Lost to Dune Road by Kara Thomas – ARC Review – April 23, 2024 Pub Date

Title:  Lost to Dune Road
Author:  Kara Thomas
Genre:  Crime Thriller / Mystery
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
Rating:  4 stars

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy of Lost to Dune Road.

Lee is a reporter who lost all credibility after an unfortunate mistake that resulted in a death.  Now, five years later, she makes a living being a private investigator under a nickname so as to not be as easily recognized. 

She receives a call from the mother of Amanda Hartley, a pregnant college student who is currently in a coma from a supposed attempted suicide.  There are a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle, like who is the father or how is a broke college student living in an apartment in Manhattan?  Amanda’s mom found Lee’s name on a paper in Amanda’s stuff, which Lee cannot understand either…until she figures out that Amanda was last seen on Dune Road, the same location as the last case Lee was reporting on was focused on.

Taking on Amanda’s investigation while also revisiting the case that ruined her career, Lee will dive back into the dangerous world of the Hamptons elite bringing secrets to light that powerful people would rather stay buried.

Kara is back with another dark and gritty mystery that will keep readers invested and guessing until the end.

I love a Hamptons setting. I know I’m getting toxic rich people problems whenever I see that’s where we’re headed. The Hamptons also allows for a mingling of the elite and the not-so, which is exactly what we got with this one. Naive girls in need of financial security stumbling into the dark side of a place that is not typically viewed as such. 

The plot set up was great. I have seen a couple of these ‘disgraced reporter’ stories lately and I think it’s a cool angle on how to give a character a backstory that immediately causes us to sympathize and root for them, while also lending a reason as to why this person who isn’t in law enforcement is good at investigating. 

I wouldn’t call this a political novel, or even really politically-driven, however there are some big current hot button topics addressed that could be considered political like abortion, police corruption, and powerful people and the things they may be able to get away with.

I always look forward to what Kara is going to put out next, I enjoy both her YA an adult novels and I’m here for another installment in either age group.

Turkey’s Birthday Bash by Wendi Silvano – ARC Review – September 10, 2024 Pub Date

Title: Turkey’s Birthday Bash
Author: Wendi Silvano
Illustrator: Lee Harper
Genre: Children’s
Series or Standalone: part of the Turkey Trouble series, all separate stories
Rating: 5 stars, rated by my son Lucas

Thank you to Netgalley, Two Lions, and Wendi for an advance copy of Turkey’s Birthday Bash!

It’s Turkey’s birthday, but no one is celebrating. In fact, no one even seems to know about it. Even stranger, Farmer Jake and his family are up to something in the backyard. And Turkey isn’t allowed to see what it is. Good thing he knows how to be sneaky—and that his friends help him put together the best disguises. Turkey dresses up as everything from a candle to a cupcake, but try as he might, he can’t get past the family. It just may be that Turkey is in for a birthday surprise or two…

Luke’s review: This book was about Turkeys birthday. Him wanted pizza and a party. My favorite part was when he dressed up as a donkey to sneak in. I also like when he was happy!

My Review: What’s not to like about Turkey? The books are always silly and heartfelt. Luke has read several and he never fails to laugh. My big complaint is the format on Kindle was not user-friendly.

Knife, Comment, Share by Tylor Paige – ARC Review – April 30, 2024 Pub Date

Thank you so much to Tylor for an advance copy of Knife, Comment, Share!

Seven years ago Domino fled Risky Rush Amusement Park, leaving her awful family and inheritance behind.  Now, having been found by her oldest brother, she has agreed to return for one reason only – to get her hands back on her family money so that she can help the numerous people she had met in her time away.  

When she returns, she comes face to face with Swayze and Koi, two of her crushes that would never come of anything because not only was she constantly made fun of for having Leg Length Discrepancy or being the only bastard child of her father’s, but she was also blamed for the death of their best friend Dennis, who drowned while all of the authorities were looking for Domino after her disappearance.  Someone has requested that not just Swayze and Koi, but all the employees, take out Domino by any means necessary. When the lights go down at Risky Rush beware of your co-workers, your family members, the rides, and the person in the mask…

Tylor’s creativity with how she’s able to take these classic horror icons and stories that we know and give us something fresh that still has hints of the monsters we know & love is really something else.  I will say of the three Final Girls books, this is the one with the least influence.  The camp isn’t a summer camp, but it is the campground that Risky Rush’s employees stay at, which I thought was a genius way to incorporate that aspect (and also a forced proximity that lended well to the plot).  There is a Jason mask (or several) but there isn’t just one killer and there’s no ‘undead’ aspect. While I would’ve liked to have seen a little more Friday the 13th influence, like maybe some mommy issues, I enjoyed what liberties that Tylor took, as I have in the past, and I am so excited to see what she brings us with book 4.

I rated this one a little lower than I did the other books and it’s because it felt a little disjointed at times.  After Swayze, Koi, and Domino get together and are dating for all intents and purposes there were some moments where they turned on her and I didn’t really understand where/why that came about.  It did come at moments in the book where I thought maybe they were trying to conceal their true feelings or act as though their feelings shifted, but it was never really made clear which had me struggling at times.  

Swayze and Koi are my favorite men that Ty has brought us thus far though and I am a little bummed that we won’t be seeing them again (unless we will…?!). I thought Domino was a great character and incorporating LLD was a great way to rep a disability that is rarely talked about, and also played well into the story both in the physical struggles that Domino had with adversaries and also to give some backstory to her strength and character.  There was trans rep as well in Johnny, a side character who is Domino’s best friend and made a few appearances throughout the book.  Sometimes authors will throw in some representation without depth and it feels cheap, I think Tylor works hard to incorporate any sort of diversity into the story to make it feel like it belongs there and isn’t just in for likes.

staying alive for even one more day than you planned is one of the bravest things you can do

Overall, I appreciated that this book took so so SO many victims, all of our characters were victims of something in one way or another, and showed us how differently people can handle what life throws at them.  You can become the ugliest possible version of yourself, you can become the best version of yourself, or you can be somewhere in the middle making a mess of things and then redeeming yourself as you go along. 

Hips, Lips, Apocalypse is the next in the series – I actually do not even know who the inspiration is for this one (I don’t think Ty dropped any easter eggs, if she did I totally missed them) but I know that regardless, it will be on my list to sign up for.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin – ARC Review – 9/12/2023

Title:  The Stranger Upstairs
Author:  Lisa M. Matlin
Genre:  Mystery / Psychological Thriller / Horror
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
Rating:  3.5 stars
Debut!

Thank you to Netgalley, Lisa, and Bantam for an advance copy of The Stranger Upstairs.  I did read this book back in September buttttt, I’m awful at timely reviewing.

Sarah is starting over.  As a blogger with a pretty significant following, her fresh start is also her new material – she has purchased Black Wood House, an infamous house with a dark history.  Her plan is to fix up the old house and draw new subscribers in with the notoriety of the property.  

Unfortunately, this is more than just a simple fixer upper.  Sarah starts to hear noises as if there is someone walking around in the attic, only to find no one there.  The contractors hired to help with the reno start acting strangely, and then threatening notes start to turn up.  Sarah isn’t sure who or what could be closing in on her, could it be her past or is the house out to get her?

I always say that psychological thrillers are ambitious for a debut novel.  They are not easy to write, obviously as the entire point is to confuse readers to the point that we’re questioning our own sanity. I think this book deserves a higher average rating than the 3.48 that is listed on Goodreads…and yes I know I gave it 3.5 stars.  First of all, it’s being marketed as a horror novel and I really think that’s doing it disservice.  It’s not a horror novel. That’s like calling some of Riley Sager’s later books horror novels. They’re not and neither is The Stranger Upstairs.  This book has horror influence, yes absolutely, but it is at its heart a psychological mystery thriller. My opinion is that your normal horror reader will pick this book up and ultimately be disappointed, however if you’re truly a thriller lover then you’ll enjoy this one.

I thought the backstory was a great way to introduce Sarah and the journey we were about to take together.  Obviously social media influencer / online angle is popular right now, but I enjoy it and I think this was one of the more unique ways to thread social media into the plot. 

I also enjoyed the setting – it was obviously current day Australia but there was a great gothic feel to it and I think Lisa did a nice job with the atmosphere and tone of the book.

Overall I thought this was a solid psychological debut. I’d be interested in reading additional works by Lisa.

Brutal King by Sienna Cross – ARC Review – 4/9/2024 Pub Date

Title:  Brutal King
Author:  Sienna Cross
Genre:  Dark Romance / Mafia
Series or Standalone:  Series
Rating:  3 stars

Thank you to Grey’s Promo and Sienna for an advance copy of Brutal King.
Brutal King is the third book in the Kings of Temptation series. Each book is connected, but they can all be read as standalones. I recommend starting with book 1, Ruthless King.  I believe this series will be concluding with the fourth book, Wicked King, which does not currently have a release date set (my guess is sometime towards the fall/winter of this year).
Please check trigger warnings, this is a dark mafia romance with some heavy themes.

Nico Rossi is obsessed.  Ever since he kidnapped his estranged half-brother’s fiancee, Rose, and her best friend, Maisy, he’s been unable to think of anything or anyone except for Maisy.  Sweet and naive, Maisy is fresh out of an awful marriage and working to get by on her own and the last thing she needs is a dangerous stalker of a mob boss coming in and wrecking her life again.

However, the more Nico watches Maisy, the more she’s sure that she’s not totally safe from her past yet and when he insists on being the one to keep her safe Maisy starts to see that there’s more to Nico than she imagined.

“this is all your fault you know. I was trying to get away from you when I tripped.” “It sounds like it’s your fault then. You should know better than to try and run from fate.”

Sigh. This is a tough one for me, because Sienna writes fantastic men, and fantastic spice, and typically fantastic women…but this just didn’t do it. I was so much more invested in the side story than in Nico & Maisy’s romance. But there’s really just one main reason that my rating is held back to a 3 versus a 4.

Maisy made it so hard for me to enjoy this book. There are plenty of ways to get across that a FMC is naive or innocent, but referring to her vagina as ‘cooter’ or ‘hoo ha’ and all of the ‘sugar, a-hole, mother trucker, gosh darn it’ stuff just killed it for me. I do suspend reality when I read dark romance, especially mafia, but in no world would a woman who is too scared to say a cuss word entertain a guy like Nico, Stockholm Syndrome or not.  And unfortunately I did really like Maisy as a person and as a character.  I like when a FMC is naive but also doesn’t take any shit, which is exactly what she did.  She had it rough, has been through the ringer, and yet still keeps an open heart and love for everyone despite needing to be a little more cautious. Those characters are so admirable and some of my favorites in writing, and yet her inability to say ‘damn’ or ‘shit’ just took so much away from the story for me. Just as I found myself getting lost in the plot (or the spice) she’d say something like oh shiitake… ugh.

If I’m going to hell, I might as well enjoy the ride.

That stuff being said, I do want to stress that the writing itself was still good, the story was still good, Nico was good, Rose popping back in was great, the side story of the brothers and the other gangs was definitely my favorite…some great seeds being planted there for the next book and what I assume will be the finale. I am very much looking forward to Wicked King and I really hope that this review does not deter people from checking out Sienna’s books, because Wicked King and Ruthless King were both great (and this one would’ve been too if I could’ve just moved past that fake cussing stuff).

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon – ARC Review – 9/5/2023 Pub Date

Title:  Scenes of the Crime
Author:  Jilly Gagnon
Genre:  Thriller / Mystery
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
Rating:  3 stars

Four friends reunite at the remote winery where their friend disappeared years prior.  Vanessa Morales went missing on a spring break girls trip gone wrong and was never heard from again.  Emily is desperate to figure out what happened so she plans a trip back to the scene of the crime in an attempt to potentially recreate what happened by putting her screenwriting skills to use. 

I don’t want to say too much about this book because I think the most fun part of reading it was the experience.  Scenes of the Crime was an ambitious project by Jilly…which I believe I also said about her book All Dressed Up.  The problem with the ambition is that it never really comes to fruition, much like All Dressed Up.

My biggest issue with this book is that none of the girls really had any desire to be around each other after the first trip so why would they have agreed to this reunion, even with a guilt trip? They were all such different people, it made sense that they were friends in college, but after a graduation and a tragedy to pull them apart it just felt like a huge plot hole to have them deciding to all get back together.

I will say that I really enjoyed the premise. It’s cliche, but I always enjoy the reuniting after a tragedy and secrets coming to light. I loved the setting. Jilly writes very creative settings and vividly describes them to the point that I can absolutely picture myself there.  A remote winery on cliffs in Oregon sounds amazing.

I can’t say that I loved this book or that it would be a top recommendation from me, but I will say that I’m writing this review 8 months after reading it and I can still remember key moments and parts that I did enjoy. As someone with major book amnesia who has also read probably 60 books since this one, that is definitely worth mentioning.  I think I’d suggest it on audio, however it would also be a pretty easy stormy night kindle read as well!

Lie by the Pool by Susan Walter – Backlist ARC Review – 9/12/2023 Pub Date

Title:  Lie by the Pool
Author:  Susan Walter
Genre:  Thriller
Series or Standalone:  Standalone
Rating:  4 stars

Thanks to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions and Susan for an advance copy of Lie by the Pool. I did read this back when it was getting ready to publish, however it’s one of those reviews that fell by the wayside and I forgot to get it done.

Bree is a widow living in her dream home. In an exclusive area of Beverly Hills, a beautiful pool and pool house, it’s the definition of luxury. The problem is that it’s not her home and she’s living in the backyard at night because she’s currently homeless, living out of her car and having exhausted all of her options, she seeks refuge in the seemingly empty home. Until one night the owner shows up and finds her camping out on a lounger. Instead of being put off by an intruder in the yard of her home, Sophie is quite taken with Bree, going so far as to invite her to a party at the house later that week.  As the party is coming to an end, Bree sneaks upstairs to sleep in a spare bedroom and get some real rest for the first time in a long time. The good night of sleep gives way to an awful scene however, when Sophie’s body is found floating in the pool. 

Now Bree has become the prime suspect as she is the ‘new girl’ with an unfortunate living situation and every instinct is telling her to run before this death is unfairly pinned on her.  Even worse, it’s not the first suspicious death that she’s been around…the last being her husband. 

This should be added to all those summer 2024 poolside TBR piles right now.  Lie by the Pool could easily be devoured in a day, with its fast-paced suspense keeping readers glued to the page and desperate to know what happens next.

It is a dual timeline, multi POV book, but I had no issues keeping characters or current events straight. I thought that every character had a distinct personality, and while none of them were exactly likable, I also didn’t dread getting to anyone’s POV either.

The setting is seductive – I mean, even as someone who doesn’t want to live in LA, I found myself wishing I could sneak into the backyard of this house and pretend it was my own.  Same goes with some of the characters we met. They were obviously trouble, but equally as magnetizing and I found myself wanting to know them.

The layers of the story too, just wow. You think you might have an idea of where you’re headed, and then the redirection sends you spiraling and clueless as to where you’ll actually end up.  And the twists and surprises start from about the first chapter, which if memory serves me correctly, is exactly what to expect with a Susan Walter book.

Last I checked she had a new book listed on goodreads, but no cover, synopsis, or pub date listed…cannot wait to see where we go next. 

Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult by Michelle Dowd – Backlist ARC Review – March 7, 2023 Pub Date

Title: Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult
Author:  Michelle Dowd
Genre:  True Crime, Science, Religion
Standalone or Series:  Standalone
Rating:  3 Stars

Thank you to Algonquin for an advance copy of Forager.

Michelle grew up in Southern California, in a remote part of the Angeles National Forest that her family referred to as “The Field.”  Here a group of people led by her Grandfather live in isolation and learn to prepare for doomsday. Following an extreme literal interpretation of the Bible and following a strict set of rules set forth in the patriarchal community, Michelle and the other kids are raised in a sterile and unloving environment. With nature guiding her, Michelle learns to rely on the land more than another person and finds the strength she needed to break free from the family holding her back.

Forager was a very interesting book. I mean, most books about cults are, right? It’s a fascinating look into humans and how differently people can view the world and how to survive it.

Michelle divides her experiences and story up with segments on specific plants that she grew up learning that were crucial to survival in some way or another and I found that to be a really cool way to integrate the parts of her life that ultimately saved her into the story of her very unfortunate and upsetting upbringing.

That being said, I did get a little lost or lose some interest when the plant segments went on a little longer than I found necessary.  I picked Michelle’s book up solely for the true crime aspect of it, so for me there were moments where I found myself thinking okay that’s interesting but let’s get back to the cult portion of things.  I do think because Michelle is so incredibly knowledgeable about plants that this book could bring a variety of readers in.  I learned a lot about a subject that I hadn’t intended to and it is always cool to walk away from a book having learned something unexpected.

The Veiled Kingdom by Holly Renee – ARC Review – March 19, 2024 Pub Date

Title:  The Veiled Kingdom
Author:  Holly Renee
Genre:  Fantasy / Romantasy
Series or Standalone:  First in the Veiled Kingdom series
Rating:  5 stars
Available on Kindle Unlimited!

Thank you to Holly & Valentine PR for an advance copy of The Veiled Kingdom!

In this world, you don’t have the option of not choosing sides.

A princess on the run & the leader of a rebellion against the king collide and are forever changed.

Nyra is the princess of a tyrannical King set on taking everything he can from his people.  Burdened by the fact that she has no power…and by that lack of power is what caused her mother’s death and left her alone to deal with her father’s wrath, she sees the chance for an escape and takes it – during a rebellion’s raid of the castle.

While out of her father’s reach for now, she’s still far from safe. The streets of the kingdom are still full of dangers, and when she is captured by the rebellion, she is left with only one real choice – join or die.

Dacre is the son of the rebellion’s leader, essentially in charge of recruiting & training, and even though Nyra has agreed to join their cause he is wary of her true intentions. Unable to deny their attraction despite their misaligned goals and mistrust of one another, they become tangled in a dangerous web, both pawns to something much larger.

“Did you wear this tonight to punish me?” “How in the world would this be punishing you?” “Because you’re not mine.”

I mean, Y’ALL. What a book. At some point I realized that I could not put this down if I tried. Every other book pushed aside and this became my priority. It has some tropes that I’m not really a fan of (chosen one & fated mates) but that I devoured regardless, and now I want more of it.

Some other tropes include enemies to lovers, touch her and die, hidden identity, banter, forced proximity, found family, and captor/captive.

You haven’t seen me be mean.  If I were mean, I’d slide my cock between your lips to keep you from talking when I tire of hearing you speak.

Dacre is…something else. He’s like Xaden Riorson on steroids and I enjoyed every bit of him.  He had some one liners that left me with my jaw on the ground and being torn between kissing or killing him.  The banter & tension between him and Nyra was top tier.  The burn was so SO so slow (70% before anything beyond tension & banter appeared on page) but the payoff was so worth it.  That last 30% had some extremely steamy and incredible scenes and I’m desperate for more. 

And that ending! Talk about running immediately to Goodreads to mark book 2 “to-read” and checking Valentine PR to see if it’s available for requesting yet. This is one of those drop everything, take a sick day, and get lost somewhere else books.  Romantasy is making a pretty big comeback right now and there are dozens of stories available, but make this one a priority.

Peril in Pink by Sydney Leigh – ARC Review – March 19, 2024 Pub Day

Title:  Peril in Pink
Author:  Sydney Leigh
Genre:  Cozy Mystery (no romance currently)
Series or Standalone:  Book 1 in the Hudson Valley B&B Mystery series
Rating:  3.5 stars was my initial rating but after thinking some more, it was a solid 4 stars
This is a debut book!

It’s opening weekend for Jess’s new venture, The Pearl, an all new B&B that is all about rose all day and keeping the good times flowing…until a body turns up.

Jess has pulled out all the stops, there are instagram photo ops at every turn, a fantastic bartender, and even a surprise cameo performance by her ex-boyfriend Lars, who is now a pretty famous musician.  Everything has been planned to perfection and then Lars’ stepdad (who is also his manager) is found murdered.

With Lars as a top suspect and other guests on high alert, Jess works to keep everyone calm, clear Lars’ name, & find who actually killed Bob. And then another victim is found and the bets are all placed on Lars.  Jess still has her doubts although she is starting to second guess herself.  Will she be able to get to the bottom of the mystery before Lars is arrested and her B&B is tainted beyond repair?

Thank you to Sydney & Thriller Book Lovers Promotions for an advance copy of this fun new series.

Cozy mysteries are in my wheelhouse, but not a part of my regular rotation. I’ve read enough that I know what I’m looking for when I read them, and I can say that Peril in Pink hit those spots for me. I also want to say that this was a fantastic debut!

The setting was full of both small town charm and a ‘glam’ modern feel with a variety of characters that amplified different pieces of it, making it appealing for readers who enjoy both styles of story.  I was picturing the B&B to be a smaller more chill version of The White Lotus hotels featured in the HBO shows (which is a good thing, 10/10 would book a stay, murder or not).

The story itself contains a full cast of quirky characters that were easy to like and vibe with, a plot that moves quickly, and a twist that I didn’t see coming!

There is NO romance in this book (which I actually prefer in my cozies), however since one of the characters is the high school ex of our female main character we do get some banter and good moments from that.  There is also something that I can see blossoming into a potential relationship in books to come. 

Like I said above, when I initially finished this one I was sitting around the 3.5 star range, but now that it’s been a few days and I’m still thinking back to it and how much I enjoyed it, I definitely think it deserves 4 stars.  I will absolutely be looking out for book two and am anticipating returning to The Pearl!