Tag: reviews

You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

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You Are Fatally Invited is a twisted story with damaged characters, I would compare to Agatha Christie’s, And Then There Was None which will find you racing to the end to figure out all the sordid mysteries and hidden agendas.

As authors arrive on a secluded island, fortunate enough to have been graced with an invitation by the recluse author J.R. Alastor, whom no one has ever met, the feeling is that of the television show in the eighties called Fantasy Island. All six of the famous authors seem to try and one up each other as to their relationship with their host. They are met by the hostess or party planner for the weekend, Mila del Angel, herself a former unpublished want to be writer.

She knows what is expected of her and she too has a hidden agenda, but as she explains what this weekend’s writer’s retreat will accomplish and the games which will be played the main concern of the guests is when they will finally meet the mysterious Alastor.

Unfortunately, immediately things begin to go wrong when the next morning one of the writer’s goes missing. At first, they think perhaps they had gone for a hike, but to everyone’s horror that seems to not be the case.

Mila who only communicates with Alastor via her watch gets no response from him. When she decides to look at the camera footage from the previous night, hours seem to be missing.

She soon begins to realize there is something else going on, something sinister. And when she announces the first game to be played by the authors, they too begin to see something is amiss. For all intents and purposes the “clues” to this game hit too close to home for each one of them and is about something they have hidden from their past.

When a second body is discovered they all decide they need to get off this island and Mila who feels she is being set up agrees. But with a storm coming up, that might not be possible.

As the writers begin to turn on each other and new games are added daily, they realize someone is taking great pleasure at scaring and killing them. Unfortunately, Mila looks to be the main suspect. What they don’t know is Mila herself has never met Alastor in person. Could one of them be the killer?

You Are Fatally Invited cordially invites YOU, the reader to try and figure out who the killer is and what past secrets for some reason are expected to be exposed. The cost of losing one of the games? Well, perhaps their life! You will be holding your breath to see who makes it to the end and finally discover all those sordid, shocking secrets!

Thank you #NetGalley #BantamBooks #AndePiegro #YouAreFatallyInvited for the advanced copy.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

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Buckle up for the ride of your life in The Family Game! This book will have brides-to-be looking sideways at their soon to be in-laws. The story is an explosion of anxiety, shock, horror and mystery. The ending an amazingly surprising masterpiece.

When writer Harriet fell in love with financer Edward, who came from one of the wealthiest families in the United States, the Holbeck’s, although she had never met them, she never imagined what people with that kind of wealth would be like. Edward had kept them at a distance while they courted and yes, Harriet was curious as to why but was told there had been a bit of a rift. So, when Harriet and Edward got engaged and she received a call from his sister welcoming her into the fold she found herself agreeing unbeknownst to her (she is British and from England) that the meeting of the family would be on none other than Thanksgiving.

But right from the start she felt something was off. The family seemed very competitive and well, strangely odd. But she chalked it up to her own jitters until Edward’s father calls her into his office. Alone. And hands her a tape. Then explains to her she needs to listen to it and understand it and that he knows everyone makes mistakes and is well aware of her own hidden secret. Is this some sort of warning? How on earth could he know? What is on this tape? He also threatened if she told anyone including Edward about this revelation, he would expose her.

As she is on deadline, she puts the tape away and when she finally begins the process of listening to it, well, it’s time for another family gathering. This time it is called “Krampus” which has to do with a monster near Christmas time. Harriet and Edward attend without Harriet knowing the “rules of the game” and when she is picked to play, well it does not go well and turns out to be the most horrible experience of her life.

The tape which she reads in pieces is extremely disturbing and she can’t quite understand what is actually going on in the Holbeck family. She decides to do a bit of research and what she discovers is to say the least very, very disturbing and expanding over many years.

But Harriet and Edward must get through one last holiday, Christmas and Christmas Eve with the family. When she arrives at the estate in upstate New York, well once again she learns there will be a game on Christmas Eve and she must play, only this time Harriet knows she will be playing for her life. She somehow must try and outwit who she feels are a bunch of unhinged rich people. But what we shockingly discover is that there is much, much more to this family and the games they insist on playing.

The Family Game will have you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns. As for Harriet well, she must protect her own secret no matter what the cost. Who if anyone will survive the final family game? You MUST read this book to discover, and you will be happy you did.

Published by Ballentine Books

Needy Little Things by Channelle Desamours

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Needy Little Things is a wonderfully suspenseful, mysterious story which will keep you reading and on the edge of your seat the whole time! Although a young adult novel, this adult was engrossed from the first page. It’s imaginative, poignant and heartfelt. But also filled with peculiar characters and relatable family issues.

Sariyah Lee Bryant is a “hearer”. What does that mean? Well, she is able to hear what some people need by somehow listening to their thoughts. For example, as she walks by a school mate she may hear pencil, candy, tissue. She actually carries a bag she calls the Santa Claus bag in which is packed with things she feels she will need to distribute.

She can read most people, except for her family and best friend Malcolm. She does not understand this. But feels it’s perhaps for the best. Her family life is difficult. Her younger brother is ill, and her single mother is always depressed. Sariyah tries desperately to keep the family together. That is her main goal. She worries about everyone but herself. But suddenly her mother has lost her job and won’t come out of her room which now Sariyah feels she must once again become the mother and provider.

Worst of all her friend Deja disappears at an outdoor concert which Sariyah was supposed to be watching her friend knowing she had asked her for pepper spray. This hits too close to home for her and Malcom as his sister Tess disappeared years ago never to be seen again. She was Sariyah’s best friend whom she still dreams about.

Now Sariyah feels she must figure out what happened to Deja as the police are not very interested, as well as make some extra money as her mother has taken to her bed. She begins to sell her services in a bad part of a bad city.

As she begins to put the pieces together as to what could possibly have happened to her friend, what she discovers makes no sense. This information will put her life in jeopardy. But she will not allow what happened to Tess to happen to Deja.

The ending is shocking but will make Sariyah realize what is important in life as well as reevaluate herself and her future plans.

Needy Little Things is an inventive, creative story with a wonderful mystery, which addresses many present-day issues but also takes a somber look at life and family issues but gives a spark of hope, togetherness and friendship.

Thank you #NetGalley #WednesdayBooks #ChannelleDesamours #NeedyLittleThings for the advanced copy.

The Really Dead Housewives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

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For those Housewife of (name a city) fans, this book should be a must read! It is hilarious, dramatic, filled with hate, deceit, egos and murder. It is so very good! The housewives in the story are composites of some of the real housewives. The most fun I had was trying to piece together which real character each character was based on! The book will catapult the reader into the dizziness of the multiple story lines of these well-developed pretty narcissistic characters with an ending made for television!

Hope Bennett is the newest cast member of the Garden State Goddess cast set in New Jersey. She is also the cousin of the producer of the series. She has recently married another cast member’s brother, Leo. Carmela, the sister of Leo who is an original cast member and known for causing trouble is not pleased with the casting and will make sure Hope knows it every chance she can get.

The saga starts immediately when one of the housewives is found dead. The reader has no idea which, but that sets the story to go back in time which leads up to who the late cast member is.

Thus begins the story of each housewife, their backstory, their secrets, their drinking and drug problems and much, much more! At the end of each chapter, you will get a taste of each member’s “confessional” and what it takes to get something out of each of them.

The story itself is a wild ride you won’t want to get off and the ending will make you feel as if you were in an actual season of Real Housewives where there is hairpulling and lying, shock and horror and make-up and hair and drunk women galore! It was a very fun read!

Thank you #NetGalley #Simon&Schuester #AstridDahl #TheReallyDeadWivesofNewJersey for the advanced copy.

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

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Hold on to your seatbelts! This incredibly exciting book, The Business Trip had me from the very first to the very last page! It did not disappoint. The story will keep you in suspense and your imagination will fly you to unexpected places! The story is filled with unimaginative mistreatment in so many ways, greed, narcissism and secrets…so many secrets.

Jasmine has decided today is the day she leaves her abusive boyfriend before he ends up killing her. He seems to be getting close. Her plan, a year in the making, she now just has to find her way to the airport.

Stephanie works at a television station and is going on a business trip to a convention. She has an older son and is divorced and partly wishes she could get back out into the dating world. This is a quick trip, and she too heads off to the airport.

Jasmine and Stephanie are supposed to be flying to different places, until suddenly they aren’t… something happens, and neither will make it back home.

Although Stephanie does make it to the convention, and continues texting her cat sitter, something happens which makes everyone fear for her safety. Jasmine too is texting but for her it’s the terror of her boyfriend figuring out what she is doing which makes what she types cryptic. Then the texting of one becomes a passionate plea for help. And then nothing from either of them.

Trent McCarthy who is also in attendance at the convention immediately has his eye on Stephanie. You see, Trent thinks he is a lady’s man. But unfortunately, only he seems to think it. He treats women awfully as he feels they are so far beneath him. And very much disliked. A narcissist bully who is clueless to social norms.

But for Trent, these two women’s disappearances will look as if he had something to with them going missing.

The story which uniquely told by all the characters in chapter form is riveting with the ending revelations brilliantly startling! The Business Trip is very messy, suspenseful adventure you don’t want to miss!

Thank you #NetGalley #St.Martin’sPress #JessieGarcia #TheBusinessTrip 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.

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.