by Hester Fox

In a small coastal town, a widow is a recluse and the townspeople call her a witch, accuse her of murdering her husband, and tell the new minister to avoid her. The new minister is not really a minister, but in homage to his dead wife, took an opportunity to fill the shoes of the man who was supposed to be the new minister but died in transit. Of course after all the warnings, he goes straight up to visit the reclusive widow.

It doesn't take long before an attraction forms between him and the widow, portending the romantic nature of the tale ahead, but it is also a mystery with various parts of the widow's history coming out in drips and drabs and reports of her by her staff that conflict with what the townspeople have to say.

I have to admit that this story balances between Romance and Mystery genres. I'm not a big fan of Romance for exactly many of the elements included in the plot, especially the sudden reveals at the end that had no real foreshadowing and the absolute stupidity of some of the choices the main characters make.

From a Mystery point of view, it has some strong merits, especially in that guessing who the culprit is could keep a Mystery reader's mind busy, as the whole town hates the widow and it could literally be anyone. There's also a secondary mystery about what exactly happened to the widow's husband. The reader gets a lot of teasers about this before it is finally revealed.

There was a lot to like about this story, but it lacked subtlety in both the romance and mystery aspects. The detailed clues were too sparse and the blossoming romance feels rather contrived. The connections at the end reminded me of an American soap opera, where suddenly you learn things that had no build up of any kind.

Having said that, it was easy to be sympathetic with the characters and there was good pacing to the plot and some drama at the end which while fairly predictable, kept my interest.

If you live in the US and you're interested in Black Widow, you might want to grab this while it's free.

Reviewed for Wit and Sin

Isobel Lamberton, Lady Kingsley, and Justin Antony, Lord Warbrooke, are at loggerheads with one another. Both sit on the board of a boys’ school and each has their own proposal they are determined to see win the board vote. The two of them are driving one another mad. Isobel is frustrated with Justin’s high-handedness and he is equally frustrated with her stubbornness. What neither will admit – but all can see – is their deep attraction to one another. When Isobel is talked into participating in a scandalous widow’s auction and Justin finds himself at the same auction, determined to gain the support of one of their more degenerate board members, things come to a head and the passion takes hold. But what will morning bring?

I can’t count the number of times I’ve read The Widow’s Auction since it was first published in the Fantasy anthology. Justin and Isobel never fail to make me smile and I always fall into Sabrina Jeffries’s writing.

Isobel and Justin are clearly made for one another, but misconceptions and hidden fears are keeping them both from taking a risk making their feelings known. It takes a masked widow’s auction to give them that extra push, Isobel’s belief that Justin doesn’t recognize her making her more open than she would normally be. Isobel’s upbringing isn’t at all what Justin thinks it is; the way it marked her and how her marriage to the saintly Lord Kingsley shaped her persona are something he could never guess. I loved watching him come to understand her and for her to see past her biases and come to know the man beneath the perfect politician. One night of passion doesn’t solve everything, but it is exactly the push both Justin and Isobel need. They’re a perfect match in bed and out and I loved watching Isobel embrace her desires. The Widow’s Auction is a deliciously steamy read with two passionate protagonists and a happily ever after that’s guaranteed to satisfy.


FTC Disclosure:I received the eBook edition of this story for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Book: The Widow's House

Author: Carol Goodman

Genre: Fiction/Thriller/Mystery

Summary: When Jess and Clare Martin move from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to their former college town in the Hudson River Valley, they are hoping for rejuvenation - of their marriage, their savings, and Jess's writing career. They take a caretaker's job at Riven House, a crumbling estate and the home of their old college writing professor. While Clare once had dreams of being a writer, those plans fell by the wayside when Jess made a big, splashy literary debut in their twenties. But it's been years, now, since his first novel, and the advance has long been spent. Clare's hope is that the pastoral beauty and nostalgia of the Hudson Valley will offer him inspiration. But their new life isn't all quaint town libraries and fragrant apple orchards. There is a haunting pall that hangs over Riven House like a funeral veil. Something is just not right. Soon, Clare begins to hear babies crying at night and see strange figures in the fog at the edge of their property. Diving into the history of the area, she discovers that Riven House has a dark and anguished past. And whatever this thing is - this menacing force that destroys the inhabitants of the estate - it seems to be after Clare next . . . - William Morrow, 2017.

Linda’s biography - good girl, bad girl, good girl. Gritty and honest and a real eye opener, a view into the darker side of life with villains and gangsters, robberies and guns. She certainly lifts the lid of the more unsavoury underbelly of life! It was fascinating, disturbing and sad. I was riveted to this and couldn’t put it down. Well worth reading if you are interested in crime, the notorious characters from the 60’s and what it’s like to live through that era.