Format: Paperback

#BookReview Party Favors by Sariah Wilson @sariahwilson @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #PartyFavors #SariahWilson #Montlake #FireflyDist

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#BookReview Party Favors by Sariah Wilson @sariahwilson @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #PartyFavors #SariahWilson #Montlake #FireflyDist Title: Party Favors

Author: Sariah Wilson

Published by: Montlake Romance on Jul. 30, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 8.5/10

For a party planner in awe of the royals, daydreams fit for a queen might come true in a captivating romantic comedy by Sariah Wilson, the USA Today bestselling author of The Hollywood Jinx.

For as long as she can remember, Everly Aprile has been obsessed with the Monterran royals, especially Queen elegant, self-possessed, and living a fairy-tale romance. As for Everly, her career as an event planner has stalled—and so has her love life. Then a wealthy new client wants a sweet-sixteen party that’s fit for an American princess. Practicing her “What Would Kat Do” mantra, Everly offers to bring it to life by immersing herself in everything Monterra.

Call it intervento divino when she meets dizzyingly handsome and charismatic Max Colby, who’s relocated stateside from the Monterran kingdom of her dreams. If Everly promises to be his New York City guide, he’ll teach her the customs and culture of Monterra so her party gets a boost of authenticity. Deal. As their friendship grows, Everly starts falling—but for what? Another unattainable obsession? Max is such a dreamboat that surely he sees her as just a friend.

Her royal to-do list is in order. She’s revamping her life and learning to believe in herself. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for fate to bring Everly her happily ever after after all.

Review:

Lighthearted, amusing, and highly entertaining!

Party Favors is a delightfully cute, feel-good tale featuring the hardworking, dependable Everly Aprile, who, after finally getting a shot at getting the coveted position of party planner that she’s always wanted, spends her time focusing on creating the best events she possibly can, indulges in her love for everything Monterran, and acts as a tour guide for her newly acquired friend who she may have more than just a passing fancy for.

The writing is witty and smooth. The characters are easygoing, supportive, and dependable. And the plot is an enchanting mix of life, friendship, tension, chemistry, self-discovery, emotion, familial drama, tender moments, dreams, happiness, taking chances, and unconditional love.

Overall, Party Favors is another clever, uplifting, enjoyable tale by Wilson that I thoroughly enjoyed and which, in my opinion, is the perfect choice for anyone who loves a good rom-com that has a whole lot of heart, humour, and hope.

 

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 Sariah Wilson

USA Today bestselling author Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children . She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with two cats named Pixel and Callie, who do not get along. (The cats, not the children. Although the children sometimes have their issues, too.)

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee @smpromance @StMartinsPress #ThatPrinceIsMine #JayciLee #smpromance

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#BookReview That Prince is Mine by Jayci Lee @smpromance @StMartinsPress #ThatPrinceIsMine #JayciLee #smpromance Title: That Prince is Mine

Author: Jayci Lee

Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Jul. 30, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

A love-averse Korean royal court cuisine instructor in search of a perfect-on-paper husband is waylaid from her practical, heartbreak-proof plan when she meets a gorgeous professor—and prince in disguise—who will do anything to prove to her that love and happily ever after can be theirs.

Emma Yoon runs a small business as a culinary instructor in Los Angeles teaching Korean royal court cuisine to young ladies striving to marry into the exclusive upper crust Korean families. She has built her business alongside her renowned Korean matchmaker godmother, which brings her one step closer to her dream of opening up a culinary school on her own. But when her godmother’s fellow matchmakers decide to meddle in Emma’s love life in a bid to sabotage her godmother, and indirectly push Emma’s dream out of her reach, she must go on a series of arranged first dates and find herself the perfect-on-paper husband to help save both, her godmother’s reputation and her dream–even if she’s not ready for love. But when she meets Michel Aubert, a professor at USC, after a series of disastrous first dates, she wonders if she might reevaluate her position on love.

Prince Michel Aubert is bound by duty and responsibility to his country, but an arranged marriage is the last thing he wants. If he is going to spend the rest of his life in service of his people, then he at least wants someone he loves and trusts by his side while doing it. He needs to find a woman who loves him for who he is before his engagement to his handpicked bride is announced. Emma Yoon might be just the woman he is looking for.

Review:

Amusing, heartwarming, and spicy!

That Prince is Mine is a sweet, engaging tale that mixes the independent, devoted Emma, who is more than content spending her days trying to turn her Korean cooking classes into a full-blown culinary school, with the confident, respected Michel Chevalier, who is determined to make the next three months he’s been given to work in America seriously in order to find someone who actually owns his heart before he returns home to take over his role as crown prince of Rouleme and marry the woman he’s been promised to since childhood.

The prose is fluid and smooth. The characters are caring, supportive, and endearing. And the plot is a push-pull tale of relationship dynamics, familial expectations, introspection, acceptance, friendship, responsibilities, love, romance, and new beginnings.

Overall, That Prince is Mine is a charming, tender, lighthearted tale by Lee that has characters you can’t help but root for, a storyline with a nice mix of passion and drama, and a happy-ever-after ending that leaves you with a smile.

 

This book is available now. 

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

       

 

 

Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jayci Lee

JAYCI LEE writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance every free second she can scavenge and is semi-retired from her fifteen-year career as a defense litigator. She loves food, wine, and travelling, and incidentally so do her characters. Jayci lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction.

Photograph by Nichanh Nicole Photography.

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#BookReview Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara @PenguinRandomCA #SomeoneInTheAttic #AndreaMara #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA

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#BookReview Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara @PenguinRandomCA #SomeoneInTheAttic #AndreaMara #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA Title: Someone in the Attic

Author: Andrea Mara

Published by: Viking on Aug. 20, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

You thought you were home alone.

Anya is enjoying a relaxing bath when she hears a noise coming from the ceiling. Through the open bathroom door, she sees the attic hatch swing down, and a masked figure drops to the floor. Thirty seconds later, Anya is dead.

You’re not afraid of being alone in the dark. You’re afraid you’re not alone.

Across town, Anya’s old school friend, Julia, sees an online video of a masked figure climbing out of an attic. She suddenly realizes why the footage is eerily familiar: it was filmed inside her house in a luxury gated community, designed to keep intruders out.

And now your worst fears are coming true.

Why would a stranger target Julia? Unless of course, it’s not a stranger at all.

Review:

Brisk, intense, and ominous!

Someone in the Attic is a tortuous, simmering thriller that introduces us to Julia, a young mother who, after recently returning to Ireland with her children and ex-husband to start a new life, quickly discovers that no one is who they claim to be, everyone has something to hide, danger lurks around every corner, and the past always seems to have a way of creeping back and colliding with the present.

The writing is edgy and tight. The characters are consumed, troubled, and secretive. And the plot is an unnerving, suspenseful tale of deception, manipulation, suspicions, revelations, obsession, indiscretions, nefarious intentions, vengeance and murder.

Overall, Someone in the Attic is a sinister, atmospheric, twisty whodunit by Mara that does a wonderful job of highlighting just how easily people can be emotionally and psychologically exploited while at the same time reminding us just how vulnerable and susceptible our dependence on technology and social media truly makes us.

 

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 Andrea Mara

Andrea Mara is a number one international bestselling author. Several of her books have been shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year awards. She lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband and three young children. Someone in the Attic is her US debut.

Photo by Meabh Fitzpatrick.

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#BookReview The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham @GrandCentralPub #TheParisNetwork #SiobhanCurham #GCPInsider

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#BookReview The Paris Network by Siobhan Curham @GrandCentralPub #TheParisNetwork #SiobhanCurham #GCPInsider Title: The Paris Network

Author: Siobhan Curham

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Mar. 26, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

Inspired by true events, an epic and emotional novel about one woman’s strength to survive in the most difficult circumstances and the power of love in the face of darkness–perfect for fans of Natasha Lester, Catherine Hokin, and Lily Graham.

Paris, 1940: He pressed the tattered book into her hands. ‘You must go to the café and ask at the counter for Pierre Duras. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him you’re there to save the people of France.’

Sliding the coded message in between the crisp pages of the hardback novel, bookstore owner Laurence slips out into the cold night to meet her resistance contact, pulling her woollen beret down further over her face. The silence of the night is suddenly shattered by an Allied plane rushing overhead, its tail aflame, heading down towards the forest. Her every nerve stands on end. She must try to rescue the pilot.

But straying from her mission isn’t part of the plan, and if she is discovered it won’t only be her life at risk…

America, years later: when Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore in a tiny French village just outside of Paris from a mysterious woman named Laurence.

Travelling to France to search for answers about the woman her father has kept a secret for years, Jeanne finds the store tucked away in a corner of the cobbled main square. Boarded up, it is in complete disrepair. Inside, she finds a tiny silver pendant hidden beneath the blackened, scorched floorboards.

As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But will the truth about who Laurence really is shatter Jeanne’s heart, or change her future?

Review:

Absorbing, rich, and expressive!

The Paris Network is a sentimental, engaging tale predominately set in France during 1940, as well as 1993, that takes you into the lives of two main characters. Laurence, a young woman who, through determination and resilience, uses her bookshop to help lift the community spirit and help the resistance as much as she possibly can; and Jeanne, a middle-aged woman who, after learning of her real mother’s identity, decides with the help of her father to embark on a journey to discover the true identity of the woman who stole her father’s heart and to claim the inheritance she only just became aware of.

The prose is eloquent and well-turned. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and courageous. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel seamlessly into a heartfelt, touching tale of life, loss, secrets, surprises, separation, heartbreak, betrayal, desperation, tragedy, survival, danger, friendship, the horrors of war, and enduring love.

Overall, The Paris Network is a moving, sincere, evocative tale by Curham inspired by real-life events that I devoured from start to finish and which I highly recommend for anyone who loves a well written WWII time-slip novel.

 

This book is available now.

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

     

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Siobhan Curham

Siobhan Curham is a best-selling and award-winning author of 40+ books for adults, young adults and children – fiction and non-fiction. She is also a university drop-out who very nearly gave up on her writing dream because, as a former council estate kid, she didn’t believe she belonged in the middle class world of publishing.

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#BookReview The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves @PenguinRandomCA #TheOutlier #ElisabethEaves #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA

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#BookReview The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves @PenguinRandomCA #TheOutlier #ElisabethEaves #PenguinReads #PenguinRandomCA Title: The Outlier

Author: Elisabeth Eaves

Published by: Random House Canada on Aug. 6, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 344

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Penguin Random House

Book Rating: 8/10

An audaciously twisty psychological thriller in which finding the killer is only one of two mysteries its anti-heroine, Cate Winter, tries to unravel. The other: when pushed to extremes, what is she herself capable of?

Cate Winter, at 34, is a wildly successful neuroscientist and entrepreneur who has invented a cure for Alzheimer’s that will improve the lives of millions. On the verge of selling her biotech company for an obscene sum, she is also about to become very rich.

But Cate has a secret that keeps her deeply uneasy about everything she is and does: she grew up at the Cleckley Institute, a treatment facility for the rehabilitation of psychopathic children. And, as far as she knows, she is the institute’s only success: all of her peers have become thwarted, maladjusted or even criminal adults.

Then Cate discovers the existence of another ex-patient and outlier who might prove that her success isn’t a fluke. He has not only stayed out of jail, but he’s made a mark in business and science. Though his identity is confidential, she breaks the rules and drops everything to track him down. And when she finds him, living under an assumed name in Baja California, she is immediately obsessed. Like her, he is driven and brilliant, an innovator willing to do what it takes to perfect a new energy technology that will stop global warming. Here, at last, is her mirror, her ultimate collaborator, the possible answer to the enigma of her nature.

But in the wake of a mysterious death, Cate can’t avoid suspecting him. If he is involved, do his ends justify his means? Ruthless herself, she’s about to find out whether there are any moral lines she won’t cross.

Review:

Brisk, intricate, and suspenseful!

The Outlier is a thought-provoking, ominous tale that transports you into the life of Cate Winter, a high-achieving psychopath who, after selling her biotech company for millions, is determined to do whatever it takes to identify and track down the only other successful resident, who didn’t turn to a life of crime, from the research institute she grew up in.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are secretive, impulsive, and driven. And the plot unravels quickly into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, lies, deception, power, abuse, corruption, greed, indulgence, revelations, ruthless ambition, and violence.

Overall, The Outlier is a sinister, entertaining, edgy debut by Eaves that explores the line between nature and nurture and does a wonderful job of combining ecological issues, poor choices, questionable motivations, and morality all in one eerily creepy storyline.

 

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 Elisabeth Eaves

ELISABETH EAVES is a debut novelist and an award-winning travel writer and journalist who has cov­ered nuclear weapons, biological threats, and climate change for numerous publications including The New Yorker, Forbes, and the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. She is the author of two critically acclaimed nonfiction books: Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents, which the New York Times Book Review called “a heady, head­long chronicle of a decade and a half spent adrift” and de­clared a Notable Book; and Bare: The Naked Truth About Stripping, which The Washington Post called “a first-rate, first-person work of social anthropology.” Born and raised in Vancouver, Elisabeth lives with her husband in Seattle.

Photo by Mary Grace Long.

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#BookReview Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs @SimonSchusterCA #FireAndBones #KathyReichs #TemperanceBrennanSeries #SimonSchusterCA

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#BookReview Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs @SimonSchusterCA #FireAndBones #KathyReichs #TemperanceBrennanSeries #SimonSchusterCA Title: Fire and Bones

Author: Kathy Reichs

Series: Temperance Brennan #23

Published by: Scribner on Aug. 6, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 288

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a twisty, surprise-packed thriller featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who finds herself at the center of an arson investigation, a deepening mystery, and a stunning culmination of violence and deception.

It’s never easy working fire scenes, Tempe thinks. Called to Washington, DC to analyze the victims of a building set ablaze amid mysterious circumstances, she sees all of her misgivings justified. The building site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and the residence’s ownership becomes even more suspicious when Tempe delves into the building’s past.

The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the property belonged to a member a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his farm in Fairfax County, Virginia. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions.

As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin raising flags. Have too many of her moves while in Washington been anticipated in advance?

Long after that first fire is extinguished its flames of consequence spread outward, and eventually Tempe finds herself fighting for her life.

Review:

Intricate, sharp, and sinister!

Fire and Bones is a menacing, disturbing tale that sees esteemed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan heading to Washington, DC to help out on an investigation into a building fire involving multiple casualties and a history of nefarious dealings.

The writing is tight and clever. The characters are meticulous, diligent, and driven. And the plot is an ominous, compelling mix of twists, turns, red herrings, resentments, secrets, deduction, mayhem, retribution, violence, and murder.

Overall, Fire and Bones is a taut, tense, gripping tale inspired by real-life events that is unbelievably the twenty-third book in the Temperance Brennan series. I have yet to read a novel by Reichs that isn’t suspenseful, pacey, and extremely satisfying, and this one, once again, didn’t disappoint.

This novel is available now.

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

        

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs’s first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. Fire and Bones is Reichs’s twenty-third novel featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Reichs was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama, Bones, which was based on her work and her novels. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Reichs divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.

Photograph © Marie-Reine

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#BookReview Fall with Me by Becka Mack @SimonSchusterCA #FallWithMe #BeckaMack #PlayingforKeepsSeries #SimonSchusterCA

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#BookReview Fall with Me by Becka Mack @SimonSchusterCA #FallWithMe #BeckaMack #PlayingforKeepsSeries #SimonSchusterCA Title: Fall with Me

Author: Becka Mack

Series: Playing for Keeps #4

Published by: Simon & Schuster Canada on Jul. 30, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 510

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Simon & Schuster Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

It was supposed to be a one-night stand. But what if they can’t leave it in the past?

Jaxon Riley is exceptional at three things: starting fights on the ice, picking up women post-game, and going home to fulfill his role as the world’s best cat dad. Relationships, unfortunately, missed the list.

Lennon Hayes is supposed to be on her honeymoon. Instead, she’s alone and single, vacationing next door to a surly tattooed man who ran his date off the resort. When a run-in at the bar results in a night of bickering and cocktails, she finds herself tumbling into bed with the enemy next door, then sneaking out before the sun comes up.

Lennon’s plan to start over in a new city is going great, until she starts her new job. The job? The Vancouver Vipers’ new photographer. And the defenseman scowling at her from across the room? The one-night stand she wasn’t supposed to see again. Good thing neither of them are looking for anything serious… Right?

Jaxon may not be used to falling, but if he’s going to go, he refuses to go alone. If he falls, he wants Lennon to fall with him.

Review:

Spicy, steamy, and emotional!

Fall with Me is a passionate, lighthearted sports romance featuring the playful, outgoing Jaxon, who is more than happy being single and focused on his career, and the charismatic, independent Lennon who, after narrowly escaping being married to a philanderer, is now prepared to wait as long as it takes to find Mr. Right.

The writing is sultry and sincere. The characters are fun-loving, confident, and appealing. And the plot is a tantalizing mix of palpable attraction, unquenchable lust, sizzling chemistry, friendship, temptation, desire, tender moments, sexy times, and hockey.

Overall, Fall with Me is a sweet, fervent, seductive treat by Mack that is another wonderful addition to what is ultimately turning out to be an absolutely fantastic, must-read Playing for Keeps series.

 

This novel is available now.

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

             

 

 

 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Becka Mack

Becka Mack is an avid romance reader, writer, and kindergarten teacher. Becka enjoys writing swoon-worthy romances with lovable and relatable characters, loads of humor, and a healthy dose of drama on the way to a happily ever after. She lives with her husband, children, and four-legged babies in Ontario, Canada.

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#BookReview The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs @johnmarrs1 @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheStrangerInHerHouse #JohnMarrs #FireflyDist

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#BookReview The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs @johnmarrs1 @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #TheStrangerInHerHouse #JohnMarrs #FireflyDist Title: The Stranger in Her House

Author: John Marrs

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Feb. 13, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 347

Format: Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A stranger has infiltrated your family…and now he’s taking over.

Paul’s just here to help, or so he claims—sent by a charity for vulnerable people to do odd jobs for elderly widow Gwen. But for Gwen’s daughter Connie, there’s just something about Paul that rings alarm bells from day one. He’s a little too kind, a little too involved…Worse still, Gwen seems to have fallen under his spell.

The last thing Connie wants is a stranger meddling in the safe routine she’s built around Gwen. She loves being the one Gwen turns to for cooking, cleaning and company. But the more Paul visits, the more Gwen is relying on him. By the time he conveniently finds himself between homes and has no choice but to move in, Connie is certain he’s trying to push her out completely.

It’s her word against his, though, and as her attempts to unmask him become ever more desperate she’s not the only one left wondering if she’s lost her grip on reality. But when events start spiralling rapidly out of her control, should Connie wage all-out war on Paul and risk losing Gwen forever—or has that been his plan all along?

Review:

Ominous, intense, and absorbing!

The Stranger in Her House is an eerily gripping, suspenseful tale that takes you into the life of Connie, a young woman taking care of her elderly, declining mother who, after accepting the help of a local handyman, suddenly finds her life turned upside down when it quickly becomes apparent that his motivations are not as honest and pure as they first appeared and he’ll do whatever it takes, even kill, to get what he wants.

The prose is tight and edgy. The characters are secretive, consumed, and duplicitous. And the plot is a twisty tale full of drama, deception, lies, obsession, manipulation, tragedy, childhood trauma, dark secrets, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Stranger in Her House is another engrossing, sinister, tortuous novel by Marrs that kept me riveted from the very first page and is definitely the perfect choice for anyone who loves a menacing, highly entertaining, tension-filled read.

 

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 providing me with a copy in exchange for a review.

 

About John Marrs

John Marrs is the author of #1 Best Sellers The One, The Good Samaritan, When You Disappeared, The Vacation, Her Last Move, The Passengers, The Minders and What Lies Between Us. Keep It In The Family and The Marriage Act are released soon.
What Lies won the International Thriller Writers' Best Paperback of 2021 award.
The One has been translated into 30 different languages and is to be turned into an eight-part Netflix series starting in autumn 2020.
After working as a journalist for 25-years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines, he is now a full-time writer.

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#BookReview Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #LifeLossAndPuffins #CatherineRyanHyde #LakeUnion #FireflyDist

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#BookReview Life, Loss, and Puffins by Catherine Ryan Hyde @FireflyDist @AmazonPub #LifeLossAndPuffins #CatherineRyanHyde #LakeUnion #FireflyDist Title: Life, Loss, and Puffins

Author: Catherine Ryan Hyde

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on May 14, 2024

Genres: Young Adult

Pages: 269

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Firefly Distributed Lines

Book Rating: 9/10

An exhilarating and emotional novel about grief, hope, friendship, and taking life one beautiful and spontaneous day at a time by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Freakishly smart. That’s the unwelcome box Ru Evans is put into for life. After all, she taught herself Euclidean geometry at age seven, has an eidetic memory, and is about to enter college at thirteen years old.

Boarding at a house near campus 150 miles from home, Ru meets seventeen-year-old Gabriel, an outsider himself who, like Ru, has trouble making friends—until they form a fast sibling-like bond. Finding a relatable someone in the world to talk to is a first for both of them.

But when Ru’s mother dies and the threat of living with her miserable aunt looms, Ru hatches an escape. It’s an impulsive road trip that takes Ru and Gabriel from California to Canada, where Ru can fulfill her ultimate to see Atlantic puffins in the glorious wild.

Mile by mile, Ru discovers the joy of friendship, found family, dark night skies, and the aurora borealis, and she basks in going from being a smart person to just a person. Though she knows they’ll be in trouble when they’re caught, for the short time they are navigating twist by twist of an unknown road, the freedom is liberating, and she is living for what feels like the first time.

Review:

Heart-tugging, sweet, and uplifting!

Life, Loss, and Puffins is a heartfelt, tender tale that takes you into the lives of Ru, a brilliant thirteen-year-old girl attending her first year of college whose life gets turned upside down when her mother suddenly passes, and Gabriel, a teenager who impulsively gives up his studies to take his new friend on a road trip to the north to fulfil some of her wish list of things she really wants to see and do.

The writing style is sentimental and sensitive. The characters are quirky, multilayered, and endearing. And the plot is an impactful coming-of-age tale of life, loss, family, friendship, grief, heartache, support, love, taking chances, introspection, and self-identity.

Overall, Life, Loss, and Puffins is an alluring, empowering, entertaining tale by Hyde full of heart, hope, and healing that does a wonderful job of delving into all the complex dynamics of relationships while also highlighting the incredible power of friendship.

This book 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 Catherine Ryan Hyde

I am the author of more than 30 published and forthcoming books, including ALLIE AND BEA, SAY GOODBYE FOR NOW, LEAVING BLYTHE RIVER, ASK HIM WHY, WORTHY, THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS, TAKE ME WITH YOU, WHERE WE BELONG, WHEN I FOUND YOU, WALK ME HOME, SECOND HAND HEART, DON'T LET ME GO, and WHEN YOU WERE OLDER.

I'm an avid hiker, traveller, equestrian, and amateur photographer, and have released my first book of photos, 365 DAYS OF GRATITUDE: PHOTOS FROM A BEAUTIFUL WORLD.

I am co-author, with fellow author and publishing industry blogger Anne R. Allen, of HOW TO BE A WRITER IN THE E-AGE: A SELF-HELP GUIDE.

My novel PAY IT FORWARD was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than 23 languages for distribution in over 30 countries. The paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. Simon & Schuster released PAY IT FORWARD: YOUNG READERS' EDITION in August of '14. It is suitable for kids as young as eight. A special Fifteenth Anniversary Edition of the original PAY IT FORWARD was released in December of '14

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BlogTour #BookReview Daughter of Fire by Sofia Robleda @AmazonPub @OverTheRiverPR #SofiaRobleda #DaughterOfFire #AmazonCrossing #AmazonPublishing #OTRPR

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#BlogTour #BookReview Daughter of Fire by Sofia Robleda @AmazonPub @OverTheRiverPR #SofiaRobleda #DaughterOfFire #AmazonCrossing #AmazonPublishing #OTRPR Title: Daughter of Fire

Author: Sofia Robleda

Published by: Amazon Crossing on Aug. 1, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 280

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing, OTRPR

Book Rating: 8/10

Catalina de Cerrato is being raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, scarcely thirty years since the Spanish invasion. A ruling member of the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso holds sway over the newly relegated lower class of Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to honor her father and her late mother, a Maya noblewoman to whom Catalina made a vow that only she can keep: preserve the lost sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the treasured and now forbidden history of the K’iche’ people.

Urged on by her mother’s spirit voice and possessing the gift of committing the invaluable stories to memory, Catalina embarks on a secret and transcendent quest to rewrite them. Through ancient pyramids, Spanish villas, and caves of masked devils, she finds an ally in the captivating Juan de Rojas, a lord whose rule was compromised by the invasion. But as their love and trust unfold, and Don Alonso’s tyranny escalates, Catalina must confront her conflicted blood heritage―and its secrets―once and for all if she’s to follow her dangerous quest to its historic end.

Review:

Absorbing, insightful, and fascinating!

Daughter of Fire is a compelling, adventurous tale that takes you into the life of Catalina de Cerrato, the young biracial daughter of Spanish colonizer Don Alonzo, who is determined at all costs to honour her late mother’s wishes to protect the sacred Popol Vuh text detailing the history of the K’iche’ people even if it means secretly working with her cousin Cristóbel and the alluring, forbidden Juan de Rojas.

The prose is rich and vivid. The characters are torn, passionate, and determined. And the plot, set in Guatemala in the early 1550s, is a captivating tale about life, love, bravery, strength, loss, loyalty, honour, danger, duty, emotion, rebellion, heartbreak, introspection, autonomy, and the ancient traditions and texts of the Mayan people.

Overall, Daughter of Fire is ultimately an enlightening, intriguing, evocative tale by Robleda that highlights the importance and empowerment of self-identity and is a sobering reminder of the cultural destruction and tremendous loss of lives incurred when invasion and tyranny are allowed to freely run amok.

 

This book is available now.

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

     

 

 

Thank you to OTRPR and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sofia Robleda

Sofia Robleda is a Mexican writer. She spent her childhood and adolescence in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore. She completed her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. She currently lives in the UK with her husband and son, and splits her time between writing, raising her son, and working as a clinical psychologist supporting people with brain injuries and neurological conditions.

Photo by Michael Oosthuizen.

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