The Last Witch
C.J. Cooke has cast her spell on me with her wonderful and beautiful writing of The Last Witch! Once I was bewitched, I had a hard time putting this gripping, mesmerizing, chilling, dark, chilling, and atmospheric book down! This is the 5th book I have read by C.J. Cooke, and I can’t wait to read more of her addictive, thought provoking and beautifully written books. The Last Witch transported me to a time where women had no rights. They were considered the property of their fathers and then their husbands. They were considered to be the weaker sex and yet they were feared. Or shall I say, whomever was accused of being a witch was feared! It was a time where anyone could accuse someone else of being a witch and the accused person would be whisked away, tortured, and tried for performing witchcraft. While Helena is imprisoned with the other woman, another woman accused shows a cursed witch totem she smuggled in, a ghostly presence is seen and experienced. Helena Scheuberin is accused of being a witch and taken from her life of luxury to a life chained up with other women and plunged into a world of darkness, pain, devastating loss, and horrific conditions. Father Kramer has made it his mission to rid the world of witches, and he will not be deterred in his mission. This book was dripping with atmosphere, tension, dread, and danger. I found this book to be not only gripping but thought provoking as well. I was appalled at those who so easily accused others of being witches and how people came out in droves to watch the trials, torture, and executions of the women. I was angered at the evil men who abused their power and hid behind their religious cloaks. I also couldn’t help but wonder, why no one alive during the witch trials wondered why the accused witches didn’t use their powers to free themselves? They were accused of causing crops to fail, children to die, and using all kinds of magic. If they could do all of that then surely, they could free themselves or use some magic to get free. Was that question ever raised???? I couldn’t help but be angered by the injustice of it all. Outspoken women, those who used herbs, widowed women, or women who walked to their own beat, were tragically killed for being ‘witches’. Where did the true evil lie? Not in the innocent women and children who were put to death but in those who pointed their fingers in those women’s direction and by the power hungry and evil men who tortured and killed in the name of God. C.J. Cooke did a tremendous job of setting the scene. Her beautiful and vivid descriptions had me feeling as if I was right there amongst the women as they tried to survive. I applaud C.J. Cooke for creating characters that I cared for and characters I loathed. It is obvious that she did a tremendous amount of research, and it paid off with this incredible book. Beautifully written, dark, atmospheric, thought provoking and hard to put down! If you have not read a book by C.J. Cooke, do yourself a favor and put this one on your reading list. Highly Recommend. Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins 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.
Well, Actually
Well, Actually I found this book to be enjoyable second chance romance book about featuring two characters who dated in college and reconnect when one calls out the on air over their past relationship. Eva Kitt, the host of Sausage Talk, who interviews B-list celebrities, and you guessed it, hot dogs are involved. When she calls out Rylie Cooper, her college ex-boyfriend who is now a social media darling on air about their past college relationship, she gets quite a bit of attention. She also gets Rylie’s attention. Rylie has made a name for himself by talking about toxic masculinity, offers to take her out on a series of dates where they can talk about their past relationship. Eva takes him up on the offer…. Ava and Rylie has fun and interesting banter. While Rylie tries to wind Ava over, she sticks to her guns, but how long can she be stoic and not get sucked in by Rylie’s charms? Ava is full of spunk, sarcasm, and sass. Rylie is charismatic, fun, lighthearted, and charming. As with Mazey Eddings other books, this book is full of charm, wit, great banter, fun situations, sexy scenes, and interesting characters. I liked that both characters had things to work on and there is individual growth as well as growth as a couple. With romance, it is all about the journey for me and this was a light, fun, and interesting one! This is the fourth book that I have read by Mazey Eddings, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!
Departure 37
“Do Not Fly” that is the message that pilots received from their mothers in the middle of the night! The interesting part is their mothers do not remember making the calls and even some of the mothers who called were deceased. The pilots don’t fly but readers should fly to pick up Departure 37 by Scott Carson! I don’t know how to really give a synopsis of the novel without giving away the farm so to speak, so I will speak on what I enjoyed. This was such a well thought out, gripping, and thought-provoking book told in two timelines. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. What drew me was horror meets coming of age. This, for me was more horrific than horror. It was also a merging of historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, government secrets, etc. Basically, it has a lot of elements of many genres. This one kept me turning the pages and wanting to know all the ifs, what’s, and whys of the book. Several reviewers are mentioning the twilight zone in their reviews, and I agree with them. What happens when planes are grounded? What happens when a discover is made? What happened in the past, the military secrets, the tests, cold war tensions, bomb making, etc. The characters are interesting and well-rounded/fleshed out. I enjoyed reading and wondering how everything was going to come together. If you are a fan of science fiction, coming of age and historical fiction, this just might be the book for you! Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler 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.
The Locked Ward
The crime of the decade! Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted when she was a baby, is in The Locked Ward of a psychiatric institution for killing the biological daughter of her family. While she awaits trial, she tells her estranged sister, Amanda, that she did not do it! All is not cut and dry in The Locked Ward. There are long lost twins, who have just been reunited by tragedy, secrets, lies, and power, and tension. This book moved at a nice rate, and I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it. It did have some intruding characters, and I never quite knew what was going to happen next! Having said that, this book didn’t quite hit the spot for me as the author’s previous books. I had very high hopes for this book and thought it would be a slam dunk. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it was missing to make my rating higher, but I do have to give it high marks for the well thought out plot. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. 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.
Whose Side Are You On?
Holy Moly, this book put me and the characters through the ringer! Whose Side Are You On? A gripping emotional page-turner full of family secrets is equal parts gripping, thought provoking, and emotional. Whew! This book had me wondering ‘just how much can one person take?” Man, many scenes where like gut punches to the heart and I loved every second of it! Jackie and Phillipa have been best friends forever. They have been there for each other though the ups, downs, births and all the family events in-between. When Phillipa and her husband, Andrew, get divorced, Jackie is there for Phillipa. They are friends after all, and nothing can come between them. Jackie had no idea just how much things were going to change until she and her husband stopped by their daughter, Scarlett’s home and find her there with Andrew! Talk about a shocker! Her daughter is in a relationship with her best friend’s ex-husband! Talk about Awkward!!!! Her daughter tells her that they are in love while Jackie and her husband are shocked beyond belief! They have been friends with Andrew throughout his marriage to Phillipa. Andrew has seen Scarlett grow up and Scarlett is best friends with daughter. Talk about messy! This is such an uncomfortable moment, and the author did a great job showing the discomfort, shock, and disbelief of Jackie and her husband. Whose Side Are You On? A gripping emotional page-turner full of family secrets took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions! I felt for every single character in this book. Man, talk about a messy situation full of likeable characters. I felt the author did a fabulous job of showing how each character was affected and how they reacted. The reactions felt real, and I could understand where each character was coming from. The characters are put in uncomfortable situations, their loyalties and relationships are tested, emotions are raw, tensions are high, and choices will be made. What an emotional and gripping book! I had a hard time putting this book down as I was fully invested in the characters and their lives. This is a great book for book clubs as there is so much to discuss in this riveting book. Wonderfully written, well thought out, thought provoking, moving and hard to put down! This is the second book I have read by Kerry Fisher, and I look forward to reading more of this author’s books in the future. Thank you to Bookouture 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.
Adrift
Dark, gripping, chilling, thought provoking and hard to put down! Adrift left me afloat in isolation, sadness, despair, and pain. Will Dean’s latest book, Adrift depicts a mother and son (Peggy and Samson) who are dealing with daily gaslighting, control, abuse, manipulation, and lies. I had a hard time putting this down, while rooting for Peggy and Samson, and hoping that Drew would go float his own boat and leave them alone! This book deals with heavy and triggering subjects such as loneliness, bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, control, mental health, manipulation, and controlling behavior. Peggy and her teenage son, Samson tiptoe around their canal boat, as Drew needs total silence while he writes his next literary hit! He and Peggy are both writers, but it is Drew who had success with it in the past. Now the family live on a canal boat while Drew dictates their lives. Peggy works at a local library, and it is her one safe place. She enjoys her work there and her co-workers are supportive and encouraging of her love of books and writing. It it there where she writes a book that has garnered some interest. Samson is a scholarship student at a local school. He is skinny, perhaps malnourished, and is bullied day in and day out. As Drew continues to gaslight, control, sabotage, and manipulate Peggy and Samson, I found myself feeling many emotions. I felt for both Peggy and Samson while also being amazed at their quiet strength and survival skills. I wanted to give both a hug and encourage them to get out. As the book progresses, there are unexpected events happening around and to them. Will Dean has created fully fleshed out characters that readers will be moved by – either in a positive or negative way depending on the character. This book was well thought out, dark, rippling with tension and dread. I kept wondering how much more can these characters take? Will Dean did a fantastic job of creating characters readers will care about in Peggy and Samson. I was drawn into their world as a silent observer and hurt for them. I was appalled by Drew’s behavior and thought Will Dean did a tremendous job with showing us how one individual can wreck such havoc in the lives of others. This is not an easy book to read but at the same time, I did not want to put it down as I was glued to the pages wanting to know what would happen next. Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, gripping and hard to put down! Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler 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.
The Last Witch
C.J. Cooke has cast her spell on me with her wonderful and beautiful writing of The Last Witch! Once I was bewitched, I had a hard time putting this gripping, mesmerizing, chilling, dark, chilling, and atmospheric book down! This is the 5th book I have read by C.J. Cooke, and I can’t wait to read more of her addictive, thought provoking and beautifully written books. The Last Witch transported me to a time where women had no rights. They were considered the property of their fathers and then their husbands. They were considered to be the weaker sex and yet they were feared. Or shall I say, whomever was accused of being a witch was feared! It was a time where anyone could accuse someone else of being a witch and the accused person would be whisked away, tortured, and tried for performing witchcraft. While Helena is imprisoned with the other woman, another woman accused shows a cursed witch totem she smuggled in, a ghostly presence is seen and experienced. Helena Scheuberin is accused of being a witch and taken from her life of luxury to a life chained up with other women and plunged into a world of darkness, pain, devastating loss, and horrific conditions. Father Kramer has made it his mission to rid the world of witches, and he will not be deterred in his mission. This book was dripping with atmosphere, tension, dread, and danger. I found this book to be not only gripping but thought provoking as well. I was appalled at those who so easily accused others of being witches and how people came out in droves to watch the trials, torture, and executions of the women. I was angered at the evil men who abused their power and hid behind their religious cloaks. I also couldn’t help but wonder, why no one alive during the witch trials wondered why the accused witches didn’t use their powers to free themselves? They were accused of causing crops to fail, children to die, and using all kinds of magic. If they could do all of that then surely, they could free themselves or use some magic to get free. Was that question ever raised???? I couldn’t help but be angered by the injustice of it all. Outspoken women, those who used herbs, widowed women, or women who walked to their own beat, were tragically killed for being ‘witches’. Where did the true evil lie? Not in the innocent women and children who were put to death but in those who pointed their fingers in those women’s direction and by the power hungry and evil men who tortured and killed in the name of God. C.J. Cooke did a tremendous job of setting the scene. Her beautiful and vivid descriptions had me feeling as if I was right there amongst the women as they tried to survive. I applaud C.J. Cooke for creating characters that I cared for and characters I loathed. It is obvious that she did a tremendous amount of research, and it paid off with this incredible book. Beautifully written, dark, atmospheric, thought provoking and hard to put down! If you have not read a book by C.J. Cooke, do yourself a favor and put this one on your reading list. Highly Recommend. Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperCollins 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.
Well, Actually
Well, Actually I found this book to be enjoyable second chance romance book about featuring two characters who dated in college and reconnect when one calls out the on air over their past relationship. Eva Kitt, the host of Sausage Talk, who interviews B-list celebrities, and you guessed it, hot dogs are involved. When she calls out Rylie Cooper, her college ex-boyfriend who is now a social media darling on air about their past college relationship, she gets quite a bit of attention. She also gets Rylie’s attention. Rylie has made a name for himself by talking about toxic masculinity, offers to take her out on a series of dates where they can talk about their past relationship. Eva takes him up on the offer…. Ava and Rylie has fun and interesting banter. While Rylie tries to wind Ava over, she sticks to her guns, but how long can she be stoic and not get sucked in by Rylie’s charms? Ava is full of spunk, sarcasm, and sass. Rylie is charismatic, fun, lighthearted, and charming. As with Mazey Eddings other books, this book is full of charm, wit, great banter, fun situations, sexy scenes, and interesting characters. I liked that both characters had things to work on and there is individual growth as well as growth as a couple. With romance, it is all about the journey for me and this was a light, fun, and interesting one! This is the fourth book that I have read by Mazey Eddings, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!
Departure 37
“Do Not Fly” that is the message that pilots received from their mothers in the middle of the night! The interesting part is their mothers do not remember making the calls and even some of the mothers who called were deceased. The pilots don’t fly but readers should fly to pick up Departure 37 by Scott Carson! I don’t know how to really give a synopsis of the novel without giving away the farm so to speak, so I will speak on what I enjoyed. This was such a well thought out, gripping, and thought-provoking book told in two timelines. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. What drew me was horror meets coming of age. This, for me was more horrific than horror. It was also a merging of historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, government secrets, etc. Basically, it has a lot of elements of many genres. This one kept me turning the pages and wanting to know all the ifs, what’s, and whys of the book. Several reviewers are mentioning the twilight zone in their reviews, and I agree with them. What happens when planes are grounded? What happens when a discover is made? What happened in the past, the military secrets, the tests, cold war tensions, bomb making, etc. The characters are interesting and well-rounded/fleshed out. I enjoyed reading and wondering how everything was going to come together. If you are a fan of science fiction, coming of age and historical fiction, this just might be the book for you! Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler 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.
The Locked Ward
The crime of the decade! Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted when she was a baby, is in The Locked Ward of a psychiatric institution for killing the biological daughter of her family. While she awaits trial, she tells her estranged sister, Amanda, that she did not do it! All is not cut and dry in The Locked Ward. There are long lost twins, who have just been reunited by tragedy, secrets, lies, and power, and tension. This book moved at a nice rate, and I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. While I enjoyed this book, I didn’t love it. It did have some intruding characters, and I never quite knew what was going to happen next! Having said that, this book didn’t quite hit the spot for me as the author’s previous books. I had very high hopes for this book and thought it would be a slam dunk. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what it was missing to make my rating higher, but I do have to give it high marks for the well thought out plot. Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. 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.
Whose Side Are You On?
Holy Moly, this book put me and the characters through the ringer! Whose Side Are You On? A gripping emotional page-turner full of family secrets is equal parts gripping, thought provoking, and emotional. Whew! This book had me wondering ‘just how much can one person take?” Man, many scenes where like gut punches to the heart and I loved every second of it! Jackie and Phillipa have been best friends forever. They have been there for each other though the ups, downs, births and all the family events in-between. When Phillipa and her husband, Andrew, get divorced, Jackie is there for Phillipa. They are friends after all, and nothing can come between them. Jackie had no idea just how much things were going to change until she and her husband stopped by their daughter, Scarlett’s home and find her there with Andrew! Talk about a shocker! Her daughter is in a relationship with her best friend’s ex-husband! Talk about Awkward!!!! Her daughter tells her that they are in love while Jackie and her husband are shocked beyond belief! They have been friends with Andrew throughout his marriage to Phillipa. Andrew has seen Scarlett grow up and Scarlett is best friends with daughter. Talk about messy! This is such an uncomfortable moment, and the author did a great job showing the discomfort, shock, and disbelief of Jackie and her husband. Whose Side Are You On? A gripping emotional page-turner full of family secrets took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions! I felt for every single character in this book. Man, talk about a messy situation full of likeable characters. I felt the author did a fabulous job of showing how each character was affected and how they reacted. The reactions felt real, and I could understand where each character was coming from. The characters are put in uncomfortable situations, their loyalties and relationships are tested, emotions are raw, tensions are high, and choices will be made. What an emotional and gripping book! I had a hard time putting this book down as I was fully invested in the characters and their lives. This is a great book for book clubs as there is so much to discuss in this riveting book. Wonderfully written, well thought out, thought provoking, moving and hard to put down! This is the second book I have read by Kerry Fisher, and I look forward to reading more of this author’s books in the future. Thank you to Bookouture 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.
Adrift
Dark, gripping, chilling, thought provoking and hard to put down! Adrift left me afloat in isolation, sadness, despair, and pain. Will Dean’s latest book, Adrift depicts a mother and son (Peggy and Samson) who are dealing with daily gaslighting, control, abuse, manipulation, and lies. I had a hard time putting this down, while rooting for Peggy and Samson, and hoping that Drew would go float his own boat and leave them alone! This book deals with heavy and triggering subjects such as loneliness, bullying, gaslighting, emotional abuse, control, mental health, manipulation, and controlling behavior. Peggy and her teenage son, Samson tiptoe around their canal boat, as Drew needs total silence while he writes his next literary hit! He and Peggy are both writers, but it is Drew who had success with it in the past. Now the family live on a canal boat while Drew dictates their lives. Peggy works at a local library, and it is her one safe place. She enjoys her work there and her co-workers are supportive and encouraging of her love of books and writing. It it there where she writes a book that has garnered some interest. Samson is a scholarship student at a local school. He is skinny, perhaps malnourished, and is bullied day in and day out. As Drew continues to gaslight, control, sabotage, and manipulate Peggy and Samson, I found myself feeling many emotions. I felt for both Peggy and Samson while also being amazed at their quiet strength and survival skills. I wanted to give both a hug and encourage them to get out. As the book progresses, there are unexpected events happening around and to them. Will Dean has created fully fleshed out characters that readers will be moved by – either in a positive or negative way depending on the character. This book was well thought out, dark, rippling with tension and dread. I kept wondering how much more can these characters take? Will Dean did a fantastic job of creating characters readers will care about in Peggy and Samson. I was drawn into their world as a silent observer and hurt for them. I was appalled by Drew’s behavior and thought Will Dean did a tremendous job with showing us how one individual can wreck such havoc in the lives of others. This is not an easy book to read but at the same time, I did not want to put it down as I was glued to the pages wanting to know what would happen next. Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, gripping and hard to put down! Thank you to Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler 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.
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