Was it death by donut or something far more sinister?Drama ensues when the president of the Oak Peak knitting club is found dead, a half-eaten donut at her side.
When the death is ruled a murder, reporter Tilly Bordeaux is tasked with writing the story. As she dives into the life of the deceased, she uncovers a woman who attempted to make a stand for herself, but instead, made enemies with everyone.
As the list of potential killers becomes longer, Tilly’s desire to find the murderer grows. When she confronts the killer, a shocking scandal is revealed that will set the Oak Peak gossip vine on fire and give Tilly the biggest story of her career… if she can survive.
USA Today bestselling author Carly Winter writes fun, small town cozy mysteries, always with a dash of humor and quirky characters. When not writing, you can find her spending time with her family, on a Pilates reformer or enjoying the fantastic Arizona weather (except summer - she doesn't like summer). She does like dogs, wine and chocolate and wishes Christmas happened twice a year.
A cold and slippery mystery... This is the first book I've read by this author. And I loved it! A lot of interesting, funny, kind and weird characters. A main character you can relate to. Likeable, but not perfect. And, of course, a good mystery to solve! And, this book may be a part of a series, you can read it very well as a standalone. But: I can't wait to read more books in this series! I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Attacked by a demon. Rescued by an Angel of Death. A reincarnated princess with no clue of her past.
When an astrological event causes the universal seals to break, the sleepy town of Saint's Grove, Virginia, is overrun with paranormal entities.
In the mayhem, bakery owner, Arabella "Bella" Franklin is attacked by a demon. Rescued by an Angel of Death. A reincarnated princess with no clue of her past.
When an astrological event causes the universal seals to break, the sleepy town of Saint's Grove, Virginia, is overrun with paranormal entities.
In the mayhem, bakery owner, Arabella "Bella" Franklin is attacked by a demon, and Jayden, an Angel of Death, comes to her rescue. Unlike Bella, who cannot recall her past life, Jayden has never forgotten the passion they shared centuries earlier. Their reunion will give him an opportunity to rekindle their bond, as well as regain his life as a human. But first, he must convince Bella of her former life and the love they once felt for one another.
With only seven days until the universal seals repair, memories of Bella's past life begin to surface, as does the knowledge that if she can't kill the demon before the time is up, she-and possibly Jayden-may be forced to spend eternity in Hell. If you like Diana Gabaldon, you will enjoy this book!
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REVIEW: 4.25 stars--SHADOWS OF THE PAST by Carly Fall is part of the multi-authored SAINTS GROVE paranormal series focusing on the town of Saint’s Grove, Virginia in the aftermath of a total lunar eclipse, and the alignment of the planets, that will open a portal to the otherworld releasing all mythical beings for an epic battle of Good versus Evil. This is the Angel of Death Jayden, and bakery owner Arabella ‘Bella’ Franklin’s story line-a time travel, second chance romance.
WARNING: There are scenes of violence and abuse that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Jayden and Bella) using present day and memories from the past, SHADOWS OF THE PAST follows the rekindling romance between Jayden and Arabella, a love affair that was destroyed centuries earlier, but a love that has withstood the test of time. Arabella finds herself caught up in the chaos following the alignment of the planets, only to come face to face with a wingless angel, an angel who knows more about Arabella that she could have ever imagined. As Jayden plays protector and guardian of our story line heroine, Bella will soon discover that the life she leads is not the first life of which she has lived and died. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Jayden and Bella, and the potential fall-out as Bella finds herself targeted by someone from the past.
Bella Franklin has lived two lives, and in both lives our heroine has fallen in love with her would-be protector. Centuries earlier Arabella was forced into a marriage with an abusive man who ended her life but not before our heroine fell in love with her guardian knight. Fast forward to present day wherein Arabella’s past comes seeking revenge forcing Jayden to beg Heaven for a chance to protect the woman he loves.
SHADOWS OF THE PAST is a second chance romance; a rekindling relationship destroyed by power, control, torture and abuse. The premise is engaging and captivating; the characters are strong, energetic and colorful; the romance is seductive, passionate and intense but I struggled with the use of a certain four-letter word I don’t feel is necessary in a romance story line. Carly Fall pulls the reader into a fascinating and enchanting look at the paranormal.
The synopsis pretty much states what the story is about; so I won't go into details on that. The author was on the a good path with the concept of the Arch Angel sending Jayden, Angel of Death, back to Earth to protect his love, Arabella, from dying a second death, from a demon, Ulric.
I will say my feelings were mixed. There were "interesting moments" but then there were just "story telling" moments. What do I mean by story telling? Hypothetically: It would be as if you were sitting in the library and the volunteer reader was reading "some history" to the crowd. The crowd's attention seems to be spanning from interest to disinterest.
The story opens up with Jayden being summoned by his boss, Saint Michael the Arch Angel. Jayden finds out the love of his life has been reincarnated and will soon be in danger. Jayden couldn't wait to see her again; even though he new Arabella wouldn't know him. Fast forward immediately and the rims have open and the paranormal mayhem is in Saint Grove where Arabella resides.
To me.. The intense level was a 3. For all the evil that came through, nothing much happen other than the intial fallout and that was pretty slim. Saint Grove was pretty quite. Needs more intensity.
The character connection: Wasn't there. The story travels back & forth from present to past. In the past, you get to read about how they met, the growth of their love. In the present, for Bella the recognition/love was more of an internal feeling and for Jayden, we read pages on how he long to touch her again. When they do touch, it was like Bella just new. Other than him teaching her to fight and him telling her stories of what they were; there wasn't much going on with the building of the connection. I wish there was some type of push/pull - bantering - to give it some character excitement.
Dual POV
The main points; Bella must be the one to kill Ulric If Jayden could stay with Bella, she must say it.
If you took out the history of the story, you are left with the main points. You would think there would be some high intense fighting, tons of blood shed, etc. but really everything went down smooth and quickly. The whole story seemed more flatline with a few valleys but no hills or mountains.
Overall, my above review makes it sould like this should have been more of a 1 or 2 star. There wasn't much excitement to say about it. But overall, i did like it. It just needed just some of the elements I prefer; such as, push/pull, bantering, moments of high intensity-keep you on the edge, etc.
*Spoiler Alert* I loved The more than men series which was also set in Saints Grove at the same time as this book. When the same event from that book happens to Bella (FMC) it bring her face to face with Angel Jayden who tells her that shes a reincarnation of a princess and that her husband Ulric killed her. Also that hes back and wants to do that again in this time. Jayden is here to help her kill him first. Love, Loss and rekindled Love all mesh together and its a bittersweet story. A good read
The president of the Oak Peak knitting club, Lydia Tillwacker, is murdered and a half-eaten donut is lying beside her body. Reporter Tilly Bordeaux is assigned the story. As she investigates, she finds a woman who let people walk all over her and push her around. She was raised in a family that said the man is the head of the house and he rules. Then suddenly she attempted to stand up for herself both at home and elsewhere, but her husband didn’t like it one bit! She apparently made a lot of enemies when she changed into the stronger, more forceful person.
With all of the possible suspects, Tilly’s desire to find the murderer increases. What will be revealed when she finally corners the killer? Will she get the big story she wants? Or will finding the killer cost her more than she is willing to lose – perhaps her very life?
Another murder shakes up the little town of Oak Peak, California. Three murders in the same small town and discovered by the same person! Seems to be a bit of a pattern here huh. The latest murder rocks the towns knitting club, their leader has been killed. Our favorite reporter is on the scene again while trying to juggle her parents visit and her new relationship with Derek the hot new neighbor. There is a lot of laughter in this book, Tilly's father is quite a hoot and will leave you laughing along with him. I am loving this series, this is book 3 of 4 and just keeps getting better. News and Nutmeg: A small town cozy mystery
Tilly has to cover the latest charity drive of the knitting club and has to interview their president. When no one answers the door, she enters the unlocked house and finds her body. Knowing that the sheriff will either blame her again, she starts investigating the murder with her friends. As usual in small towns there is a lot of hidden scandal and rumours make the hunt for the murder more difficult. A funny, entertaining story, well-written and highly entertaining. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Was it death by donut or something far more sinister?
I love a good cozy mystery and can't pass them up. This is another great one with characters you'll love, a story line that's captivating, entertaining and has the right amount of suspense, mystery, intrigue and a bit of humor added in. This is one that's easy to get swept up in so you may find it hard to put down at times.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Tilly gets her knitting in a twist when she discovers another body. The investigation becomes more complicated by numerous suspects and surprising implications. I enjoyed reading this novel, especially Tilly’s supportive relationships with family and friends.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The third book in the Tri-Town Murders series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Reporter Tilly Bordeaux is at it again, as she solves this Christmas mystery and she gives Derek a special Christmas present. I want to read the next book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Well, knitting club isn’t what it used to be. All the members seem to be unhappy and want to resign from it. Then there is the murder? Was it one of the disgruntled members? You need to read this book to find out! Full of twists and turns and loads of red herrings. Very fun to figure out!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really like the characters on the book. A dog who likes chickens is definitely different too. This is the second book i have read by her and both are good books.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I am really enjoying reading all of the series this author has written, but I am beginning to wonder if the author has had a bad experience with law enforcement. I have read 4 different series in at least 4 different locations and none of the protagonists seem to be able to find a sheriff who is competent at their job or even at being a decent human being.
What a different and cool story. Jayden, who in a past life was a knight who died avenging the death o woman he loved, is now an Angel and has the task of Angel of Death. Now on earth the seals have been broken for a short period of time and all supernatural beings are now on earth. Jayden now has the chance to be reunited with the woman he loved who is reincarnated. The only catch is she doesn't know about her past life. And a demon who is her past horrible monster of a husband (by arranged marriage) wants to kill her, again. Jayden sees this as his chance to be with her again and save her this time. The only catch is once the seal is closed again he can either go to Heaven and be in Bliss or stay on earth with Arabella, his true love. But she has to say she wants him to stay and she has to kill her demon ex husband. What a wild ride! This book was such a fun read from start to finish. It was a paranormal action story with heart warming romance. I found myself not able to put it down until I finished it. Would Arabella remember Jayden? Would she kill her demon ex? And as I read there were so many surprises. The action in the book was awesome. And the romantic aspects totally filled my hopeless romantic self. I highly suggest this book to all fans of paranormal romance, regular romance, action and awesome supernatural stories. This author grabs the readers attention from the very start and has the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end. This book is part of a series. It can be read as a stand alone. This was my first book to read by this author. I definitely will be checking out others in the series. They all sound like fun adventures.
At the heart of this book lays a tragic, yet beautiful tale of first love, but above all it also holds a second chance at love. Bella and Jayden’s story is told in present time, where the seal to all other worlds is broken and paranormal creatures are set loose upon Earth, and in the past, where the two met and fell in love but never to be together. I absolutely loved the duel perspectives and flashbacks to the past. It felt that you were learning along with Bella, which helped opened up her heart to love Jayden again. While the romance is the main focus point of the story, there is a little suspense with the demon trying to kill Bella and other paranormal creatures creating havoc on Earth. This is a short read and tied up pretty neatly at the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys time travel romance.
Shadows of the Past is the first book in the Saint’s Grove series.
ONE BLAZING ADVENTURE!!! Holy crap! Carly raised the bar on this jaw dropping, mind blowing bombshell ramping up the stakes, keeping it real. She brought out the big guns, C-4 and assault rifles for this thrilling storyline and gripping plot catapulting this gem together flawlessly. Wrangling the trials and tribulations as trumoil and distress run rampant while speculations and chaos sets the pace in this non-stop action packed wonder. Throw in drama, danger and suspense and you have one dynamic page flipping, prize winning delight that propels this bad boy to a whole new level. The dynamics and presentation in layer upon layer that you peel back with each page your drawn into the web so deep you feel everything the characters feel one page at a time. The characters and their on point personalities are genuine and realistic with depth and qualities and just enough flaws for diversity. The scenes are so colorfully descriptive it's easy to interpret each scenario as they play off one another flawlessly. Amazing job Carly, thanks for sharing this little guy with us.
Second chance love or heartache again? Bella’s life has fallen into a rut and she doesn’t know how to change it. But having a portal open up that allows demons, witches, werewolves, angels and ghosts in was not it. Demon Ulric is after her. Her was her husband in another life and brutally killed her. But her former knight and lover, Jayden, now the Angel of Death is here to do what he couldn’t do before. Save her. But will history repeat itself? Can Bella and Jayden defeat Ulric. Now he is a demon Ulric is stronger and more vicious than before. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
Second chance love or heartache again? Bella’s life has fallen into a rut and she doesn’t know how to change it. But having a portal open up that allows demons, witches, werewolves, angels and ghosts in was not it. Demon Ulric is after her. Her was her husband in another life and brutally killed her. But her former knight and lover, Jayden, now the Angel of Death is here to do what he couldn’t do before. Save her. But will history repeat itself? Can Bella and Jayden defeat Ulric. Now he is a demon Ulric is stronger and more vicious than before. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review
Part of the A Time Travel Romance/A Saint's Grove Novel series, a well written story that kept me turning pages. Bakery owner, Arabella "Bella" Franklin is attacked by a Demon, and Jayden, an Angel of Death comes to her rescue. What Bella does not remember is that they loved each other in a past life, but Jayden does. They both have a Demon from their past that wrecked evil on their lifes then, and he is back to do it again. This story is well worth reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
First let me state, I received an Advance Reader Copy, (ARC), but this in no way influences my review. I always leave an honest review. Also, this is a new author to me, and it won't be my last.
I truly enjoyed this story. It was very well written. I cried for Bella & Jayden, and I was happy for them as well. Bella proved that being a princess isn't all it's been thought to be. I recommend this read. 5 Thumbs up.
I enjoyed this book but it was a bit far-fetched for my tastes hence the four stars. The book is well written and the characters and story were well developed. I liked the character personalities and their individual dynamics. I thought the story was excellent. It had action, suspense, emotion, intrigue, hot chemistry and romance. Overall this is a good book that’s worth a read!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I freely leave this honest review. Second chances always come at a price. This was an interesting read with a different twist than I have seen before. I loved how Bella triumphed over the past and got her happy ever after.
A good fast paced paranormal romance. I don't understand the time travel aspect of it, there was no time travel at all in the book. It was just flashbacks of their first life together. Not much character development in a short book, but overall enjoyed the book and the concept was interesting.
Bella and Jayden'a story of lovers across time is good. Mix in demons, a broken universes seal, and the chances of being stuck in hell, he must help her regain her memories. Another great book by Carly Fall. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.