Tag: book-review

The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose

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Molly the Maid is back! In this delightful, comforting novella by Nita Prose, The Mistletoe Mystery, we once again glimpse what Molly’s life was like with her wonderful late Gran, her recently discovered grandfather and her beloved boyfriend Juan Manuel.

In true Molly fashion, the story is adorable, heartwarming, and funny as Molly learns Christmas and the holiday season can be a bit anxiety ridden and can also come with a few life bumps but in the end surprisingly miraculous!

This is the time of year in which Molly misses her Gran especially. They had many traditions which kept them excited about the holidays no matter how much (or little) money they had.

And now, Molly gets to share this special time with her cherished Juan Manuel who tries to keep all those traditions alive, an advent calendar to be opened daily, picking out a tree, and of course his delicious cooking each night!

But Molly can’t help but feel something is off with her and Juan Manuel. He seems much more tired than usual, perhaps from cooking and baking at the hotel, but he also seems extremely preoccupied when he is at home, always making excuses to go out but being vague as to where he is going. Molly knows there is no fibbing allowed in their relationship. And so does Juan Manuel!

On top of all this, The Regency Grant Hotel has decided to once again do the Secret Santa exchange amongst the employees. But the last time they did this Secret Santa, most everybody laughed at what Molly had given for her gift. Now, she feels this terrible pressure to not have that happen again!

Then one day she witnesses Juan Manuel doing something that she considers bad at work. So does her arch nemesis maid! When she confronts him, he out and out lies! Why is he lying? She thought they loved each other! So, as all this is happening and with the gift exchange drawing closer, well Molly’s fearfulness that something bad is going to happen increases.

How could she have been so wrong about her boyfriend? What would Gran think! Or do?

The Mistletoe Mystery is pure joy wrapped in a beautiful, holiday story which has charm, sensitivity and of course, love.

Thank you #NetGalley #BallentineBooks #NitaProse #TheMistletoeMystery for the advanced copy.

The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

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Emma Lord, author of the adorable book, Tweet Cute, has once again created an imaginative story, with lovable characters who must re-discover not only themselves but also learn to live in the moment and let go of their pasts in order to have any kind of future, not matter how difficult that can be. The story is funny, sensitive and just lovable!

June is struggling to pay the rent on her tea shop which she and her late sister Annie created. On top of that, her boyfriend of years has left her for someone else and she was caught on a video having a complete sobbing meltdown which then went viral and now she is the laughingstock of the internet.

To add to all this, her childhood friend (and crush) Levi, who was also her sister Annie’s best friend has come back to their seaside town after living in New York as a financial manager. When she sees him, she is shocked at the change. The old Levi was an imaginative writer who only wanted to create stories, but it seems something happened to him, and he stopped trying.

She discovers he is going through a bad break-up and after the two are caught unknowingly gazing into each other’s eyes on a video and that too blows up on social media, well, they decide on a plan. Pretend they are falling in love and attempt to make their former partners jealous.

But what they never expected would be all the interest they would generate and the feelings it would bring up in both of them. But June and Levi are still trying to get over what they think are their past mistakes which continue to haunt them today.

So now, they must decide separately and together which direction their lives must go. They must reflect and try and move on both together and separately. One thing is for sure, they know they can’t live in the past anymore and they know they can’t try and fool each other either because when you attempt that, you only fool yourself. How honest are they both willing to be?

The Break-Up Pact is a tender love story which is filled with poignant messages about life, loss, moving forward and of course, love.

Thank you #NetGalley #GriffinBooks #EmmaLord #TheBreak-Up Pact for the advanced copy.

Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

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Cross My Heart is a heart palpitating thriller with surprising twists and turns during the story in Megan Collins style, which will keep you reading until the stunning unexpected ending. Her creative deviousness plays well into the plot about a woman who previously had been jilted by a boyfriend, and she ends up having a heart transplant. But it is so much more. You are going to have the ride of your life!

Rosie Lachlan’s life was changed forever when she discovered she needed a heart transplant. She now must take medications without fail morning and night for the rest of her life, or until she needs another transplant. She works in a bridal salon owned by her parents. Even though she has a new life, she finds herself a bit depressed because prior to the transplant she was dumped by someone she thought she would be spending the rest of her life with (and it became very difficult) and being in the wedding dress industry, she starts to feel like she will never find the one.

Also, Rosie is curious about the person whose heart is keeping her alive. She decides to do a bit of research, and she discovers (or so she thinks) the heart came from Daphne Thorne, wife of the best-selling author and local, Morgan Thorne. According to what she can find, Daphne had an accident in their house and tripped and fell.

She goes against protocol and contacts Morgan through the Donor Connect Service which has been set up. She at first emails Morgan anonymously to find out if she was right. As they begin to correspond, she begins to feel a connection to him. Is this in part because Daphne is inside her? They begin to tell each other more about each other’s lives and Rosie begins to fall for Morgan. She even finds out he lives close to where she lives. Sometimes she even walks by his house.

But as she looks online, she discovers social media does not have the same feelings about Morgan. Many believe he actually killed his wife. Even Rosie’s best friend Nina who works at the hospital in which Daphne died said Morgan had been acting strange the night of her death.

It is then that Rosie begins to research Morgan and Daphne’s relationship. And she begins to wonder…

Until Morgan is found dead in his home and unfortunately for Rosie she suddenly becomes the main suspect in what is now considered a murder! Due to Rosie’s complicated past relationship, well, it does not help with the process of finding her innocent.

Rosie knows it wasn’t her. Which means someone else killed Morgan. But who? Did they know what she was up to by having an online relationship with the author? As Rosie ponders these questions, she discovers her new life is in danger. But what on earth does she know that would make someone want to kill her?

How can Rosie save herself and prove she did not kill Morgan?

Cross My Heart is filled with psychological drama and shocking revelations. Trust me you will never see the ending coming…cross my heart…

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

The Night Guest by Hildur Knutsdottir

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The Night Guest is eerie, creepy and delicious! A can’t put down nightmare of a story where nothing makes sense until everything makes sense. The intensity of the book makes for a heart-palpitating quick read which will continue to give you goosebumps for hours after.

Iounn lives in Iceland. She has a great job, good friends (sort of), but unfortunately many horrible health problems which no doctor seems to be able to resolve.

She is tired all the time, her body achy and she has constant unexplained bruising sometimes almost every day. Finally, she sees a female doctor and Iounn feels more comfortable with the results of her blood tests which all come back fine, she feels as if she is now able to relax. Until the next time she wakes up tired, bruised and with what looks like rust under her fingernails.

Her friends believe it is her diet. They tell her to eat more. They tell her to exercise more. They tell her to take sleeping pills to help her sleep. Reluctantly, her doctor does prescribe the sleeping pills and at first they are a miracle! Until one night when she goes to take them and there are none left in the bottle. What happened to the pills?

Her weekly dinner with her parents is another added stress in her life. She’s vegetarian and her mother refuses to change the dinner menu for her. The table talk is always tense and irritating which adds to her anxiety.

Then someone suggests she buy a watch which tracks your daily steps to make sure she’s getting enough exercise to tire herself out. But one morning she discovers she forgot to take the watch off before going to bed and is horrified to see an added 40,000 steps! This can’t be right.

What is happening to her? Now she must try and figure out what is going on at night. She refuses to tell anybody her secret. What could she be doing at night and why?

Well reader, that’s all you are going to get from me. But read The Night Guest you must! It’s a spine-chilling story and the ending? Well, see for yourself!

Thank you #NetGalley #TorNightlife #HildurKnutsdottir #TheNightGuest for the advanced copy.

I Need You To Read This by Jessa Maxwell

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I NEED you to read I Need You To Read This! It’s a flawless example of a perfect thriller! With an outstanding plot, mysterious characters and clues, you will be kept on your toes by this all-consuming story. It truly checkmarks all the ways which make for an amazing read…murder, mystery, secrets, thrill and a gasping ending!

Advice columnist extraordinaire Francis Keen has been murdered. Alex Marks who is a copywriter by day and a hermit by night in New York City is devastated. Alex grew up with Dear Constance and feels like she survived her childhood through reading her column.

Alex tries to stay under the radar. She goes to the same coffee shop every morning, then to her job and then home. Her only friends…the waitress and a customer at the diner and she only sees them for five minutes a day.

But something happens to Alex when she sees the job announcement for a replacement for Keen’s Dear Constance column. She feels something she has never felt before. And so, without thinking she applies for the job. Surprisingly she actually gets it! Ah, but always be careful what you wish for!

After meeting with the editor in chief Howard Dimitri she begins what she considers a new life, with a new purpose…to help those in need. But, unfortunately, someone does not feel the same way as Alex. She begins to get threatening notes. She believes it’s just a reader who is angry that they have replaced Keen and she is now Dear Contance.

As she settles into the office, she discovers the editor in chief has a few secrets and then discovers there are some shady goings on in the office. Her mind starts to wander and she begins to think perhaps someone who worked with Keen could possibly have killer her. But, why?

As Alex tries to discover what exactly is going on in the office, her past which she left behind suddenly begins to collide with her present! Now Alex is frightened! Just as she believes she knows what happened to Dear Constance, well, let’s just say she’s wrong! And now she could be the next dead Dear Constance!

I Need You To Read This is an absolutely enjoyable read with so many layers and hidden secrets it will make your head spin! The twists and turns are impeccable, but scattered within the story are new friendships and trusts and trying to create a new life. But mostly it’s a downright great murder mystery!

Thank you #NetGalley #AtriaBooks #JessaMaxwell #INeedYouToReadThis for the advanced copy.

A Legend in the Baking by Jamie Wesley

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In the second book of the Sugar Blitz series, we discover another romance in the making , although in this story we have two lovebirds who have known each other since childhood and know each other’s deep dark secrets…or so they think! They secretly have had crushes on each other forever but are afraid to say it as they don’t want to ruin their relationship. But, now at Sugar Blitz Cupcake there is an explosion happening…and not from the oven!

What on earth will it take for these two shy paramours to finally realize they are soul mates? Well, a great deal! Both are stubborn and hurt and did I say stubborn? And in this enjoyable, funny and well-crafted story it will all eventually mix together like a well beaten cupcake with plenty of icing on top!

Sloane Dell, whose brother Donovan is a football player and part owner of a cupcake bakery called Sugar Blitz Cupcakes along with two other football players has just been passed over for a job she knows she is ready for at the social media company she works at and spontaneously quits leaving her with no job and no money.

As she goes to the bakery to tell her brother what’s happened she finds August, one of the other owners and her life-long crush baking. And he sees her. And of course, the sparks fly. As Sloane tries to find a job, her brother decides he could use a social media genius to assist them as they have decided to branch out. And unfortunately, that is not going so well. So, as Sloane spends more time at the bakery and August seems much more nervous, they both must try and figure out what to do with each other.

Having to work this closely together makes them look back at their past relationship and although they deny the chemistry, it’s clearly there. But they must somehow learn to work with each other and try to deny the alchemy. But unfortunately, this is difficult as they encounter jealousy, embarrassment and mistakes.

A Legend in the Baking is adorable, witty, sexy and will have you smiling from start to finish as if you were in the store helping make the cupcakes and figure out how to get these two together!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sGriffin #JamieWesley #ALegendintheBaking for the advanced copy.

https://www.amazon.com/Legend-Baking-Novel-Jamie-Wesley/dp/1250801877/ref=sr_1_1?crid=23GY10BJ9CGTV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bpto6HNtEtCQjVugLDk6QwAN4XiL67XaGjgu4izUQKU.WLaZ5Kmk6hLQQj48QPNF-zYihtfGh1T0TYm42gGF3_Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+legend+in+the+baking+jamie+wesley&qid=1734537467&sprefix=%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-1

Till Death Do Us Part by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

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Till Death Do Us Part is an amazingly shocking thriller you never thought you needed and won’t be able to put down. Each chapter draws you deeper into the riveting mystery and every revelation gives you tingles until finally, finally! the crescendo of the jaw dropping ending you do not see coming, slaps you in the face!

June is ready to take the leap and get married again. You see, ten years ago June met and married the love of her life Josh, only to have him taken away a week later when he disappears after going for a swim on their honeymoon. After an intense search he is presumed drowned making June a widow.

Now, after all these years, and with much therapy, she has met someone and is ready to marry again. Owning her own wine bar in New York City now, and having some success at it, June is taking the leap although still to this day she has never fully believed Josh died. Not after reading his final text to her. But she is finally excited for her future.

Until one day when she is in Central Park and turns to see a man who is Josh staring at her. She immediately returns back to the days just after he went missing when she would turn and see him, even though he was not there. But, for some reason this is very different. She absolutely knows what she saw was real!

So, she quietly begins to do a bit of research on where his family ended up, his family owned a winery in Napa Valley, and when she pulls the website up, there before her eyes is a picture of Josh, a woman and two young children. In shock, she decides to lie to her fiancé and go out to the winery to confront Josh.

But what June will discover is that nothing makes sense and the deeper she opens the Pandora’s box, the more confused she becomes. And then, she discovers her fiancé has been hiding a secret from her. Something she is not sure she can forgive him for.

June must begin to wade through Josh, his family and her own past to discover some terrible truths that were hidden from her all those years ago.

The lesson in Till Death Do Us Part is… love can be the death of not only a life, of their love of their trust but open the flood gates to more questions than answers and horrible secrets and perhaps even more unknown tragedy…until it all becomes exposed.

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #LaurieElizabethFlynn #TillDeathDoUsPart for the advanced copy.

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

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House of Glass is another thriller by Sarah Pekkanen, author of The Golden Couple. It will grab the reader from the very first page and take them on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and just when you think you know where the story is going, you realize you had absolutely no idea where the story was going! The main plot is about a little girl who witnesses a terrible accident at her family home and the psychologist who is assigned to her case to determine which parent she should live with. You may ask, why can’t the little girl tell her? Well…since the accident she has not spoken. And our psychologist can not only sympathize with our little girl but empathize as she too was mute after her own mother was discovered dead at their home many years ago. The story, complex in nature, is fascinating and the ending extraordinary!

Rose Barclay is a mute nine-year-old child who witnessed her nanny plunging from a bedroom window and falling to her death at their home. Now, the parents are in the middle of a terrible divorce as it was discovered that Rose’s father, Ian was having an affair with the nanny. The Barclays, Ian and Beth live in a beautiful house with Ian’s mother who had surgery and has not been able to live on her own.

Now Stella Hudson is approached to figure out who Rose would be better suited to live with as she cannot speak for herself. Stella understands. When Stella was a young girl, her own mother was found dead in their house and Stella fearful, stayed in her closet until help arrived. She too became mute after the trauma, and it took years of therapy to help her understand what had happened. Or so she thought. Because this case has brought up Stella’s horrible memories of year’s past.

Stella begins to try and win Rose over, but Rose seems to not be able to make any kind of connection, no matter how hard she tries. Then Rose discovers all the glass has been removed from the house and replaced with plastic. Why? And Rose seems to have unhealthy fascinations, which disturb Stella. She begins to believe Rose may have a hidden side to her. Could this tragedy have actually been a murder? It seems Rose is keeping many secrets.

Stella soon begins to believe Rose’s parent and grandmother may be covering up for her. And Rose seems to not be so happy with Stella. As Stella delves deeper into Rose’s psyche, she can’t help but remember her own pain. And she takes an unhealthy walk down her own memory lane. But when strange things begin to happen to Stella, she can’t help but feel something else is going on. Something evil. Stella discovers the nanny had been afraid of Rose and wanted to leave.

She understands she must get to the bottom of what really happened in that house the day the nanny died, and she will use any trick she knows to find out. But unfortunately for Stella, that may be her undoing.

House of Glass has so many layers to it and is so fascinating you won’t be able to put the book down. The story is certainly suspenseful, but it’s also a gripping story of a lost child, and an adult who realizes she is still lost.

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #HouseofGlass #SarahPekkanen for the advanced copy.

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison

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In only the inventive style of horror icon, Rachel Harrison could this imaginative, creepy, chilling story be created. It’s dark, but it’s fascinatingly good! This book is not for the faint of heart, but those who know Harrison’s work or those who decide to venture into her world…you will not be disappointed. Having met her I can sort of understand where her macabre fascination stems from, but…she is as super kind as she is super gory! If you have not read anything by her well…welcome! And let me assure you, you will be back!

Sloan Parker’s husband has given her a birthday present she certainly should be grateful for…a weekend away at an inn with her best friend Naomi. But Sloan has her suspicions as to why this choice in gift, but that’s for you to figure out as you read!

Sloan is definitely in the middle of an existential crisis. Her age as well as her life in general. She works from home, has the same routine, only has to see her co-workers once a month and well her marriage is just about the same, routine. Wake, work, cook, go to bed. When she looks in the mirror, she sees someone she certainly doesn’t know…those wrinkles…where did they come from?

But when she is with her best friend Naomi, all is forgotten. Naomi is a free spirit who does what she wants when she wants. Even in her long-term relationship, she has a fling or two without any guilt. So, Sloan is hoping Naomi will bring some of her magic along and help her.

Unfortunately, immediately there are problems. There is a blizzard, and they are pretty much stuck near the inn. But they do go for drinks where Naomi meets someone (of course) and they are invited to a party the next night. Now depending on who you ask both will blame the other for what happens next. They are turned into women who will live forever.

Join Sloan and Naomi as they try to adjust to their new lifestyle, having to leave their lives behind and adjust to new shall we say, feelings and thirsts. With a new band of friends, who will attempt to help them, their adventures will become shocking, even to them!

So Thirsty is perhaps a much scarier Thelma and Louise in a very different community. Naiveté and innocence may actually be their new enemy. But there are some enjoyably funny moments as they adjust to their lives of being thirsty.

Berkley Publishing

The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell

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The In Crowd checked all the right boxes for an exciting, funny mystery. Filled with dead bodies, shocking twists and surprises, and even romance, this second book in the series is as good if not better than the first called The Other Half. But don’t worry if you did not read the first, this book could be stand-alone.

When Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp goes to the theatre, not only does someone die, but he meets a mysteriously adorable milliner (hat maker). But unfortunately, it’s what occurs AFTER finding the dead body that the amazing cat and mouse game begins among the wealthy, egotistical upper elite suspects. Was this a murder or a heart attack? Also, the person who dead seems to be connected with another mystery from years ago.

As the clues start to come in, Beauchamp and his band of adept funny detectives notice the possibility that some of the cast of characters could have been involved with a 16-year-old girl who went missing from the boarding school she attended years ago and was never again seen, and foul play was certainly suspected. To add to the intrigue, they are also investigating a possible drowning by suicide which unbelievably coincides with the mysterious disappearance of man who allegedly stole all the pension money from a corporation never to be seen again!

Are you exhausted yet? Well don’t be because as the team searches for answers from some of the wealthiest and important people in English politics, it seems that not only is no one talking, but they have enough power to perhaps shut down the whole investigation.

But, as the team begins to dissect all the information and put the pieces of this puzzle together and as Beauchamp begins to totally fall for the milliner, which in itself is another story…even the wealthiest men and women who try to stop the investigation will be shocked and in awe as to the outcomes of the investigations. It shows, even if you have money and power, sometime the in crowd can humiliatingly fall just as quickly as a regular bloke. And honestly, it’s as good as it gets to read!

The In Crowd will not disappoint! The plot is innovative, the characters are droll and amusing as is our heroic group of police who amazingly walk the reader through the first-class ending! When your brain finishes digesting this read, don’t be afraid to pick up the first. It too will not disappoint.

Thank you #NetGalley #Doubleday #TheInCrowd #CharlotteVassell for the advanced copy.