Blog

The Request by David Bell [Book Review]

Posted on July 1, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Request

Author: David Bell

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 30, 2020

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Ryan Francis has it all—great job, wonderful wife, beautiful child—and he loves posting photos of his perfect life on social media. Until the night his friend Blake asks him to break into a woman’s home to retrieve incriminating items that implicate Blake in an affair. Ryan refuses to help, but when Blake threatens to reveal Ryan’s darkest secret—which could jeopardize everything in Ryan’s life—Ryan has no choice but to honor Blake’s request.

When he arrives at the woman’s home, Ryan is shocked to find her dead—and just as shocked to realize he knows her. Then his phone chimes, revealing a Facebook friend request from the woman. With police sirens rapidly approaching, Ryan flees, wondering why his friend was setting him up for murder.

Determined to keep his life intact and to clear his name, Ryan must find the real murderer—but solving the crime may lead him closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

MY REVIEW

Ryan seems to have the perfect life, but he has a dark secret. To keep his secret, he ends up breaking into a woman’s house. An old friend needs some items retrieved from the woman’s home, but Ryan discovers a dead woman instead of the items his friend needed. Ryan isn’t sure why his old friend would set him up for murder, but Ryan is determined to keep him and his family safe.

A complex mystery involving a man that wants to maintain the image of his perfect life. Ryan has made bad decisions in his past, and he continues to make questionable decisions throughout the novel. He isn’t the only one making mistakes though, and it makes for a fast-paced and entertaining thriller.

A fun mystery thriller. Fans of David Bell’s other novels will surely enjoy his latest book. Exciting and twisty.

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

Books by David Bell:

Cemetery Girl
The Hiding Place
Never Come Back
The Forgotten Girl
Somebody I Used to Know
Since She Went Away
Bring Her Home
Somebody’s Daughter
Layover
The Request
Kill All Your Darlings
The Finalists
She’s Gone
Try Not to Breathe

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris [Book Review]

Posted on July 1, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Dilemma

Author: B.A. Paris

Publisher: St. Martin

Publish Date: June 30, 2020

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.

Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he’s learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?

MY REVIEW

Livia and Adam have been married for years, but they never had the big wedding or other big celebrations. Livia wants a big party for her 40th, and she’s been saving for years to celebrate the night with friends and family. Adam has the perfect gift for his wife – a visit from their daughter, Marnie, who is studying abroad in Hong Kong. Livia knows a secret about Marnie though, and she’s been waiting until after the party to tell Adam. Before the party, Adam learns some terrible news, and now he has something to tell Livia after the party.

Told from the alternating points of view of Livia and Adam. The novel is primarily set in one day, and follows Livia and Adam as they prepare for the party and struggle with the secrets they are keeping. The reader is aware of the secrets, and it’s frustrating to see how they are keeping important information from one another.

I’ve read three other books by B.A. Paris (Behind Closed Doors, The Breakdown, and Bring Me Back), and they were all mysteries and thrillers. This one is not. The reader is aware of the events happening throughout the novel, there is no mystery. It’s a contemporary story about a married couple and the secrets they are keeping.

While I was sometimes frustrated with the characters and their actions, I was drawn into the story and couldn’t put it down. An enjoyable read for fans of contemporary domestic drama. Intense and compelling.

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

Books by B.A. Paris:

Behind Closed Doors
The Breakdown
Bring Me Back
The Dilemma
The Therapist
The Prisoner
The Mosquito
The Guest

The Swap by Robyn Harding [Book Review]

Posted on June 30, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Swap

Author: Robyn Harding

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Publish Date: June 23, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Low Morrison is not your average teen. You could blame her hippie parents or her looming height or her dreary, isolated hometown on an island in the Pacific Northwest. But whatever the reason, Low just doesn’t fit in—and neither does Freya, an ethereal beauty and once-famous social media influencer who now owns the local pottery studio.

After signing up for a class, Low quickly falls under Freya’s spell. And Freya, buoyed by Low’s adoration, is compelled to share her darkest secrets and deepest desires. Finally, both feel a sense of belonging…that is, until Jamie walks through the studio door. Desperate for a baby, she and her husband have moved to the island hoping that the healthy environment will result in a pregnancy. Freya and Jamie become fast friends, as do their husbands, leaving Low alone once again.

Then one night, after a boozy dinner party, Freya suggests swapping partners. It should have been a harmless fling between consenting adults, one night of debauchery that they would put behind them, but instead, it upends their lives. And provides Low the perfect opportunity to unleash her growing resentment.

MY REVIEW

Low, a teen girl, befriends Freya, a woman new to their small island in the Pacific Northwest. Low falls under Freya’s charm, but their friendship ends when Freya meets Jamie. Freya and Jamie quickly become friends, leaving Low on her own. After one drug-induced night of bad decisions, everyone’s life changes.

Told from multiple points of view – Low, Jamie, Brian, and Max. Low is a bit of a loner. She doesn’t quite fit in with others on the island, and struggles to find her place. Jamie owns a local gift shop. Brian is Jamie’s husband. Jamie and Brian want children, but have struggled with conceiving. Max is Freya’s husband. His career ended suddenly, and he and Freya relocated to the island. Freya owns a pottery studio and was once a social media influencer. The chapters from Low and Jamie’s viewpoints are good. They are both charmed by Freya, who is confident, but narcissistic. The chapters from Brian and Max’s viewpoints don’t add much to the story.

The Swap is an intriguing domestic thriller full of flawed characters. It’s tough to like any of these characters, but they do make for an entertaining story. Scandalous and twisted.

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

Books by Robyn Harding:

The Party
Her Pretty Face
The Arrangement
The Swap
The Perfect Family
The Drowning Woman
The Haters

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda [Book Review]

Posted on June 30, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Girl from Widow Hills

Author: Megan Miranda

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publish Date: July 23, 2020

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

BOOK BLURB

Everyone knows the story of “the girl from Widow Hills.”

Arden Maynor was just a child when she was swept away while sleepwalking during a terrifying rainstorm and went missing for days. Strangers and friends, neighbors and rescue workers, set up search parties and help vigils, praying for her safe return. Against all odds, she was found, alive, clinging to a storm drain. The girl from Widow Hills was a living miracle. Arden’s mother wrote a book. Fame followed. Fans and fan letters, creeps, and stalkers. And every year, the anniversary. It all became too much. As soon as she was old enough, Arden changed her name and disappeared from the public eye.

Now a young woman living hundreds of miles away, Arden goes by Olivia. She’s managed to stay off the radar for the last few years. But with the twentieth anniversary of her rescue approaching, the media will inevitably renew its interest in Arden. Where is she now? Soon Olivia feels like she’s being watched and begins sleepwalking again, like she did long ago, even waking up outside her home. Until late one night, she jolts awake in her yard. At her feet is the corpse of a man she knows—from her previous life, as Arden Maynor.

MY REVIEW

As a child, Arden Maynor was rescued after being caught up in a rainstorm. She was missing for days, and it was a miracle when she was found alive. Now, Arden is an adult, living far away from her home town and going by a different name. She wanted to get away from her past, but it catches up with her when a man she knew from her childhood is found dead outside her home.

Arden changed her name to Olivia and lives where no one knows about her past. As a child, she was the focus of a lot of media attention after her miracle rescue. She lived through a traumatic event in her childhood, and she wants to leave it in the past. Olivia is an intriguing character. She’s independent and determined. She’s also a little bit unreliable, since she occasionally sleepwalks and doesn’t remember things from her sleepwalking episodes. When a man from her past ends up dead outside her home, she is forced to face her past and find the truth about what really happened years earlier.

The Girl from Widow Hills is a suspenseful mystery that slowly unravels. Well-paced story with interesting characters. A good read for fans of mysteries and thrillers. Atmospheric and captivating.

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

Books by Megan Miranda:

All the Missing Girls
The Perfect Stranger
The Last House Guest
The Girl from Widow Hills
Such a Quiet Place
The Last to Vanish
The Only Survivors
Daughter of Mine

The Half Sister by Sandie Jones [Book Review]

Posted on June 22, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Half Sister

Author: Sandie Jones

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: June 16, 2020

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Meet the half sister, and unravel the ties that blind us.

THE TRUTH

Sisters Kate and Lauren meet for Sunday lunch every week without fail, especially after the loss of their father.

THE LIE

But a knock at the door is about to change everything. A young woman by the name of Jess holds a note with the results of a DNA test, claiming to be their half sister.

THE UNTHINKABLE

As the fallout starts, it’s clear that they are all hiding secrets, and perhaps this family isn’t as perfect as it appears.

MY REVIEW

Two sisters, Lauren and Kate, are visiting their mother when they get some interesting news. A young woman knocks on the door, and claims to be their half-sister. She has proof, a DNA test. The sisters react differently to the news, with one being more welcoming than the other.

Told using alternating points of view of Lauren and Kate. The characters are well-developed, and the different points of view work well for this story. As the story progresses, secrets from the past and present are revealed. It seems the sisters didn’t know one another as well as they thought, and they both have struggles in their lives.

The Half Sister is a great read for fans of domestic suspense with family drama. Fast-paced, entertaining, and clever.

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

Books by Sandie Jones:

The Other Woman
The First Mistake
The Half Sister
The Guilt Trip
The Blame Game
The Trade Off
I Would Die for You

Stranger in the Lake by Kimberly Belle [Book Review]

Posted on June 11, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Stranger in the Lake

Author: Kimberly Belle

Publisher: Park Row

Publish Date: June 9, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Charlotte didn’t know her greatest risk was saying, “I do.”

When Charlotte married the wealthy widower Paul, it caused a ripple of gossip in their small lakeside town. They have a charmed life together, despite the cruel whispers about her humble past and his first marriage. But everything starts to unravel when she discovers a young woman’s body floating in the exact same spot where Paul’s first wife tragically drowned.

At first, it seems like a horrific coincidence, but the stranger in the lake is no stranger. Charlotte saw Paul talking to her the day before, even though Paul tells the police he’s never met the woman. His lie exposes cracks in their fragile new marriage, cracks Charlotte is determined to keep from breaking them in two.

As Charlotte uncovers dark mysteries about the man she married, she doesn’t know what to trust—her heart, which knows Paul to be a good man, or her growing suspicion that there’s something he’s hiding in the water.

MY REVIEW

Charlotte discovers a woman’s body in the lake. It brings up questions about Charlotte’s husband’s first wife, who drowned in the same lake. It seems like an unfortunate coincidence, but Charlotte soon realizes the woman isn’t really a stranger. Charlotte is no longer sure who she can trust, but she suspects the recent drowning was not an accident.

Alternating points of view tell the story in two timelines. The current timeline is from Charlotte, and deals with the drama in her marriage to Paul and the mysterious drowning of the stranger. The other point of view is Jax, a friend of Paul. Jax’s story takes place in 1999, and involves Paul and their friend Micah. The men are still in contact with one another, and Charlotte is unsure about Jax.

A slow-burning psychological thriller. This one moved a little too slowly for me, but I enjoyed the twists. A good read for fans of Kimberly Belle and domestic thrillers.

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

Books by Kimberly Belle:

The Last Breath
The Ones We Trust
The Marriage Lie
Three Days Missing
Dear Wife
Stranger in the Lake
My Darling Husband
The Personal Assistant

The Grim Reader by Kate Carlisle [Book Review]

Posted on June 2, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: The Grim Reader

Author: Kate Carlisle

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: June 2, 2020

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Bibliophile Mystery #14

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright was hoping for a fun, relaxing weekend at a local book fair, but a murderer made other plans in the latest in this New York Times bestselling series.

Brooklyn and her new hunky husband, Derek, are excited to be guests at Dharma’s first annual Book Festival. The entire town is involved and Brooklyn’s mom Rebecca is taking charge. In addition to all of her other event related duties, she’s got Brooklyn doing rare book appraisals and is also staging Little Women, the musical to delight the festival goers. If that wasn’t enough, she and Meg—Derek’s mom—will have a booth where they read palms and tarot cards.

Brooklyn couldn’t be prouder of her mom’s do-it-all attitude so when a greedy local businessman who seems intent on destroying Dharma starts harassing Rebecca, Brooklyn is ready to take him down. Rebecca is able to hold her own with the nasty jerk until one of her fellow festival committee members is brutally murdered and the money for the festival seems to have vanished into thin air.
Things get even more personal when one of Brooklyn’s nearest and dearest is nearly run down in cold blood. Brooklyn and Derek go into attack mode and the pressure is on to catch a spineless killer before they find themselves skipping the festival for a funeral.

MY REVIEW

Brooklyn is back in The Grim Reader, the 14th book in the Bibliophile mystery series. Brooklyn is a book-restoration expert who occasionally gets involved with a murder mystery. In this book, Brooklyn and her husband are visiting Dharma, a small town in California’s wine country. They are gearing up for Dharma’s first book festival, and Brooklyn’s mother is organizing the event. Everything seems to be going well… until someone on the festival committee is murdered. Brooklyn is on the case to find the killer.

Likable characters in a charming setting. I haven’t read all of the books in this series, but it is one I try to read in order. As with most series, it helps better understand backstories. Still, The Grim Reader can be read as a standalone.

An engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. I enjoy cozies that involve books, so I usually like the books in this series. In addition to books, there is also a lot of talk about wine in The Grim Reader. A recommended read for fans of cozies featuring books and wine. Delightful and fun.

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

Books in the Bibliophile Mystery Series:

Homicide in Hardcover
If Books Could Kill
The Lies that Bind
Murder Under Cover
One Book in the Grave
Peril in Paperback
A Cookbook Conspiracy
The Book Stops Here
Ripped From the Pages
Books of a Feather
Once Upon a Spine
Buried in the Books
The Book Supremacy
The Grim Reader
Little Black Book
The Paper Caper
The Twelve Books of Christmas

They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry [Book Review]

Posted on June 1, 2020December 28, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: They Did Bad Things

Author: Lauren A. Forry

Publisher: Arcade Crimewise

Publish Date: June 2, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

And Then There Were Nonemeets The Last Time I Lied in this dark and twisty psychological thriller.

In 1995, six university students moved into the house at 215 Caldwell Street. Months later, one of them was found dead on the sofa the morning after their end-of-year party. His death was ruled an accident by the police. The remaining five all knew it wasn’t, and though they went on with their lives, the truth of what happened to their sixth housemate couldn’t stay buried forever.

Twenty years later, all five of them arrive—lured separately under various pretenses—at Wolfheather House, a crumbling, secluded mansion on the Scottish isle of Doon. Trapped inside with no way out and no signal to the outside world, the now forty-somethings fight each other—and the unknown mastermind behind their gathering—as they confront the role they played in their housemate’s death. They are given one choice: confess to their crimes or die.

They Did Bad Things is a deviously clever psychological thriller about the banality of evil and the human capacity for committing horror.

MY REVIEW

Five former college housemates are reunited 20 years later at a secluded mansion. They are lured to the house under various pretenses, and are confronted with their past. When they were in college, they shared a house with another person who died. The death was ruled accidental, but the housemates know it was murder. Now, someone has lured them together to learn what really happened years earlier.

Told using various points of view. It has been many years since the characters have been together, and they have all moved on with their lives. Different jobs and relationships. They have tried to forget what happened in college, and don’t really want anything to do with one another. It’s soon clear they were brought together for sinister reasons. They have to work together to stay alive and figure out who lured them to the secluded location.

They Did Bad Things is an entertaining mystery. The character development was a little weak, so I wasn’t as drawn into the story as I was hoping. Still, a fun read for fans of thrillers. Dark and twisty.

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

Books by Lauren A. Forry:

They Did Bad Things
The Launch Party

Read or Alive by Nora Page [Book Review]

Posted on May 20, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Read of Alive

Author: Nora Page

Publisher: Crooked Lane

Publish Date: May 12, 2020

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: Bookmobile Mystery #3

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A match-made in cozy heaven for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Kate Carlisle, and book lovers everywhere, Nora Page’s third Bookmobile mystery will (book)worm its way into your heart.

Wrongful accusations have librarian Cleo Watkins and her loved ones booked for trouble.

It’s springtime and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo’s gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. However, trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming locals out of prized books.

Among the conned is Cleo’s cousin, Dot, who handed over a signed, first edition of Gone With the Wind. With no proof the scout took the valuable book, Dot is at a loss. And when the deceitful man is found murdered the very next morning, Dot becomes a prime suspect. To Cleo’s dismay, so is Henry. The scene of the crime is behind Henry’s shop and his bookbinding tool is the murder weapon. As evidence stacks up against Henry, the police aren’t alone in questioning his innocence. Even friends and family ask Cleo how well she truly knows her gentleman friend.

Although books are at the heart of the crimes, Cleo feels dizzyingly out of her depths. Someone is setting up the people she holds dearest. With the authorities on the wrong trail, Cleo has no choice but to catalog the evidence herself. Along with her trusty bookmobile cat Rhett Butler, it will be up to Cleo to book the real killer for good.

MY REVIEW

Read or Alive is the third book in the Bookmobile mystery series by Nora Page. Cleo is back with a new mystery to solve! A conman who deals in books comes to the antiquarian book show in Catalpa Springs. He’s swindling Cleo’s friends, and things go downhill when he is found killed. Cleo knows those close to her can’t be behind the murder, so she sleuths to find the killer.

This is the third book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. However, I recommend starting with Better Off Read (book 1) and Read on Arrival (book 2).

A cozy mystery centered around books. I enjoy Cleo, her bookmobile, and the small town setting. A delightful read with an older protagonist. Fun and entertaining.

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

Books in the Bookmobile Mystery Series:

Better Off Read
Read on Arrival
Read or Alive

Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin [Book Review]

Posted on May 20, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Happy and You Know It

Author: Laura Hankin

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: May 19, 2020

Genre: Domestic Suspense

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

A dark, witty page-turner about a struggling young musician who takes a job singing for a playgroup of overprivileged babies and their effortlessly cool moms, only to find herself pulled into their glamorous lives and dangerous secrets….

After her former band shot to superstardom without her, Claire reluctantly agrees to a gig as a playgroup musician for wealthy infants on New York’s Park Avenue. Claire is surprised to discover that she is smitten with her new employers, a welcoming clique of wellness addicts with impossibly shiny hair, who whirl from juice cleanse to overpriced miracle vitamins to spin class with limitless energy.

There is perfect hostess Whitney who is on the brink of social-media stardom and just needs to find a way to keep her flawless life from falling apart. Caustically funny, recent stay-at-home mom Amara who is struggling to embrace her new identity. And old money, veteran mom Gwen who never misses an opportunity to dole out parenting advice. But as Claire grows closer to the stylish women who pay her bills, she uncovers secrets and betrayals that no amount of activated charcoal can fix.

Filled with humor and shocking twists, Happy and You Know It is a brilliant take on motherhood – exposing it as yet another way for society to pass judgment on women – while also exploring the baffling magnetism of curated social-media lives that are designed to make us feel unworthy. But, ultimately, this dazzling novel celebrates the unlikely bonds that form, and the power that can be unlocked, when a group of very different women is thrown together when each is at her most vulnerable.

MY REVIEW

Claire is in her late twenties and struggling with the loss of her music career. Her former band replaced her just before they hit it big. She still has bills to pay though, so she takes a gig as music leader for a playgroup. As Claire gets to know the moms, she is surprised that she starts to like them. The moms seem to have it all together, but there are secrets under that glossy exterior.

The mom group consists of six women. Whitney is the group leader and has a picture-perfect lifestyle. Amara is the mom struggling with the loss of her career. Gwen is the one with parenting advice. Vicki is the peaceful hippie. Meredith and Ellie are mostly interchangeable and don’t bring much to the group. Claire is the outsider. She’s single, childless, and the group’s new music leader. Claire is not a mom, but she starts to connect with the other women and care about them.

A contemporary novel about motherhood and friendship. Humorous and twisted. There are moments that go deeper and reveal a darker side, but overall, this was fun and light read.

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

What Lies Between Us by John Marrs [Book Review]

Posted on May 20, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: What Lies Between Us

Author: John Marrs

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Publish Date: May 15, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.

They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.

Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.

But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.

Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.

MY REVIEW

Nina keeps Maggie locked away in the attic. The reasons for their dysfunctional relationship are slowly revealed using alternating points of view and flashbacks.

A complicated and disturbed relationship between a mother and daughter. Maggie and Nina are intriguing characters. Both women have kept secrets from one another for many years. The revealing of secrets was well-paced and kept the suspense up.

What Lies Between Us is a wild and twisted domestic thriller. This book had me turning the pages late into the night. A fun and fast-paced read for fans of psychological thrillers.

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

Books by John Marrs:

When You Disappeared
Welcome To Wherever You Are
The One
The Good Samaritan
Her Last Move
The Passengers
What Lies Between Us
The Minders

Evil by the Sea by Kathleen Bridge [Book Review]

Posted on May 7, 2020January 16, 2024 by Darinda

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more info, read my Disclosure Policy.

BOOK INFO

Title: Evil by the Sea

Author: Kathleen Bridge

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Publish Date: May 5, 2020

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Series: A By the Sea Mystery #4

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

Liz Holt is bewitched, bothered, and bewildered when a wicked killer objects to a wiccan wedding…

Island life can get pretty weird. Wiccan weddings, psychic brides, mermaid parades, eccentric parrots… Novelist Liz Holt has gotten used to it since moving back to the barrier island of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and once again working in her family’s hotel and emporium, the Indialantic by the Sea. But one thing she’ll never get used to is murder.

Groom-to-be and leader of the Sunshine Wiccan Society, white warlock Julian Rhodes is poisoned at his rehearsal dinner on the hotel’s sightseeing cruiser. His psychic bride, Dorian Starwood, never saw it coming. An old friend of Liz’s great-aunt Amelia, the celebrity psychic engages Liz to find out who intended to kill her intended. With her Macaw, Barnacle Bob, squawking “Pop Goes the Weasel” at Dorian’s pet ferret, and the streets teeming with mermaids in tails, Liz has got to wade through the weirdness and cast a wide net for the killer—before she’s the next one to sleep with the fishes…

MY REVIEW

Liz, a novelist and amateur sleuth, works at her family’s hotel and emporium. In Evil by the Sea, a Wiccan wedding is planned at the Indialantic by the Sea. Unfortunately, the groom dies at the rehearsal dinner. Liz investigates to find the killer.

Evil by the Sea is the fourth book in the By the Sea mystery series. I recommend reading this series in order – Death By the Sea, A Killing By the Sea, and Murder By the Sea. There are a number of characters, and their relationships progress through the series.

An entertaining cozy mystery series. Quirky characters. Charming setting. Fun and light read. A recommended read for fans of cozy mysteries.

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

Books in the By the Sea Mystery Series:

Death by the Sea
A Killing by the Sea
Murder by the Sea
Evil by the Sea
Buried by the Sea