Book Review / The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Published:  26th February 2019

Publisher:  Bloomsbury

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, The Roots of Chaos

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW 

What I loved about this story...  Wow, what a story.  I already adore this author's writing so I was very excited to start reading this (despite this being on my TBR since it came out in 2019 - whoops!).  It was probably because it is a chunkier of a book at 845 pages long and the text is not very large.  Yes, this took me a while to read both because of its length and the fact that the story was very dense I needed to take my time reading this rather than trying to read it at a quick or even normal pace for me but I enjoyed every minute of reading it.  

Would I recommend?  Absolutely, for those who likes a very dense fantasy style story that you can get stuck into and you'll be a while in you should pick this up.  I will be planning to continue this series but I think I am going to wait until its completed and start back from the beginning again so that I can binge and spend a considerable amount of time in this world.  I can't wait!

Book Review / Burn the Negative by Josh Winning

 

In this incendiary mash-up of horror and suspense, a notorious slasher film is remade…and the curse that haunted it is reawakened.

Arriving in L.A. to visit the set of a new streaming horror series, journalist Laura Warren witnesses a man jumping from a bridge, landing right behind her car. Here we go, she thinks. It’s started. Because the series she’s reporting on is a remake of a ’90s horror flick. A cursed ’90s horror flick, which she starred in as a child—and has been running from her whole life.

In The Guesthouse, Laura played the little girl with the terrifying gift to tell people how the Needle Man would kill them. When eight of the cast and crew died in ways that eerily mirrored the movie’s on-screen deaths, the film became a cult classic—and ruined her life. Leaving it behind, Laura changed her name and her accent, dyed her hair, and moved across the Atlantic. But some scripts don’t want to stay buried.

Now, as the body count rises again, Laura finds herself on the run with her aspiring actress sister and a jaded psychic, hoping to end the curse once and for all—and to stay out of the Needle Man’s lethal reach.

Published:  11th July 2023  

Publisher:  Penguin

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...   This story was so much fun for me to read.  Following Laura as she visits LA, obviously with a past that we need to know more about, we see her tryign to investigate a new reboot of a 90s horror movie which she starred in as a child.  What I loved the most was finding out more and more about what happened in the last to Laura and why it matters in the present day story.  I found that the more fascinating part of this story...

What I didn't like about this story...  This story was a little predictable for me so I would have loved to have had some more twists and turns that took me by surprise.  

Would I recommend?  Absolutely.  This book was fun to read with a very interesting back story that kept me intrigued.  I also very much enjoyed this author's style of writing and shall definitely be picking up more books by this person in the future.  

Book Review / A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson

 

A newlywed librarian begins to suspect the man she married might be a murderer—in this spectacularly twisty and deviously clever novel by Peter Swanson, New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders.

Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. She was fine with it, happy with her solo existence, stimulated by her job as an archival librarian, constantly surrounded by thought-provoking ideas and the books she loved. But then she met Alan, a charming and sweet-natured divorcee with a job that took him on the road for half the year. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes, even though he still felt a little bit like a stranger.

A year in and the marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Martha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women.

Is she married to a serial killer? Or could it merely be a coincidence? Unsure what to think, Martha contacts an old friend from graduate school for advice. Lily Kintner once helped Martha out of a jam with an abusive boyfriend and may have some insight. Intrigued, Lily offers to meet Alan to find out what kind of man he really is . . . but what Lily uncovers is more perplexing and wicked than they ever could have expected.

Published:  11th June 2024

Publisher:  Harper

Goodreads : Click Here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 3, Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

 

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this novel, but I'll try!  Firstly, and more importantly, I have to mention that yes this is book 3 in a series but no you don't have to read the stories before it to read this one and make it make sense.  Yes, I would recommend reading the first two books as you would get a better experience all round, but you don't have to if you don't want to. 

This story took me down so many twists and turns I really wasn't sure where it was going to end up, and I really enjoyed the ride.  This story really tested me in my belief of how I feel about characters and whether my instincts are actually right.  

This is such a fun and unnerving thriller that kept me guessing until nearly the end!  Would highly recommend...

Book Review / The Sapphire Widow by Dinah Jefferies

 

A sweeping, breath-taking story of love and betrayal from the Number One Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife.

Ceylon, 1935. Louisa Reeve, the daughter of a successful British gem trader, and her husband Elliot, a charming, thrill-seeking businessman, seem like the couple who have it all. Except what they long for more than anything: a child.

While Louisa struggles with miscarriages, Elliot is increasingly absent, spending much of his time at a nearby cinnamon plantation, overlooking the Indian ocean. After his sudden death, Louisa is left alone to solve the mystery he left behind. Revisiting the plantation at Cinnamon Hills, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn towards the owner Leo, a rugged outdoors man with a chequered past. The plantation casts a spell, but all is not as it seems. And when Elliot's shocking betrayal is revealed, Louisa has only Leo to turn to...

Published:  22nd February 2018

Publisher:  Viking

Goodreads :  Click here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

I always look forward to reading a story by this author as I know the story is going to be beautiful.  The descriptions of the scenery alone just makes you feel like you are right there where the story takes place, like this one which is in Sri Lanka.  I can't say whether the descriptions are acurate because I've never visited but it felt real.  Along with that, I liked the mystery of Louisa's husband, Elliot.  Who was he and what secrets did he have?  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

This was a very slow read for me but this may be my fault as I was interested in the story for the mystery of Louisa's husband and it just took a long while to get to the point.  I also found that the character of Louisa could have been portrayed better, for example I felt like she could have had more depth to her and given more strength than she had given that she has already travelled away from the home country that she knows and her family, to live with her husband in a new country.  I felt that she could have been a stronger character than I experienced when reading the story.   That said, I did enjoy the story for what it is but this would have been a 5 star read if written slightly differently, for me.  

Book Review / The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

 

The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

Published:  5th November 2019

Publisher:  Berkley

Goodreads : Link here - opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Book 1, Bromance Book Club 

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

Now this was a really fun story to read.  I had seen this about a lot back when it first came out in 2019 and had always meant to get around to it and never had until now.  I wanted to pick up something that looked fun (I was right!) but something that wasn't being hyped right now.  What I liked the most was the fact that the main character, and a lot of the supporting characters, were male.  I am sure that there are lots of stories like this but I have usually picked up stories like this where there's always a female as the main character.  Being a woman, I can't comment on whether it was an acurate portrayal of men and how they think but it seemed pretty real to me.  I liked the fact that it felt like there was a genuine men's friend group helping each other, or having fun.  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

Honestly, there wasn't anything specific that I didn't like about this story but it was one of those books that I had fun with, but don't feel the 'pull' to pick up the other books in this series.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the writing and would pick up something else by this author but maybe not in this series.

Would I recommend this...

Yes, this was so much fun to read and is a great 'beach' read, or at any time of year you feel like it!

Book Review / Rage by Richard Bachman [aka Stephen King]

 

At 9:05 a.m. in Room 16 of Placerville High School Mrs Underwood realised that she had to go back to the basics in Algebra. The exam results had not been good.

At 9:50 the change-of-class bell rang. But in Room 16 Algebra was already long over. For Mrs Underwood, over for ever. She lay dead on the floor, shot through the head, her eyes still wide open, her blood already dark and congealed as a fly settled hungrily on her bare neck. Mr Vance was dead as well. The bullet had caught him full in the throat as he came through the door.

The kids were still there, not hurt but not going anywhere. The boy with the gun, sitting so casually on the edge of the teacher's desk, had decided that. He watched and waited as outside the police circled and conferred. School had been evacuated. Except for Room 16 where the kids still had a lot to learn.

The end of the first lesson. Time for a second, a third. A whole timetable of terror stretching ahead of them...

Published:  6th September 1977

Publisher:  Signet

Goodreads : Link Here - Opens in new window

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...

As disturbing of a story this is, I couldn't put it down.  Following Charlie Decker, and the rest of the class including the teacher, as he plunges deeper and deeper into his 'rage'.  I would have to say that if you wanted to read a story that takes you complete out of your comfort zone and makes you so uncomfortable that you want to put the book in another room, or out of the house, this is one of those!  

What I wasn't fond of with this story...

This is not necessarily a complete negative but this story was very uncomfortable to read, which I guess is the point of this plot, but didn't make for an easy read considering the topic also.  

 

Trilogy Review / The Atlas Six, The Atlas Paradox and The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake

 

The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.

Published:  2020 (Book 1), 2022 (Book 2) and 2024 (Book 3)

Publisher:  Tor

Goodreads :  Link to Goodreads Page

Series or Stand-Alone:  Trilogy - Books 1, 2 and 3

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW 

What I loved about this trilogy...

For me, this trilogy was a lot of fun to read.  I particularly enjoyed following each of the characters to learn, as they learn, what they are capable of, how they are going to use it and how they interact with the other characters.  The writing in this story was also beautiful to follow.  I was immediately drawn in and didn't want to stop reading.  

What I wasn't fond of in this trilogy...

I would have loved a few more surprises.  Yes, there were a few twists and turns but most of them I had already guessed at by the time I got to that point.  That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the ride the story took, but would have loved to have been surprised by some things.   I would have also loved to have learned more about the history of some or all of the characters than we did...

Would I recommend this trilogy...

Absolutely, yes.  If you are a fan of dark academia style stories, in particular stories like Babel, this might be right up your street.  

Book Review / Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

 

If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate?

Aside from a delay, there will be no problems. The flight will be smooth, it will land safely. Everyone who gets on the plane will get off. But almost all of them will be forever changed.

Because on this ordinary, short, domestic flight, something extraordinary happens. People learn how and when they are going to die. For some, their death is far in the future—age 103!—and they laugh. But for six passengers, their predicted deaths are not far away at all.

How do they know this? There were ostensibly more interesting people on the flight (the bride and groom, the jittery, possibly famous woman, the giant Hemsworth-esque guy who looks like an off-duty superhero, the frazzled, gorgeous flight attendant) but none would become as famous as “The Death Lady.”

Not a single passenger or crew member will later recall noticing her board the plane. She wasn’t exceptionally old or young, rude or polite. She wasn’t drunk or nervous or pregnant. Her appearance and demeanor were unremarkable. But what she did on that flight was truly remarkable.

A few months later, one passenger dies exactly as she predicted. Then two more passengers die, again, as she said they would. Soon no one is thinking this is simply an entertaining story at a cocktail party.

If you were told you only had a certain amount of time left to live, would you do things differently? Would you try to dodge your destiny?

Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel.

2 STARS

For more information, check out the Goodreads link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208516656-here-one-moment

MY REVIEW

Liane Moriarty is an author I have been wanting to pick up for literally years now.  This story intrigued me so much I just had to get on with it and pick it up.  Now, this review makes me kind of sad really and is more of a reflection on my reading tastes rather than the actual book. 

I really didn't have a good time reading this and I think the main reason for this is the multiple character perspective aspect.  There are a lot of characters in this story and a lot of perspectives and views to follow.  I really struggled to follow and care for any of the characters, no matter what they do. 

Also, the story for me dragged.  It took god knows how many pages at the start (probably too long) sitting on the plane for the introduction.

I am glad I picked this up and gave it a change but I am going to mark this as a not for me type of book.

Waiting on Wednesday / Trial by Fire by Danielle Steel

 

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 

 In this inspiring novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, the life of a Parisian woman changes in a heartbeat when she’s trapped by wildfires in Napa Valley.Born to a French mother and American father, graceful Dahlia de Beaumont has been sole owner and CEO of the venerable family perfume business based in Paris since her early twenties, following the death of her parents. For twenty-five years, after losing her young skier husband in an avalanche, her life has centered on running Lambert Perfumes and being a devoted single mother to her four now-adult indecisive Charles, volatile Alexa, kind-hearted business visionary Delphine, and dreamy artist Emma. Now fifty-six, she has an “arrangement” with a married French man but has been questioning that relationship.Dahlia comes to San Francisco on a routine business trip to check on her stores in the States. But shortly after her arrival, brush fires ignite in Napa Valley. Watching the sweeping devastation on the news, Dahlia is moved to help. But doing so will bring unforeseen consequences that endanger not only her life, but her entire future. Forced to remain in San Francisco in the aftermath, she will make unexpected connections while also fighting to protect all she has worked for. What Dahlia learns will provide a new perspective of her life, forever changing what really matters to her and what comes next for her journey.With this uplifting novel, Danielle Steel beautifully dramatizes how life’s unforeseen challenges can sow the seeds for growth and a fresh chance at love—if one is willing to take the risk.

 

Expected Publication:  19th November 2024

Publisher:   Delacorte

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Stand Alone

Waiting on Wednesday / The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

 

 

Expected Publication for this Edition:  5th November 2024

Publisher:   St Martin's Griffin

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Stand Alone

Genres:   Mystery and Thriller 

Book Review / Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

 

Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.

Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.

It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?

Published:  2nd April 2024

Publisher:  Platkus

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Contemporary Romance

Pages:  432 pages, Paperback

MY REVIEW

What I loved about this story...  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this novel.  This is the first story I have picked up from this author and it certainly won't be the last.  I found the writing style easy to read, which is what I was after with a contemporary romance.  I really wanted Justin to win in this book, and of course also Emma.  The fact that you have an unlikeable character in her mother and seeing her story play out as well along side was entertaining to say the least.   Read this in one sitting and don't regret it.  Would read it over and over again for sure!

Would I recommend... Absolutely.  Read it now!

Book Review/ Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry

 

Best friends are forged by fire. For Winona Olsen and Lucille Pryce, that fire happened the night they met outside the police station—both deciding whether to turn their families in.

Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them.

Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there’s more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and generations of barely getting by.

One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can’t wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible to take them from Michigan to Las Vegas can’t hurt.

Published:  6th August 2019

Publisher:  Katherine Tegen Books

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Contemporary, Realistic Fiction and Coming of Age

Pages:  325 pages, Hardcover 

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  This was a fun read.  Nothing complicated.   We follow Winona who has a complicated childhood with a very strict and controlling father who shows no signs of letting up even though she is ready to 'cut ties' and go off to college.  She wants to break free and takes her best friend Lucille along with her.  

What I didn't like with this story...  I just could not get invested in either the characters or the plot to be honest.  You also have two teenagers who decide to leave and, unrealistically, decide to steal and thieve to get the money and transport to carry on with their journey when, to me, it seems as though they have not done anything else wrong in their entire life.  

Would I recommend...  This was an ok fun read and one to read on face value and not delve too deeply into motivations...   

Waiting on Wednesday / Into the Storm by Cecelia Ahern

 

Waiting on Wednesday was a weekly memo that is hosted by Breaking the Spine Blog that I really enjoyed blogging about in the post, so I thought I would bring it back!  Below is this week's pick!

 

 

 

 Surviving the storm is only the beginning…It is a wild night in the middle of December, and GP Enya is crouched over a teenage boy, performing CPR in the freezing rain. She found him on a mountain road near Dublin, the victim of a hit-and-run.

The boy survives, but Enya goes to pieces. She leaves her husband, her son, and everything she knows to start a new life in remote rural Ireland.

But even in the quiet of Abbeydooley, beneath the boughs of an ancient tree, Enya is still haunted by that night in the rain. Can the stories of strangers and a land steeped in legend lay the ghosts of her past to rest? Or will the storm she's outrunning finally catch up with her?

 

Expected Publication:  24th October 2024

Publisher:   HarperCollins

Goodreads Link:   Click Here

Series or Stand Alone:   Stand Alone

Book Review / Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

 

In the latest jaw-dropping thriller from New York Times bestselling author Riley Sager, a man must contend with the long-ago disappearance of his childhood best friend—and the dark secrets lurking just beyond the safe confines of his picture-perfect neighborhood.

The worst thing to ever happen on Hemlock Circle occurred in Ethan Marsh’s backyard. One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend and neighbor, Billy, fell asleep in a tent set up on a manicured lawn in a quiet, quaint New Jersey cul de sac. In the morning, Ethan woke up alone. During the night, someone had sliced the tent open with a knife and taken Billy. He was never seen again.

Thirty years later, Ethan has reluctantly returned to his childhood home. Plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, he begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. Someone seems to be roaming the cul de sac at odd hours, and signs of Billy’s presence keep appearing in Ethan’s backyard. Is someone playing a cruel prank? Or has Billy, long thought to be dead, somehow returned to Hemlock Circle?

The mysterious occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a quest that reunites him with former friends and neighbors and leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. Woods where Billy claimed monsters roamed and where a mysterious institute does clandestine research on a crumbling estate.

The closer Ethan gets to the truth, the more he realizes that no place—be it quiet forest or suburban street—is completely safe. And that the past has a way of haunting the present.

Published:  18th June 2024   

Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton

Goodreads :   Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Mystery, Thriller, Suspense and Horror

Pages:  352 pages

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  If it sounds right to say, I had such fun reading this novel.  The best part, by far, was the actual mystery.  What happened to Ethan's best friend, Billy.  So many scenarios ran through my mind and were even suggested throughout this novel, but the ending was one that I certainly didn't guess.  I loved the ending.  With this story there is a whole cast of characters with different points of view shown, which is not normally  what I get along well with in a novel, but I really enjoyed meeting all the characters and getting different viewpoints.  I felt that it added a lot of depth to the story and made me really want to root for certain characters.  

What I loved about this story...  I would have loved to have been surprised a lot more in this story.  I guessed most of it apart from the ending, to be honest.  

Would I recommend...  Absolutely.  This is a fun, entertaining, slow paced story that doesn't necessary have a lot of massive twists and turns but enough to make this fun.  

Book Review / Haunting Adeline & Hunting Adeline by HD Carlton (Cat and Mouse Series Duology)

This book was previously banned on Amazon due to the trigger warning. Please read many reviews or go to the author's website.

The Manipulator

I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me.
I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh.
But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave.
He's always there, watching and waiting.
And I can never look away.
Not when I want him to come closer.


The Shadow

I didn't mean to fall in love.
But now that I have, I can't stay away.
I'm mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves.
The way she undresses...
I'll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine.
And once she is, I'll never let her go.
Not even when she begs me to.

Published:  12th August 2021 

Publisher:  Halley Carlton

Goodreads :  Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

Genres:     Dark, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror and Mystery

Pages:  583 pages (book 1) and 649 pages (book 2)

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Although the topics covered in this duology are very dark and hard hitting I just could not stop reading.  These books are definately an eye opener for many different reasons.  I'll be honest, I would not normally read books like these that are quite this spicy and not really reading much into these books before picking them up to read I didn't know what I was getting into, so there were a few scenes in the first book that I skipped over.

What I didn't like about this story...  More the first book than the second, but these were very uncomfortable reads due to the subject nature that were at times a bit too much for me to read.

Would I recommend...  I would go into this book with your eyes wide open to the sensitive subject matter which can be found in other reviews in the Goodreads link above or the author website here - https://hdcarlton.com/library/.  That aside, the thriller aspect of these books was really very good and addicting to read.