“The cemetery spot” drops you in the deep end on the first page as we read the thoughts of somebody who is driving with a dead body in the trunk of th“The cemetery spot” drops you in the deep end on the first page as we read the thoughts of somebody who is driving with a dead body in the trunk of their car.
Rewind a little and we find out that these somebodies are sisters August and April. When April decides to drop in unannounced (as usual) at her sisters home, the last thing she expects is to find her standing over her husband’s dead body.
This book is a testament to how far we will go for the people we love, up to and including helping them bury a dead body.
The sisters have a very unusual relationship which we get deeper insight to via flashbacks to their childhood, i found Augusts intentions very unclear throughout the book which I think was done purposefully to keep the reader on their toes, on the opposite spectrum I found April to be very naive, too caring for her own good which results in her finding herself in tricky situations.
The entire book reads like a fever dream with characters making absolutely terrible decisions left right and centre, sometimes I wanted to throw my kindle at the book and yell “THIS IS NOT HOW YOU COVER UP A MURDED!!”.
The author does a great job of keeping you nervous *bites nails” as you anxiously keep turning page after page to see if it all goes to sh*t or if there is hope for the sisters.
I liked Eugene’s character he was enjoyably quirky and despite the last we hear from him I hope he fairs well. I also liked the open ending in regards to Benny. I couldn’t tell the dynamic between the two characters, at some point I was picking up romantic vibes but in the last part of the book April kept mentioning brotherly feelings.
This would make a fun book to do as a buddy read so you can discuss with your friend every time you get stressed with the events and twists unfolding ...more
Phenomenal.. this is my absolute favourite read this entire year, this book blew me away!!
I went into this one blind and I was so pleasantly surprisedPhenomenal.. this is my absolute favourite read this entire year, this book blew me away!!
I went into this one blind and I was so pleasantly surprised! Our female protagonist, Poe, is complex, flawed an anti hero who I absolutely adore and stand behind no matter what. Her character was so loveable I want to be best friends with this person!
If you prefer context to the plot keep reading!
The story follows a podcast presented by Poe and produced with the help of her boyfriend Kip. (Before you eye roll and yawn at the podcast concept.. this was done in a way that was so beyond unique it had my jaw to the floor).
Poe invites guests to her podcast and says 5 simple words before giving them the floor.. “tell me what you did”. The guests proceed to confess their sins, their crimes and whatever details they need to get off their chest. The podcast is a huge success until she gets one terrifying guest who may be linked to Poes past in a way that is unpredictable, terrifying and insane.
I could not stop reading, the pacing was perfection. The chapters are divided into the events leading up to a live stream, and the dialogue between Poe and an unhinged organizer of a live interview.
I was not bored for a single second, I devoured every single word, thought, conversation. I wanted all the details, every ounce of the history, present and future surrounding these characters.
An absolute MUST READ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Poisened Pen Press is truly dropping all the 5⭐️ bangers this year what an awesome publishing group. This author will be an auto read for me moving forward!
Thank you to Carter Wilson, Poisened Pen Press and NetGalley for my EARC!
“The Business Trip” is an excellent thriller debut with a unique writing format that keeps you turning pages through the night.
The plot follows Stepha“The Business Trip” is an excellent thriller debut with a unique writing format that keeps you turning pages through the night.
The plot follows Stephanie and Jasmine whose paths cross when they board the same flight to Denver. Stephanie is travelling for a business conference and Jasmine is on the run from her abusive boyfriend. The way their lives cross over is unexpected to say the least.
When reading the synopsis I expected to immediately be on board the flight with the two women seeing how they interact. I was pleasantly surprised to see that after a small intro for each woman, the author completely diverted us through multiple character points of outside characters whom have connections to the main characters.
Through their thoughts we begin to see that something unusual is happening in the days following the flight and we begin to wonder what the heck is going on. It isn’t until the second half of the book that we are pulled back in time to see just how exactly we ended up there.
I loved how unique the plot was. I enjoyed all the different POV, even though there was so many of them I always knew exactly who was talking because of the way they flowed so nicely together patching you through the timeline consecutively.
I loved this book overall. My only qualms was the ending which i personally felt got a little too far fetched in the last three chapters and Jasmines character seemed to do a 180 to me. However there was one component to the ending i was glad for. This book makes for a great debate / conversational topic and would suit book clubs well.
Thank you to Jessie Garcia, St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the EARC!
“Ghost mother” is a modern gothic thriller that follows Lilly and Jack as they purchase a run down mansion in Wisconsin.
Lilly is struggling to have a“Ghost mother” is a modern gothic thriller that follows Lilly and Jack as they purchase a run down mansion in Wisconsin.
Lilly is struggling to have a baby and is convinced this is the home she needs to get pregnant. Jack begrudgingly agrees to take on this home project but soon regrets his decision as things begin to crumble around them.
Lilly soon finds out their new home was the site of a triple homicide in the 1950s and things go from bad to worse when she starts to believe the house is haunting and she is seeing things. This puts a large stressor on their already damaged relationship as events reach a climax.
This book is sufficiently spooky with all the interesting components you would wish for in a potentially haunted house thriller.
There is lots of creepy events and aesthetics throughout leaving plenty to the readers imagination. Is Lilly really being haunted or is she losing it?
Triggers: Lots of discussion based on infertility topics. Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Kelly Dwyer and Netgalley for the ALC!
For those who associated a creepy unknown with attacks and basements.
The opening chapter shows Anya relaxing in the bathtub with a glass of wine. The For those who associated a creepy unknown with attacks and basements.
The opening chapter shows Anya relaxing in the bathtub with a glass of wine. The next second she sees the attic hatch drop open, and out climbs a strange masked man. Within seconds she’s dead.
Moving forward Jules and her family move from USA to their new home in a gated community in Dublin.
The children aren’t thrilled to be leaving their home and friends, and even less thrilled when they find TikTok videos of a strange man walking through their home.
Jules is convinced it is someone editing videos to look like they are originating from the house, but when other weird unexplainable things begin to happen, she starts to wonder if somebody really is breaking in after all. Her son is convinced there is a man living in their attic who comes out to watch him sleep in the middle of the night.
I enjoyed the creepy premise of this plot, I feel the author could have leaned into the scary aspects more if she wanted to but segued more into the mystery / thriller components than horror. This still worked well because we got a lot of back story about Jules and her friends, as well as getting to know her new neighbours and the secrets they were harbouring.
This is my first book by this author and I will be looking forward to more of her work :)
Thank you to NetGalley, Andrea Mara and Penguin Random House Canada for the EARC.
To start with we have a dual timeline situation. In the past There are four girl friends at summer camp whI have such mixed feelings about this one..
To start with we have a dual timeline situation. In the past There are four girl friends at summer camp who tell a lie that spirals out of control into extreme consequences.
Flash forward to the future, the girls have all grown up into adults who are living separate lives, who find themselves reuniting under the pretence of receiving a letter implicating them in their past involvement in said lie.
First let me mention to check your triggers before reading as the book contains dark subject matter such as SA of a minor, non graphic attempted harm of infants, eating disorders, murder and castration.
The plot itself has potential to be really good. I liked the pretence under which the girls find themselves reunited as adults and then the reveal as to why they’re really there. I feel if the author stuck to that story line she could have gone great places with it.
What I had a problem with:
Firstly I feel the author googled eating disorders and ran with it. I feel like it was completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the overall plot and there wasn’t enough time spent getting educated on this subject, the characters experience felt inauthentic.
Secondly one of the girls exhibited extremely dark behaviour but I don’t think we get any real background information as to how and why she came to be this way, other than she did it because she could.
Thirdly the ending felt incomplete. We got a vague explanation as to the twist unfolding itself and yet we didn’t get a follow up on what happened to any of the characters themselves. I understand leaving an open ending for readers interpretation but this didn’t feel like that, it felt like the author decided to just close her laptop and stop writing.
There didn’t seem to be any closure for any of the characters including the tennis teachers wife or her sons.
This book was just a bit bizarre for me. I’m not sure if the author tried to include many twists and Different character POV and failed to merge them cohesively together but there was just something off about this book. I feel it could have benefited from a lot more editing.
To end on a positive, I thought that the audiobook narrators did a good job on the narration.
Publish date: July 23rd 2024
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and Lucinda Berry for the ALC!
Narrated by - Narrated by Bailey Carr; Stephanie Nemeth-Parker; Susannah Jones; Jane Oppenheimer; Carly Robins...more
I’ve recently discovered Kierstens work and I’m quickly turning into a fan. I just finished reading Hemlock which was an absolute 5⭐️ read for me so II’ve recently discovered Kierstens work and I’m quickly turning into a fan. I just finished reading Hemlock which was an absolute 5⭐️ read for me so I had to snatch this up immediately.
“Bitter House” is giving “Heiress” by Rachel Hawkins vibes so if you enjoyed that book I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try!
Bridget has just inherited the Bitter home from her recently deceased relative, only when she moves in she finds out the house has also been left 50% to her arch nemesis Cole.
Her and Cole grew up together and have bad blood between them, but they are both too stubborn to sell and determined to remain in the home.
When Bridget starts receiving ominous letters containing concerning secrets from an anonymous source, she wonders how much truth they hold.
The story is separated between present day POV and past tales from the recently deceased herself. I enjoy the change in time lines as the secrets and stories unfold.
I enjoyed the premise and mystery to this book as well as the writing format. The only thing I wasn’t sold on was the relationship between the two main characters. They seemed to argue about childish things as full fledged adults, one minute Cole would be complaining that in the past he felt unwelcome in the home growing up and never got anything he wanted, shunned to a small room in the house. And then the next chapter they were discussing how he would be inviting a different girl from school home to hook up with every week, so it didn’t seem like he really had much to complain about after all ...more
My first read from this author and I’m already excited for her next book!!
The cover definitely captivated me, it hints towards a moody summer thrillerMy first read from this author and I’m already excited for her next book!!
The cover definitely captivated me, it hints towards a moody summer thriller and the plot definitely provides that!
The story follows Ellery, she is solo travelling to an upscale vacation resort somewhere in California’s coastline on what should be her 20th wedding anniversary. She is reeling from the surprise twist that was her unexpected divorce, and her BFF convinced her use the pre booked vacation as a chance to breathe and heal.
Ellery gets more from her vacation than expected when dead bodies start showing up. When torrential rain caused a landslide and blocks off access to the resort, she enlists the help of her new found friends to investigate the suspicious deaths while they are stranded there.
I loved how this book had an open feel to the locked room trope. Although the guests where very much cut off from the rest of the world without phone and road access, the open plan of the resort itself connected with multiple trails and outdoor areas gave it a spacious and scenic feel to the chaos.
I enjoyed how the people from wedding party and the unrelated resort guests started to mold together as one group as time went on and people started taking time to get to know each other, even if it was to suss out potential killers.
I also loved how each of the forward facing characters had unique backgrounds and skill sets, this provided interesting segues to the main plot that felt well connected as a filler.
I was a big fan of the over all writing style and flow to the plot. The pacing felt on point with a continuous forward momentum and I didn’t find myself getting bored at any point in the book. I was continuously engaged and invested into the characters!
I loved seeing Ellery overcome challenges she was facing in her personal life and it was extremely heartwarming to see how many meaningful connections she had made by the end of the book.
“The hunters gambit” is a fantasy book for those who enjoy the vampire genre.
We have a strong willed female lead, locked room attempted escape trope,“The hunters gambit” is a fantasy book for those who enjoy the vampire genre.
We have a strong willed female lead, locked room attempted escape trope, vampiresque castles, lots of action, adventure, gore, fights, spice and more. There’s an amount of role reversal here with the FMC being morally grey and the MMC being the good guy.
The plot starts off slow in an interesting setting where the love interests meet. It is clear that this vampire is “not like the others” and has no intention of harming our FMC. When they go their separate ways and imminent danger is lurking in the woods, things begin to move at somewhat of a quicker pace.
I feel like there could have been a little more world building, however this book definitely focuses on the shock factor and there’s a lot of that which keeps the reader distracted on the events unfolding.
Read if you like empire of the vampire.
Thank you to Angry Robot, Ciel Pierrot and NetGalley for the EARC!
“Disturbing the dead” is I believe the third instalment in the homicide detective Mallory Atkinson series, however I read this as a stand-alone having“Disturbing the dead” is I believe the third instalment in the homicide detective Mallory Atkinson series, however I read this as a stand-alone having not read the previous books and I was still able to fully understand everything and enjoy the plot without feeling I was missing anything.
The plot combines historical crime fiction with present day, our FMC has found herself investigating murders in the 1860s when she is really from our modern society. Mallorys employer Dr Duncan Gray is aware of her timeline hopping situation, and together they investigate the mystery surrounding a suspicious death.
They are invited to attend a mummy unwrapping, but they find themselves unravelling a mystery instead of mummified remains. I loved the aspect of a murder occurring during such an event, as well as the historical aspects, having to use wits and intelligence to investigate without having access to modern day crime solving technology.
I enjoy both characters and their working relationship, the ease at which they work together.
I thought the narrator, Kate Hanford did an absolutely fantastic job of portraying all the different characters as well as multiple accents, and enjoyed listening along to the plot.
Thank you to Kelley Armstrong, Macmillan Audio and Minotaur Books for the EARC and ALC.
Three old ladies meet up for their weekly lunches and use the time to plot multiple murders to avenge their friend’s honour.
The trouble is they want Three old ladies meet up for their weekly lunches and use the time to plot multiple murders to avenge their friend’s honour.
The trouble is they want the deaths to see accidental and non suspicious to the police, yet they want the victims to know who did it and exactly why they had it coming…
The trio have an excellent way of making things a little more complicated than necessary with their outlandish schemes.
Unfortunately despite the witty humour, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. ...more
“Diavola” is definitely one of the highlights of my reading journey this year.. I absolutely adore the concoction of paranormal haunting, modern gothi“Diavola” is definitely one of the highlights of my reading journey this year.. I absolutely adore the concoction of paranormal haunting, modern gothic, vacation thriller.. set in the vividly picturesque Italian landscape with a heavy dashing of culture, history and folklore.
The plot follows our FMC Anna and her family who vacation together in the small village of Monterperso in a villa which we later find is very well known and feared throughout the community.
From the get go we see that Anna’s not only the outcast but is treated pretty poorly by her family members. Her father is indifferent, her mother constantly highlights her failures, her sister is a control freak and her twin brother “tries say hard to go with the flow he practically dissolves” (I love this quote ...more
Riley and Nick are back once again, only this time no one is dead (yet?).. Quite the opposite.. we found out that a certain somebody is in fact alive aRiley and Nick are back once again, only this time no one is dead (yet?).. Quite the opposite.. we found out that a certain somebody is in fact alive and Nick is on the case determined more than ever to find answers from the mysteries in his past.
I will say Nick spends the first 40% of this book being one big grump.. but Riley’s family of psychics makes up for it by being as fun and quirky as ever.
We get more silly shenanigans from Polly with the purple hair , gabe the spirit guide and the stinky dog who insists on eating Taco Bell.
This series is full of feel good, dysfunctional family fun, mysteries with the side of occasional murder, spirit guides, psychic abilities and talking ghosts. We are here for the drama and the jokes.
My favourite Lucy score series by far. I will say out of the 3 books released I think book 3 lost a little bit of steam, but the end surprise birthday party scene certainly made up for it, safe to say I laughed out loud a LOT.
I am extremely excited for the upcoming book 4 and have a feeling it’ll come back with a vengeance and pack a punch for the reader.
Thank you to Lucy Score, Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the EARC. Publish date; May 14 (available now on KU)...more
“This girls a killer” was SUCH A FANTASTIC read!! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all around absolutely loved it! An absolute must read…
The plot follows the life of Corde“This girls a killer” was SUCH A FANTASTIC read!! 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all around absolutely loved it! An absolute must read…
The plot follows the life of Cordelia (or many lives), by day she is an entrepreneur, business woman in the pharmaceutical industry as well as her strong connection with her best friend and god daughter. On the side she likes to dabble in her own kind of fun foreplay - desposing of evil bad men.
This book is giving butcher and blackbird vibes, minus the butcher. We don’t need a lovey romance here; we have all the feel goods between her and her bestie/mini bestie. Although at one point I did suspect a certain LI connection between her bestie and McSmiley, perhaps a book 2?
I love her god daughter, she is hilarious and sassy and definitely takes too much after her godmother. I also love the best friend dynamic which shows women that friendships can be enough to fulfil and sustain you without the qualms of messy romantic entanglements.
Everything is going swimmingly for Cordelia, she has her lifestyle organized to the last second and the system works well for her. That is until a wrench is thrown in the mix and things start going from bad to worse. On top of that her bestie seems to be dating a questionably slimy man who may cause even more trouble for her.
I loved the humour, the drama, the action. I can always get behind a serial killer with a big heart and good intentions. This book gave me so much anxiety!! ...more
I was sooo excited to see an A. R. Torre book on NetGalley so I obviously had to snatch it up immediately, and boy did it deliver!!
What we know:
One maI was sooo excited to see an A. R. Torre book on NetGalley so I obviously had to snatch it up immediately, and boy did it deliver!!
What we know:
One man sits in prison for the last 2 decades for going on a murder spree during his daughter’s 12th birthday sleepover. He claims innocence and yet there were no signs of an intruder and all evidence points to him.
One woman sits pretty in her lavish home of the rich an elite, with her doting “can do no wrong husband” and her “mature for her years” intelligent teenage daughter. Under the surface she has a secret obsession with the aforementioned murderer.
Someone’s telling lies but their motives are unclear! This one had me gripped to the pages I couldn’t believe what I was reading, I was completely raptured into the plot waiting to see the fallout when it all blew to pieces.
Fast paced, addictive, interesting, and that ending! highly recommend!
Thank you to A. R. Torre, Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for the EARC!
I honestly love this series.. “the corpse in the closet” is the second instalment to the Riley Thorn detective series and it is a blast.
Firstly I loveI honestly love this series.. “the corpse in the closet” is the second instalment to the Riley Thorn detective series and it is a blast.
Firstly I love Riley and Nicks relationship, Nick really goes out of his way to do above and beyond boyfriend duties in this one as he navigates how to be in a romantic relationship. I’d say this book sways focus more onto their relationship than the first book and less so on the detective forefront but it didn’t feel like it was missing out on anything in the mean time.
I’m also a huge fan of Gabe the spiritual guide who is such a sweetheart. In this book we are also introduced to Riley’s grandmother and Nicks family as extra characters.
After solving multiple murders the book ends on somewhat of a (none threatening) cliff hanger leaving the door open for book number 3. I’m definitely intrigued and will be opting to continue this series.
These books are full of quirky characters, loopy neighbours, laugh out loud banter and inappropriate behaviour. They are the perfect combination of murder mystery, detective work, romance and satire.
Thank you to Lucy Score, NetGalley and Sourcebooks bloom books for the EARCS ...more
I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down and I just wanted to keep going until I could see what happened at the end! I love books likeI read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down and I just wanted to keep going until I could see what happened at the end! I love books like this that hook you and keep you addicted and interested to the point where you can’t stop reading!
The orphanage by the lake follows Hazel Cho, a private investigator living in NYC who needs a big win and a stack load of cash to keep business afloat.
Enter Madeline who wants to hire her services to find her god daughter who went missing from an orphanage six months ago. Although it’s still an active police investigation, no new leads have come up in a long time and it’s clear they aren’t invested in finding answers.
I really enjoyed reading the behind the scenes investigative work, following the threads until new leads come up, interviewing people who don’t want to talk and what their motives may be for potentially helping to cover something more sinister up.
This book is action packed full of crooked cops, car chases, illegal pop up clubs, kidnapping rings and more! I was a big fan of Hazels room mate Kenny and all the sweet things he did for her.
This is my first Daniel Miller book and definitely won’t be my last! I would even love to hear more about Hazel and her next adventure in the PI world!
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Houndstooth books for the ARC!
Publish date: available now
Rating 5⭐️ for the vibes and the addictiveness of the plot...more
“The dead guy next door” is a paranormal romance / mystery. This book is by definition quirky, with lots of sarcastic humour and quips.
The story foll“The dead guy next door” is a paranormal romance / mystery. This book is by definition quirky, with lots of sarcastic humour and quips.
The story follows Riley Thorn, a 30 something, single, down on her luck woman with unwanted psychic abilities where she can speak to the dead and receive visions of the future.
Despite her attempts to lead a normal life she finds herself tied up in the murder of her neighbour, somehow resulting in her fake engagement to a smoking hot private detective who is investigating the case.. enter love interest scenario.
I think the paranormal and murder mystery aspects really made this more appealing to me. I enjoyed the tension and dialogue between the love interests and Theo undercover investigative work when they teamed up to solve the case together.
The majority of the characters in this book have overly idiosyncratic personalities, but the vibe of the whole book was to be eccentric so the characters made it what it was. There are definitely some laugh out loud moments, I found it a lot more entertaining than the contemporary romance genre.
If you enjoy books outside the realm of the norm you will likely find a soft spot for this one. I would definitely read more Riley Thorn books when they are published!
Thank you to Lucy Score, Sourcebooks bloom books and NetGalley for the Ebook! Pub date; available now...more
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