Format: Paperback

#BookReview The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen @Rhysbowen @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheRoseArbor #RhysBowen #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

#BookReview The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen @Rhysbowen @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheRoseArbor #RhysBowen #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: The Rose Arbor

Author: Rhys Bowen

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Aug. 6, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 379

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment.

1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.

Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.

As Liz digs deeper, she finds herself drawn to the village of Tydeham, which was requisitioned by the military during the war and left in ruins. After all these years, what could possibly link the missing girls to this abandoned village? And why does a place Liz has never seen before seem so strangely familiar?


Review:

Captivating, atmospheric, and rich!

The Rose Arbor is an absorbing, engaging tale set in England during 1943 and 1968 that takes you into the life of Liz Houghton, a young writer who, after tagging along with her police officer roommate to the desolate village of Tydeham to try and find a missing girl, stumbles across some deep dark family secrets of her own when she becomes engrossed in solving a twenty-five-year-old cold case involving three little girls from London who seemingly vanished without a trace while being evacuated to the countryside during the war.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are independent, intelligent, and driven. And the plot is a compelling, tender tale about life, loss, family, secrets, desperation, tragedy, deduction, friendship, duplicitous behaviours, and wartime sacrifices.

Overall, The Rose Arbor is an immersive, intriguing, touching tale by Bowen that is the perfect choice for anyone who loves an intricate mystery set against the backdrop of war.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

      

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Rhys Bowen

Rhys Bowen’s work has sold close to 10 million copies, in over 30 languages. She has been nominated for every major mystery award and has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. A complete list can be found here.

Her books include the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy historical mysteries, as well as several international bestselling stand-alone novels.

Photo: Douglas Sonders

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance Title: I Blame the Rival

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: Taber Tigers #4

Published by: Independently Published on Sep. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 10/10

Lacey

All I wanted was a friend. That’s why I responded to the note another therapy patient left behind. To find someone who knows what it’s like to have scars no one else can see. To have secrets no one wants to hear.

I was looking for a friend. I didn’t know he was the rival.

Skylar

I fell in love with someone I’ve never met. A faceless pen pal, I wouldn’t be able to pick this girl out of a crowd and yet she owns every piece of my battered heart. She’s the colour to my darkness and I didn’t know what would happen if we ever met in person. I didn’t know how my life would change once we did.


Review:

Absorbing, intense, and emotional!

I Blame the Rival is an intimate, touching tale that sweeps you away to small-town Alberta and into the life of Lacey, an eighteen-year-old girl who, after experiencing a sexual assault from her first serious boyfriend, struggles to find the light in her life until she accidentally becomes pen pals with another broken soul who may be considered taboo but whose patience and trust may actually be the perfect balm for healing both their shattered hearts.

The writing style is heartfelt and smooth. The characters are tormented, fragile, and endearing. And the plot is a rollercoaster ride of life, love, friendship, family, trust, shame, self-blame, loneliness, sexual assault, childhood trauma, mental health, comfort, support, pain, accepting love, and undeniable attraction.

Overall, I Blame the Rival is a tender, immersive, sensitive conclusion to the Tiger Tabers series by Everhart that packed a real emotional punch and had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish while also leaving me a little sad to say goodbye to all these characters I’ve come to know and love over the past four novels.

This novel is available now in paperback & KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads

#BookReview Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit @PenguinRandomCA #SunshineAndSpice #AuroraPalit #PenguinReads Title: Sunshine and Spice

Author: Aurora Palit

Published by: Berkley on Sep. 10, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

When two complete opposites agree to fake date in order to solve their cultural dilemmas, they find the only force more powerful than an immigrant mother’s matchmaking schemes might just be true love.

Naomi Kelly will do anything to make her new brand consulting business a success. When she lands a career saving contract to rebrand the Mukherjee family’s failing local bazaar, she knows there can be no mistakes. But as the “oops” baby of a free-spirited Bengali mother, Naomi’s lack of connection to her roots represents everything Gia Mukherjee disdains.

Enter, Dev Mukherjee.

Dev knows everything his mother wants…including her wish for him to get married, like, yesterday. When Gia hires a matchmaker (without, you know, asking him), Dev vows to do whatever it takes to avoid ending up in a cold, loveless marriage. When a potential match assumes Naomi is his girlfriend, the solution to both their problems becomes clear: Naomi will pretend to date Dev in order to sabotage his mother’s matchmaking efforts in exchange for lessons in Bengali culture. Flawless plan, right?

But as Naomi and Dev bond over awful dancing at Garba, couples cooking classes, and tackling the rebrand as a team, they start to realize while their relationship may be fake, their feelings for each other are starting to become very real. As the line between reality and rumor blurs, Naomi and Dev must confront what it means to fit the mold, and decide how much they’re willing to risk for love.


Review:

Sassy, emotive, and sweetly romantic!

Sunshine and Spice is a fresh, heartwarming tale that transports you to Kelowna, British Columbia, and into the lives of Naomi Kelly, a struggling brand consultant who feels left out and disconnected from her South Asian roots, and Dev Mukherjee, a handsome accountant who takes his family obligations seriously but is entirely uninterested in any of his mother’s persistent matchmaking activities.

The writing is heartfelt and light. The characters are intelligent, stubborn, vulnerable, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale full of familial responsibility, tender moments, witty banter, goals, expectations, friendship, community, culture, optimism, chemistry, traditions, and love.

Overall, Sunshine and Spice is a sexy, sweet, uplifting tale by Palit with a whole cast of characters I couldn’t help but be intrigued with, a diverse storyline that kept me engaged from start to finish, and a happy-ever-after ending that left me satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Aurora Palit

A first generation Bengali-Canadian, Aurora Palit grew up in rural Alberta, where she was always the only South Asian student in her class. Her love of reading began at age four but it wasn’t until high school—when she wandered into the romance section of a bookstore—that she realized happily-ever-afters are her jam. Flash forward [an undisclosed number of] years and Aurora is now writing those stories with her own unique brand of humor, perspective, and belief that people of color deserve love stories too. During her time pursuing a master's degree in English literature, Aurora was drawn to discourses on diaspora and identity, racism, and multi-generational immigrant experiences; topics she now explores in her writing. When she’s not testing her characters’ patience, Aurora is raising small humans, roasting her spouse, prowling for chocolate, and dancing for all that she’s worth. She also spends her days adulting as a communications professional for a not for profit organization.

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads

#BookReview Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks @NicholasSparks @PenguinRandomCA #CountingMiracles #NicholasSparks #PenguinReads Title: Counting Miracles

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Published by: Random House on Sep. 24, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From the acclaimed author of The Longest Ride and The Notebook comes an emotional, powerful novel about wondering if we can change—or even make our peace with—the path we’ve taken.

Tanner Hughes was raised by his grandparents, following in his grandfather’s military footsteps to become an Army Ranger. His whole life has been spent abroad, and he is the proverbial rolling stone . . . happiest when off on his next adventure, zero desire to settle down. But when his grandmother passes away, her last words to him are: find where you belong. She also drops a bombshell, telling him the name of the father he never knew—and where he might be found.

Tanner is due at his next posting soon, but his curiosity is piqued, and he sets out for Asheboro, North Carolina, to ask around. He’s been in town less than twenty-four hours when he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom. They both feel an immediate connection; Tanner knows Kaitlyn has a story to tell, and he wants to hear it. For Kaitlyn, Tanner is mysterious, exciting—and possibly leaving in just a few weeks.

Meanwhile, nearby, eighty-three-year-old Jasper lives alone in a cabin bordering a national forest. With only his old dog Arlo for company, he lives quietly, haunted by a tragic accident that took place decades before. When he hears rumors that a white deer has been spotted in the forest—a creature of legend that inspired his father and grandfather—he becomes obsessed with protecting the deer from poachers.

As these characters’ fates orbit closer together, none of them is expecting a miracle . . . but that may be exactly what is about to alter their futures forever.


Review:

Absorbing, heart-tugging, and nostalgic!

Counting Miracles is a sweet, engaging tale that takes you into the life of Tanner Hughes, a former Army Ranger who, after tending to his ailing grandmother and finally learning of his biological father’s name, heads to Asheboro, NC, to discover a little more about his parentage and perhaps find a place to finally call home.

The prose is fluid and sentimental. The characters are multilayered, independent, strong, and kind. And the plot is a charming tale full of life, love, loss, grief, heartache, healing, community, intrigue, friendship, self-discovery and romance.

Overall, Counting Miracles is another hopeful, tender, immersive tale by Sparks that reminds us that life is complicated, messy, challenging, short, and heartbreaking, as well as all those other wonderful things, lovely times, and special moments that happen in-between.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Nicholas Sparks

With over 100 million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. His novels include fifteen #1 New York Times bestsellers, and all of his books, including Three Weeks with My Brother, the memoir he wrote with his brother, Micah, have been New York Times and international bestsellers, and were translated into more than fifty languages. Eleven of Nicholas Sparks’s novels–The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven, The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle–have been adapted into major motion pictures.

Photography courtesy of Grand Central Publishing Website.

#BookReview What Lies in Darkness by Christina McDonald @Christinamac79 @AmazonPub @FireflyDist #WhatLiesInDarkness #ChristinaMcDonald #AJessLambertThriller #FireflyDist

#BookReview What Lies in Darkness by Christina McDonald @Christinamac79 @AmazonPub @FireflyDist #WhatLiesInDarkness #ChristinaMcDonald #AJessLambertThriller #FireflyDist Title: What Lies in Darkness

Author: Christina McDonald

Series: Jess Lambert #2

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Jul. 16, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 347

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

A missing family. A traumatized detective. The past and present collide in a riveting novel of suspense by the USA Today bestselling author of These Still Black Waters, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie, and The Night Olivia Fell.

Late Christmas Eve, the Harper family’s car crashed on a desolate stretch outside Black Lake. Sixteen-year-old Alice was found injured by the side of the road―alone. It was as if her parents and younger sister, Ella, had simply disappeared.

One year later, Alice is still dealing with nightmares and unanswered questions when she and her friends find Ella’s bloodstained backpack in the basement of an abandoned home. As Detective Jess Lambert investigates, she uncovers dark secrets that put her on a collision course with her past. Jess’s only witness is haunted by her own ghosts―ghosts that might ultimately be connected to Jess.

Jess will do anything to find out what happened to the Harpers―no matter how deep she has to dig. Because neither the living nor the dead are giving up their secrets easily.


Review:

Sharp, intense, and gripping!

What Lies in Darkness is a well-paced, engrossing police procedural that sees Detective Jess Lambert now tangled up in a complicated case involving a missing family that is a lot more sinister than it first appeared and which may even have a connection to her own devastating tragedy that irrevocably changed her life forever.

The writing is tight and intense. The characters are layered, secretive, and persistent. And the plot, told from multiple perspectives, is an ominous tale full of twists, turns, red herrings, supernatural phenomena, secrets, deception, desperation, deduction, and manipulation.

Overall, What Lies in Darkness is a relentless, eerie, simmering tale by McDonald that keeps you guessing from start to finish and is a wonderful reminder that things are never quite what they seem.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Christina McDonald

Christina McDonald is the USA Today bestselling author of Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell, which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she now lives in London, England, with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Tango.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Middle of the Night by Riley Sager @PenguinRandomCA #MiddleOfTheNight #RileySager #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA

#BookReview Middle of the Night by Riley Sager @PenguinRandomCA #MiddleOfTheNight #RileySager #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA Title: Middle of the Night

Author: Riley Sager

Published by: Dutton on Jun. 18, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 367

Format: Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House Canada

Book Rating: 8/10

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.


Review:

Atmospheric, dramatic, and intriguing!

Middle of the Night is a dark, captivating mystery that takes us into the life of Ethan Marsh who, upon moving back to his childhood home, decides it’s finally time to probe, explore and piece together what actually happened to his best friend Billy on the night he vanished thirty years prior.

The writing is crisp and precise. The characters are troubled, determined, and genuine. And the plot builds quickly, creating intensity and suspense as it unravels all the relationships, motivations, personalities, deception, and devious behaviours within it.

Overall, Middle of the Night is, ultimately, a story of lies, secrets, revelations, manipulation, friendship, violence, and murder. It’s a tight, clever, eerie thrill ride by Sager that had just the right amount of twists, turns, and surprises to keep me absolutely engrossed from start to finish.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Riley Sager

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, most recently The Only One Left and The House Across the Lake. A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Photo by Michael Livio.

#BookReview The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley @lucindariley @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #TheHiddenGirl #LucindaRiley #PGCBooks

#BookReview The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley @lucindariley @panmacmillan @PGCBooks #TheHiddenGirl #LucindaRiley #PGCBooks Title: The Hidden Girl

Author: Lucinda Riley

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Sep. 17, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 576

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

A breathtaking novel from the international bestselling author of the Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley.

You can’t alter destiny…

Born and raised in a small village on the Yorkshire moors, Leah Thompson grows more beautiful with each passing day. When she catches the attention of the influential, troubled Delancey family, she knows her life will never be the same again.

Years later, Leah has taken the modelling world by storm, travelling from Milan to London and New York and living life in the lap of luxury. But her past follows her like a dark shadow, mysteriously intertwined with the tragic tale of two young siblings in Poland during World War II.

As two generations of secrets threaten to explode, Leah is haunted by a fatal, forgotten prophecy from her past, and must fight to challenge the destiny that has been mapped out for her in the stars.

Sweeping and evocative, The Hidden Girl is a lost treasure from global bestseller Lucinda Riley, reworked and given new life by Harry Whittaker, Lucinda’s son and co-author of the record-breaking, international phenomenon Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt.


Review:

Absorbing, moving, and mysterious!

The Hidden Girl transports you from Yorkshire to New York to Poland between 1942 and 1992 and immerses you into the ongoing, complex, multi-generational relationships between two families, complete with all the powerful emotions, haunting tales, long-buried secrets, and unimaginable tragedy that has plagued them for over fifty years.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, conflicted, and hardworking. And the plot is an enthralling, emotional saga filled with life, loss, familial drama, survival, betrayal, brutality, tragedy, manipulation, horrors, obsession, heartbreak, and love.

Overall, The Hidden Girl is a heart-tugging, clever, captivating tale by Riley that reminds us that the choices we make often have far-reaching consequences, and skeletons always seem to find their way to the surface no matter how well they’re buried.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and, after an early career as an actress in film, theatre and television, wrote her first book aged twenty-four.

Her books have been translated into thirty-seven languages and sold thirty million copies worldwide. She is a New York Times and Sunday Times number one bestseller.Lucinda's Seven Sisters series, which tells the story of adopted sisters and is inspired by the mythology of the famous star cluster, has become a global phenomenon. The series is a number one bestseller across the world and is currently in development with a major TV production company.

Though she brought up her four children mostly in Norfolk in England, in 2015 Lucinda fulfilled her dream of buying a remote farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, which she always felt was her spiritual home, and indeed this was where her last five books were written. Lucinda was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and died in June 2021

#BookReview The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White @Loreth @AmazonPub @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSwimmer #LorethAnneWhite #Montlake #FireflyDist

#BookReview The Swimmer by Loreth Anne White @Loreth @AmazonPub @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheSwimmer #LorethAnneWhite #Montlake #FireflyDist Title: The Swimmer

Author: Loreth Anne White

Published by: Montlake Romance on Sep. 10, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 349

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

A deviously twisty novel of psychological suspense about secrets, neighbors, a need to belong, and murder by the award-winning author of The Maid’s Diary.

Socially awkward Chloe Cooper divides her time between dog walking, bartending, caring for her ailing mother, and at a safe distance, watching people and inventing the stories of their lives. Like Chloe’s new neighbors: glamorous influencer Jemma Spengler and Jemma’s husband, Adam, a renowned surgeon. They’re attractive, wealthy, and in a house of open windows, so exposed.

A move to the Pacific Northwest is supposed to be a fresh start for Jemma and Adam. It’s a renewed commitment to a marriage fractured by secrets. A chance to work through the tragic losses in their past. For Jemma, however, this new beginning also comes with an unnerving sensation that she’s being watched.

Then, on a fog-shrouded beach early in the morning, Chloe witnesses the murder of a swimmer. Her suspicions aroused, she suddenly sees her neighbors in a sinister new light. But as a detective and her partner close in, nothing is quite as it seems. Because the Spenglers are not the only ones with secrets. And Chloe isn’t the only one who’s been watching.


Review:

Brisk, riveting, and suspenseful!

The Swimmer is an intense, ominous thrill ride that introduces us to Chloe, a middle-aged woman who, after becoming consumed with her beautiful, affluent new neighbours, quickly discovers that everything is not as perfect as it seems, everyone has skeletons in their closet, and more than one person is desperate enough to murder.

The writing is edgy and brisk. The characters are consumed, devious, and persistent. And the plot is an intricate, action-packed tale full of twists, turns, secrets, surprises, questionable personalities, duplicitous motivations, manipulative actions, parasitic relationships, violence, and ruthless murder.

Overall, The Swimmer is another tortuous, addictive, unnerving tale by White that is deliciously relentless, surprising, deceptive, and bursting with misdirection.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

 

Thank you to Firefly Distributed Lines for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Loreth Anne White

Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries.

A three-time RITA finalist, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, in addition to being a Booksellers’ Best finalist, a multiple Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist, and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner.

A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she’s not writing, you will find her skiing, biking, or hiking the trails with her Black Dog.

#BookReview Enchanted Hill by Emily Bain Murphy @UnionSqandCo #EnchantedHill #EmilyBainMurphy #UnionSqandCo

#BookReview Enchanted Hill by Emily Bain Murphy @UnionSqandCo #EnchantedHill #EmilyBainMurphy #UnionSqandCo Title: Enchanted Hill

Author: Emily Bain Murphy

Published by: Union Square & Co. on Nov. 7, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Union Square & Co.

Book Rating: 8/10

Escape to Enchanted Hill in this historical mystery where two people with a dark, shared past collide while working undercover at a glittering mansion on the California coast.
 
The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd’s legendary estate. She’s closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client. 
 
An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.
 
Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again—and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.
 
They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd’s labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.
 
Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable, sweepingly romantic novel set in a world you won’t want to leave.


Review:

Mysterious, atmospheric, and entertaining!

Enchanted Hill is a menacing, action-packed tale that takes us into the life of private investigator Cora McCavanagh who, after being hired to provide proof of ongoing adultery by the wife of media tycoon Truman Byrd, heads undercover to work at his infamous estate, Enchanted Hill, only to have the past collide with the present when the one man whom she’s never forgotten but assumed was long dead suddenly reappears using a different name and having questionable motives of his own.

The prose is descriptive and light. The characters, including the intelligent, independent heroine, are multi-layered, intriguing, and well-developed. And the plot is a well-paced, captivating tale full of red herrings, amateur sleuthing, dangerous endeavours, deduction, attraction, secrets, lies, deception, and a touch of the unexpected.

Overall, Enchanted Hill is a cosy, enjoyable, satisfying adult fiction debut by Murphy that is a solid choice for anyone who prefers mysteries set in historical times.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Union Square & Co. for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Emily Bain Murphy

Emily Bain Murphy was born in Indiana and raised in Hong Kong and Japan. She graduated from Tufts University and has also called Massachusetts, Connecticut, and California home. Murphy is the author of two critically acclaimed young adult novels: The Disappearances, which was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize, and Splinters of Scarlet. Murphy lives in St. Louis with her husband and three children, where she's always on the lookout for beautiful old mansions hiding new stories.

Image by Randall Kahn.

#BookReview The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #TheDarkWives #VeraStanhope #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks

#BookReview The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves @AnnCleeves @PGCBooks #TheDarkWives #VeraStanhope #AnnCleeves #PGCBooks Title: The Dark Wives

Author: Ann Cleeves

Series: Vera Stanhope #11

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Aug. 29, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 384

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

A LOCAL MYTH. A DEADLY THREAT.

A body is found by an early morning dog walker on the common outside Rosebank, a care home for troubled teens. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who never showed up to work.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate. Her only clue is the disappearance of fourteen-year-old resident Chloe. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie are soon embroiled in the case, but when a second body is found near the Three Dark Wives standing stones in the wilds of the Northumbrian countryside, folklore and fact begin to collide.

Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, but it seems that the dark secrets in their community may be far more dangerous than she could ever have believed. . .


Review:

Sinister, mysterious, and tight!

The Dark Wives is an intense, intricate thrill ride featuring the dependable DI Vera Stanhope and her loyal, hardworking team as they work together as quickly as possible to solve the puzzling murder of a young group home worker and find a somehow connected missing teen.

The writing is sharp and meticulous. The characters are intelligent, multilayered, and persistent. And the plot is an unpredictable, ominous tale filled with twists, turns, deception, red herrings, suspicious personalities, corruption, secrets, deduction, greed, and murder.

Overall, The Dark Wives is another thrilling, addictive, well-crafted addition to a series that, with its credible characters, great pace, and constant sense of urgency, is still one of my all-time favourites.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ann Cleeves

Ann Cleeves is the author behind PBS’s Vera and BBC One’s Shetland. She has written over twenty-five novels, and is the creator of detectives Vera Stanhope and Jimmy Perez – characters loved both on screen and in print. Her books have now sold over 1 million copies worldwide.

Ann worked as a probation officer, bird observatory cook and auxiliary coastguard before becoming a crime writer. She is a member of ‘Murder Squad’, working with other British northern writers to promote crime fiction. In 2006 Ann was awarded the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (CWA Gold Dagger) for Best Crime Novel, for Raven Black, the first book in her Shetland series, and in 2012 she was inducted into the CWA Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame. Ann lives in North Tyneside, England.