The Righteous
Well written, well thought out, moving, and informative historical work of fiction about Hungarian Jews and their plight during the holocaust. So many were killed, so many were lost, so many lives cut short, so many tales to tell. The Righteous is set during World War II in Budapest. It tells the tale of loss, of survival, of betrayal, of hope, of heroism. This book is about efforts made to save as many lives as possible. While this is a moving story, it also felt like a history lesson. The author used his characters to tell the history of what happened in Hungary during the war. I felt for the characters, rooted for them, learned some history, and was moved. I enjoy books that not only teach me things but also cause me to feel strong emotions. This book did just that. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
You Did Nothing Wrong
Dark, unsettling, atmospheric, and eerie, You Did Nothing Wrong will leave you feeling haunted for days! I loved how this book dripped with unease, dread, danger, and tension. I also loved how this book kept me guessing about whether the house was haunted, whether the inhabitants were haunted or if something else entirely was going on. Elodie is a single mother of Jude, her autistic son, and feels that life is finally going her way. She has met and married Bren, and he moved she and her son into the home he is renovating. Elodie and Bren have a baby on the way, and things are looking up. But soon Jude begins telling Elodie things; strange things, bizarre things, creepy things, and things that raise the hair on the back of Elodie’s neck. Jude tells her the house doesn’t like the renovations and that he can hear voices in the walls. This book was a wild and eerie ride. I loved not fully knowing what was going on in this book. I loved that I couldn’t grasp what was happening. Is the house haunted? Is Jude making things up? Old houses do creak and settle. The sounds can be unsettling to an adult. Is this what Jude is hearing or is he hearing something much worse????But wait, Elodie can hear things now too!!!! What is happening?????? Whew! So creepy, so well thought out, so brilliantly written, and so hard to put down! I loved the tension, the dread, the unease, the darkness, and the atmosphere in this book. Plus, I kept wondering who was a reliable character in this book and who was an unreliable character. What a brilliant, haunted house book. This book tackles a couple of themes: motherhood, relationships, past and present trauma, etc. I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a fantastic reading experience! I thought the audiobook was very well done and Saskia Maarleveld, the narrator, did a great job bringing the book to life. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Anatomy of an Alibi
Anatomy of an Alibi is a twist filled whodunit which will keep readers on their toes! This book centers on two women, a dead husband, an alibi, and an old mystery. This book is full of secrets, deception, and how lives were altered by a tragedy in the past. Everyone at the bar noticed the striking woman who came in and ordered a negroni. Camille Bayliss always makes a unforgettable impression except the woman in the bar was not Camille but Aubrey Price. Camille believes her husband Ben has been keeping secrets from her for years. He is a hot shot attorney who keeps a very close eye on Camille. Aubrey had her life changed forever by an event in the past, and she believes that Ben knows something about it. Two women, one man, one big secret! This was an interesting book which took several twists and turns until it reached its shocking reveal. I thought I would enjoy this one much more than I did. There is nothing wrong with the book. I found it to be well thought out and moved at a nice pace. It was just lacking that little bit of something that would have me fully invested in the plot. I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters but still found the book to be enjoyable. Many enjoyed this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wildewood
Who says you can never go home again?????? Wildewood is a gripping, thrilling, gothic, atmospheric, fantasy romance which delivered on many levels. Alex de Wildes comes from a cursed family. When her twin brother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is the very last of the de Wildes. Alex travels to her ancestral home of Wildewood, hoping to sell it and be finally done with it. When she arrives at her childhood home, she meets Nick, the super handsome groundskeeper, who was also her brother’s best friend, is trying to stop her from selling. Not everything is as it seems in the house. Alex can’t shake the shadows, and the sense that something isn’t quite right. The home has a dark history that Alex must come to terms with. I enjoyed the tension, the suspense, the vivid descriptions, and the eerie and creepy vibe of this book. As the book progresses, so does the chemistry between Alex and Nick. But chemistry is not the only thing building in this book; dread, danger, and shocking reveals are building as well. It’s all about the journey for me with romance books, and the journey in this book is laced with darkness, lust, and awakenings. I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a wonderful reading experience. I found the audiobook to be very well done with terrific narration. Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, and eerie, Wildewood will leave you feeling haunted, thrilled, and wanting more! Thank you to Bookouture Audio , Second Sky Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
House of Splinters
Gripping, haunting, chilling, dripping with atmosphere and creepy vibes, Laura Purcell once again delivers with House of Splinters. As with her previous books, House of Splinters is beautifully written, well thought out, dark, and brooding. I loved the setting, the eerie vibe, the foreboding, and the sense of dread which jumped off the pages! If you loved the author’s book The Silent Companions, you will want to get your hands and eyes on this book!!!! Belinda Bainbridge and her husband, Wilfred, move to his family home when his father dies at The Bridge. Belinda will now be a lady of a manor. She is pleased to be moving away from her mother and into her own home. Unfortunately, the estate is struggling financially. The villagers whisper about the estate and Freddy; their young son is saying strange things and seems obsessed with the silent companions (wooden figures) once owned by her husband’s family. Belinda feels unsettled in the home and when their daughter is born and Wilfred’s younger brother, Nathan, makes an appearance, things begin to look and feel more dire and more tense. Laura Purcell knows how to write a Gothic, eerie, and dark book which is equal parts chilling and thrilling. I could feel Belinda’s unease dripping from the pages. This book is also full of family secrets, dread, danger, and unease. She also did an amazing job with the vivid descriptions while creating the setting which oozed tension and danger. I could feel the something-isn’t-quite-right vibe from the very beginning of the book. There were times I wanted to yell at the characters to look out, to get out, to be safe, to make better choices, and to listen to their intuition. I felt as if I were a silent observer (not to be confused with a silent companion) in the home with all the characters. This book definitely got my pulse pounding and my finger turning the pages. Dark, unsettling, creepy, beautifully written, perfectly paced, and hard to put down. The Silent Companions delivers the chills, thrills, while haunting readers! If you have not read a book by Laura Purcell before, you are missing out!!!!! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them
Informative, eye-opening, educational, interesting, and, at times, humorous, 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them was a captivating book. Ashely Alker, M.D., is an emergency room doctor who has seen it all, experienced it all, and written about it in this book. I enjoyed the chapters and the examples she has provided from her own real-life experience as a doctor. This book was quite engaging and intriguing. I thought a medical book such as this might be dry (boring) but 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them was not! I smiled a few times while reading, chuckled at others while often making a note to self – don’t ride a camel (oops! already done), get rid of old medications, don’t swim in certain places, avoid ticks (who really wants to encounter one?), beware of parasites, bacteria, infections, mother nature, and a boat load of other things! I enjoyed how she wrote most things in lay man’s terms, and this book was an easy read for a non-medical reader. Overall, this was an intriguing book which educated and entertained. The author does not make light of death but uses her humor in describing some situations and experiences which are written about in this book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Righteous
Well written, well thought out, moving, and informative historical work of fiction about Hungarian Jews and their plight during the holocaust. So many were killed, so many were lost, so many lives cut short, so many tales to tell. The Righteous is set during World War II in Budapest. It tells the tale of loss, of survival, of betrayal, of hope, of heroism. This book is about efforts made to save as many lives as possible. While this is a moving story, it also felt like a history lesson. The author used his characters to tell the history of what happened in Hungary during the war. I felt for the characters, rooted for them, learned some history, and was moved. I enjoy books that not only teach me things but also cause me to feel strong emotions. This book did just that. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
You Did Nothing Wrong
Dark, unsettling, atmospheric, and eerie, You Did Nothing Wrong will leave you feeling haunted for days! I loved how this book dripped with unease, dread, danger, and tension. I also loved how this book kept me guessing about whether the house was haunted, whether the inhabitants were haunted or if something else entirely was going on. Elodie is a single mother of Jude, her autistic son, and feels that life is finally going her way. She has met and married Bren, and he moved she and her son into the home he is renovating. Elodie and Bren have a baby on the way, and things are looking up. But soon Jude begins telling Elodie things; strange things, bizarre things, creepy things, and things that raise the hair on the back of Elodie’s neck. Jude tells her the house doesn’t like the renovations and that he can hear voices in the walls. This book was a wild and eerie ride. I loved not fully knowing what was going on in this book. I loved that I couldn’t grasp what was happening. Is the house haunted? Is Jude making things up? Old houses do creak and settle. The sounds can be unsettling to an adult. Is this what Jude is hearing or is he hearing something much worse????But wait, Elodie can hear things now too!!!! What is happening?????? Whew! So creepy, so well thought out, so brilliantly written, and so hard to put down! I loved the tension, the dread, the unease, the darkness, and the atmosphere in this book. Plus, I kept wondering who was a reliable character in this book and who was an unreliable character. What a brilliant, haunted house book. This book tackles a couple of themes: motherhood, relationships, past and present trauma, etc. I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a fantastic reading experience! I thought the audiobook was very well done and Saskia Maarleveld, the narrator, did a great job bringing the book to life. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Anatomy of an Alibi
Anatomy of an Alibi is a twist filled whodunit which will keep readers on their toes! This book centers on two women, a dead husband, an alibi, and an old mystery. This book is full of secrets, deception, and how lives were altered by a tragedy in the past. Everyone at the bar noticed the striking woman who came in and ordered a negroni. Camille Bayliss always makes a unforgettable impression except the woman in the bar was not Camille but Aubrey Price. Camille believes her husband Ben has been keeping secrets from her for years. He is a hot shot attorney who keeps a very close eye on Camille. Aubrey had her life changed forever by an event in the past, and she believes that Ben knows something about it. Two women, one man, one big secret! This was an interesting book which took several twists and turns until it reached its shocking reveal. I thought I would enjoy this one much more than I did. There is nothing wrong with the book. I found it to be well thought out and moved at a nice pace. It was just lacking that little bit of something that would have me fully invested in the plot. I didn’t quite connect with any of the characters but still found the book to be enjoyable. Many enjoyed this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wildewood
Who says you can never go home again?????? Wildewood is a gripping, thrilling, gothic, atmospheric, fantasy romance which delivered on many levels. Alex de Wildes comes from a cursed family. When her twin brother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is the very last of the de Wildes. Alex travels to her ancestral home of Wildewood, hoping to sell it and be finally done with it. When she arrives at her childhood home, she meets Nick, the super handsome groundskeeper, who was also her brother’s best friend, is trying to stop her from selling. Not everything is as it seems in the house. Alex can’t shake the shadows, and the sense that something isn’t quite right. The home has a dark history that Alex must come to terms with. I enjoyed the tension, the suspense, the vivid descriptions, and the eerie and creepy vibe of this book. As the book progresses, so does the chemistry between Alex and Nick. But chemistry is not the only thing building in this book; dread, danger, and shocking reveals are building as well. It’s all about the journey for me with romance books, and the journey in this book is laced with darkness, lust, and awakenings. I had both the book and the audiobook which made for a wonderful reading experience. I found the audiobook to be very well done with terrific narration. Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, and eerie, Wildewood will leave you feeling haunted, thrilled, and wanting more! Thank you to Bookouture Audio , Second Sky Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
House of Splinters
Gripping, haunting, chilling, dripping with atmosphere and creepy vibes, Laura Purcell once again delivers with House of Splinters. As with her previous books, House of Splinters is beautifully written, well thought out, dark, and brooding. I loved the setting, the eerie vibe, the foreboding, and the sense of dread which jumped off the pages! If you loved the author’s book The Silent Companions, you will want to get your hands and eyes on this book!!!! Belinda Bainbridge and her husband, Wilfred, move to his family home when his father dies at The Bridge. Belinda will now be a lady of a manor. She is pleased to be moving away from her mother and into her own home. Unfortunately, the estate is struggling financially. The villagers whisper about the estate and Freddy; their young son is saying strange things and seems obsessed with the silent companions (wooden figures) once owned by her husband’s family. Belinda feels unsettled in the home and when their daughter is born and Wilfred’s younger brother, Nathan, makes an appearance, things begin to look and feel more dire and more tense. Laura Purcell knows how to write a Gothic, eerie, and dark book which is equal parts chilling and thrilling. I could feel Belinda’s unease dripping from the pages. This book is also full of family secrets, dread, danger, and unease. She also did an amazing job with the vivid descriptions while creating the setting which oozed tension and danger. I could feel the something-isn’t-quite-right vibe from the very beginning of the book. There were times I wanted to yell at the characters to look out, to get out, to be safe, to make better choices, and to listen to their intuition. I felt as if I were a silent observer (not to be confused with a silent companion) in the home with all the characters. This book definitely got my pulse pounding and my finger turning the pages. Dark, unsettling, creepy, beautifully written, perfectly paced, and hard to put down. The Silent Companions delivers the chills, thrills, while haunting readers! If you have not read a book by Laura Purcell before, you are missing out!!!!! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them
Informative, eye-opening, educational, interesting, and, at times, humorous, 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them was a captivating book. Ashely Alker, M.D., is an emergency room doctor who has seen it all, experienced it all, and written about it in this book. I enjoyed the chapters and the examples she has provided from her own real-life experience as a doctor. This book was quite engaging and intriguing. I thought a medical book such as this might be dry (boring) but 99 Ways to Die: And How to Avoid Them was not! I smiled a few times while reading, chuckled at others while often making a note to self – don’t ride a camel (oops! already done), get rid of old medications, don’t swim in certain places, avoid ticks (who really wants to encounter one?), beware of parasites, bacteria, infections, mother nature, and a boat load of other things! I enjoyed how she wrote most things in lay man’s terms, and this book was an easy read for a non-medical reader. Overall, this was an intriguing book which educated and entertained. The author does not make light of death but uses her humor in describing some situations and experiences which are written about in this book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
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