Nightcap Books

BOOK INFO

Title: All the Beautiful Lies

Author: Peter Swanson

Publisher: William Morrow

Publish Date: April 3, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an “otherworldly” way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years.

Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.

Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.

Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.

MY REVIEW

Days before Harry is set to graduate college, his father dies. His father’s death is suspicious, and the authorities aren’t sure if his death was an accident, suicide, or murder. Harry returns to the small town in Maine where his father lived. While in town, Harry spends time with his stepmother Alice, works in his father’s bookstore, meets the new girl in town, Grace, and tries to connect the pieces surrounding his father’s death.

This book is told with multiple points of view and multiple timelines. The “then” timeline is Alice’s story. The “now” timeline is Harry’s story. Alice’s story is disturbing and uncomfortable to read. Harry’s story is more mysterious. Harry is not mysterious, but the circumstances of his father’s death and the people connected to his father are mysterious.

All the Beautiful Lies is a slow-burning thriller that focuses on the characters. The action takes a backseat to the characters, but there are some interesting things happening. Harry’s father’s death isn’t the only suspicious death in the book. Now, let’s talk about the characters. They are complex and seriously messed up. Pretty much every relationship in the book is May-December, and some are more borderline pedophilia. That makes for tough reading.

Suspenseful, twisted, and tragic.

Books by Peter Swanson:

1. Her Every Fear
2. All the Beautiful Lies
3. Before She Knew Him
4. Eight Perfect Murders
5. Every Vow You Break
6. Nine Lives
7. The Christmas Guest

BOOK INFO

Title: The Proposal

Author: S.E. Lynes

Publisher: Bookouture

Publish Date: September 21, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead…

Teacher Pippa wants a second chance. Recently divorced and unhappy at work, she uproots her life and moves to the countryside, determined to make a fresh start. But Pippa soon realises: your troubles are never far behind.

When Pippa meets blue-eyed Ryan Marks, he is funny and charming. He is haunted by his past – but insists he is a changed man.

He might just be the answer to all of her problems. And Pippa can tell the truth from lies. She’d know if she were in danger. Wouldn’t she?

MY REVIEW

Pippa works as a teacher, but dreams of writing a best seller. That proves to be harder than she imagined, especially when she can’t even come up with a first draft for her new book. Enter Ryan, a down on his luck ex-con and door-to-door salesman. When he knocks on Pippa’s door, they have a connection, which leads to a story for her book.

Told from Pippa’s point of view using journal entries and blog posts. She is recently divorced and a little unhappy with her life. She is also impulsive, which sometimes results in questionable decisions on her part.

I was hooked from the opening line, “The first thing you should know, dear reader, is that I am dead.” With an opener like that, I just had to know what happened to Pippa. Clever, dark, and disturbing.

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

Books by S.E. Lynes:

1. Valentina
2. Mother
3. The Pact
4. The Proposal
5. The Women
6. The Lies We Hide
7. Can You See Her?
8. The Housewarming
9. The One to Blame
10. The Baby Shower
11. The Ex
12. The Summer Holiday

BOOK INFO

Title: The Exes’ Revenge

Author: Jo Jakeman

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: September 11, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

A wickedly dark debut thriller about three women who’ve all been involved with the same man and realize the one thing they have in common is that they all want revenge against him…

Divorces are often messy, and Imogen’s is no exception. Phillip Rochester is controlling, abusive, and determined to make things as difficult as possible. When he shows up without warning demanding that Imogen move out of their house by the end of the month or he’ll sue for sole custody of their young son, Imogen is ready to snap.

In a moment of madness, Imogen does something unthinkable–something that puts her in control for the first time in years. She’s desperate to protect her son and to claim authority over her own life.

But she wasn’t expecting both Phillip’s ex-wife and new girlfriend to get tangled up in her plans. These three very different women–and unlikely allies–reluctantly team up to take revenge against a man who has wronged them all.

MY REVIEW

Imogen and Phillip are getting divorced. They are both done with their marriage, but Phillip is making things more difficult with his controlling and abusive attitude. For one, Phillip is demanding Imogen and their son move out of the house by the end of the month, and every time she says no to his demands, Phillip threatens to sue for sole custody of their child. Imogen is frustrated and threatened with Phillip’s behavior, so much so, that she finally snaps when Phillip shows up unexpectedly at the house one night. When Phillip’s new girlfriend and his ex-wife also show up unexpectedly, things get even more complicated.

Told from Imogen’s point of view as she tries to deal with a controlling husband and a messy divorce. Imogen, frankly, seems a bit of a doormat. Until she’s not. She has been in an abusive marriage for years, but never felt she could do anything about it. Phillip is the abusive husband, and while he’s occasionally physically abusive, he’s always controlling and threatening. He’s the kind of character readers love to hate. The other women in Phillip’s life are his girlfriend, Naomi, and his ex-wife, Ruby. Naomi is young and beautiful, so, of course, Imogen hates her, even though she’s happy to finally be rid of Phillip. As Imogen gets to know Naomi a little better though, she learns all is not perfect in her and Phillip’s relationship either. Lastly, Ruby. The ex-wife and staunch supporter of Phillip.

I love a good revenge story, and this one seemed to have the right mix – three wronged women (wife, girlfriend, and ex-wife) and one narcissistic jerk. The Exes’ Revenge was an entertaining read, but not what I was expecting. Each woman has a different history with Phillip, and each woman has a different issue with him. Plus, Phillip has things happening in his life that the women aren’t even aware of. This makes for a story that is all over the place. While it starts out somewhat believable, it gets more outlandish as even more things happen.

With dark humor and some crazy situations, The Exes’ Revenge is a fast-paced, fun read. Entertaining, suspenseful, and twisty.

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

Books by Jo Jakeman:

1. The Exes’ Revenge
2. Safe House

BOOK INFO

Title: The Favorite Sister

Author: Jessica Knoll

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publish Date: May 15, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

NO ONE EVER SUSPECTS THE GOOD ONE.

Brett and Kelly have always toed the line between supportive sisters and bitter rivals. Growing up, Brett was the problem child, in the shadow of the brilliant and beautiful Kelly. In adulthood, all that has changed. Kelly is a struggling single mother and Brett has skyrocketed to such meteoric success, which has been chronicled on a reality TV show called Goal Diggers.

When Kelly manipulates herself onto the show and into Brett’s world, Brett is right to be threatened. Kelly, and only Kelly, knows her younger sister’s appalling secret, and it could ruin her.

Still, when the truth comes out in the explosive final weekend of filming, neither of them ever expected that the season would end in murder

MY REVIEW

Five competitive and successful women star in a reality series called Goal Diggers. The star of the show is Brett, the lesbian. The new girl on the show is Kelly, Brett’s sister. Stephanie is the oldest cast member, and the only black woman. Lauren is the party girl. Jen is the hippie. Each woman has a role to play, and each woman will do anything to ensure her contract is renewed for the next season. The producers expect fighting and reconciliations, but they don’t expect the season to end in murder.

The Favorite Daughter is told with alternating points of view and multiple timelines. The timelines are before and after the murder. The before chapters are told from Brett and Stephanie’s viewpoints. The after chapters are told from Kelly’s viewpoint. Most of the story is told before the murder.

Each of the women is a stereotype (lesbian, new girl, black girl, party girl, and hippie), and each needs to play her part to keep her role on the show. It’s actually pretty funny with how each woman tries to present herself. I imagine this is somewhat true with reality shows. Each cast member has a part to play, and they are produced to maintain that persona. No regard to reality is actually considered.

The writing of The Favorite Daughter starts slow and confusing. At about 35% into the book, I got into the flow and started to distinguish between characters better. Once that happened, I was more engaged with the story, and wanted to know what really happened between the women.

The Favorite Daughter is a light read. A story full of secrets, lies, fights, and mean girls. The Favorite Daughter is a fun guilty pleasure book. Entertaining, dramatic, and scandalous.

Books by Jessica Knoll:

1. Luckiest Girl Alive
2. The Favorite Sister
3. Bright Young Women

BOOK INFO

Title: Tell Me You’re Mine

Author: Elisabeth Norebäck

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Publish Date: September 4, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Where is the line between hope and madness?

Three women: one who believes she has found her long lost daughter, one terrified she’s about to lose her child, and one determined to understand who she truly is.

Stella Widstrand is a psychotherapist, a happily married mother to a thirteen-year-old son. But when a young woman named Isabelle steps into her clinic to begin therapy, Stella’s placid life begins to crumble. She is convinced that Isabelle is her daughter, Alice. The baby that tragically disappeared more than twenty years ago on a beach during a family vacation. Alice is believed to have drowned, but her body was never found. Stella has always believed that Alice is alive, somewhere–but everyone around her worries she’s delusional. Could this be Alice?

Stella will risk everything to answer that question, but in doing so she will set in motion a sequence of events beyond her control, endangering herself and everyone she loves.

MY REVIEW

Twenty years ago, Stella’s baby went missing while on a family vacation. Stella believed someone took her child, but the authorities in the case determined that the baby likely got too close to the ocean and drowned. Despite no body being found, the baby, Alice, was declared dead. However, Stella has continued to believe her child to be out there somewhere. Stella is now a therapist, and her new patient, Isabelle, bears a striking resemblance to what she imagines her daughter would look like.

Tell Me You’re Mine is told with alternating points of view, both Stella and Isabella’s stories are presented. Stella seems to be doing well with her therapy practice, she is happily married, and has a teenage son. She has always thought her daughter to be alive, and has suffered with issues related to that. Isabelle is a young woman in college. She has a roommate, friends, a love interest, and an overbearing mother she is trying to distance herself from.

A slow building story with a somewhat unreliable narrator. Stella believes she has found her missing daughter, but other events are making her seem unstable and paranoid. Isabelle has questions about her past, but is mainly focused on gaining her independence.

Tell Me You’re Mine is translated from Swedish. For me, this book was a little hard to follow. I don’t know if it was the translation that failed to pull me in, or if it was the ARC version I read. The ARC formatting, or rather lack of formatting, made it hard to follow the multiple viewpoints presented. Obviously, this will not be an issue in the published version.

Tell Me You’re Mine dark psychological thriller. Complex, twisty, and suspenseful.

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