Rachelle J. Christensen

Romance, Suspense, Mystery Author

Book Review: The Orchids of Ashthorne Hall by Rebecca Anderson

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

I love reading all of the Proper Romance books and am always intrigued by the different types of stories I find. The Orchids of Ashthorne Hall felt quite different to me as it is more of a gothic romance so the story is a little darker. It took me a bit longer to get into the storyline because of that, but I pushed through and enjoyed the outcome.

Hyacinth Bell loves all things that grow and is especially skilled at caring for orchids. She travels to the Cornwall Coast in 1887 to a mysterious haunted Ashthorne Hall to take up residency. While caring for orchids, Hyacinth stumbles upon a mystery, a handsome man, a nefarious plot, and more!

I enjoyed the elements of a ghost story and a mystery for the main character to solve. I especially liked learning about a certain historical event that took many lives and led to a very ghastly and ghoulish outcome which I can’t reveal because it’s a spoiler.

Here’s more about the book:

1887, the Cornwall coast

For years, rumors have flown through the village of Suttonsbury about Ashthorne Hall—that its occupants hoard pirate treasure, that a ghost walks its halls—but botanist Hyacinth Bell only cares about the estate’s extensive, one-of-a-kind orchid collection. As an independent woman, she is eager to focus on her career, even if it means waiting to pursue a romantic relationship. After all, love—like an orchid—must be nurtured and tended before it can bloom.

What she doesn’t expect is to be swept away by Lucas Harding, the manor’s caretaker, upon their first meeting. He is handsome and charming, and the connection between the two is nearly instantaneous. Hyacinth is certain this autumn will be the season that everything good in her life takes root

But then strange things start happening in the seemingly empty halls of the estate: unexplainable noises, items appearing then disappearing from her room, threatening messages, and glimpses of a woman in white who vanishes into the dark. Lucas dismisses Hyacinth’s worries, insisting that there is no ghost at Ashthorne Hall, but she suspects he is withholding information and decides to investigate the mystery herself.

Armed with little more than her instincts and her courage, Hyacinth must venture deep into the shadows of Ashthorne Hall to uncover the truth Lucas is keeping secret before she herself falls victim to the dangers hidden in the estate.

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Book Review: The Merchant and the Rogue by Sarah M. Eden

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

I adore the Dread Penny Society novels and I was so excited to finally read the third book in the series! Set in London 1865, the authors of serial “Penny Dreadfuls” have created a society to help the down-trodden of London. In each book, Eden includes installments of the serial stories that blend nicely with the overall romantic mystery that is playing out through the book.

In this story, I was delighted to learn more about Brogan Donnelly, formerly of Ireland, and the inner workings of his creative mind. He meets Vera Sorokina, who loves to read the penny dreadfuls and is mired in danger that runs deep with her ties to Russian secrets.

The characters come to life through the intricate details that the author places carefully along the way. A budding romance laced with mystery and suspense had me staying up late to finish this novel. I especially enjoyed the close-knit relationship of Brogan and his sister Moirin and another layer of mystery that exists between their past in Ireland and present in London. As Brogan grows closer to Vera, he risks unmasking himself and his past in an effort to protect her from a past that she is unaware of.

I can’t wait to read the next book!

Here’s more about the book:

London, 1865
Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her the freedom and income to employ and protect the poverty-stricken Londoners she’s come to care about, and it gives her father something to do other than long for their hometown of St. Petersburg. She is grateful for the stability in their lives, but she often feels lonely.

Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he’s built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. His membership in the secretive Dread Penny Society allows him to feel he isn’t entirely wasting his life, yet he feels dissatisfied. With no one to share his life with but his sister, he fears London will never truly feel like home.

Brogan and Vera’s paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from past experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at her print shop is aboveboard. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they’ve both grown to love. But that means they’ll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.

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Book Review: The Cipher by Isabella Maldonado

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Fans of Criminal Minds will love this book

Riveting. The Cipher is hard to put down! Excellent drop into an FBI investigation working with the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Nina was a compelling and colorful character and definitely lived up to her heroic name.

The bad guy was so bad it was scary. The author did an incredible job of writing this realistic story without going into graphic detail. I appreciate how difficult that is to do and applaud her writing skills. That said, there are many disturbing details as this involves a serial killer. This book is not for sensitive readers.

If you’re a fan of the tv series, Criminal Minds, then you will absolutely love this book. You probably won’t get any sleep until you reach the extremely satisfying ending!

Here’s more about the book:

To a cunning serial killer, she was the one that got away. Until now…

FBI Special Agent Nina Guerrera escaped a serial killer’s trap at sixteen. Years later, when she’s jumped in a Virginia park, a video of the attack goes viral. Legions of new fans are not the only ones impressed with her fighting skills. The man who abducted her eleven years ago is watching. Determined to reclaim his lost prize, he commits a grisly murder designed to pull her into the investigation…but his games are just beginning. And he’s using the internet to invite the public to play along.

His coded riddles may have made him a depraved social media superstar—an enigmatic cyber-ghost dubbed “the Cipher”—but to Nina he’s a monster who preys on the vulnerable. Partnered with the FBI’s preeminent mind hunter, Dr. Jeffrey Wade, who is haunted by his own past, Nina tracks the predator across the country. Clue by clue, victim by victim, Nina races to stop a deadly killer while the world watches.

Other books you may enjoy:

A Different Dawn (Nina Guerrera Book 2) by [Isabella Maldonado]   

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Book Review: Detective Camp by Ron Roy

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

I read Detective Camp with my son. It was a fun mystery and we liked the clues. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are funny, courageous kids.

It was fun reading and seeing if my son picked up on the clues and foreshadowing of the mystery.

Here’s more about the book:

Welcome to summer camp for detectives! The kids can’t wait to spend a week following clues and learning about the science of crime solving. Soon all the campers are working on a mystery. But while Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are figuring out their part of the puzzle, they stumble onto something suspicious. Could a real crime be happening at detective camp?

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Book Review: Airs Above the Ground by Mary Stewart

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

Mary Stewart is an excellent writer and I enjoyed Airs Above the Ground. She does such a great job of describing new and fantastic settings. She makes me want to go and visit all of her settings. I liked the characters in this book and wonder if she wrote any more novels featuring Vanessa and Lewis.

Here’s more about the book:

A thrilling tale of adventure and deception set in 1950s Austria, from the queen of romantic suspense and author of Madam, Will You Talk?

‘This zestful romantic adventure grips, amuses, frightens and delights’ Sunday Telegraph

Vanessa March’s husband Lewis is meant to be on a business trip in Stockholm. So why does he briefly appear in newsreel footage of a fire at a circus in Vienna, with his arm around another woman? Vanessa flies to Austria to find her husband – and inadvertently becomes involved in a mystery surrounding the famous dancing stallions of Austria’s Spanish Riding School . . .

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Book Review: Banana Split by Josi S. Kilpack

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Book Thoughts by Rachelle

BANANA SPLIT was my favorite book in the Sadie Hoffmiller culinary mystery series. It may have had something to do with the fact that the book is set in beautiful Kauai, which I’ve been to (and coincidentally did a lot of research for a book that I wrote that is set in Kauai as well). But the biggest reason I liked this book is that the writing is solid, the characters are developed, and Josi Kilpack had my mind spinning trying to figure out whodunit. It seemed like everyone was keeping a secret and although Sadie was in a fragile state of mind, she still pulled off an excellent investigation to help a young boy answer questions about his mother’s death.

Here’s more about the book:

Sadie Hoffmiller has survived eighteen months of nonstop adventures filled with murder, deceit, and danger. She could really use some rest and maybe even some time to heal, relaxing in the tropical paradise of Kaua’i. However, palm trees and sunshine are not as effective a medication as Sadie had hoped. And when she finds herself entangled literally with a dead body, she is forced to face the compounding fears and anxieties that are making her life so difficult to live.

Her determination to stay out of danger and to focus on overcoming her anxieties soon takes a backseat when she meets eleven-year-old Charlie, the son of the woman whose body she discovered near Anahola Beach. Charlie has some questions of his own about what happened to his mother, and he is convinced that only Sadie can help him. If only Sadie were as confident in her abilities as Charlie is.

With the help of her best friend and a local social worker, Sadie dives into another mystery with the hope that, at the end, she’ll be able to find the peace and closure that has eluded her.

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