Tag: mystery books

Book Review: Lake of Glass (Archives of the Warden #1) by V.K. Dixon

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Mystery
Length: 346 pages
Author: V.K. Dixon
Publisher: Xenia House Press
Release Date: October 18th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

An inheritance they never expected will change their lives, reveal long-held secrets, & expose a world they didn’t know existed….

Brothers and co-authors, Peter and Spencer Collins, are living the life of the struggling artist. When their estranged Great-Aunt leaves her house and extensive inheritance to them in her will, it seems their dreams can come true. Picking up their whole lives, the brothers move to the tiny town of DeVerre, WA, to become full-time authors. But as strange occurrences and a string of animal attacks arise in the town, the brothers begin to feel as though they’ve stepped into one of their own mysteries.
Questioning their choice to uproot their entire lives, Peter and Spencer find themselves thrown into danger they never expected as secrets and conspiracies are uncovered in DeVerre — along with a link to the supernatural.
The brothers must decide if the success of their career and the truth behind these life-changing secrets are worth potentially risking their lives as they are drawn into a mystery filled with the ghosts, phantoms, and beasts of the spirit world.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.

The cover of this book gave me some haunted gothic mansion vibes. And while that was there a little bit, ultimately this book wasn’t what I thought and didn’t keep me interested enough to want to read book two.

What this mostly consisted of were two brothers getting to know this tiny town that had “secrets.” And all of the townspeople kept repeating the same phrases of just get to know us and I’m sitting here thinking I still don’t know them. There were some convoluted family lines and bad blood scenarios and Spencer and Preston naively walked in thinking they could fix it all???

Not to mention the whole shadow plane + religious aspects didn’t pan out either. I was fine with the combination but the execution was lacking. I thought some thoughts didn’t quite work and pulled me out of the story.

This wasn’t a hate read by any means, just a not for me book that saddens me because I have been looking forward to picking this up for the fall.

Overall audience notes:

  • Mystery
  • Language: a little
  • Romance: flirting
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: murder, near death experiences, ghost encounters

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Book Review: Never Forgotten by Hannah Linder

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Historical Mystery + Romance
Length: 390 pages
Author: Hannah Linder
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Release Date: November 1st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

All He Wanted was Justice. All She Wanted was His Heart.
 
Georgina Whitmore, not accustomed to any man being unaffected by her charms, is plagued with the disappearance and rejection of Simon Fancourt. Twelve years later, Mr. Fancourt returns to British society with two children and a mad hunger for justice.
 
Racing against time, Simon works to uncover the men responsible for his wife’s horrific murder, protect his children, and fulfill his father’s unexpected will by marrying Georgina—the last thing in the world he wants to do.
 
Though her heart throbs to accept, she would rather lose him again than have his name without his love. She denies his proposal of matrimony, knowing it will cost them both. But as tragedies unravel and secret enemies narrow their sights on Simon, Georgina risks her life—and her reputation—to protect him and the children. Will the danger scorch them alive? Or will it, for the first time, open his heart to her?

Thank you to the author and Barbour Fiction for my gifted copy.

HEART-WRENCHING.

What I love about Hannah Linder books is how well she balances the darkness of the stories with light and hope. The mystery starts off with an immediate attention grabber and the need for justice.

I loved the twists and turns this story took. I appreciate having multiple points of view to add the dimension to different thoughts and perspectives. The unrequited love was a steady slow burn and I enjoyed seeing both characters learn and work on their flaws while using their strengths to persevere.

It’s emotional and complex and I loved how things came together in the end. I have enjoyed every single one of Hannah Linder’s books and can’t wait for future reads.

Overall audience notes:

  • Historical Mystery + Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content Warnings: murder, suicide, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Thriller
Length: 384 pages
Author: Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: August 8th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

WHOA.

First, hats off to the audio production. I loved that this was full cast with sound effects. Really brought up the sinister vibes and creeped me out in the way you hope a thriller accomplishes.

I couldn’t believe half the things I was hearing as this story unfolded. It was twisted, a bit dark, and I was very intrigued to see the fallout. I feel like there is SO MUCH that could be unpacked here and watching the lines crisscross and blur kept me on edge.

It did feel a little slow for me towards the end when the reveals started happening. I hit this mindset where I was thinking, stop beating around the bush and just tell me. Which is probably why I’m not a huge thriller reader. But I’m definitely not mad I picked this one up, I thought it was worth the hype I’ve been seeing.

Overall audience notes:

  • Thriller
  • Language: moderate
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: Paedophilia & adult-minor relationships, child abuse, alcoholism, alcohol consumption & abuse, murder, kidnapping, stalking mentioned

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ARC Book Review: Silver and Bone (Silver and Bone #1) by Claudia Cain

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Urban Fantasy Mystery
Length: 334 pages
Author: Claudia Cain
Publisher: Black Sheep Books
Release Date: October 31st, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Jennifer Jones is trying to be a better person. As a vampire with a history of serial killing, she probably can’t get any worse.

For seventy years, things have gone well. She has a job, she’s in a steady relationship, and she hasn’t killed a single human. As far as she’s concerned, she’s turned over a new leaf.

Then a body turns up in an alley. A Necromancer warns of an approaching menace. And as more bodies appear, repeating a very familiar pattern, Jennifer finds herself being framed for murder.

You might be able to ignore your past, but you can’t outrun it, and Jennifer’s has just caught up to her. The life she has built is beginning to unravel, and if she doesn’t prove her innocence, she will lose everything.

And maybe she deserves it.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

WHAT A START.

OH my gosh I loved this book y’all. I need book two ASAP. I LOVE Jennifer Jones. Her whole character is immaculately crafted and I am obsessed with her snarky personality that is also filled with love and loyalty to those around her. This book kind of reads like one of those NCIS types of shows but throw in a whole bunch of paranormal characters.

I loved the entire cast. I just don’t have one negative to say about the entire book. I was hooked from the get go and the slow reveals were fantastic. It’s fast paced and full of action. I loved the flashback chapters and the world set-up. As someone who’s generally not an urban fantasy lover, this one HIT ALL THE MARKS.

But excuse me, THE ENDING. I am shooketh. And I’m so curious how this story will continue and where things will lead to next.

Claudia Cain is a hidden gem and you absolutely need to take a chance on her books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban Fantasy Mystery
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: blood/gore depiction involving deaths from vampires, murder, kidnapping, torture, werewolf attacks

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