shoved in. However, with everything else going on, it ended up being a good read that held me until the end.
On a side note, I liked the inclusion of the horses and the therapy. It was something I never read about, but added a tender quality to the story.
Tempestuous Taurus had everything I love in a romantic suspense. The mystery had me flipping through the pages, while the devastating heartbreak had me rooting for Tara and Jared. I also wondered if Cassie's disappearance had anything to do with what was happening at the center. Was there a connection? All of my questions were answered as the story line unfolded.
All in all, I enjoyed the first book in the Zodiac Series and look forward to the next.
A gruesome murder, a loved-one’s betrayal, and her missing sister are more than enough for Tara-Grace to contend with. Now she’s forced to come back to her hometown to claim her inheritance―the family home and equine therapy business.
Bizarre and disturbing events, a child who can’t talk, and the threat of imminent danger are enough to push anyone over the edge.
Another awesome book I couldn't put down until I finished. Kept me in suspense to keep reading. Love the characters and how well written that I can imagine the scenes. I recommend this book.