Here it is already the end of another month. Where does the time go? I have been busy as usual reading some wonderful books for the month of August of 2024. Here are the 9 books I read and reviewed for August. I might have read even more if I didn’t have a few WIP. But I always seemed to have a WIP! That fact never stops me! I hope you enjoy reading these reviews.

I love sharing my eclectic reads in this Jemsbooks Segment, Books Read in the Month. I hope you will get a chance to look over these books soon. Thank you for your kind support of my work and that of my fellow authors.

If you are an avid reader, as I am, please review the books you love on Amazon or wherever you purchased them for others to enjoy your reviews. Reviews are one way for readers to know about an exceptional book. We indie authors love to receive reviews and appreciate the efforts of readers to do them. Once again, I thank you for your kind support of me and my books and for supporting my fellow authors too.

When I wrote these reviews I rated them on Amazon, Goodreads and sometimes Barnes & Noble. I did not include the ratings here though. It is best to share my thoughts with you about how I felt about the book without the rating. Ratings can be deceiving at times.

We all feel differently about books. Sometimes we love them, sometimes we like them and still other times we may dislike a book. Some other books are so memorable they take our breaths away! While still others are sweet, sensitive, and enjoyable reads that we soon will forget. But all these books I have reviewed were lovely reads as you can see from my reviews. I hope you enjoy my reviews and that they will help you to decide what will be your next read.

Three Widows is part of the series with Detective Lottie Parker, an indestructible force who stops at nothing to solve a crime. She is a mother of three who adores her children, worries about her mother who is losing her mind to dementia and is in love with her partner, Boyd. She does all she can to keep her family together while taking on difficult cases.

This installment of the gripping series held me spellbound as women were murdered and left in the open to be found. Lottie and Boyd and other Guardia were on the case as more women who were in a Widow’s Club kept disappearing. There were clues at every sight but no suspect. When the murderer injures Lottie the detective fears that her own life is in danger. She doesn’t back down and moves along at a frenetic pace to find the person who killed and tortured these poor women.

The action keeps the story moving along with some horrific descriptions of the murders which were difficult to imagine. The author knows how to keep the reader engrossed and somewhat horrified at the violence.

This was an unputdownable novel even with all the descriptive passages. I look forward to more in this series.

What She Left is a story full of suspense with the main protagonist, Martina Monroe, a PI, who is bored with her present job of catching insurance fraudsters and cheating spouses. Her boss gives her a new job after someone asks for her help but this case takes her back to where she doesn’t want to be – her former home.

Martina gets an assist from Detective Hirsch who claims to have her back as they delve into a cold case. Martina has dealt in the past with Hirsch but doesn’t trust this man to do what he says,

There are secrets that need to be uncovered, a love interest budding, unexpected twists that keep the reader glued making this for a gripping beginning to this series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more mind-boggling cases with Martina Monroe.

When You See Me is an edgy thriller with these three eclectic and fascinating characters, Detective D.D. Warren, Flora Dane who was kidnapped by a serial killer and survived, and Kimberly Quincy an FBI Special Agent. Along with crime savant who is also called in to help solve a case of a serial killer when many bodies are found, they work together to find the perpetrators before more women die.

This was a fascinating and edge of the seat mystery thriller that is frightening and engrossing. It is horrific in its descriptive prose as each body is uncovered and how they were treated especially as Flora Dane describes her time as a victim of an insane and sadistic serial killer.

There are many suspects in this town who have secrets that they will not share therefore protecting not only themselves but also the ones responsible in the deaths of innocent young women. This story covers some sensitive subjects of human trafficking and harvesting of organs.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to more stories with these interesting characters in the series.

The Bad Weather Friend is a strange story about nice guy, Benny Catspaw, who has had a lot of bad luck. He has lost his job, his girlfriend, and his reputation which has been tarnished by his former employer.

Things begin to get even stranger when Benny receives a gift from his uncle in the form of a man or is he a genie who has the magic touch? Spike is his name and he can do things that no normal person could even imagine. He promises to always have Benny’s back.

The story is told in two timelines, one of Benny’s past when he was a child going to school and another of his present life with all his problems. There are odd occurrences that are unexplainable and danger at every turn. Can Benny find peace, a job and a new love? Will Spike be able to help him realize his dreams and keep him from harm at the same time?

Koontz has written another creative story with odd characters, situations, along with some of his own input regarding current issues in our world. Though it was a creative and interesting story, it was not my favorite by this talented and eclectic author.

In My Life is the third book in the Hart’s Ridge series with the strong protagonist, Deputy Taylor Gray. She stops at nothing to solve this crime of three deaths in the sleepy town of Hart’s Ridge where not much happens until now. There are many suspects and not all is at it seems.

Taylor has her own issues to resolve with her family who have been dysfunctional because of their upbringing when her mother was imprisoned after the death of her son and Taylor’s only brother. Taylor tries to keep her family together against all odds while trying to do her job and find love herself.

The author continues the saga of the family of Taylor and her sisters as they struggle with their own demons while they try to survive each day. Will they ever forgive their mother and give her a chance to get to know them.

Each book tells a story about the sisters and what they have endured with Taylor at the helm of each story.

I found this to be an enjoyable series and look forward to the next book.

At this writing this book is not available on Amazon yet. But watch for it soon!

Too Close for Comfort is the newest book in the Winston Windflower Series. I have read and enjoyed all of this series. It always feels like going home to all the wonderful characters especially Sargent Windflower who is strong, caring, sensitive, intelligent and brave in his position on the RCMP and his lovely supportive wife, Sheila, and their two adorable children, Stella and Amelia Louise, who steal all the scenes they are in.

The story is full of happenings in Windflower’s day as he tackles all kinds of situations some involving fires, death, robbery and kidnapping. When things get too close to call he has some trusty people who help him solve the toughest problems, his supervisor, Quigley, sidekick Tizzard, new transfer Gupta and his invaluable office assistant Betsy, who always knows what he needs for her to do next. 

This is another enjoyable story that I highly recommend. I love these books and look forward to more from this talented and creative author. I look forward to more recipes from this lover of food, Sargent Winston Windflower.

I received an ARC of this book and provided this honest review.

Borrowed Time book 4 in the Hart’s Ridge series is another enjoyable story about the Gray sisters and all the problems in this dysfunctional but resilient family. Each book shares a little more about the sisters and how they are doing to survive through all the problems that they encounter.

In this book the story centers around Anna and her issues with a cheating and controlling husband. Also, we learn more about Cate, the mother of all the sisters who was incarcerated for twenty years and finally exonerated for the death of her son.

There is a death of the oldest sister Taylor’s friend, Sissy. As a deputy Taylor must try to find the guilty person and prove how and why he did it with the help of Detective Shane Weaver who has designs on her.

These books are full of intriguing characters, family situations and plenty of action as Taylor does her job and tries to keep her family together as she always has done.

I look forward to the next book in the series!

The Rule of Threes is a mystery with plenty of suspects, twists and turns and acronyms to confuse you as you try to figure out who the killer is. The writing style is all over the place and sometimes doesn’t quite link together.

I did enjoy the main character, Constant Marlowe, who is a strong and persistent fighter for the justice system. She sometimes forgets the one she loves as she loses herself in her job. This rating is for this character.

Constant is the main constant in this story that provided some jell that kept it together. I don’t know if I will read any other books by this author at this time but maybe later to see if his work is the same or better.

Trust is an unusual story told in three parts with different voices and narratives and characters. At the end of the first part there were notes as if this story was incomplete and just being developed. I found this strange. The story told of a husband and wife who were affluent in society but not social. They kept to themselves as the husband worked the stock market to accrue more wealth as his wife was a lover of music and philanthropy. Their marriage was an odd partnership with each doing what they loved to do without disturbing the other one and passing like ships in the night occasionally.

I moved on to the next part and it began with a chapter one again, making it even weirder. I did not know what to make of this Pulitzer Prize winning book. I have to admit I did not want to continue since I was not sure of what I was reading. It didn’t quite come together yet.

The second part was told by a man who was a prominent, affluent man who was all about making money in the stock market and how upset he was over a book that was written about his wife and him. He wanted to do all he could to stop the printing and selling of this egregious book.

The third part was another voice – the voice of a woman who became this prominent man’s secretary. He hired her to write his memoirs and correct what the other book had misconstrued about his life and that of his wife’s.

I found this book to be tedious at times with all the confusion that set in going from one voice to another. The writing differed greatly from each narrative. I could not give it five stars even if it was a Pulitzer Prize winner.

I hope you enjoyed my review and will check out some of these books by my fellow authors. Please be kind and leave reviews. Authors. Red them to survive in the jungle of books online.

Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your support. Come back again soon.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

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