Tag: reviews

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.

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.

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

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The Wedding People is a serious, funny, seriously funny story with enough drama and comedy to keep you hanging on every word. The plot deals with love, death, life, connecting with strangers, happiness and depression and change. It truly is an uplifting tale which will have the reader rooting for all the wedding people as they traverse through their problems and try to discover the importance in their lives.

Phoebe Stone is a teacher, and she has decided to go to the famous Cornwall Inn wearing a beautiful dress to finish off her unbearably sad life. You see, she is divorced from the love of her life, also a teacher who cheated on her and ended up falling in love with someone else. As much as they tried, because of Phoebe, they had been unable to get pregnant something they both wanted desperately. She has not been able to finish writing her dissertation to get her PhD…for years, with everyone continually asking how it’s going. And finally, she comes home to her beloved cat Harry dead. And that is the final straw.

Now, as she stands in the lobby to check into the Inn, she realizes the others are checking in for a wedding that coming weekend. She overhears the conversations of some of the wedding people as to what the weekend will bring (with rolled eyes I might add). She discovers she is the only person at the Inn who is not one of the wedding people. Although dressed as such, no one knows.

When the bride to be Iris discovers she is at the Inn, she takes it upon herself, as Iris is quite the overbearing bridezilla, to go to Phoebe’s room to ask her to leave. When Phoebe explains she will not but will be out of her hair before the wedding, well, Iris basically blows a gasket!

As they sit and talk, something begins to happen. They begin to tell each other their deepest darkest fears and secrets. They start to bond over their similarly different ways of coping. And Phoebe begins to realize Iris and the wedding people may not be in a very good way, just as she too is feeling lost and lonely.

Iris invites Phoebe to one of the many, many wedding activities and Phoebe is introduced to the wedding people, the good, the bad, the drunk and the mother of the bride who is clearly Iris’s antagonist. You see, this wedding was supposed to happen before her father passed away. But he didn’t make it.

The more chaos the wedding people cause, the closer Phoebe and Iris become. But why? They are totally different people…or are they? And the closer Iris gets to her wedding, the closer Phoebe and Iris become to realizing certain things about themselves and each other. Are they now friends?

The Wedding People will break your heart, make you laugh, as you watch individuals learn about each other and grow, as they make life-changing choices and you will ponder the question, how on earth can two total strangers change each other’s lives as well as the wedding peoples for the better in just three days.

Thank you #NetGalley #HenryHoltandCo. #TheWeddingPeople #AlisonEspach for the advanced copy.

On The Surface by Rachel McGuire

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On The Surface is a palpitating, what on earth happened, who did it with layers of mystery, psychologically flawed characters all cushioned around social influencers and how to up viewership and money. Are you ready?

Dani Fox and Sawyer Stone run a little YouTube channel called Sailing With The Foxes. They have been traveling by sailboat and documenting their experiences. Although viewership is low and slow, and they are running out of money, and getting a bit sick of each other, they keep trying to figure out ways of gaining attention. Because with more viewers comes more money.

But their dreams all stop when one night after going to a party on another boat, Dani disappears the next day and Sawyer doesn’t remember what happened the night before. While everyone seems concerned, Sawyer knows Dani. She has probably just gone off for some alone time.

Then the police receive some disturbing information which seems to indicate that Sawyer who seems to be an alcoholic and was becoming abusive towards Dani could have harmed her. When they find a bloodied dress hidden on the boat, well the Bahamian Police suspect he killed her.

While the investigation is going on, Dani’s disappearance is not only turned into a top news story, but podcaster, true crime followers and YouTubers all begin to focus on the mystery with tips and conspiracies. But still no Dani. What could have happened? Did Sawyer kill her or did she drown. One thing for sure, they begin to dig up information on Sawyer which makes his look even worse if that’s at all possible!

Unfortunately, Sawyer was not the only one who had secrets. So did Dani.

As the search continues and some of the unhinged true crime people descend upon the Island, Sawyer is now the center of attention. But all he can think of is…how can he make some money? Unfortunately, if he goes to jail, there will be no fortune.

On The Surface will keep you guessing as to what really happened as each twist is revealed and secrets exposed. But in the end, the likes, clicks and algorithms will be more important than any missing person. What would you do to keep your numbers up? Kill?

Thank you #NetGalley #CrookedLaneBooks #OnTheSurface #RachelMcGuire for the advanced copy.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

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What on earth do you do when your college English professor gets you pregnant at the young age of twenty, then leaves you high and dry because of course he is married and has children, and you can in no way afford the cost of a baby as you can’t afford the cost of yourself? You can’t ask your dysfunctional divorced parents for help, that’s for sure. In this absolutely hysterical, heartwarming, very unconventional story, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, creativity becomes the key! To everything!

Margo decides to have the baby and now she has very serious money issues. The father will have nothing to do with her, and she gets fired from her job at Hooters because she needs to breastfeed and take the newborn, Bodhi with her to work because she cannot afford childcare. But…it’s a Hooters!

Where are her parents you may ask? Well, her mother has found a boyfriend who is very religious, and she hopes to make him her husband, so she’s out, as well as the fact that her mother really didn’t mother her anyway. Her father is a former famous wrestler who has just gotten out of rehab for the hundredth time, and she is not close to anyway seems like a very unlikely choice, and when two of her three roommates move out, she is just plain out of luck.

That’s when her dad, Jinx, comes knocking at her door because he needs a place to stay and promises he will stay clean for room and board and babysitting. Well, that sounds great to Margo. With one problem solved, she now needs to figure out how to make some money and fast.

When someone mentions a new platform called Only Fans where you create a profile (fake) and they pay to see and hear what you want to put out there, Margo hesitates, for about a minute and decides this would be a good way to be able to stay with her baby and make money at the same time. And make money she does! Of course, she tells no one, especially her parents about her new venture.

She suddenly realizes she’s good at this gig. She even comes up with another idea and teams up with a couple of influencers and that takes off as well! Although not really accepted practice she even begins to crush on one of her “clients”, but the good thing about hiding behind a fake persona is you can fake it till you make it, and they have no idea!

She’s managing it all, taking care of Bohdi, working, making money and spending time with her dad until it all comes crashing down around her. Suddenly the State wants to take her baby away because of her job. But this job is not only making her money but helping her support her son in more ways than she ever thought she would be able.

If she leaves her job, they won’t take her son, but then she won’t be able to afford what he needs. How can they do this? Why are they doing this? She needs a new plan. And boy does she get even more creative!

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a laugh out loud story about a young naive woman, who took on the system, not knowing much, but knowing no one, absolutely no one was going to take her baby away from her. But the story is much more than just about a determined woman. It’s about heartbreak, feeling you are worth nothing, disappointment in yourself as well as others, but realizing if you find the right community, anything and everything is possible.

And even better news Apple+ is going to do a series and Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer will star! Can’t wait!

Thank you #Goodreads #WillamMorrow #RufiThorpe #Margo’sGodMoneyTroubles for the advanced copy.

The Hazlebourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

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The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is an uplifting, women empowering women story, with a bit of romance thrown in as a group of young women after WW1 decide to take on the men which of course was unheard of at the time and create not only a motorcycle club, but gasp, learn to fly planes. With women during that time who were meant to be seen but not heard, their voices become fodder for the males who cannot seem to deal with their intelligence, stamina and strength.

When Constance Haverhill, the companion of an elderly woman meets Poppy Wirrall a rich socialite who lives at the same luxury hotel Constance is staying, they befriend each other. Constance is searching for a job and Poppy who would prefer having a job takes her under her wing and not only tries to help her but introduces Contance to her motorcycle club which she started for women only.

Socially beneath her, Poppy begins to teach Constance not only about the mechanics of motorcycles but also teaches her to drive one. As Constance becomes friends with group members, she begins to see there is a whole world for women which she knows absolutely nothing about. But it seems to be only for those who can afford it, not for her. She sees these women stand on their own two feet without a man and decides she needs to emulate that behavior.

With a keen sense of math, Constance begins assisting Poppy’s family with bookkeeping as well as befriending Poppy’s brother, Harris who was injured during the war. Constance’s world opens up as Poppy decides to buy a plane and wants Constance to learn to fly it. With Harris’ help, these women begin to outshine the men in the area and that is not good. You see, there are some men who would do anything to make sure these women fail.

But these strong women will take them on even if that means losing their own battle just so they can win their own personal war. Regardless of what anybody thinks.

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is a story of women during tumultuous times, stepping up, learning lessons, some very hard, having to choose between the love of a challenge and the love of a man. During that period women were told they were basically a piece of property to the men, with no minds and certainly no ambition other than spending money. Boy were they in for a shock!

Thank you #NetGalley #TheDialPress #HelenSimonson #TheHazlebourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club for the advanced copy.

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise To Fame by Olivia Ford

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Mrs. Quinn’s Rise To Fame is a deliciously, uplifting, warm story about aging, undying love and deep regrets made along life’s road. The power of the story comes from the moral…no matter your age, you can try almost anything and perhaps succeed, and when the time is right, and you have the strength you can perhaps fix the wrongs which have haunted you your whole life. It takes a village and lots of love, butter, flour and sugar!

Jenny and Bernard have been married close to sixty wonderful years. Jenny is in her mid-seventies and Bernardi in his eighties. Never having had any children they are each other’s rocks through thick and thin. Jenny can’t imagine what they would do if they did not have each other. They have had a good life. Always a baker since she was a young child, Jenny’s goodies are the talk of the town. Her creative concoctions and delightful cakes are what most look forward to during any holiday season.

So, when Jenny decides to enter a television baking contest, Britain Bakes, she decides not to tell anyone, not even Bernard as she knows she won’t get picked and no one will ever know. She feels her age is already the first strike against her. That and her horrible breadmaking skills!

But to her shock and amazement she is picked as a contestant. At first, she tries to hide the fact she is on the show by making up excuses as to why she needs to be away, but eventually she must tell Bernard. Still embarrassed, she bakes at home morning and night to try and create new recipes as well as perfect her nemesis…bread.

Along the way, she becomes friends with most of the other contestants and begins to look at this adventure in a totally different light. Could she really win? At her age?

As Jenny goes through the different baking requirements, we begin to learn about her past and how each of the recipes she chooses comes from somewhere deep in her soul, a good or perhaps not so wonderful memory. And also in her thoughts, a deep, dark secret Jenny has kept even from Bernard for their whole marriage. Something she knows he will never understand and will hate her for.

What can of peaches has Jenny opened up? She should have left well enough alone and simply been content with her life as it was. What would happen if her secret came out? Well, Jenny thinks she would lose everything. Is this contest really worth hurting her beloved Bernard?

Mrs. Quinn’s Rise To Fame is a sweet, delightful, delicate cozy story which will have the reader falling in love with Jenny and the rest of the cast of characters.

Published by Pamela Dorman Books

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

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The Kitchen Front is a heartwarming/heartbreaking story about a group of women during World War II in England who are from different classes in life. But one thing is for sure, no matter what your rank, pain, loss, abuse and trying to make ends meet will somehow unite most. Each of these women will try and make a change to their lives first by themselves but then with the help of each other.

This will happen when each of the women hear about a BBC cooking contest in which the winner will the assistant on a famous radio show called The Kitchen Front. The contest consists of participants to create dishes only using the rationing coupons given to them by the State. But to these women this could be their chance to get out of the horrible situation they each find themselves. The participants are:

Audrey, the mother of three young boys who lost the love of her life in the War. He is missing in action and presumed dead. She lives in a large decaying house she can’t afford and in order to make ends meet she sells vegetables from her garden and bakes and delivers pies to people and companies. She has a love/hate relationship with her sister, Lady Gwendoline, who loaned her money after her husband’s death but holds this over her head. Exhausted, scared and sad, she is talked into entering the contest.

Lady Gwendoline, married to Sir Strickland, a nasty man who treats her terribly, is bored. She decides to enter the contest on a whim, knowing she will win as her husband will make sure she does. She hates her sister Audrey because she is jealous of the relationship she had with their mother. Lady Gwendoline’s joy is making Audrey as miserable as possible.

Nell is the cook at Fenley Hall, the residence of Lady Gwendoline and Sir Strickland. Under the watchful eye of the head cook, the elderly Mrs. Quince who has taken her under her wing and treats her as if she was her daughter, Nell has flourished. But being an orphan at a very young age she has never been outgoing and is quite meek. But with Mrs. Quince’s help she decides to enter the contest.

And last but not least, there is Zelda. A feisty cook from London who was a rising chef but was banished to this small town. She works at Sir Strickland’s food company. Winning this contest could be her ticket back to London and make her famous as the first woman head chef. But Zelda has a secret.

So as these four women work against each other, they will be judged by a point system on a four-course meal, one course each month, with the person with the most points winning. Sounds simple right? But of course, these women not only have to prepare their courses, but live their lives. As we learn of their hardships and fall in love with each of them, how can the reader choose, let alone the judge?

But as we follow each of their stories you will discover their strengths and weaknesses and their loyalty to others but more importantly to each other. At a certain point the contest becomes the lesser problem as the women unite to encourage and help each other and form an unbreakable bond.

The Kitchen Front was an enjoyable and pleasant read with recipes at the end of each chapter from decades ago which will intrigue and delight the reader.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill

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The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, author of the thriller The Woman In The Library has once again outdone herself in this new exciting, unpredictable and imaginative story. With so many elements for a terrific read…mystery, conspiracy, murder and disappearances, no one could ask for more in this psychological nail-biter.

Theodore (Theo) Benton has decided to give up a budding career as a lawyer and while still in law school she decides to drop out become a writer and lands on her brother Gus’ doorstep armed with an almost completed manuscript. Gus, an attorney adores his sister and supports her decision.

So, Theo begins to write her novel in a diner, someplace away from Gus’ apartment. There, she meets another writer, a bit famous who himself is trying finish his novel. He becomes a mentor to her of sorts and they grow close. But then Theo’s life begins to unravel as he is found dead in his house, and she unfortunately is the person who found him. All she remembers is seeing a man run from the scene. She discovers the manuscript he was writing has disappeared.

Suddenly, she and her brother become unlikely suspects in this murder with Gus never even knowing the other writer. At the same time two unusual situations occur. First, a secret conspiracy group who believed the writer to somehow be the leader of their cult have decided Theo killed him and second, the publishing company which published the dead writer has informed Theo they would like to represent her and publish her novel.

But when more murders occur the police find evidence that Theo’s brother Gus was the killer. Gus injured and, in the hospital, awakens to find Theo has confessed to the murders and disappeared. He knows neither of them did any such thing. He begins to search for her, but years pass and although he doesn’t give up, he feels as if he will never find her.

Until suddenly someone gives Gus a book which is on the best seller list. As he reads it something seems familiar. The writing…could it be?

The Mystery Writer will keep you entertained and captivated as the story plays out and all the different worlds begin to collide into one unforeseen ending.

Thank you #NetGalley #PoisenedPenPress #SulariGentill #TheMysteryWriter for the advanced copy.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood

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Finding Sophie is an incredibly complex look at a relationship during a time of crisis. But it is a psychological thriller which will continually keep you guessing as to what on earth could happen next. As you fall in love with the couple, Harry and Zara, as they optimistically search for their daughter Sophie who has disappeared, you see the breakdown of their marriage and the difference in how they each deal with their grief.

Harry and Zara King’s 15-year-old daughter has gone missing. Their only child, Sophie is the light of their lives. But, as they notice her temperament changing, they chalk it up to teenage rebellion. But an incident prior to her disappearance haunts them both in different ways.

They can barely look at each other as they both separately try and discover what could have happened to their Sophie. They discover they really didn’t know their daughter at all. Some clues emerge, not good ones and there is suspicion that the man who lives in a house on the street, 210, who will not let the police in, nor will he talk to Harry and Zara makes the couple distrustful of him.

Their grief is palpable, but their guilt unbearable. They try not to blame each other. But, they also want to fight this fight separately rather than together.

Fast forward to some chapters in which a trial is occurring. We have no idea who the defendant is or what the crime could be. Our clues are sparse until we discover the truth.

What would you do if your child went missing? Is love enough? Would you do anything in your power to find the child? Not matter what that meant? Or would you keep all those feelings in, blaming the other, but never giving up the idea that she just has to be alive, even when all the clues go another way. Can a marriage be strong enough to endure the heartbreak of a missing child?

In Finding Sophie there will be sadness, but there will also be something deeper than love. Passion. To not only find out what happened to their child, but to make sure she will somehow always know they loved her enough to never stop looking.

Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #Imram Mahmood #Finding Sophie for the advanced copy.