Book and Product Reviews by Roundtable Reviews

 As the holiday's near, I tend to get a bit busier. We're in the middle of a bathroom remodel, so that adds to it. One thing I do love is watching books on TV as that's something I do to unwind before I head upstairs for the night. Meet Agatha Raisin and Her Charming Group of Friends M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin is one show I've loved. Agatha takes early retirement from her busy job in public relations and moves to the quiet Cotswalds, only it's not so quiet when the baking competition she's entered in leads to a judge being poisoned. That kicks off the series on Acorn TV. I recommend reading the books, too. Get Baking With Alexa Acorn TV is also home to My Life is Murder, a show starring Xena Warrior Princess's Lucy Lawless. I adore her in this show where she's a retired detective, Alexa Crowe, who spends her time making sourdough for the local cafe and the cafe's handsome owner. But, when a case is difficult for her former boss, he'll co

 Release Date - October 25, 2022 After his dad's death, Adam Stillwater and his mom do everything in their power to keep the family's pinball arcade running. It's a dying breed, however, and money's getting tighter every day. Adam doesn't want his mom entertaining the idea of selling to the rich owner of a chain of gaming cafes. Worse, that rich owner is the father of one of Adam's former best friends, Whitney Mitchell. Whitney does everything she can to catch her dad's attention. She works hard on his business's social media marketing campaign, but he never recognizes her skills. She longs for that to change. Which is how she gets into a social media feud with her former friend Adam. When a major storm hits, Whitney and Adam find themselves stuck in the pinball arcade for the night. Soon, they realize that their old friendship never should have died and there's the chance it could be something much bigger. I grew up when pinball arcades and video

 Release Date - November 15, 2022 This is the third book in the Before Your Coffee Gets Cold series. Head back to the charming Mount Hakodate cafe where a specific seat (that's often occupied by a ghost) and a cup of coffee are all you need to travel in time. There are rules you must follow. Wait for the ghost to head to the bathroom, ask for your coffee, and travel back in time, but you have to return before your coffee gets cold. In this latest collection of time travel adventures, you have the daughter who wants to know how her parents could get into an accident that led to her being an orphan. You have the comedian who wants that chance to go back and see his beloved once more. There's the sister who has not stopped grieving. Finally, there's the man who realizes he let the love of his life slip away and wishes he'd realized what true love is. The stories are emotional and tug at your heart. The cafe and setting make you want to be there. I've cherished each st

 Release Date - September 20, 2022 I read this right before it was released and somehow managed to forget to post the review. My apologies for that. Balancing life, certification courses, and work led to things getting away from me. Add in an issue with a brand new Li-ion lawn mower battery sparking a small fire in my home and, well, it's been a bit overwhelming. (Not to anyone with Li-ion batteries who do their part and store them at room temperature, do so in fireproof, smoke-proof bags . It's worth it!) RaeAnne Thayne's romances always tug at my heart strings and leave me with the warm fuzzies. All Is Bright is no different. Head back to Hope's Crossing where architect Sage McKnight is busy showcasing her skills on retired baseball player Mason Tucker's ADA-compliant home. Mason was badly injured in a plane crash and is now in a wheelchair and needs a home he can navigate.  While Sage wants to use every stage of his home's construction for her website, Maso

 Release Date - June 8, 2021 Ann and Poppy Gordon are very accustomed to the summers spent in Cape Cod in their family's summer home. This year is different. Ann's parents adopted an orphaned boy close to Ann's age. They have a new brother to introduce to the relaxed way of life the Cape offers. Everything ends up going wrong, however, and Ann's summer changes their lives forever. The summer culminates with Michael leaving and becoming estranged from the family. Fifteen years later, Ann, Poppy, and Michael's mom and dad die in a car crash. Ann and Poppy are distant, but they're going to have to team up, prepare two homes for sale, and move on. Nothing goes as planned when Michael re-enters the picture. He owns a third of that summer home, too, and he's not leaving until he gets it.  Cape Cod has a certain magic to it, and it's captured nicely in this novel. The Second Home is a touch of romance, a bit of mystery as to what tore the family apart, and p

 Release Date September 2020 While the members of the Hunter family, a deaf family, are asleep, someone sneaks in and murders their 18-month-old. Clearly, no one heard a thing, but police are determined to catch a brutal killer. The question is was it someone close to the child or a stranger prowling the streets for other victims? Paige Northwood is hired by the police as a translator for deaf community. She's determined to uncover who hurt one of her community, but in doing so, she's putting her own life on the line. The Silent House travels into territory that is often overlooked in books. Having the witnesses and suspects be unable to easily communicate without Paige's help added layers to this story. For much of it, I had my suspicion as to who killed the child and why, but a couple of other angles did present themselves and make me second-guess myself, which is always a nice change pace. In the end, my initial thought was spot on. I overlooked this one when it was r

Release Date - September 23, 2019 When I accepted a copy of Three Remain to review, I'd read the description, fact it was a post-apocalyptic story, and Netgalley description of "mystery/thriller." I wish I'd checked Amazon's listing as "technothriller" as I would have moved on. For my review, I think it's important to realize I do not like most sci-fi as a general rule. I am and never will be a fan of shows like Star Trek, the latter X-File years, Roswell, etc. Three Remain starts off amazingly well. Traci's parents drop her off the movies to see a show with her friends. She wakes up to find no one is in the movie theater, her parents never picked her up, and there's no cell service. The same night Traci's at the movies, Glen is at his home and witnesses a spectacular meteor shower and wakes up the next morning to find he has no power, no cell service, and all of his neighbors have seemingly disappeared. While exploring, Glen comes acr