Author: Reluctant Retiree

Living in FL and enjoying life.
Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Holidays can be Murder (Brambleberry Bay Murder Club Book 4)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

This Book Club just turned into a Murder Club.

It’s Christmas in Brambleberry Bay and the members of the esteemed country club have been invited to a holiday party at secretive Willoughby Hall. But when the festivities take a dark turn, the season is quickly overshadowed by murder. And for one guest it will be their final sleigh ride.

The killer might be hoping for a silent night, but I’m about to ring in some holiday justice—with a sprinkle of tinsel on top.

A mind reader. Talking pets. An arrogant homicide detective. A murder club. And a corpse.

Welcome to the club. Getting in was easy. Getting out can be murder.

Living in Brambleberry Bay can be a real killer.

It’s criminally cozy.

A Cozy Mystery by New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Addison Moore —Humor with a side of homicide. RECIPE INCLUDED!

Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison’s books, “…easy, frothy fun!”

It’s the festive season in Brambleberry Bay, and the town’s elite have decked their halls in anticipation of the grand Christmas party at secretive Willoughby Hall. However, amidst twinkling lights and carolers, the yuletide cheer gets frosted over by a chilling crime. For one well-heeled guest, their sip of mulled wine will be their last.

I’m Hattie Holiday, and while most are hanging stockings, I’m diving into the minds of Brambleberry’s high society. Sure, hearing the occasional stray thought can be a gift or a curse, but it’s always fun to chat with my cute little cat, Cricket, and Rookie, our Golden Retriever buddy who happens to have a penchant for mystery. And, incidentally, he happens to belong to the ever-so-dashing detective, Killion Maddox—my shiny new boyfriend.

My invitation to Willoughby Hall is more than just a chance to don a festive frock—it’s a chance to see the magic rumored to exist behind its walls. But it turns out this highbrow holiday bash has more under wraps than just a few presents. And with my quirky little talent, I might just land myself on the naughty list.

Old grudges, family feuds, and secret affairs?

It’s beginning to look a lot like murder.

Posted in #Classics

Patriot Games

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Don’t Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!

Tom Clancy reveals Jack Ryan’s origins in this electrifying #1 New York Times bestselling thriller that pits the former Marine turned family man against a vicious group of international terrorists.

As an American in London on vacation with his family, Jack Ryan never imagined his quick thinking would prevent an assassination attempt on Britain’s royal family and earn him the gratitude of an entire nation—and the scorn of an ultra-left-wing faction of the IRA. Irish terrorist Sean Miller and his followers in the Ulster Liberation Army intend to make sure Ryan pays for his interference in blood. But he’s not the only one they’re after…

With the lives of his pregnant wife and young daughter in mortal danger, Ryan accepts a role as a CIA analyst in order to find Miller and shut down the ULA. Going head to head with a ruthless terrorist is a fool’s errand, but Jack Ryan is the kind of man who will do whatever it takes to protect his family.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The bestselling author of Red Storm Rising and The Sum of All Fears brings Jack Ryan back in his to fight his deadliest battle yet.

From England to Ireland to America, an explosive wave of violence sweeps a CIA analyst and his family into the deadliest game of our time: international terrorism. An ultra-left-wing faction fo the IRA has targeted the CIA man for his act of salvation in an assasination attempt. And now he must pay … with his life.

From School Library Journal

YA Jack Ryan is back with a vengeance,literally. The hero of Hunt for Red October (Naval Institute Pr., 1984) stars here in a prequel to Clancy’s first novel, with page-turning results. Years before Hunt. . ., Ryan, vacationing with his family in England, thwarts an assassination attempt on the Prince of Wales, his wife, and child. The terrorists responsible do not take such interference with their plans lightly, and Ryan and his family are in great danger from their new enemies. All of Ryan’s considerable talents and courage are put to the ultimate test of saving those he loves from terrorist vengeance. There is greater emphasis in this novel on plot and characterization, less on military tactics and hardware, so that Clancy has fashioned a more old-fashionedand first-classthriller than in his first two novels. Patriot Games establishes that Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising (Putnam, 1986) were no mere trendy flukes, and that Clancy is an action writer of considerable talent. Karl Penny, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In Clancy’s landmark first novel, The Hunt for Red October, there is a reference to the hero, Annapolis history instructor Jack Ryan, singlehandedly foiling a terrorist attack on members of the British royal family. Patriot Games starts there and follows Ryan’s attempt (assisted by police, armed forces, the FBI, CIA, and MI5) to locate and destroy an unknown unit of Irish terrorists in the United States. Despite magnificent action scenes, this book lacks the sustained tension of the previous novels. The suspense is broken several times by redundant background matter, and loose ends abound in the plot. Although not up to other Clancy novels, this is a cut above the average thriller, and likely to be in high demand in public libraries. Literary Guild, Military Book Club, and Doubleday Book Club selections. John North, L . R . C . , Ryerson Polytechnical Inst., Toronto
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Praise for Patriot Games

“A novel that crackles!”—The New York Times

“A bang-up climax.”—The Washington Post

“A high-pitch of excitement.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Ambitious, daring…as spectacular as any thriller ever.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

Praise for Tom Clancy

“He constantly taps the current world situation for its imminent dangers and spins them into an engrossing tale.”—The New York Times Book Review

“A brilliant describer of events.”—The Washington Post

“No one can equal his talent for making military electronics and engineering intelligible and exciting…He remains the best!”—Houston Chronicle

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

Handbook for Homicide (Brambleberry Bay Murder Club 3)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

This Book Club just turned into a Murder Club.

It’s Thanksgiving in Brambleberry Bay and a turkey isn’t the only thing being carved up. A Thanksgiving dinner fundraiser has the country club elite ready to open their wallets—but for one member, it will be their last supper.

A mind reader. Talking pets. An arrogant homicide detective. A murder club. And a corpse.

Welcome to the club. Getting in was easy. Getting out can be murder.

Living in Brambleberry Bay can be a real killer.

It’s criminally cozy.

A Cozy Mystery by New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Addison Moore —Humor with a side of homicide. RECIPE INCLUDED!

Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison’s books, “…easy, frothy fun!”

It’s a season of gratitude in Brambleberry Bay, but not everyone is counting their blessings. The elite of the town are gathered for a Thanksgiving dinner fundraiser at the country club, but the main course includes a side of murder. Among the caviar and crystal, one of the town’s upper crust meets a rather untimely and unseemly end.

I’m Hattie Holiday, and my ability to read minds isn’t just a quirky party trick. Sure, delving into people’s deepest thoughts has its perils, but it also has its perks—like conversing with my sassy cat, Cricket, and Rookie, an endearing Golden Retriever who has the somewhat grumpy detective Killion as his hooman.

My shiny new stint at the Country Club might have me rubbing elbows with Brambleberry’s crème de la crème, but their book club isn’t just about discussing the latest bestsellers. Something sinister lurks beneath the polished surface, and my nosy nature just might have put a target on my back. As secrets come to the surface, everyone’s desperate to keep their skeletons locked away. But as I’m quickly learning, skeletons don’t like closets, and neither do secrets.

Navigating this deadly game would have been complex enough, but things get even more tangled when my relationship with that ornery detective gets pretty heated. Between love, lies, and a lurking killer, it’s going to be one unforgettable holiday.

But in this game of deadly stakes, I’m about to serve up a slice of justice—with a dollop of whipped cream on top!

The turkey isn’t the only one on the run—so is a killer.

Posted in Cozy Mysteries

The Inn at Holiday Bay: Details in the Document

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.

After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.

In book 14 in the series, spring in Holiday Bay is interrupted by a category 2 hurricane, an inn filled with stranded motorists, an unexpected delivery, and a murder, which on the surface, doesn’t make a lick of sense. Add to that the fact that the small plot of land that was linked by deed to the land where the inn now sits turns out to be a burial ground for a serial killer, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Posted in Cover Reveals

Structure of Love #CoverReveal

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Structure of Love
AJ Sherwood
(Gay 4 Renovations, #2)
Publication date: December 26th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Gage has a blueprint for his life all mapped out.

First, straighten out his little brother so Gage can finally stop being pseudo father to him.

Second, expand the company to have permanent crews.

Third, avoid any more hookup dates–he wants all or nothing.

The very sexy, tatted bar owner that slides into his life? Not part of the plan.

But god, Gage can go for some red line changes to make Logan part of it.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


Author Bio:

AJ Sherwood believes in happily ever afters, magic, dragons, good men, and dark chocolate. She often dreams at night of delectable men doing sexy things with each other. In between writing multiple books (often at the same time) she pets her cats, plays with her dogs, and attempts insane things like aerial yoga.

She currently resides in Michigan with aforementioned dogs and cats. Being in snow country gives her the excuse to stay inside and watch bl dramas, which suit her perfectly.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / TikTok


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