A Magic Deep and Drowning
A reimagining of The Little Mermaid, A Magic Deep and Drowning: A Magical Historical Romance of Love and Betrayal in the Dutch Golden Age is set in 1650 in the Dutch trepublic. I found this book to be creative, well thought out, imaginative and enchanting. A Magic Deep and Drowning: A Magical Historical Romance of Love and Betrayal in the Dutch Golden Age is a wonderful mixing of historical fiction and fantasy. A bargain made long ago between the people of the sea and the land. When deals are not kept, there is a price to be paid!!!! Clara van Wieren is twenty-years old practical young woman. She has her own ideas and goals but unfortunately, she lives in a time where her parents and society dictate how her life will be lived. Her marriage has been arranged to a wealthy man, but before her wedding day she meets Maurits, a handsome and intriguing young man and is drawn to him. He is a unique individual in more ways than one! I found this book to be entertaining, creative, engaging and fun to read. I loved The Little Mermaid, and I am a fan of retellings and reimagining’s, so this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed going under the sea, to the deep dark land of the creatures who live there. I also enjoyed how Clara proved to be a strong female character in a time where society punished women for being strong. She showed both compassion and strength and was a likeable character as was Maurits. This book touches on family, relationships, family obligations/expectations, the environment and romance. I enjoyed Hester Fox’s wonderful writing, her well thought plot, the vivid descriptions, the characters (both likeable and unlikeable), and the plot. This book is quite different from the other books Hester Fox has written, and I enjoyed her historical fantasy romance! This book is getting mixed reviews, but it worked for this reader. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House 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 Unraveling of Julia
Julia Pritzker had suffered a lot of loss in the beginning of this book. First, she lost her adoptive parents, then her husband was murdered. She is grieving when she receives a letter informing her that Emilia Rossi has left her a Tuscan Villa in her will! She does not know Emilia Rossi but as she was adopted, she heads to Italy hoping to get some answers. What she gets is more than she bargained for. Julia learns quite a bit about the woman who left her a villa and as she is coming to terms with everything she is learning, odd things begin to happen. Making things a little easier is meeting a handsome and charming man! I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a very good job of bringing this book to life. This book had several mysteries going on. Julia wants to know who killed her husband, who is behind the strange and odd things that are happening, and the truth about where she comes from. From the description I thought I would enjoy this book much more than I did. There were some slow parts which I wanted to move along a bit faster. While I did enjoy this book, I didn’t love it. The first part of the book was interesting and piqued my interest. The second half was okay, but I found that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had the first half of the book. Even though I was getting answers and there were a few twists, this one fell flat at times. I found it a tad odd that Julia fell for another man while still wearing her wedding ring and grieving her husband. Does it happen. Yes, but her love interest seemed a little too good to be true…. This is one where you must suspend some disbelief and just go with the flow of it. At times this book takes a walk into OTT territory, but overall things do come together nicely. This book does have a supernatural element but it is small and worked nicely. This book touches on grief, astrology, and learning about your origins. I did enjoy how the mysteries unfolded and the resolution. Thank you to Hachette Audio | Grand Central 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.
El Dorado Drive
Sisters, secrets, schemes, finances, and greed set the stage for El Dorado Drive. This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, and I struggle with slow burns. At its core this is a book around money, greed, darkness, deception, and pyramid schemes. The adage ‘be careful what you wish for” and “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is” comes to mind while reading this book. Harper is so down on her luck that she doesn’t know what to do or where to turn. She moves in with her sister, Pam, who has survived a messy and ugly divorce. Harper is shocked to see Pam doing so well. Pam who was also struggling financially, is no longer struggling, in fact, she is doing quite well. How? It’s simple, it all comes down to the Wheel. What? The wheel is a group of women who add money to a pool and one lucky member gets the cash! All you need to do is put your money in, and recruit other women to participate. It’s presented as women helping women. Who doesn’t love that thought? But when Harper is invited to join…… Welp! This one sounded so good to me. I was intrigued by the of women helping women with something going wrong thrown in. I enjoy books with dark elements, and I thought this would be a slam dunk for me. As I mentioned, I struggled with the slowness in the book and feeling for the characters. I also struggled with women being down on their luck with HUGE financial issues, having to come up with money to throw into the mix. If you are so down on your luck that you need to move in with someone, how are you going to come up with the dollar amount needed to be part of the group??? Abbott does address this, but it just didn’t work for me. I did enjoy the family issues and the interactions of Debra, Pam and Harper. While I did have issues with this book, I did find it enjoyable enough to give it 3 stars. I did enjoy the look at greed, drama, betrayal, and schemes. I also enjoyed the twist and mystery in this book. I did find this book to be well thought out, it just didn’t work well for me. I looked back at the other books I have read by Abbott and there have not been many but the highest I have ever rated a book I have read by this author is 3 stars. I just don’t think I am the right reader for this author. Many reviewers enjoyed this more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons 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.
Secret Lives of the Dead
A gripping tale about a family cure, the quest for a relic, and a trail of blood! Tim Lebbon’s Secret Lives of the Dead is about a quest of both Lem and Jodi, two individuals on opposites sides in the pursuit for a relic. They are both obsessed and have their own motives for obtaining the relic and neither is willing to give up. Lem is on a mission to right the wrongs of the past. His family has been cursed, and he is trying to obtain the relics needed to free his bloodline from the curse that has haunted his family for generations. He is brutal and willing to kill whoever gets in his way! Jodi’s father was murdered by Lem, and she is on a collision course of revenge. She knows that Lem is after the last relic and has enlisted her boyfriend and friend to help her break into an abandoned family home in search of the relic. I enjoyed this captivating tale of obsession and revenge. Both Jodi and Lem are fully fleshed out characters and Lebbon did a great job of depicting each’s reasons for their actions. This book is a horrific cat-and-mouse folk horror tale with supernatural elements. This book takes place over a single day and man, does Tim Lebbon put all the character through a lot during that time. I enjoyed the POV’s and the action. I was hoping for more of the supernatural element but otherwise, I enjoyed the quest, the action, the twists, and the obsession. I enjoyed the blending of suspense, mystery, thrills, horror, and supernatural. They were all included effortlessly. Thank you to Titan 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 Memory Watcher
Gripping from the very beginning, I was instantly drawn into the plot, turning the pages, and wondering why don’t I read Minka Kent’s books more often? The synopsis of this book is so intriguing, and I could not wait to get my hands and eyes on it! Talk about addictive! How have I not read this one before! If you want to have your socks knocked off, read The Memory Watcher! Autumn Carpenter is a bit of a voyeur. She loves looking at social media. One might call it an obsession. She particularly enjoys looking at Daphne McMullen’s social media account. Autumn enjoys getting a view into Daphne’s picture-perfect life with her daughter, Grace. You see, Autumn gave away her baby at birth. Looking at Daphne’s pictures gives her glimpses into all the milestones that Grace has met until Gasp Daphne’s social media account disappears! Well, well, well, what do we have here????? Minka Kent has crafted a very well thought out, clever, shocking and fantastic psychological thriller. I loved the secrets, the obsession and of course, the twists! This book is told through the POV of both Autumn and Daphne. This was a very nice touch and added to my enjoyment of this book! If you have not read The Memory Watcher, do yourself a favor and give it a read! You will be happy you did especially if you like psychological thrillers! Thank you to Goodreads and Thomas & Mercer who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Happy Marriage
A Happy Marriage was a fast-paced page turner for me. Secrets and lies are the name of the game in A Happy Marriage. I flew through the pages, wanting to know more about this highly dysfunctional (that is putting it lightly) married couple. Dinah Marino is a L.A. Homicide detective who is married to Dr. Joe Marino, a psychiatrist. They have been married for ten years; they love each other more than anything but both have been keeping things from their spouse! While Dinah is busy solving cases, her husband teaches and has his own clinic. When Dinah begins investigating a new case, tension begins to build…. Ever wish that a book had been longer? I know I have wished that some books would have been shorter, in some cases much shorter. With A Happy Marriage, I wanted just a little bit more. Why? There are certain things in this book that are not resolved and other things that I wished had been explored more such as how they met and knew they were the right match for each other because… Having said that, this was a fun, entertaining, tense, OTT, and riveting read. I was all over the place with how I wanted to rate this book. I could not put it down, but I was left wanting more. I did enjoy the Epilogue but, again, wanted more. If you are looking for pure enjoyment in book form, this one may be for you. I enjoyed the inner thoughts of the characters, their interactions, and their happy marriage. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer 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.
A Magic Deep and Drowning
A reimagining of The Little Mermaid, A Magic Deep and Drowning: A Magical Historical Romance of Love and Betrayal in the Dutch Golden Age is set in 1650 in the Dutch trepublic. I found this book to be creative, well thought out, imaginative and enchanting. A Magic Deep and Drowning: A Magical Historical Romance of Love and Betrayal in the Dutch Golden Age is a wonderful mixing of historical fiction and fantasy. A bargain made long ago between the people of the sea and the land. When deals are not kept, there is a price to be paid!!!! Clara van Wieren is twenty-years old practical young woman. She has her own ideas and goals but unfortunately, she lives in a time where her parents and society dictate how her life will be lived. Her marriage has been arranged to a wealthy man, but before her wedding day she meets Maurits, a handsome and intriguing young man and is drawn to him. He is a unique individual in more ways than one! I found this book to be entertaining, creative, engaging and fun to read. I loved The Little Mermaid, and I am a fan of retellings and reimagining’s, so this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed going under the sea, to the deep dark land of the creatures who live there. I also enjoyed how Clara proved to be a strong female character in a time where society punished women for being strong. She showed both compassion and strength and was a likeable character as was Maurits. This book touches on family, relationships, family obligations/expectations, the environment and romance. I enjoyed Hester Fox’s wonderful writing, her well thought plot, the vivid descriptions, the characters (both likeable and unlikeable), and the plot. This book is quite different from the other books Hester Fox has written, and I enjoyed her historical fantasy romance! This book is getting mixed reviews, but it worked for this reader. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Graydon House 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 Unraveling of Julia
Julia Pritzker had suffered a lot of loss in the beginning of this book. First, she lost her adoptive parents, then her husband was murdered. She is grieving when she receives a letter informing her that Emilia Rossi has left her a Tuscan Villa in her will! She does not know Emilia Rossi but as she was adopted, she heads to Italy hoping to get some answers. What she gets is more than she bargained for. Julia learns quite a bit about the woman who left her a villa and as she is coming to terms with everything she is learning, odd things begin to happen. Making things a little easier is meeting a handsome and charming man! I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a very good job of bringing this book to life. This book had several mysteries going on. Julia wants to know who killed her husband, who is behind the strange and odd things that are happening, and the truth about where she comes from. From the description I thought I would enjoy this book much more than I did. There were some slow parts which I wanted to move along a bit faster. While I did enjoy this book, I didn’t love it. The first part of the book was interesting and piqued my interest. The second half was okay, but I found that I wasn’t enjoying it as much as I had the first half of the book. Even though I was getting answers and there were a few twists, this one fell flat at times. I found it a tad odd that Julia fell for another man while still wearing her wedding ring and grieving her husband. Does it happen. Yes, but her love interest seemed a little too good to be true…. This is one where you must suspend some disbelief and just go with the flow of it. At times this book takes a walk into OTT territory, but overall things do come together nicely. This book does have a supernatural element but it is small and worked nicely. This book touches on grief, astrology, and learning about your origins. I did enjoy how the mysteries unfolded and the resolution. Thank you to Hachette Audio | Grand Central 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.
El Dorado Drive
Sisters, secrets, schemes, finances, and greed set the stage for El Dorado Drive. This book was a bit of a slow burn for me, and I struggle with slow burns. At its core this is a book around money, greed, darkness, deception, and pyramid schemes. The adage ‘be careful what you wish for” and “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is” comes to mind while reading this book. Harper is so down on her luck that she doesn’t know what to do or where to turn. She moves in with her sister, Pam, who has survived a messy and ugly divorce. Harper is shocked to see Pam doing so well. Pam who was also struggling financially, is no longer struggling, in fact, she is doing quite well. How? It’s simple, it all comes down to the Wheel. What? The wheel is a group of women who add money to a pool and one lucky member gets the cash! All you need to do is put your money in, and recruit other women to participate. It’s presented as women helping women. Who doesn’t love that thought? But when Harper is invited to join…… Welp! This one sounded so good to me. I was intrigued by the of women helping women with something going wrong thrown in. I enjoy books with dark elements, and I thought this would be a slam dunk for me. As I mentioned, I struggled with the slowness in the book and feeling for the characters. I also struggled with women being down on their luck with HUGE financial issues, having to come up with money to throw into the mix. If you are so down on your luck that you need to move in with someone, how are you going to come up with the dollar amount needed to be part of the group??? Abbott does address this, but it just didn’t work for me. I did enjoy the family issues and the interactions of Debra, Pam and Harper. While I did have issues with this book, I did find it enjoyable enough to give it 3 stars. I did enjoy the look at greed, drama, betrayal, and schemes. I also enjoyed the twist and mystery in this book. I did find this book to be well thought out, it just didn’t work well for me. I looked back at the other books I have read by Abbott and there have not been many but the highest I have ever rated a book I have read by this author is 3 stars. I just don’t think I am the right reader for this author. Many reviewers enjoyed this more than I did, so please read their reviews as well. Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam’s Sons 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.
Secret Lives of the Dead
A gripping tale about a family cure, the quest for a relic, and a trail of blood! Tim Lebbon’s Secret Lives of the Dead is about a quest of both Lem and Jodi, two individuals on opposites sides in the pursuit for a relic. They are both obsessed and have their own motives for obtaining the relic and neither is willing to give up. Lem is on a mission to right the wrongs of the past. His family has been cursed, and he is trying to obtain the relics needed to free his bloodline from the curse that has haunted his family for generations. He is brutal and willing to kill whoever gets in his way! Jodi’s father was murdered by Lem, and she is on a collision course of revenge. She knows that Lem is after the last relic and has enlisted her boyfriend and friend to help her break into an abandoned family home in search of the relic. I enjoyed this captivating tale of obsession and revenge. Both Jodi and Lem are fully fleshed out characters and Lebbon did a great job of depicting each’s reasons for their actions. This book is a horrific cat-and-mouse folk horror tale with supernatural elements. This book takes place over a single day and man, does Tim Lebbon put all the character through a lot during that time. I enjoyed the POV’s and the action. I was hoping for more of the supernatural element but otherwise, I enjoyed the quest, the action, the twists, and the obsession. I enjoyed the blending of suspense, mystery, thrills, horror, and supernatural. They were all included effortlessly. Thank you to Titan 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 Memory Watcher
Gripping from the very beginning, I was instantly drawn into the plot, turning the pages, and wondering why don’t I read Minka Kent’s books more often? The synopsis of this book is so intriguing, and I could not wait to get my hands and eyes on it! Talk about addictive! How have I not read this one before! If you want to have your socks knocked off, read The Memory Watcher! Autumn Carpenter is a bit of a voyeur. She loves looking at social media. One might call it an obsession. She particularly enjoys looking at Daphne McMullen’s social media account. Autumn enjoys getting a view into Daphne’s picture-perfect life with her daughter, Grace. You see, Autumn gave away her baby at birth. Looking at Daphne’s pictures gives her glimpses into all the milestones that Grace has met until Gasp Daphne’s social media account disappears! Well, well, well, what do we have here????? Minka Kent has crafted a very well thought out, clever, shocking and fantastic psychological thriller. I loved the secrets, the obsession and of course, the twists! This book is told through the POV of both Autumn and Daphne. This was a very nice touch and added to my enjoyment of this book! If you have not read The Memory Watcher, do yourself a favor and give it a read! You will be happy you did especially if you like psychological thrillers! Thank you to Goodreads and Thomas & Mercer who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Happy Marriage
A Happy Marriage was a fast-paced page turner for me. Secrets and lies are the name of the game in A Happy Marriage. I flew through the pages, wanting to know more about this highly dysfunctional (that is putting it lightly) married couple. Dinah Marino is a L.A. Homicide detective who is married to Dr. Joe Marino, a psychiatrist. They have been married for ten years; they love each other more than anything but both have been keeping things from their spouse! While Dinah is busy solving cases, her husband teaches and has his own clinic. When Dinah begins investigating a new case, tension begins to build…. Ever wish that a book had been longer? I know I have wished that some books would have been shorter, in some cases much shorter. With A Happy Marriage, I wanted just a little bit more. Why? There are certain things in this book that are not resolved and other things that I wished had been explored more such as how they met and knew they were the right match for each other because… Having said that, this was a fun, entertaining, tense, OTT, and riveting read. I was all over the place with how I wanted to rate this book. I could not put it down, but I was left wanting more. I did enjoy the Epilogue but, again, wanted more. If you are looking for pure enjoyment in book form, this one may be for you. I enjoyed the inner thoughts of the characters, their interactions, and their happy marriage. Thank you to Thomas & Mercer 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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