Nightcap Books

BOOK INFO

Title: Stone Cold Fox

Author: Rachel Koller Croft

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: February 14, 2023

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Like any enterprising woman, Bea knows what she’s worth and is determined to get all she deserves—it just so happens that what she deserves is to marry rich. Filthy rich. After years of forced instruction by her mother in the art of swindling men, a now-solo Bea wants nothing more than to close and lock the door on their sordid partnership so she can disappear safely into old-money domesticity, sealing the final phase of her escape.

When Bea chooses her ultimate target in the fully loaded, thoroughly dull and blue-blooded Collin Case, she’s ready to deploy all of her tricks one last time. The challenge isn’t getting the ring, but rather the approval of Collin’s family and everyone else in their 1 percent tax bracket, particularly his childhood best friend, Gale Wallace-Leicester.

Going toe-to-toe with Gale isn’t a threat to an expert like Bea, but what begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game quickly develops into a dangerous pursuit of the grisly truth. Finding herself at a literal life-and-death crossroads with everything on the line, Bea must finally decide who she really wants to be.

Like mother, like daughter?

MY REVIEW

Bea is a woman who knows what she wants… and she wants to marry rich. She has set her sights on Colin, but she needs to win over his family and best friend, Gale.

Stone Cold Fox is told from Bea’s point of view. She is a sexy, manipulative con artist. Her mother was also a con artist, so it’s the only life Bea has ever known. Bea thinks maybe she can change her ways when she meets Colin. Unfortunately, winning over Colin’s family and friends, especially his best friend, is more challenging than Bea was expecting.

A wickedly devious read with characters that are fun to hate. This was a debut novel, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

BOOK INFO

Title: The House in the Pines

Author: Ana Reyes

Publisher: Dutton

Publish Date: January 3, 2023

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin. . . .

MY REVIEW

Maya returns to her hometown to cope with trauma from her past. As a teen, her best friend died mysteriously. Seven years later, another girl dies in the same way. Maya decides to confront her past and search for answers.

The House in the Pines is told from Maya’s point of view in the past and present. The past is from her senior year in high school and the present is seven years later. Maya is an unreliable narrator who has self-medicated for years.

I love unreliable narrators, and was intrigued by the premise of this book. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t completely pull me in. That said, I still found The House in the Pines to be an entertaining debut novel.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.