Book Review: "Indie Darling" by Lauren Nossett

Sometimes it’s all about timing. I’ve been meaning to read this book for a few months now, but I finally got around to picking it up this week. Little did I know that the main character was a huge Dolly Parton fan. It was almost like Dolly herself was sending me a sign.

Kelly is a private investigator in Nashville. She only works for women—those wondering about their husbands’ fidelity or honesty, those who believe they’re being stalked, even those in search of a missing family member or friend. She knows what it’s like not to be listened to, so she’s always there for her clients.

She gets hired by Sarah Owens, a musician known as Seraph, who is the lead singer of a band called The Garden Snakes. The band’s popularity is increasing, but they’re also quite controversial, since their music talks about women being victimized and their taking the power back.

Sarah tells Kelly that she and her other two bandmates are being harassed. They’ve been receiving threatening letters and emails, and even had a few break-ins. But when Sarah gets attacked, she knows that she needs someone to identify her assailant. However, she’s not willing to keep her band from performing.

One night, The Garden Snakes are performing at a big Nashville music festival. While on stage, Sarah gets shot. She is rushed into an ambulance, but it turns out the ambulance never made it to a hospital—it was waylaid by someone. Kelly is determined to find Sarah, if she’s still alive, and figure out who is responsible for the harassment, the shooting, and the kidnapping. But this investigation could prove harmful to Kelly, too.

I really thought this was a great read. Kelly is a terrific character—feisty yet dealing with her own demons. But she refuses to let her investigation drop, no matter what comes her way. I hope this is the start of a series!!

Book Review: "Colton Gentry's Third Act" by Jeff Zentner

Through the years I’ve found so many auto-buy authors. One of these is Jeff Zentner, whose YA books (particularly In the Wild Light and The Serpent King) are among some of my favorites. I was really excited when I learned that his latest book would be his first foray into adult romance, and he didn’t miss a beat as he shifted audiences.

“Grief is an arsonist, stealing in under cover of dark to reduce you to ashes. You can expect it or not. But you can’t prepare for it, and there’s no defense. Well, one maybe: self-immolate first.”

Colton Gentry’s country music career is on the cusp of a renaissance. He’s about to have his first hit in a long while, he’s opening for a mega-star, and he’s married to another famous singer. But while all of this should make him happy, he’s grieving: his best friend Duane was recently killed during a mass shooting at a country music festival. So one night during his set, fortified with alcohol, he expresses his views on gun control along with some choice epithets.

Needless to say, Colton’s views and the profanity he used while speaking up, alienates his fans and the country music industry. Within a day or two, his career and his marriage have both imploded, leaving him no choice but to return to his rural Kentucky hometown, live with his mother, and lick his wounds.

Colton feels like a total failure, as being a musician is what he has wanted since high school graduation. He has no idea what his next step will be, until a chance encounter with his first love, Luann, who is now the chef and owner of a prestigious restaurant in town. She sees how broken he is, and offers him a job in the kitchen, despite the fact that he once broke her heart.

This is a love story, but it’s also a story about grief, friendship, redemption, and picking yourself back up when you’ve hit rock bottom. Zentner is at the top of his game, and there are so many fantastic characters.

This isn’t to be read on an empty stomach unless you’re planning your gorge yourself on gourmet food afterward!