Never Forgotten

Title: Never Forgotten

Author: Terri Reid [Website] [Facebook]

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Series: Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery, Bk 3

ISBN: 9781482713558

Length: 237 pages + "A note from the author"

Obtained: ILL Library copy

Why this book?:

I finished the 2nd book in the series and was ready to see what happens next in the 3rd.

Comments:

As the 3rd book in the series, and following the cliffhanger of the 2nd, the reader is all set to finally find out what happened to Bradley's wife and unborn daughter.  But the reader is not going to get their way in this.  Because certain parties are sworn to confidentiality and others are oblivious.  Instead you get a book full of domestic abuse as not one, but two story lines, share that theme.  It's an intense subject that's addressed decently, if not with all the emotional intensity it could have.

Anyway, there is a seriously messed-up woman going around murdering men, and Bradley's next on the list.  Meanwhile, Mary and Bradley are in more of a committed relationship, both having declared their love for each other in Good Tidings.  That is, as committed as you can be when one of you is possibly still married.

Which brings me to the next item of interest.  One review (I want to say on GoodReads, but it could have been Amazon), mentioned that the series suddenly turned Christian.  I found this amusing, because it did suddenly become more religious.  I don't know if its because the book was set around the holidays (between Christmas and New Year), because of the domestic violence and mental issue theme, because of the growing relationship between Mary and Bradley (Mary says she doesn't intend to have premarital relations - she doesn't give a morality reason though.  More of a story about her parents love.)  Whatever the cause, I had noticed the shift as well.

Anyway, I was frustrated by the ending (which I won't go into for fear of spoilers), but I do want to continue with the series.  I've requested my library get the 4th book in the series, Final Call, so we'll see.

Good Tidings

Title: Good Tidings

Author: Terri Reid [Website] [Facebook]

Series: Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery, Bk 2

ASIN: B004DI7JZO

Length: 381 KB (284 pages)

Obtained: Free ebook copy on Amazon during a special promotional period

Why this book?:

It is the second book in a series that was recommended to me.  I enjoyed/was interested in the 1st book enough to go on.

Comments:

So the prologue caught me.  Even though I couldn't understand the trust.  I was mentally shouting NO!!! Bad Idea!  Anyway, that meant I was pretty edge of my seat when chapter 1 starts off in a light-hearted way.  And I was impatient for them to get on with it!  Find the baby!  Because, oh, did I mention?, this is a baby-kidnapping-fradulant-adoption story.  (A theme that I've seen before, but this had an interesting twist.  Or at least an interesting information source.)

Once the story catches up with the drama, I settled in.  The bad guy is pretty obvious.  Not a problem for me.  There were valid reasons why it wouldn't be as obvious to the characters as to the reader.  I did read a review on Amazon that pointed out some plot line connection issues that, now that I'm thinking of them, do make me wonder.  But overall I still enjoyed the story.

And I've already continued on and read book 3.  (There's a bit of a cliffhanger that made me glad I already had it on hand.)

Oh, and in (accidental) perfect timing, the story starts on Black Friday and ends around Christmas.  So I was actually in season.

Loose Ends

Title: Loose Ends

Author: Terri Reid [Website] [Facebook]

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Series: Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery, Bk 1

ISBN: 9781461014522

Length: 273 pages

Obtained: ILL Library copy

Why this book?:

It was recommended by a friend.

Comments:

I didn't know what to expect of this, other than J. Kaye mentioning the author as one she'd recently found.

I liked that Mary O'Reilly came with such an honorable background before the paranormal investigative part became part of her life.  I liked that she wasn't too pushy about what she did.  Obviously she wanted people to believe her, but I didn't feel any, as the reader, "you must believe or you are an ignorant fool."  Her friends in her newfound hometown were charming.  I liked the police chief (But talk about baggage!  We'll see how that goes.)

The mystery isn't complex, or at least not from the reader's standpoint.  I guessed the murdered once he had time on the page.  But that's not a problem for me as long as Mary isn't stupid and missing in-your-face clues about it.

Anyway, Mary's been hired to solve a cold case for a Senator's wife, and in the process she uncovers a series of old child abductions.  Talk about sickening.  But the book isn't without its amusing parts.  So I enjoyed it.

I got book two, Good Tidings, free through Amazon.  And I have the 3rd book, Never Forgotten, coming through as another InterLibrary Loan.  So I should be moving on with the series soon.