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Review

Such a Pretty Smile: A Novel by Kristi DeMeester – My Review

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Title: Such a Pretty Smile: A Novel

Author: Kristi DeMeester

Release Date: January 18th 2022

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Paranormal Suspense

“Brutal and shocking, lush and evocative. DeMeester is a highly-original voice in horror.” – emily m. danforth, bestselling author of Plain Bad Heroines

A biting novel from an electrifying new voice, Kristi DeMeester’s Such a Pretty Smile is a heart-stopping tour-de-force about powerful women, angry men, and all the ways in which girls fight against the forces that try to silence them.

There’s something out there that’s killing. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of girls, on the verge of becoming women, who are known as trouble-makers; those who refuse to conform, to know their place. Girls who don’t know when to shut up.

2019: Thirteen-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. Not the school psychologist she’s seeing. Not her father, who has a new wife, and a new baby. And not her mother—the infamous Caroline Sawyer, a unique artist whose eerie sculptures, made from bent twigs and crimped leaves, have made her a local celebrity. But soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorized by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice—until she is punished for using it.

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears dogs everywhere. Snarling, barking, teeth snapping that no one else seems to notice. At first, she blames the phantom sounds on her insomnia and her acute stress in caring for her ailing father. But then the delusions begin to take shape—both in her waking hours, and in the violent, visceral sculptures she creates while in a trance-like state. Her fiancé is convinced she needs help. Her new psychiatrist waives her “problem” away with pills. But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that the men around her can’t understand.

As past demons become a present threat, both Caroline and Lila must chase the source of this unrelenting, oppressive power to its malignant core. Brilliantly paced, unsettling to the bone, and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile is a powerful allegory for what it can mean to be a woman, and an untamed rallying cry for anyone ever told to sit down, shut up, and smile pretty.

This is a pretty dark read and I was here for it! As you begin to read, there’s a sinister feeling. Like an unseen evil lurking around every corner. Caroline and Lila. Mother and daughter. You bounce between the present and Caroline’s past. Disturbing unexplained events unfold and you’re in for one crazy ride. I love how the author was able to both creep and fascinate me at the same time with how she described certain scenes. Fantastic writing style! Parts of the story were extremely slow but not enough for me to stop reading. It didn’t end like i thought it would. Which is a very good thing. As a whole, there’s an important message in this book. Read it to find out for yourself.

If you’re a fan of dark suspense reads, this book is for you. This is my first Kristi De Meester read and it won’t be my last. I plan on checking out her other books. I give this 3 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Review

No One Will Miss Her: A Novel by Kat Rosenfield – My Review

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Title: No One Will Miss Her: A Novel

Author: Kat Rosenfield

Release Date: October 12th 2021

Genre: Thrillers, Psychological

A smart, witty, crackling novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a hardscrabble small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader.

On a beautiful October morning in rural Maine, a homicide investigator from the state police pulls into the hard-luck town of Copper Falls. The local junkyard is burning, and the town pariah Lizzie Oullette is dead—with her husband, Dwayne, nowhere to be found. As scandal ripples through the community, Detective Ian Bird’s inquiries unexpectedly lead him away from small-town Maine to a swank city townhouse several hours south. Adrienne Richards, blonde and fabulous social media influencer and wife of a disgraced billionaire, had been renting Lizzie’s tiny lake house as a country getaway…even though Copper Falls is anything but a resort town.

As Adrienne’s connection to the case becomes clear, so too does her connection to Lizzie, who narrates their story from beyond the grave. Each woman is desperately lonely in her own way, and they navigate a relationship that cuts across class boundaries: transactional, complicated, and, finally, deadly. A Gone Girl for the gig economy, this is a story of privilege, identity, and cunning, as two devious women from opposite worlds discover the dangers of coveting someone else’s life.

After I finished this book, I gave myself some time to think on both the story and my feelings. My feelings were all over the place! Let’s start with with story. This story had lots of twists and turns. Some unexpected and some I saw coming. The whole story had a dark vibe to it. Which I really liked. The characters are not very likable. Which wasn’t a bad thing. I did have trouble believing some of the actions and scenes that played out. Especially for the main character. It just wasn’t realistic. Yes, I know this story is fiction. Read the story to know what I mean! I think that’s why my feelings were all over the place. While I enjoyed the story, those twists made me feel some type of way. The story is well written. Very detailed. I really liked that ending though! 

Over all, this is a pretty entertaining read with lots of twists. This is a new to me author and I look forward to reading another book from her. I give this 3 stars. 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Review

The Midnight Lie (Forgotten Gods Book 1) by Marie Rutkoski – My Review

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Title: The Midnight Lie (Forgotten Gods Book 1)

Author: Marie Rutkoski

Release Date: March 3rd 2020

Genre: LGBTQ+, Fantasy, Romance

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, Marie Rutkoski’s The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away, who whispers rumors that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

This is one of those reads where you’re unexpectedly surprised at how much you end up loving it. The beginning of the story you meet Nirrim. The story is slow moving, along with a feeling of despair. Nirrim lives a life that is hard. No dreams or even hope can change that. Then one night everything starts to change for her. At that point the story slowly blossoms into one of adventure and curiosity with a slight hint of danger. Vivid scenery and debauchery was easily pictured in my mind, thanks to the incredible writing talent of the author. There are some twists and secrets. None of which I saw coming and I loved that. I wasn’t expecting that ending. Mind blown. 

This book was unputdownable! The story was fascinating and refreshing. It left me wanting more! Marie Rutkowski is a new to me author. I can’t wait to read the next book or any of her future works. I highly recommend this book! I give this 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Coming Soon · Review

Remember Me: A Novel by Estelle – My Review

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Title: Remember Me: A Novel

Author: Estelle Laure

Release Date: March 22nd 2022

Genre: Young Adult, Coming of Age

Remember Me is an astonishingly bold young adult novel from Estelle Laure, the critically acclaimed author of This Raging Light and Mayhem

If you could erase all of your painful memories, would you?

Blue Owens wakes up one day with the strangest feeling that something is very wrong. Everyone’s acting weird and she’s found a note in her closet telling her to get on the Little Blue Bus at 7:45, which she does, meeting up with the exact person she was supposed to avoid: Adam Mendoza. Even though she has no idea who he is, something about him is so familiar.

When she confronts him, the truth is revealed—Blue has paid to have her memories removed, and Adam is one of those memories. As Blue struggles to piece together her history, she is torn between her desire to know why she would do something so drastic and her fear of what she will find.

Remember Me is the bold and beautiful story of a girl who must find the courage to face the demons of her past and reclaim her loved ones—even if it ruins her.

This was a different and interesting read. It’s starts off with Blue heading to school. Yet something feels off. She finds a note and has no clue who could have written it. From there the story progresses as Blue sets out to find out what happened to her. My heart did hurt for her. There’s a lot of heavy moments. If only it were that simple to simply forget. While there’s a lot of deep scenes, there’s some lighter ones which gives you a sense of hope. Like the sun coming out after a cloudy day. 

After finishing, I took some time to sort out my feelings. On one hand, I enjoyed it. There’s a really good twist and of course that ending. On the other hand, I had mixed feelings on how certain things played out for Blue. I won’t spoil anything. All I have to say is read it for yourself. I give this 3 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Review

The Sister-in-Law: A Novel by Pamela Crane – My Review

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Title: The Sister-in-Law: A Novel

Author: Pamela Crane

Release Date: August 10th 2021

Genre: Domestic Thrillers

From the USA Today bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a gripping story about the frailty of family and a battle of wills between a wife and a sister-in-law, bent on revenge.

She stole my husband. So I’d steal her life.

The Wife
Lane won Candace’s heart over chocolate martinis and karaoke. But weeks into their whirlwind marriage, Candace realized Lane came with burdensome baggage in the form of his possessive live-in sister and her eerily watchful six-year-old son. Lane had a secret that seemed to hold him hostage, and Candace would do anything to uncover it.

The Sister-in-Law
Harper was the kind of woman who cooked homemade meals and dusted under the furniture. It was the least she could do for her brother after her husband’s mysterious death, and Lane took her and her kids in. Then Candace showed up like a tornado passing through, threatening and destructive. But Harper had other plans for her new “sister,” plans Lane could never find out about.

The Husband
All Lane had ever wanted was a white-picket-fence life. The wife. The two-point-five kids. The happy little family. Everything seemed to be falling into place with Candace … until Harper’s jealous streak got in the way, again. But choosing between his sister and wife would be costly … and knowing Harper, the price would be blood.

I really needed to reflect after finishing this book. I was trying to sort how I felt about it. I’ll start with the issues I had. The characters, none of them likable. While some of them had experiences I could relate it, I found it hard to connect and even feel for any of them. The back and forth between certain characters was exhausting. I felt like jumping in there and putting them in a time out. I have mixed feelings on the twist. I saw it coming and then hoped I was wrong. I felt like it could have been executed a bit better but I didn’t hate it.

The story is entertaining. Some of the flashbacks gave me insight to certain characters. The writing is good. The author was able to bring out some strong emotions from me. Mostly anger and sadness because.…you’ll have to read the book to find out. I did like that she was able to do that.

As a whole, this book is a good read. Like I mentioned before, it was entertaining. While some of the back and forth made me cringe, I kept reading because I wanted more. I had to see it through to the end. If you’re a fan of thrillers, check this one out. I give this 3 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Review

A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel (Sunshine Vicram Book 2) by Darynda Jones – My Review

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Title: A Good Day for Chardonnay: A Novel (Sunshine Vicram Book 2)

Author: Darynda Jones

Release Date: July 27th 2021

Genre: Mystery

From the New York Times bestselling author Darynda Jones comes the second novel in her laugh-out-loud Sunshine Vicram mystery series, A Good Day for Chardonnay.

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff—and even fuller-time coffee guzzler—Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

I love the Sunshine Vicram series! It’s addicting and I’m totally hooked.

The mystery continues as Sunshine searches for answers to her past. She’s also solving a new case that seems to have more than meets the eye. We also get more of Levi Ravinder! He’s totally book boyfriend material. I love the chemistry and the push and pull between Sunshine and Levi. There’s a lot of snark between the characters which is funny cause I love a good snark. However, at times it was a bit too much. The beginning is slow going. Which I now know is how these books will go. Once it gets going, there’s no putting the book down. Twists I didn’t see coming and that ending! Whyyyy!! I need the next book asap!

This book has it all! Suspense, snark, book boyfriend material, and murder. Start this series today! You’ll be entertained and falling in love with a new series. I give this 4 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Coming Soon · Pre-Order · Review

The Golden Couple: A Novel by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – My Review

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Title: The Golden Couple: A Novel

Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Release Date: March 8th 2022

Genre: Domestic Thrillers

Wealthy Washington suburbanites Marissa and Matthew Bishop seem to have it all—until Marissa is unfaithful. Beneath their veneer of perfection is a relationship riven by work and a lack of intimacy. She wants to repair things for the sake of their eight-year-old son and because she loves her husband. Enter Avery Chambers.

Avery is a therapist who lost her professional license. Still, it doesn’t stop her from counseling those in crisis, though they have to adhere to her unorthodox methods. And the Bishops are desperate.
When they glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.

You’ve seen those couples. You know which ones I’m talking about. The ones who have the perfect life. Or so it seems…..

I never really know what to expect when I pick up a Hendricks/Pekkanen book. I was intrigued by the description and was excited to dive in. The story begins and you meet the characters. Right off the bat, I don’t like any of them. I know I’m supposed to feel that way but I couldn’t help feeling irked. Yet it’s not enough to turn me off from the book. More like, let’s see where this is going. The story unravels lots of suspense and turns. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, it’s a dead end. LOVED THAT! What an ending! Totally satisfying. It felt like the sun came out after being hidden by the clouds. Very nice.

This is a great read! You have suspense and that thrilling feeling like something bad is going to happen but you’ll get all your answers. I highly recommend this book! I give it 4 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

Review

The Anatomy of Desire: A Novel by L.R. Dorn – My Review

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Title: The Anatomy of Desire: A Novel

Author: L.R. Dorn

Release Date: May 11th 2021

Genre: Thrillers, LGBTQ+

A Publishers Weekly Best Mystery/Thriller of 2021

For fans of riveting true crime docuseries a la Serial and Making a Murderer, The Anatomy of Desire is a modern tale of crime and punishment exploring unbridled ambition, blinding passion, and the dark side of desire

Ambition. Passion. Betrayal. Murder?

Claire Griffith has it all, a thriving career, a gorgeous boyfriend, glamorous friends. She always knew she was destined for more than the life her conservative parents preached to her. Arriving in Los Angeles flat broke, she has risen to become a popular fitness coach and social media influencer. Having rebranded herself as Cleo Ray, she stands at the threshold of realizing her biggest dreams.

One summer day, Cleo and a woman named Beck Alden set off in a canoe on a serene mountain lake. An hour later, Beck is found dead in the water and Cleo is missing. Authorities suspect foul play, and news of Cleo’s involvement goes viral. Who was Beck? An infatuated follower? Were she and Cleo friends or lovers? Was Beck’s death an accident . . . or murder?

Told in the form of an immersive investigative docuseries, L. R. Dorn’s brilliant reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s classic crime drama, An American Tragedy, captures the urgency and poignance of the original and rekindles it as a very contemporary and utterly mesmerizing page-turner that will keep you guessing… Did she or didn’t she?

This story seemed to check most of my boxes. Murder, check. Dark side, check. Let’s get started. Right away I noticed how the book would be told. Documentary style, which took some getting used to. Two people go out in a canoe and only one comes back, alive. The story was interesting even though it had a lot of lull scenes. Despite that, it kept me reading more. Cleo Ray wasn’t a likable character to me. In fact, I thought she was horrible. We keep bouncing between did she really do it to who could have done it? As the story progressed, I found myself getting bored. I reached a point where I didn’t care who had done. The ending fell flat. There wasn’t any surprise or wow factor and I was disappointed.

The story is an okay read. I expected more and it’s most likely my fault for being disappointed. I recommend checking out this book for yourself. It may be the read for you! I give this two stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

New Release · Review

Mother May I: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson – My Review

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Title: Mother May I: A Novel

Author: Joshilyn Jackson

Release Date: April 6th 2021

Genre: Domestic Thrillers

The New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Never Have I Ever returns with an even more addictive novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves—an unforgettable tale of power, privilege, lies, revenge, and the choices we make, ones that transform our lives in unforeseen ways.

Revenge doesn’t wait for permission.

Growing up poor in rural Georgia, Bree Cabbat was warned that the world was a dark and scary place. Bree rejected that fearful outlook, and life has proved her right. Having married into a family with wealth, power, and connections, Bree now has all a woman could ever dream of.

Until the day she awakens and sees someone peering into her bedroom window—an old gray-haired woman dressed all in black who vanishes as quickly as she appears. It must be a play of the early morning light or the remnant of a waking dream, Bree tells herself, shaking off the bad feeling that overcomes her.

Later that day though, she spies the old woman again, in the parking lot of her daugh­ters’ private school . . . just minutes before Bree’s infant son, asleep in his car seat only a few feet away, vanishes. It happened so quickly—Bree looked away only for a second. There is a note left in his place, warning her that she is being is being watched; if she wants her baby back, she must not call the police or deviate in any way from the instructions that will follow.

The mysterious woman makes contact, and Bree learns she, too, is a mother. Why would another mother do this? What does she want? And why has she targeted Bree? Of course Bree will pay anything, do anything. It’s her child.

To get her baby back, Bree must complete one small—but critical—task. It seems harmless enough, but her action comes with a devastating price.

Bree will do whatever it takes to protect her family—but what if the cost tears their world apart?

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I have mixed feelings about this book. Some parts were good and twisted, which made my little black heart happy. Then on the other hand, some parts were just…not that good. I could see where the author wanted to go with it. There were some pretty good twists in there. One I didn’t see coming! Which had me saying OMG! Despite having one of twists that were really good, the rest sort of fell flat for me. I wanted to like this story more than I did. 

This is my first Joshlyn Jackson book and putting my feelings for this book aside, I will check out other works by her. Her writing is good and I enjoyed the story. I give this 3 stars.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*

New Release · Review

The Darkest Glare: A True Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles by Chip Jacobs – My Review

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Title: The Darkest Glare: A True Story of Murder, Blackmail, and Real Estate Greed in 1979 Los Angeles

Author: Chip Jacobs

Release Date: March 9th 2021

Genre: True Crime

Late-seventies Los Angeles was rampant with killers and shady characters, but all the go-getters at Space Matters saw was possibility. Richard Kasparov was handsome and charismatic; his younger associate, Jerry Schneiderman, brilliant and nerdy. When the pair hired a veteran contractor to oversee construction, the space planning firm they operated out of a hip mansion in LA’s Miracle Mile district appeared poised to transform the boundless skyline into their jackpot.

After the promising team imploded, however, the orderly lines on their blueprints succumbed to treachery and secrets. To get even, one of the ex-partners launched a murder-for-profit corporation using, among other peculiar sorts, a bantam-sized epileptic with a deadeye shot and a cross-dressing sidekick. The hapless criminals required a comical number of attempts to execute their first target. Once they did, on a rainy night in the San Fernando Valley, the surviving founder of Space Matters was thrown into a pressure cooker existence out of a Coen Brothers movie. Threatened for money he didn’t have, he donned a disguise, survived a heart-pounding encounter at the La Brea Tar Pits, and relied on an ex-Israeli mercenary for protection. In the end, he had to outfox a glowering murderer, while asking if you can ever really know anyone in a town where dirty deals send men to their graves.

In The Darkest Glare, Chip Jacobs recounts a spectacular, noir-ish, true-crime saga from one of the deadliest eras in American history. You’ll never gaze out windows into the dark again.

Included as a bonus is an original true crime short from the same unhinged era. In “Paul & Chuck,” a flashy, crusading attorney wages war against the messianic leader of a bloodthirsty cult determined to teach the world to stay away.

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I love me some true crime. Love it! I was excited to read The Darkest Glare. I hadn’t heard of this case before and was very interested in learning more. The story read like a script. A script for a like television series. I kept seeing episodes in my head. The author has a different story telling style and it took me awhile to get used to it. A lot of information and people are thrown at you. At times I had trouble keeping track of who was who. I admit, the level of evilness that went into everything that occurred is disturbing. I appreciate the author’s attention to detail. I felt transported to a different time and era. 

The crimes committed were both senseless and disturbing. The author takes you from beginning to the very end. All those twists and turns made for a pretty good read. I give this 3 stars. 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion*