Afraid

📚ARC Review📚

Afraid by Lisa Jackson, Alexandra Ivy & Lisa Childs 

Date Read: 2/26

Genre: Suspense, Thriller

This is an anthology by the 3 authors mentioned. Each has a story to tell and the only connection between the stories and the FMC’s is a boarding school; St. Cecilia’s in Austria. 

First story is about Lucy Champagne. 2nd is about Rayne Taylor and the 3rd is about Erin MacDonald. 

A really good read. All the stories are good but I did like the 2nd/3rd stories slightly more than the first. 

I honestly couldn’t tell who dunnit and that’s always a great thing for me. I love not knowing and guessing. I do feel like the characters, suspicious of everyone and that to me is a sign of a fantastic book. 

I was given this e-ARC by NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review. 

When She Disappeared

📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: When She Disappeared 

Author: Steph Mullin & Nicole Mabry 

Publishing Date: Mar 3, 2022

Date Read: 2/21

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery 

My first time reading this author and I was kept riveted. I’m not going to lie, I was so annoyed with the MC Margo when the book started. I thought she was a teen in adult’s body and that bothered me. 

I kept reading and my goodness!! 🤯 Mind blowing!! Margo’s friend Jessie disappeared 15 years ago. Most thought she ran away. Her body is discovered and so starts the investigation. 

A small town setting where everyone seems to be hiding something. Well, to find out those secrets and who did it, you have to read it!! 

A well written book with likeable characters. I honestly didn’t believe the book was finished. I was looking for more. Nothing beats a suspense/mystery/thriller that leaves you wanting more!! 

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. 

 

 

Book: Night Shift

Author: Alex Finlay

Publishing Date: Mar 1, 2022

Date Read: 2/20

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery 

My first time reading this author and I was kept riveted. I wasn’t able to guess who did it. That’s always a good thing in a suspense. 

FBI Special Agent Keller, was brilliant. Agent Badass indeed. 

The survivors of the brutal killings were amazing characters. It’s difficult to get back to life after being traumatized but they did the best and also helped with catching the real killer. 

A well written book with likeable characters. 

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. 

 📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: Dewey Decimated 

Author: Allison Brook

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publishing Date: Sept 6, 2022

Date Read: 2/19

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Library, Books, Ghost, Cat and Murder!!

This pretty much sums up the book. A cute cozy mystery. Carrie Singleton can see and communicate with Ghosts. 

She’s a librarian and is quite the amateur sleuth as she has help from Evelyn the resident library ghost!! A fun read!! 

My first read by this author and I’m definitely going to be reading more. 

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

 #DeweyDecimated #NetGalley 

A Most Efficient Murder

 

Book: A Most Efficient Murder

Author: Anthony Slayton 

Publisher: Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op

Publishing Date: April 3, 2022

Date Read: 2/13

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I enjoyed this book very much. Mr. Quayle is a very intriguing character!! There’s an air of mystery surrounding our main character and I’d like to know more about him. 

He has friends in high places!! He’s smart, kind and very efficient! Secretary to Lord Unsworth, he also investigates a murder that Lord Unsworth asks him to. 

I enjoyed the author’s style of writing.  An easy fun read while he kept the characters real and intriguing. This is the first work I’ve read by this author. 

I was given an Advance copy by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op in exchange for a honest review. 

 #AMostEfficientMurder #NetGalley 

The Summer We Buried

 📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: The Summer We Buried 🎧

Author: Jody Gehrman  

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Narrator: Emily Ellet 

Publishing Date: March 8, 2022

Date Read: 2/11

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book isn’t my usual style for mystery. It’s quite slow, I had to up my listening speed. On that note, after the 30% mark I slowed the speed because I was hooked by then. 

A solid mystery. I did figure out who did what but it was a compelling story. I needed to know what happened to the characters. 

The ending threw me in for a loop. That, I hadn’t expected but maybe that’s why I enjoyed the book so much. 

The author wove mystery and psychological thriller and the combination was phenomenal. The book is very well written. I’d definitely be reading more from Jody Gehrman. 

Selene and Tansy were best friends who drifted apart. 18 years later, Selene shows up to call in the favour she’d done Tansy and to know more, you have to read this book. 

*Trigger Warning: Abuse*

I was given an Advance copy by the Dreamscape Media via NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review. 

 #TheSummerWeBuried #NetGalley 

The Wrong Woman

 

📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: The Wrong Woman 🎧

Author: Leanne Kale Sparks 

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Publishing Date: Feb 8, 2022

Date Read: 2/9

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first time reading this author and it won’t be the last. She’s thoroughly impressed me. 

The Wrong Woman is a very well written thriller. The suspense was brilliant and I suspected the wrong person. Kendall Beck was a brilliant character. She’s an FBI agent who’s the sole survivor of the Denver Reaper case. Kendall is driven and is a character that I could get behind. Detective Adam Taylor was fantastic. 

Absolutely fantastic read!! The Narrator was very good and I hung onto each word. 

The story had me going through a variety of emotions. The author makes you feel for the victims, the survivors and it resonated really well with me. A very well articulated book. 

*Trigger Warning: Child Abuse*

I was given an Advance copy by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review. 

 #TheWrongWoman #NetGalley 

The Recovery Agent

 

📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: The Recovery Agent

Author: Janel Evanovich

Publisher: Atria Books

Publishing Date: March 21, 2022

Date Read: 2/8

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a good humorous, action-adventure, mystery book. This started out great but it fell short. 

Gabriella Rose is a recovery agent, she’s strong, black belt in Martial Arts and overall awesome. I liked her and how great she was. 

Even though she’s a recovery agent, this book wasn’t really about her doing a job but it was more of a personal nature to help her parents and their town which was devastated after a hurricane. 

Her ex-husband Rafer and her go on an adventure to find an artifact that would help the town. Her grandmother was an interesting woman, not forgetting Annie. 

The characters are likeable but I honestly don’t get the hots for your ex. 

I was given an Advance copy by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for a honest review. 

#NetGalley #TheRecoveryAgent 

The Crowns of Croswald

Book: The Crowns of Croswalds

Author: D.E. Night 

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Publisher: Untold Stories Pres

Publication Date: July 21, 2017

Date Read: 2/7

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ivy Lovely is 16 and has no idea who she is. She is magic. This is a super cute story of a young woman finding her place and getting to know who she really is with the help of some really good friends. 

Humans and Ghosts alike. The concept is interesting and made for a very enjoyable read. Well written and easy to read. 

Middle Grade kids would love this book. The magic is very interesting and the Scrivenist and their world is intriguing. This was the my first time reading D.E. Night and it. Am be safely said that I’d love to read more from her. 

I was given a free copy through NetGalley by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

The Ravenous Dead

📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: The Ravenous Dead

Author: Darcy Coates 

Genre: Horror

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Publication Date: March 15, 2022

Date Read: 2/6

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Darcy Coates has got to be one of my favourite upcoming authors when it comes to horror. The Ravenous Dead was a really good sequel to The Whispering Dead. 

Keira has been hired as the Gravekeeper for the Blightly Cemetery by the Priest Adage. She  battles a shade and the unknown organization that is trying to find her with the help of her two best friends, Zoe and Mason. I was thoroughly impressed about the switch that Keira discovered at the end of the book. 

The characters are very likeable and I can’t help but want to know more about them. The author has done a good job in keeping the characters mysterious. You get to know a bit about them but there is a lot more to be discovered. 

The ghost/shade dispelling scenes are so well written that you can visualize it happening. Adds to the experience of reading this spooky book. 

Ghosts and villainous humans are blended seamlessly and the end result is a great reading experience. Keira has enemies and she has no memory of how. Her mysterious past keeps you reading hoping to find some answers. 

Darcy Coates gives you some answers but gives you just as many, if not more questions! 

I got this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on the book. The opinion is all mine. 

#TheRavenousDead  #NetGalley 

The Body on the Moor

 📚📚Review 📚📚

Book: The Body on the Moor 🎧

Author: Rebecca Griffiths

Genre: Mystery/Thriller 

Narrators: Sarah Durham & Richard Burnip 

Publisher: Bookouture Audio, Bookouture

Date Read: 2/4

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first book by the author and I can gladly say that it wouldn’t be the last. It was a really good book inspired by the Moor Murders between 1963 - 1965 by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. 

It’s very well articulated and the narrators were very good. The author merged fiction and facts seamlessly that kept me hooked onto every word. 

Trigger warning as there is child abuse and neglect. The story is from 1965 and it sent frissons of chill down my back thinking of the true events. Some people are pure evil. 

If you want a truly creepy and mysterious story then this book is for you. Author captures the essence of the villains. They are truly horrid and scary! 

I got this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on the book. The opinion is all mine. 

I Heard the Owl Call My Name

 I first read this book when I was in high school in 🇫🇯, a long time ago 😉😉!! It was read as a class and I still remember to this day the pin drop silence when the teacher finished reading. 

This had a profound effect on me. As Fijians also believe that when the Owl calls a name it harold’s in death. This book made the teen me cry and it’s stayed with me. 

What’s most interesting is that the book is set in Canada and years later I’m a Canadian!! 

It’s a novella length and super easy read with some fun moments. It’s been one of my faves that I still go back to read!! 

QOTD: What’s your fave book from when you were a teen??