I love finding mysteries to share! This week, I have a thriller series that I'm reviewing--and, this morning, I have Avarice by Britt Lind in our book review spotlight! Learn about the book and the author--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post! Check out the rest of the series below too if you missed those this week!

About the Book

“An awesome read that should be made into a film!” --Readers’ Favorite

​Rosemaria Baker loved being a cop even though at times she had to chase down pimps, drug dealers, and killers who inhabited the sleazy dark world and back alleys of Hollywood. She decided to become a prosecutor because she enjoys putting the bad guys away even more than arresting them. When she met Josh Sibley, a down and out singer songwriter, she had no intention of falling in love with a man with whom she had nothing in common and, even worse, he was a murder suspect in a case she was investigating. But life had other ideas and after a few ups and downs, most of them involving dangerous criminals, they discovered they were soulmates, and their differences became the reason why they fell in love.  Taking a long-awaited holiday in Pacific Beach, California, Rosemaria and Josh are enjoying the sun and each other, anticipating a few days of focusing on the good things in life. Josh is also looking forward to touring Europe with Joell, who is a world-famous singer, as well as being Josh’s friend and mentor. But rain clouds blow in from the ocean and bring a raging storm and an attempt on Rosemaria’s life. She escapes the two gunmen who come after her but is injured in the attack and hospitalized. Josh is adamant that he will not leave for Europe until the shooters are caught. Fortunately, Rosemaria’s former partner, Larry Coleman, whose parents are obscenely wealthy, comes to the rescue. After much persuasion, Josh agrees that Rosemaria will stay with Larry’s parents in their heavily guarded mansion in Holmby Hills, the most exclusive area in the city, until he returns. 

 

Rosemaria, of course, cannot be convinced by her friends to stay out of the investigation. She gets deeply involved in the case from the safety of her gilded cage in the mansion and later, after Josh comes back, amongst the wealthy denizens of Beverly Hills. Working with her ex-homicide-detective father, and her former partners, she helps track down the suspects as they flee California while all her instincts tell her that the person who wants her dead is much closer to home. 

​

My Review 

 

Excellent continuation of the Series. I enjoyed this entire series — but Avarice was probably my favorite. The author creates a well-paced story that delivers plenty of thrills and twists, keeping readers guessing and engaged. The author's storytelling style focuses on her characters, and the dialogue and scenes feel well-organized and true to each character's role.

 

Avarice Dives Deeper into the Characters. In earlier books of the series, I didn't "love" the romance between Rosemaria and Josh — but that relationship seemed better rooted and developed throughout this novel. As the mystery unfolds, other relationships and characters play stronger roles as well. This novel, as with Malevolence, would appeal to fans of television crime dramas.

 

Would I recommend Avarice by Britt Lind? I enjoyed the even pace of this novel, and I found myself "believing" the characters and the relationships a little more than I did in previous books. Avarice is very well organized, with well-written dialogue and scenes that create a realistic flow to the novel, while entertaining readers from beginning to end — even offering some surprises.  I would definitely recommend this series to fans of police procedural thrillers and mystery novels.

 

 

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---

Read my Review!

Buy the Book! 

I love finding mysteries to share! This week, I have a thriller series that I'm reviewing--and, this morning, I have Malevolence by Britt Lind in our book review spotlight! Learn about the book and the author--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post! Stop back throughout the week as I feature other books from the Rosemaria Baker Hollywood Mystery series too! 

Book Title: MALOVENCE (A Hollywood Mystery) by Britt Lind
Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 359 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher: Bublish
Release date: May, 2022

Content Rating: PG: There is some bad language and very little sex​



About the Book 

 

Rosemaria must solve the murder of a young girl in Malevolence-A Hollywood Mystery. Politics play a part, but who and why will keep readers up at night! Highly recommended! -- Chanticleer Reviews


​Rosemaria Baker, a cop whose blood runs true blue, has become a prosecutor who now gets to put the perpetrators in jail instead of just arresting them. She is blissfully happy living with the love of her life, Josh Sibley, who is about to make a major breakthrough in his career as a singer-songwriter. But real life interrupts their perfect world when two girls who Rosemaria rescued from the streets of Hollywood become the targets of ruthless assassins after a third girl is murdered.

Rosemaria must arrange protection for the girls, continue working her caseload at the courthouse, investigate the murder, and deal with a coworker who seeks to destroy her career. Through it all, the love and support Rosemaria and Josh have for each other is unfailing. When it finally seems that some semblance of order is falling into place, Rosemaria faces an unexpected, terrifying threat, and she must depend on those who love her to rescue her from certain death.

 

​

My Review 

 

Well-Paced Mystery.  If you read my review of Deception, the first book in the series, you know that I struggled a little with the slow build, but loved Rosemaria's character. This novel is very well-paced, pulling readers in immediately and moving along quickly with character- and dialogue-driven scenes. This novel drops some clues for readers and some misdirection along the way, while still keeping the pieces of the puzzle engagingly hidden until the final few twists and turns reveal them.

 

Crime Drama T.V. Fans Will Enjoy the Novel. While I enjoyed the characters and the story development surrounding the actual mystery in Malevolence, I found myself preferring Rosemaria as an LA detective — and not settling into her career shift to the district attorney's office. Having said that, the plot is entertaining and interesting when read as its own story, without comparing it to previous books, and will undoubtedly appeal to those of us who love crime drama TV series.  

 

Would I recommend Malevolence by Britt Lind? I enjoyed the fast-paced mystery and setting of this novel, finding it much more evenly balanced and engaging than the first in the series. I still enjoyed Rosemaria's character — and found the characters and dialogue engaging and well-organized, creating a well-done thriller. I didn't find this novel realistic at times, but I loved the flow and storyline, and I look forward to reading more from the series and the author. 

 

 

Buy the Book
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Read my Review!

Buy the Book 

---

Read my Review!

Buy the Book! 

I love finding mysteries to share! This week, I have a thriller series that I'm reviewing--and, this morning, I have A Fate Worse than Death by Britt Lind in our book review spotlight! Learn about the book and the author--and be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post! Stop back throughout the week as I feature other books from the Rosemaria Baker Hollywood Mystery series too! 

Book Title:  A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH (A Hollywood Mystery) by Britt Lind 
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  118 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Bublish
Release date:   Aug, 2021
Content Rating: PG: My book has some bad language and mild sex

 

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About the Book

As a homicide detective, Rosemaria Baker is known for her street smarts, her feisty personality and her ability to nail the bad guys.

 
Being the daughter of a cop and an actress gave little Rosemaria a dichotomous view of life. Her mother was inclined to get lost in her fantasies while her father had to face the harsh realities of a world filled with murder and mayhem. Nine-year-old Rosemaria loved both her parents and admired her mother’s talent but even at a young age she felt drawn to her father’s work as a detective, constantly begging him to share with her every detailed description of the dangerous criminals and close calls he survived while chasing the bad guys.

 
Whatever Rosemaria did she did it well; be it hitting baseballs, shooting baskets, writing school papers, she put her all into every endeavor. When tragedy invaded her world at the tender age of ten, she survived because of her innate ability to compartmentalize her feelings and move forward.

 
While still in college she was faced with a terrifying situation where she had to use all of her mental and physical capabilities in an effort to save her father’s life. Ignoring what would have been safe and expected of her and asking no one’s advice, she risked everything to find him and bring him home alive.

 

 

My Review 

 

Quick, Fast-Paced Mystery. The author offers a very fast-paced story in this short prequel to the series, but also creates a complete, engaging story that holds the reader's interest from beginning to end. With interesting dialogue and a well-crafted mystery with some twists and turns, readers will get to know Rosemaria Baker--and understand the series' main character's backstory going forward through the novels. While the story wraps up somewhat quickly, it offers the reader insight into Rosemaria's motivations and her family's story. 

 

Read this Prequel First in the Series if You Can. As usual, I didn't realize that this was a 'prequel' and read "Deception" first. I would have liked to have gotten to know Rosemaria through this story first--but it was still okay to read out of order!  

 

Would I recommend A Fate Worse than Death by Britt Lind? I love Rosemaria's character and the way that Britt Lind develops her mystery storylines. This prequel is very character-driven, with realistic dialogue and character interactions that bring readers into Rosemaria's past and the motivations and history that created her. If you enjoy light mysteries with strong characters, this series is proving to be a great read. Begin with this prequel--and then read the series--but, if you missed the prequel, go ahead and read it to get a stronger appreciation for Rosemaria Baker. 

 

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Check out the Series

Book Title:  DECEPTION (A Hollywood Mystery) by Britt Lind 
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  281 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Bublish
Release date:   May, 2020
Content Rating: PG: There is some bad language and sex scenes that are fit for teens

 

 About the Book

"Britt Lind has written an intriguing mystery filled with twists and turns that takes place in a world she knows well from every perspective." - Carlyne Grager - Talent Representative and Owner of Dramatic Artists Agency Los Angeles and Seattle.
​
The battle between good and evil is ill-defined in the land of Hollywood. Rarely do kind, compassionate souls win the spoils of war which makes their rare victories all the sweeter.

​Josh Sibley, singer/songwriter, is handsome, talented, smart and headed for oblivion. Alcohol provides relief when his demons threaten to overwhelm his every effort to break free of his past. When his friend Jennie Seger arranges for him to write songs for a multi-million-dollar feature, all his doubts and fears fall away, and he embraces the opportunity like a starving man who has found a bounteous feast during a famine.

Lightning strikes his lonely heart in the form of singer/actress Lila Levy who is married to the producer of the movie and flaunts her sexuality at Josh knowing her breathtaking beauty more than makes up for her lack of talent. Knowing his love for Lila is doomed from the start, he overlooks her shortcomings and keeps his feelings under wraps as he teaches her to sing his songs.

But this is Hollywood, and nothing is as it seems. Lila has secrets that Josh cannot begin to fathom and doesn't want to know. When her husband Stan is murdered, Lila disappears and Josh is confronted by the woman determined to track her down - Sergeant Rosemaria Baker of the Beverly Hills Police Department. Rosemaria is the opposite of Lila; she hates show business and considers Josh a delusional loser. When the cops track down Lila and bring her in, Lila declares herself innocent and the fight for the soul of Josh Sibley begins.

 

Buy the Book

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Book Title:  MALOVENCE (A Hollywood Mystery) by Britt Lind 
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 yrs +),  359 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Bublish
Release date:   May, 2022
Content Rating: PG: There is some bad language and very little sex​

  

About the Book

Rosemaria must solve the murder of a young girl in Malevolence-A Hollywood Mystery. Politics play a part, but who and why will keep readers up at night! Highly recommended!                                                                        --  Chanticleer Reviews


​Rosemaria Baker, a cop whose blood runs true blue, has become a prosecutor who now gets to put the perpetrators in jail instead of just arresting them. She is blissfully happy living with the love of her life, Josh Sibley, who is about to make a major breakthrough in his career as a singer-songwriter. But real life interrupts their perfect world when two girls who Rosemaria rescued from the streets of Hollywood become the targets of ruthless assassins after a third girl is murdered. 

 

Rosemaria must arrange protection for the girls, continue working her caseload at the courthouse, investigate the murder, and deal with a coworker who seeks to destroy her career. Through it all, the love and support Rosemaria and Josh have for each other is unfailing. When it finally seems that some semblance of order is falling into place, Rosemaria faces an unexpected, terrifying threat, and she must depend on those who love her to rescue her from certain death.​

 

Buy the Book
Amazon
B&N ~ BAM
add to Goodreads

Sister Acts Brings a Well-Developed Emotional Family Drama to Readers. The author does an excellent job of exploring the life events, challenges, personalities, and family dynamics that unfold over time. For the Malinsky family, grief, dysfunction, jealousy, and drama shape the characters (and influence their paths in life). For readers, this emotional drama is well-organized, well-developed, and realistically portrayed, making it an intense page-turner. 

Expect to Find a Relatable, Provoking Story. I am an only child, so I do not have experience with my own sibling dynamics. However, I have seen complicated relationships in other families, especially after grief resolves (or doesn't). The author presents the sisters' lives and relationships very realistically, giving each a relatable personality that readers will either connect with or love to hate. I felt for Rose, understood Betti and Naomi, and know many women who are very much like Marla. While the story is built on the loss of the girls' mother, it includes family secrets, drama, events and challenges to keep the storyline moving and engaging from beginning to end. 

Would I Recommend Sister Acts by Sharon Adelman Reyes? If you enjoy family dramas with strong, imperfect female characters that are emotional and thought-provoking, this novel is very well done. As the author explores the sisters' relationships and their life paths, readers will grow to understand the characters on a deeper level — and will encounter thoughts that linger after the last page.  

Meet the Author

Sharon Adelman Reyes is a writer, editor, and equestrienne in Oregon, living on the slopes of an extinct volcano and looking out on an active one. During a lengthy professional career, she has published various works drawing on her experiences in multicultural teaching. Sister Acts is her first novel.

connect with the author: goodreads

 

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