Lisa's Cubby

In Thicker Than Water, Megan Collins finds another way to keep us in suspense. In this psychological thriller, we are met with a seemingly loving family who work well together, love each other and would do anything for each other. But would they really? In the blink of an eye, that can change, and their lives shattered.

Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law. Julia is married to Sienna’s brother Jason. But ever since Julia and Sienna met years ago, they knew they were more than just friends. They were true soulmates. They have been there for each other during the good, the bad and the ugly, their bond unbreakable.

Until Jason’s boss is found murdered in his apartment with his mouth sewn shut and days later Jason is in a car accident and put into a coma. As the police begin to find evidence which perhaps links him to the killing, Julia and Sienna’s relationship begins to crack as they both look at the situation differently.

As the two women think they know Jason well enough that he would never hurt a fly, let alone kill someone, and as they start to find out answers themselves as the police are not releasing any information, they find perhaps they really didn’t know him as well as they thought. But the problem, both see the information they find in two different ways for different reasons.

Sienna idolizes her brother. He has come to her defense so many times and protected her. She will not believe he could do harm to another. He is always there for everyone. Julia on the other hand married Jason because she was pregnant. Even though her mother had always told her never trust a man. But during their years of marriage, they did seem happy. And Jason was always helping out others, even if sometimes she perhaps needed him to be with her. But when Julia discovers a secret Jason kept from her, it begins to fracture her belief in him, much to Sienna’s dismay.

So as the women fight for their loved one, Sienna tries to find another suspect. Julia just wants to wait and find out what Jason has to say when they wake him up. And this causes a rift the women never saw coming.

With the forensic information pointing to it being Jason who killed his boss, and with the medical team ready to wake Jason up, how will each take whatever he is going to tell them. Will their friendship survive whatever this person who they thought they knew tells them?

Thicker Than Water is a story about relationships, dysfunction, with a mystery to be solved and information which could possibly break what was considered a truly solid loving family. Is blood thicker than water? Only way to find out is to read this engaging, fascinating story!

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #ThickerThanWater #MeganCollins for the advanced copy.

I know what you need! You need to read this epic page turner! I Know What You Did is a thriller with an unknown antagonist who you will continue to think you know but will be shocked to discover! Not only will it keep you guessing it will keep you reading!

Petal Woznewski, who likes to be called Petta is from Wisconsin but lives in New York City. A movie fanatic she and her friend with benefits, Gus have a great arrangement. Just what Petta needs. Her past is filled with death. So much death for a young girl. All she needs is to keep her mind on other things and not remember. Until Gus tells her about this book everybody is reading called No One Suspected. It’s about a high school girl’s death in Wisconsin which was ruled a suicide, but the story goes into detail as to how it was really a murder. Not really Petta’s kind of read until he tells her one of the main characters has her name. Petal Woznewski. Not a very common name. Chills run down her spine. How could anyone know what happened to her when she was in high school? Why would someone write this story? It must be someone from her past, but the only other person who knew the truth would never tell what happened that terrible night.

You see, she was best friends with two girls in high school, Megan and Jenny. Three peas in a pod, or so she thought. Until Megan dies and they rule it a suicide. But Petta and Jenny know what really happened and neither of them would ever tell. But it seems the author of the novel the mysterious ME Littleton thinks they know, and now so does the world!

Petta tries to find information on this author but is unable to get anything on them, even if it’s a man or a woman. So, she does what she never imagined ever doing in her entire life. She heads back to the scene of all her anxieties, Madison, Wisconsin to try and get information. Unfortunately for Petta that’s exactly what someone wanted her to do.

As she reads the book, she discovers inaccuracies, but some parts are too close for comfort. She knows she was not at fault for her friend’s death. But a pact is a pact, and she can’t betray what really happened. There is someone out there who wants to see her pay for the death of Megan. She begins being followed; clues are left for her as if she is on some kind of a scavenger hunt. The more she tries to discover who this is the deeper she falls into this terrible hole she has tried so hard to leave behind. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes her life is in danger. Who wants Petta dead? Why?

I Know What You did is a brain workout as you try to put the pieces of the puzzle together and root for Petta to save herself! Of course, the endgame is spectacular!

Thank you #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #CayceOsborne #IKnowWhatYouDid for the advanced copy.

Burn The Negative is a spine chilling, Mommie Dearest, can’t put down book which will leave the reader exhausted, it’s that good! It’s horror, mystery, dysfunctional family all rolled into one juicy, scary story!

Laura Warren is a magazine journalist who is given the assignment of a lifetime! They are remaking a 1990’s cult classic movie called The Guesthouse and she has flown to Los Angeles to interview the cast and crew. But, unbeknownst to everyone, not only is Laura not happy about the assignment, but she has a personal connection to the previous movie. You see, she was in fact the child in the original movie which had a cult following due to the fact that many of the cast and crew have died. Whether those who died were just unlucky, or there was some sort of curse on the film, no one ever really knew.

Acting as a child was never really Laura’s thing. It was her mothers. Those years were intolerable for Laura. She still has flashbacks of the verbal and physical abuse she endured at the hands of the woman who was supposed to love her. So, she changed her name, her appearance and tried to put her past behind her. Until now.

As she arrives in LA, her anxiety at a high level, she is greeted by the image of a man jumping off a bridge. Is this some kind of omen? You see, she still has dreams about the main character in the film, Needle Man who continues to haunt her even after all these years, as does the deaths of people she knew and cared about.

And now her nightmare has taken center stage as she steps onto the new set, witnesses someone who is playing her character, although they have updated the film in some ways. There is of course a new crew, actors, a new Needle Man and they even brought in a psychic for some strange reason.

But within a day, the bodies begin to stack up and she swears she has an encounter with her worst nightmare, Needle Man. Then her hotel room is trashed, and she becomes the prime suspect in the deaths which are happening. So, with the help of her sister Amy and the psychic, Beverly they begin to try and track down who or what is going on.

Unfortunately, what they discover is that the connection between the two movies and the murders is one person…Laura! As they try and find clues, it seems someone is always a step ahead of them. Needle Man. Who is he? What does he want with Laura?

Burn The Negative will have you glued to your chair! It’s everything a reader wishes for in an exciting horror story, but with so much more! The ending? Needle(ss) to say…perfection!

Thank you #NetGalley #G.P.Putnam’sSons #BurnTheNegative #JoshWinning for the advanced copy.

Andy Cohen certainly had to grow up and FAST in this comical continuation of his diary series! With one toddler, Ben, he seemed to be able to handle most of his many jobs and friends and parties, but when his second child Lucy was born via surrogate, making two children under 3, on top of building his dream house in the Hamptons, renovating his apartment, working on his Watch What Happens Live show, Sirius Radio show, hosting New Year’s Eve on CNN with bestie Anderson Cooper, and dealing with temperamental housewives, well, I’m exhausted from just writing the above!

It was his year of reflection, informing the reader he realized he had overshared in his previous diary and promised his friends he would do better. This, I was not too happy about, but he does sometimes give clues as to whose name he is NOT dropping. He also begins to understand that being a single parent, even with all the help he has can be exhausting. Being a single gay dad with a son in preschool can also be a bit lonely.

The diary is a day by day of his non-stop life. His days include Teresa drama, The Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion drama, buying a toddler bed for Ben who takes full advantage of not being in a crib anymore and Cohen trying (begging) him to please stay in his room when he wakes up! And planning a Thanksgiving dinner in which his mother feels is more a party for his friends.

He relents about his parents, especially his mother and how no matter what he does she’s not happy. He tells a very funny story about getting his father a winter coat, which his father is perplexed at, and Andy having to tell him it’s because you live in St. Louis and it’s cold in the winter? But he also knows they are proud of him as they all gather to see him get his star on The Walk of Fame in Hollywood.

The name droppings are everything! We have SJP of course, Amy Sedaris, John Hickey, Anderson Cooper and John Mayer. So many more! Some who drop in for “night nightcaps” which is a thing in his world, but perhaps not in too many other places?

How he juggles it all is amazingly exhausting! But organized. Although he still goes out sometimes after shooting Watch What Happens, it is not as regular, and he certainly cannot stay out very late. Especially with Ben in that stupid toddler bed!

He charts for us his progress, and failures at trying to lose the extra weight he put on during Covid because he’s too cheap to go buy new clothes! And by the way, his favorite food is French Onion Soup which makes an appearance sometimes more than some celebrities!

But all in all, for anyone who enjoys Andy Cohen and I do find him very funny in the I think of him as a friend in my head kind of way, you will certainly enjoy his latest amusing, sarcastic, embarrassing and warm stories.

The Wife App is a wonderfully funny, creative thought-out story about three divorced women who are best friends trying to manage all the crap that goes along with being a single parent, while trying to deal with their significant exes, work and manage everybody’s life. As a mother knows, when one of your kids, husbands, exes have a problem, it becomes YOUR problem. While meeting for drinks and complaining about life, they come up with an extraordinary idea which will change their lives forever.

In the process of the creation of The Wife App, they all become stronger, wiser in their relationships with their children as well as their exes. They begin to see their former husbands in very different lights, some for the better and some for the worse.

Lauren is the mother of twins who always thought her marriage was on solid ground. Until she looked at her husband’s phone one day and discovered it absolutely was not! Hence, she joined her best friends in the I am a single parent club. So, when her friend Madeline throws out the idea of an app that allows women to give someone else all the crap jobs they always feel boggled down doing, Lauren who worked in IT when she had no children jumps at the chance to create something.

Madeline is a rich divorcee whose husband lives in England, and she has custody of their daughter who is an upcoming cello player. She is happy. She and her daughter connect on so many levels unlike she and her own mother. The distance between her and her ex works perfectly. Madeline is just into The Wife App for the ride! Until she discovers her daughter has been keeping a secret from her and she begins to see the world in a different light.

Sophie, the third bestie has a different family dynamic. Her husband has remarried and has a very young daughter. Although she likes Beatrice, the new wife, she feels overwhelmed by all the extra tasks she must take on because it seems her husband is too busy with his new family. So as Sophie delves deeper into work for The Wife App, she discovers a new sense of strength and realizes for once what she truly wants rather than what is expected of her, and that truth sets her free.

To their surprise the app takes off. They realize it’s not just for wives, but for single parents, overworked partners and older people who just want help. Overwhelmed they suddenly find themselves in an incredible position of power. Hopefully nothing will go wrong!

The Wife App is brilliant! It opens the door to what we all know. Exhaustion. No matter who you are or what your lifestyle, guarantee you are juggling everything, feeling guilty and of course there is never enough time in the day. The story will be relatable, humorous and touching to those who reads it and I look forward to the purchase of the app, because I imagine some strong woman will absolutely make this happen for real!

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #TheWifeApp #CarolynMackler for the advanced copy.

The Housekeepers is a smartly written Downton Abbey like story with humor, intrigue and empowered women during the early 1900’s. When a group of housekeepers band together to plot the heist of the century from the estate of a recently departed wealthy businessman who it seems left everything to his narcissistic spoiled daughter, well, they have had enough. Especially because as housekeepers they see all and know all and it’s not pretty. The housekeepers plan the con of cons, and chaos ensues!

The two lead scammers are Mrs. King who works as a housekeeper at The Mayfair a huge estate owned by the wealthy late Wilhelm de Vries in Park Lane London and Mrs. Bone, the owner of a pawnshop in town, but owner of much more. They have much in common, especially intelligence and a history of getting what they want.

An intricate conspiracy is put in place, and they must convince the cast of characters they have chosen to accept. They must convince the daughter, Miss de Vries to throw a costume ball. Difficult since her father has just died, but quite easy when you believe the world revolves around you. So hence it begins.

With the countdown of the days to the costume ball, they set up the scam with the help of Mrs. King’s sister Alice, Winnie, the two Janes, Sue and Hephzibah. All take incredible skills to the table which will be used to prepare for the night and work the steal before, during and after the Ball. And practice makes perfect!

The goal? Clean out the estate. Of everything. Leaving nothing. Of course, along the way they come to many crossroads but with determination they will not fail. They will stay strong not for themselves but for the justice that will be served for all the housekeepers who have had to pay with sweat, tears and sometimes their lives. These housekeepers will learn they are extremely strong and capable with more skills they ever thought they had which gives them the courage needed to get the job done.

The night of the Ball arrives and of course disaster after disaster occurs, but with this group of unwavering women, they will fight to the very end for what they are rightly due.

The Housekeepers is the female version of Robin Hood and his merry men (women) who only want to take from the rich and give what is rightly due to the poor. But don’t let this story fool you. Woven within the plot are secrets and lies and shocking twists which makes the story even more exciting.

ALEX HAY grew up in the United Kingdom in Cambridge and Cardiff, and has been writing as long as he can remember. He studied history at the University of York, and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award.

Thank you #NetGalley #GraydonHouse #TheHousekeepers #AlexHay for the advanced copy. You can buy the book now with the links below:

BookShop.org

Harlequin

Barnes & Noble

Books A Million

Amazon

Oh baby! Murder is A Piece of Cake is just the coziest of cozies with lots of heart, humor, excitement, murder and oh, deliciousness!

In book two of this adorable series, we find social media influencer, Maddy, now the owner of a bakery called Baby Cakes named after her late Aunt Octavia’s very large Mastiff named Baby. They both are still recuperating from their first adventure and the bakery is closed due to renovations. What could possibly go wrong? The will stipulates Maddy must keep the bakery afloat for a certain amount of time in order to receive her inheritance, so that’s what she must do. But with a closed store, no money is coming in.

As she and the “real” baker, Leroy begin to figure out what to bake for the upcoming New Bison Spring Festival, two things suddenly go wrong. First, there is something wrong with Baby and no one can figure out what. She’s not sick, it sees she’s depressed. And oh, there is a murder!

When multi-millionaire and not the nicest guy in the world CJ Davenport comes into town, he does more than just seek revenge on Maddy’s best friend, but not only does he open up a bakery directly across from Baby Cakes, but they discover he owns deeds to a couple of other stores. And he’s after Baby Cakes. So, with most of the town not happy with him, he ends up dead. In Maddy’s bakery with a knife in his back…Karma, I guess.

So as Maddy and her new friends who like to solve mysteries and are known as the Baker Street Irregulars try to find out who the killer is and with the police not very happy with Maddy and even suspecting her, they must figure this out quickly who the murderer really is because the bakery needs to open.

No one believes the killer is Maddy, but when one of their own confesses to the murder they are all thrown into chaos. They know the person is not guilty, so why would they take the fall?

In the meantime, they discover Baby is in love. Not with Maddy, but ANOTHER mastiff named Daisy. How on earth does Maddy deal with this? She wants to keep Baby happy…but. Her own love life is going pretty well in New Bison as she has been seeing the veterinarian, Michael.

What they soon discover is that this murder is somehow related to all the trouble they had just a few months ago. Will it never end? Well, I hope not! In this plot we begin to learn much more about the backstories of some of the characters we as readers have all fallen in love with all the juicy soap opera details of life in a small town.

Maddy and Baby’s adventures are comically enjoyable and continue to entertain with solid mysteries, yummy recipes included at the end of the books all of which continue to be completely satisfying. #loveforBaby #waitingforthenextinstallment.

Thank you #NetGalley #KensingtonCozies #ValerieBurns #MurderisAPieceofCake for the advanced copy.

Dark secrets prevail in this awe dropping thriller with shocking twists and an incredible ending. Although a challenging read due to one of the main plots being domestic abuse, it also depicts how women, desperate to leave an abusive relationship feel hopeless, afraid to leave, who live in fear each day and will do just about anything if they can find a way out and survive. Even then, they are always looking to see if they are going to get caught.

Cassie Peters is on the move. She has left her life in New York and has hopefully erased herself so she will never be found. She is running from the one person she truly loved, but now is perilously afraid of, her husband.

She returns to her hometown of Mammoth Lakes in California where she had previously worked as a search and rescue team member at Yosemite years ago. She desperately needs a job even though the reason she had left the position years ago was because of a tragic search and rescue where someone died.

All she wants to do is blend in under her maiden name, forget what she has been through and think about what her next steps should be to hide forever. A daunting task.

But of course, things don’t go as she planned. When a couple, Jada and Jim post footage of a bear taking food from them chaos ensues at the park and this opens her up to a risk of being seen on social media.

She then meets a woman named Petal and her partner Sandy. Petal is keeping a diary because she would like to write a book someday about their adventures in camping. Petal, it seems has become a bit obsessed with the couple who posted the footage, Jada and Jim. She has a feeling Jim may be abusing Jada as when she first met Jada, she found her crying because she and Jim had a horrible argument.

Suddenly the couple goes missing while on a hike. Which is the same thing that happened all those years ago. As the search and rescue try to find them and the park becomes a circus of media attention, Petal disappears as well. Then a dead body is found, and Cassie’s world is thrown into turmoil. She becomes the prime suspect in the death. Just how did it all come to this? How will she survive? Just what happened to the missing campers?

Have You Seen Her is so captivating and surprising and gripping in so many ways. Because the reader becomes quite invested in the characters and their stories and backstories the shocking outcome will astonish them.

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #CatherineMcKenzie #HaveYouSeenHer for the advanced copy.

Summer Roommates is an inspiring lovely story about aging, agism, being stuck in your ways, the challenges women face as they grow older, companionships and of course love. The story takes the reader on a journey with four older women in their fifties up to their seventies, all strangers to each other who live in a house in Maine for the summer, most set in their ways and the challenges they endure to not only get along and understand each other, but to also begin to comprehend themselves.

Until recently, Sandra Pennington seemed to have it all. Two great children all grown up, a loving husband, terrific friends and the beauty of her coastal town in Maine. But with the death of her husband and now her best friend diagnosed with dementia and having to be put in a care facility, this past winter came with a loneliness she had never experienced.

So, Sandra decides, with the help of a realtor to open her home up for the summer to three older women for not only the comfort of having others around, but to see if perhaps she would like to continue this experiment in the future.

She goes through the applications and picks the three women.

Mary, a lawyer who has recently retired from the job she loved due to the stress of the company being sued. Although they were found not at fault, it took its toll on Mary who now just wants some down time to relax and rebuild herself to discover what she wants next in life. Never having children and not close to her only sibling due to being a workaholic, she feels the need to discover who she is now that she’s not working.

Amanda, who is a teacher decides she needs a vacation before the next school year starts. She has lived with her boyfriend Liam for eight years. They are comfortable together and both feel marriage is not an option. Although she feels independent, she does seem to rely on Liam a great deal. Liam for some reason thinks this time away would be great for her.

Patty, the oldest is the quietest yet dresses the loudest. She lives with her sister and brother-in-law as her income is inconsistent, because of fleeting jobs which has left her with hardly any money for her retirement, a fact her sisters insist on reminding her on a daily basis. This certainly was not the way she thought she would end up. All she ever wanted was to be married and have children. But she made poor choices when she was younger to needless to say, that ship has certainly sailed!

And with the cast of characters in place for the summer, as they try to cohabitate, there are some arguments, heated debates and discussions about life, friendship and even love. As the women begin to open up to each other, they also look inward. They soon bond and all try to imagine what their futures could be like. What they discover will change their lives forever.

Summer Roommates is an uplifting, wonderfully different take on aging with strong characters and unorthodox options for their futures. And why not? You are as young as you feel!

Thank you #NetGalley #KensingtonBooks #SummerRoommates #HollyChamberlin for the advanced copy.

The Spare Room is a hauntingly, juicy story which makes for the best kind of beach read! Its incredibly creative premise and shocking twists and turns will have you enthralled from beginning to end.

Set during the pandemic, Kelly and her fiancée Mike have been in lockdown together in Philadelphia. But when Mike suddenly decides he thinks they should postpone their wedding which they have been planning, Kelly not only doesn’t understand, but feels trapped having to stay with this man she thought she knew so well and wanted to spend her life with.

So, when a famous writer, Sabrina, a friend of Kelly’s from high school who she had reconnected with during lockdown offers the spare room at her and her husband Nathan’s secluded mansion in Virginia she jumps at the chance to get away from Mike. She and her cat Virgo hop on the next train.

On arriving, Sabrina can’t believe her luck! The grounds are lavish, the rooms gorgeous and Sabrina and Nathan are so helpful, understanding and kind. She and Virgo settle in nicely. Then, one night after a bit of too much drinking something happens to them Kelly never in her wildest dreams could ever imagine.

Kelly falls hard for this new type of relationship. This is just what she needs to take her mind of her Mike problems. But when she discovers she has not been the first woman to have been invited into their relationship and worse, the woman before her is missing, she begins to become nervous and confused.

She tries to rationalize the reason the woman is missing but keeps finding clues that not everything was as it seemed in the prior relationship with Sabrina and Nathan. But when a neighbor warns her about the couple, she realizes she has to find a way out. Something had to have happened that they are not telling her.

As things go from bad to worse, Kelly begins to think she will be the next person to disappear. How could she have left the only good relationship she has ever had for something this sinister? How does she leave without them catching on as to why. She must figure out a plan to get away!

The Spare Room grabs you from the first page and is an exciting and sensational read with shocking pivots in the story which will keep the reader captivated much like Kelly seems to be, with a jaw dropping ending you never would expect!

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