Author: lisascubby

Hello! I am an avid reader who has reviewed books on Goodreads and NetGalley. You can find me on various social media, under Lisa Leone-Campbell. If you ever need to contact me, my email is campbell.lisa1986@gmail.com. Happy Reading!

Summit Lake by Charlie Donlea

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I am pretty sure I have not read one book by author Charlie Donlea which I have not thought was perfection! Summit Lake is no exception. Filled with dozens of surprises and an epic shocking ending, you will devour the story until you are just exhausted. The twists and turns and secrets of this amazing story are exceptional.

There has been a murder in Summit Lake, a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student at her father’s alma mater went up to the family’s lake house to study for tests and was brutally murdered.

Investigative reporter for a magazine, Kelsey Castle, back on the job after taking a leave of absence gets assigned the story. Kelsey believes this is a slam-dunk robbery gone bad and Becca was killed by a random break-in.

The story, which is told in chapters, Kelsey’s by her, Becca’s as a story which begins when she was in college and ending on the fatal night she died are both riveting and hold so many secrets each chapter will astound you.

Kelsey soon discovers that there may have been some sort of coverup by the police in this sleepy town. But why? What is there to hide? She discovers buried in Becca’s past are many hidden clues to what may have happened. Why then is no one talking except some of the locals whose theories run the gambit?

But the closer Kelsey gets to the truth, the more she feels she is being followed and then begins to be questioned by the detective looking into the murder. She knows this proves she’s on the right track and won’t stop for Becca and also because she discovers this hits too close to her own past.

Who or why would someone kill sweet Becca Eckersley? And what were the secrets she took to her grave?

Summit Lake is a spine-chilling psychological thriller which will have you racing with Kelsey to the very unexpected conclusion!

Published by Kensington.

The Eight Hearbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

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Author Jean Meltzer, known for her beautiful uplifting stories about people who are surviving chronic illness, herself included, and how they endure by showing strength and toughness always trying to be uplifting even when met with pain, or in this case heartache. The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah is the epitome of the movie: It’s A Wonderful Life/A Christmas Carol. It has humor, mixed with a combination of sadness, grief, loss and yes, heartbreak, but more, it’s a story about strength, love and togetherness.

Evelyn Schwartz is producing a live TV showing of A Christmas Carol. With only a few days left until air everything which could go wrong, goes wrong! Evelyn is a workaholic who does not sleep and gets debilitating migraines. So, when she has an accident on the set, while having a migraine they call for the show medic who unfortunately is Evelyn’s ex-husband David who is substituting for the permanent medic.

They have been divorced for two years and the breakup for Evelyn was unexpected. David just up and left one day, saying nothing. So, you can imagine how that meeting went with David insisting Evelyn go to the hospital and telling David where he should go!

Because David knows Evelyn so well, he tries to tell her to at least get some rest and take her medicine. But Evelyn would rather die than do what David tells her. But then some crazy things begin to happen to her. She begins to be visited by ghosts…Hanukkah ghosts, the first being her former mentor who passed away years ago who informs Evelyn she must change her ways. But Evelyn believes this was a dream and she’s just exhausted.

Until she is visited by the first ghost named One. Who takes Evelyn down memory lane and it’s not great. As the snippets from each ghost get harder and harder to endure, she turns to David who seems to be predominantly placed in these visits from the past.

She begins to live the unlivable, including her losing David and what led up to that traumatic experience. Why is this happening and right now when her main focus is to put on a great show? She’s been able to suppress all these difficult memories for years. Why now are they being awakened?

The Eight Days of Hanukkah is a warm, sad and yes, heartbreaking story of loss and trauma, but not only is it filled with wonderful life lessons, more importantly, it is filled with hope, love and anticipation of what has yet to come by finally admitting that by understanding what you couldn’t because your own light had gone out you can realize just how to light the match to see again.

Thank you #NetGalley #Mira #JeanMeltzer #TheEightDaysofHanukkah for the advanced copy.

The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf

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The Perfect Hosts is another chilling, shocking story by author Heather Gudenkauf. It centers around a gender reveal party where something goes terribly wrong. Someone dies. The story so mesmerizing you won’t be able to put it down. Sometimes the rich just don’t know when to stop as they try to outdo each other. Unfortunately, this time it’s so over the top that unbeknownst to all the guests, many deep secrets and lies will be exposed and we will all learn the deep dark hidden truths.

Madeline and Wes Drake are having a baby and decided to have a gender reveal party at their sprawling horse ranch. Wealthy beyond belief, they spared no expense to make it the party of the year…and oh, it was. Just as the reveal was set to begin, there was a massive explosion which leaves many injured and one dead. But unfortunately, it seems it was not an accident.


Enter ATF Agent Jamie Saldano who must now return reluctantly to a town, Nightjar, Wyoming where he lived as a child, was almost beaten to death by someone they never found and whose sister disappeared. Although he has changed his name, he knows Wes Drake. He was the one who found him when he was almost killed.

Shaken, Madeline is taken to the hospital to make sure she and the baby are fine. There she meets a young woman who helped cater the party. She too is pregnant. Because the girl has nowhere else to go, she invites her to stay at the ranch. And another surprise awaits Madeline when she gets home…her stepsister Lucy has shown up at the ranch as well. The last time they saw each other was at their father’s funeral where Madeline was given control of his estate which included his and Lucy’s horses.

As Agent Saldano investigates, it seems that the Drake family’s hands are not clean. But which of them, if any, would benefit by killing someone? Saldano also takes this opportunity to revisit the mystery of what happened to his sister all those years ago.

But, secrets have a way of being exposed in many different ways. The Perfect Hosts are absolutely not perfect and the shocking twists, lies and jaw dropping ending proves that!

Heather Gudenkauf is the critically acclaimed author of several novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Weight of Silence, The Overnight Guest and Everyone Is Watching. She lives in Iowa with her husband and children. 
Website: https://heathergudenkauf.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heather-Gudenkaufs-Books-259685275092/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heathergudenkauf/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hgudenkauf/ 

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heather-gudenkauf 


The book is available now at the following sites:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Hosts-Novel-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B0DQQ9BRLR 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-perfect-hosts-heather-gudenkauf/1146709766?ean=9780778360049 

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-perfect-hosts-original-heather-gudenkauf/22162822?ean=9780778360049&next=t 

Libro.fm: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781488236150-the-perfect-hosts 

Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Perfect-Hosts/Heather-Gudenkauf/9780778360049 

Target: https://www.target.com/p/the-perfect-hosts-by-heather-gudenkauf/-/A-94483956?preselect=94481317#lnk=sametab 

Indigo: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/otherwise-engaged-a-novel/9780778387268.html  

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-perfect-hosts?sId=7c9b6427-a9f0-4dbf-824b-e63babdb3880 

AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-perfect-hosts/id6739534386 

Thank you #NetGalley #ParkRow #HeatherGudenkauf #ThePerfectHosts for the advanced copy.

This Is Not A Ghost Story by Amerie

lisascubby

This Is Not a Ghost Story is an enjoyably inventive twist on…a ghost story! Set in modern day, it is quite unique in that it encompasses a mystery, is part romance, funny and has a dysfunctional family thrown in for good measure. It takes the reader on quite an adventure!

John, a ghost, enjoys his life living in his house and has done so for many years. One day, a dark grey man-shadow literally throws him out of the house. He lands In Los Angeles. All he wants to do is go back home but has no idea how. The most startling thing about John is people can see him.

Unable to remember anything about his past, he seeks guidance by visiting a “psychic” who tells him he can help get him back home and they begin a present-day journey with a few other folks met along the way including a publicist and a want to be actress. John immediately becomes the new sensation on television, and social media with everyone trying figure out if he is really telling the truth. Of course, there are also people who want to jump on the John band wagon who will say and do anything to get into the spotlight.

The group begin to bond as John begins to get rich off his appearances. But when the grey man-shadow appears again, something starts to happen to him. He seems to fade. With the help of his new friends, they try to take care of him, all the while John is trying to remember where he lived and came from when he was alive. Also, why has this happened to him?

Will John find his way home? This Is Not a Ghost Story can be intense, but it is very humorous, sad, touching and filled with hope and love.

Thank you #NetGalley #WilliamMorrow /HarperCollins #Amerie #ThisIsNotAGhostStory for the advanced copy.

Food Person by Adam Roberts

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Food Person is a lovely, funny, poignant story about two very different women who after having a love/hate relationship with each other while in the process of trying to write a cookbook together discover not only buried guilt and fears about themselves, but also are able to finally pull up their big girl pants and become the adults they were meant to become. Even if it takes the pain, suffering and heartaches of their pasts to get them there.

Isabella Pasternack works for a digital food magazine. She loves her stories and mostly loves to cook. Sadly, no one at her place of work, including her boss know who she is and when suddenly she is thrown in front of a camera during a crisis, it goes so bad she is fired.

Thank goodness she lives with her best friend Owen whom she cooks meals for in exchange for paying rent. But she realizes she perhaps needs money and decides to bite the bullet and go to her mother. Sadly, her mother has become a bit “eccentric” ever since the sudden loss of her husband, Isabella’s father a few years ago. Unfortunately, her mother would rather go dumpster diving and cook for the homeless rather than help her daughter.

Then Owen drops a great job in her lap. His father has a client; a former famous actress who wants to write a cookbook in order to get her career going again. The money is exceptional, and Isabella jumps at the chance, sort of … until she meets Molly Babcock a self-centered, food hater whose only enjoyment seems to be to do drugs and drink!

Unable to get along, they somehow come to a truce but when Isabella decides she wants to use Molly’s late mother’s recipes in the book, the relationship turns from bad to worse. And that is when both their lives begin to blow up!

How do you mend a broken heart? Well, the book Food Person with its delicious comfort food, creative recipes, snark, while finding love and friendship along the way will make you, the reader, believe anything is possible!

Thank you #NetGalley #Knopf #AdamRoberts #FoodPerson for the advanced copy.

Whistling Women and Crowing Hens by Melora Fern

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Whistling Women and Crowing Hens is a powerful story about a young woman whose determination and strength will help her to never stop trying to achieve her goals. During a time (the 1920’s) when women were meant to get married and have children, one girl, with a bit of luck and a great amount of talent will decide to go on a different journey, even though her family is very against it, and become an independent adult no one will be able to stop.

Birdie Stauffer is talented. She can play the trombone and whistle songs mimicking birds while doing so. She pleads with her sister to audition for an all-female traveling musical group for the summer. With the help of another girl, Helen who plays the piano she is accepted.

Unfortunately, her sister Lydia whom she lives with refuses to allow her to go. But Lydia’s husband, Gerald finally convinces her, and she excitedly waves goodbye and jumps on the first train to meet the other members of the Quintet.

And… what a summer it will be. Exhausting, anxiety ridden, the girls not getting along and for Birdie, first love, but also horrific treatment of some of them. What will not change during this summer is Birdie’s determination to succeed and be creative. She will always root for the other girls, and they will try and protect each other when they can. Only one thing gives her pause…going back home to her sister at the end of the summer.

As her independence grows, she realizes the hold her sister has on her. But how can Birdie who loves Lydia very much make her realize she doesn’t have the same goals as her sister. She doesn’t want to settle down, get married and have children. She wants to continue pursuing her passion, which would mean leaving Lydia.

But Lydia has a different idea of what’s good for Birdie.

Whistling Women and Crowing Hens is a wonderful look at how a young woman becomes empowered and strong and learns to be her own person. Once emboldened she is finally able to decide her future no matter what that means.

Thank you #BooksForward #JacieKarneth #MeloraFern #WhistlingWomenandCrowingHens for the advanced copy.

The Last Ferry Out by Andrea Bartz

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The Last Ferry Out is a chilling mystery with twists and turns and secrets galore. This can’t put down book is more than a thriller. It also encapsulates the relationship between two women who have just gotten engaged, but both are feeling unable to completely give themselves to their relationship for different reasons. It also deals with the death of one of them and the feelings of what could have/should have been said and the regrets that are left behind as one of them searches for answers as to what really happened to cause the death of her partner.

Isla Colel is a haven for people who are trying to escape their lives…for whatever reason. Years ago, this island was a popular resort but now is a dilapidated fishing area where you can hide out openly. No one asks questions as to where you are from or what you used to do. They understand the reason you are here, because they are here for the same reason.

So when Abby gets off the ferry to try and find out how her fiancé Eszter ended up dying here, all she sees and feels is her pain and loss. Also guilt at all the times Eszter tried to engage her while she was here only to have Abby ignore her.

As Abby begins to explore the area, she meets a group of people who actually knew Eszter. All of them have their own secrets but all Abby cares about is getting to the bottom of Eszter’s last days and how she ended up dead.

When one of these “friends” of Eszter, Brady tells Abby that he knows what happened to Eszter and will tell her the next day, she is relieved. Until he never shows up again and seems to disappear leaving her confused, angry and scared.

Abby begins to believe something dark is happening on the island but can’t put her finger on what it is. She feels as if this group of people are hiding things from her. She begins to work on her own to discover the secrets they all are keeping.

While all this is happening, through chapters by Eszter we begin to see what her life was really like and as Abby will discover, Eszter’s own secrets. Did she even really love Abby? She learns Eszter had been in danger and now realizes she too could become a victim of the island. Where does Abby go from here? Who can she trust?

The Last Ferry Out is chock full of intrigue and surprises but also delves into relationships, love and mourning. The lies on this island run very deep and the revelations at the end…no words!

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #AndreaBartz #TheLastFerryOut for the advanced copy.

Overdue by Stephanie Perkins

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Overdue is an adorable, funny, heartwarming story about two library co-workers whose lives are both disrupted by their relationships and some personal problems which they can’t seem to resolve for themselves. It’s the tale of two lost souls who are unable to come to terms with how to move forward due to fear of what will happen. But perhaps if they can find each other that could change.

Ingrid Dahl is a librarian who has been living with her college boyfriend, Corey for over 10 years, but when her sister finally becomes engaged, they begin to see perhaps they weren’t meant for each other. So, they decide Corey will move out for a month, they will date other people, and after the 30 days, meet and discuss getting back together. What could go wrong?

Ingrid has been keeping a bit of a secret from Corey. She has had a bit of a crush on her co-worker Macon who himself has just come out of a long-term relationship. Not usually very assertive, she decides to make a move on Macon. Unfortunately, it does not go very well and now they seem to not be friends anymore, while still working together.

But Ingrid has other problems. A job is opening up at the library, a promotion, although comfortable at the job she questions if she should follow her heart and open that bookstore she’s always dreamed of just to get away from Macon, but instead she decides to go on some dating apps and see what’s out there which is not much. And when Ingrid and Corey meet after their month of separation, where they both surprisingly want another month!

It’s during this second month that Ingrid begins to see Macon for who he really is and just what his responsibilities are when he’s not at work. She begins to want to help Macon open himself up to new ideas and he begins to give Ingrid the confidence to make some life changing decisions.

But, with all this happening she still can’t convince him they should be together. Why? That is the question!

Overdue is a lovely romance about two friends who are not only afraid to take the leap to the next level of their friendship but are also scared of the risks in what they want out of life.

Thank you #SaturdayBooks #Overdue #StephaniePerkins for the advanced copy.

The Dogs of Venice by Steven Rowley

lisascubby

The Dogs of Venice is a beautiful story about love, loss and finding yourself again. It’s a novella so it is a very quick read, even though you don’t ever want it to end. It transports you to Venice, Italy and all its beauty where dogs are allowed to run wild. It’s where one man who is mourning the loss of his marriage will meet a dog which will change his life forever. Written by the author of The Editor and The Guncle, Steven Rowley, it has his humor, charm and life lessons all bundled into an uplifting tale.

When Paul’s marriage of five years ends in a shocking divorce which he never saw coming, he becomes a shell of himself. Not really understanding what he did wrong, he decides to go on a planned Christmas trip they were both going on to Venice by himself. Although nervous as he had never done something like this, he begins the journey alone to basically spite his soon to be ex.

But when he gets there and sees the magical city in front of him, he tries to make the most of his time there. Not everything goes his way, and he feels extremely awkward. But he suddenly sees dogs roaming around the city relaxed and unharmed and enjoying themselves. He particularly discovers one dog who has a routine and confidence as he interacts with people. Paul begins looking forward to seeing him.

At one point he loses track of the dog and is unable to find him. Desperate, he looks for him. While looking he meets a few funny, quirky characters, has experiences and some uncomfortable encounters he’s not sure how to handle, but through it all he begins to find himself and a strength he never knew existed.

Rowley’s story, The Dogs of Venice, although short is pact with wisdom, strength, emotion and evolution. As for the dog? Well, you’ll just have to find out what happens!

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putman’sSons #StevenRowley #TheDogsofVenice for the advanced copy.

Pre-Order

After Midnight Daphne du Maurier

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As I began to think about books to review for the Fall and Halloween, I came across a book I never knew existed, After Midnight. Daphne du Maurier is famous for her dark story, Rebecca, but little did I know she was also known for her short scary stories such as The Birds and Don’t Look Now, which of course have been made into films. What also drew me to the book was the fact that the great Stephen King did the forward…that alone was an incredible essay in itself. And the book did not disappoint! It was one CHILLING story after another! Who knew?

Of course, many of us have seen The Birds, but the initial story itself is riveting. The reason for the birds never explained and the eeriness of it all on paper exceptional!

But there are twelve more stories in this edition each fascinatingly scary and dark.

The Blue Lenses describes a woman who has just had eye surgery and what happens during her recovery.

The Apple Tree gave me serious goosebumps. When a man who has just lost his wife (and seems a bit happy about it) decides to take down an apple tree on his property, well, things don’t go very well.

The Breakthrough is an incredible science-fiction like story in which two scientists attempt to discover what happens to a person after death…do they still have consciousness? Of course, remember, this is a book about being scared…

My favorite is The Alibi in which a man seems to lead a double life…to what end?

The other stories I leave for you to devour and use your imagination and draw your own conclusions as to what has just happened!

Not After Midnight, and yes, that too is one of the stories, is an absolute must for anybody who loves to be terrified at things that go bump in the night!

Thank you #NetGalley #Scribner #AfterMidnight #TheLateGreatDaphneduMaurier for the advanced copy.