Talk about riveting!!!!! Run for Her Life is the second book in the Zoe Storm series and it is fantastic! I loved the tension, the dread, the fast pace, and the investigation work! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages! Whew! This book was thrilling, shocking, and overflowing with secrets, twists, and reveals. This book is told through past and present timelines. Usually when there are two different timeliness, I prefer one over the other, but I enjoyed both equally in Run for Her Life.

Special Agent Zoe Storm received a lock of a woman’s hair with an ominous note pointing to a young mom in Pineview Falls. Days later a body of a young woman is found in the woods. Does the hair belong to the victim? Nope! That is not a spoiler, it is in the book’s description. When DNA analysis points to a victim who died in a fire year ago, Zoe is beyond shocked at the revelation. Just when Zoe is puzzling over that, another woman is missing!!!!

Zoe has a lot of work to do in this book, and I was with her every step of the way. I tried to do my best super sleuthing while reading and tried to nail down whodunit. I was not successful, and I love it when that happens. Run for Her Life was equal parts shocking, thrilling, mysterious, chilling, and captivating. I was fully invested and felt as if I was tagging along with Zoe as a silent observer as she worked on this case.

Another solid book in the series! I look forward to reading what comes next in this riveting and hard to put down series! As with the first book in the series, Run for Her Life was well thought out, wonderfully written, gripping, and shocking.

Jillian Forsberg grabbed my attention with her first book, The Rhino Keeper, and she wowed me once again with her wonderfully written, intriguing characters, intricate plots, attention to detail, and vivid descriptions. I had both the book and audiobook versions of The Porcelain Menagerie and I highly recommend both. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Caroline Hewit.

The Porcelain Menagerie is told in two timelines and is gripping, thought provoking, and interesting. This work of historical fiction is based on real life king, Augustus II the Strong who was the King of Poland. It was obvious that the author did a tremendous amount of research in the writing of this book. Her eye for detail is obvious and made this book even more fascinating.

This book has many characters ranging from Fatima,aTurkish handmaiden, who has been taken from her family to replace one of King Augustus’s mistresses. She has a love of animals and has a collection of exotic animals who bring her happiness as she navigates her new life at court. There is Johann Kändler, an artist who the King wants/demands to make him a porcelain menagerie.

The two timelines make up this story that highlight power, art, survival, love, lust, and porcelain. Readers should note that there are some things in this book which will be hard to read. The norms and practices of past times was not always pretty. For instance, “fox tossing” is what you imagine it might be. If you want to skip that part, don’t read Chapter 30. The author was very honest and open about that being a difficult chapter to read and let readers know it can be skipped to avoid some upsetting scenes. Plus, women did not have the rights that they have today and were viewed as property.

In short, I found this book to be wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and thought provoking. I enjoyed the vivid descriptions, the plot, and how this book had me turning to the internet to find out more. I love when a book causes me to feel, think, and educates me.

Thank you to History Through Fiction | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Audiobooks 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.

Sleighbells will not be ringing this year for friends who have gathered at a remote Scottish lake house! The snow is falling but no one will be decking the halls as Gabby has invited her friends to celebrate Christmas with her. It will be there in her lake house where they will revisit their ‘ghost’ of Christmas past. Twelve years ago, the six friends gathered to celebrate Christmas without any adult supervision. All they had to do was look after Gabby’s little sister, Seffie. They thought she was all nestled as tight as a bug in a rug up in her bedroom while they had a night of fun but in the morning, Seffie was nowhere to be found!

Come to the Lake house, Gabby said. We will all move on, Gabby said. Gabby lied! She believes that one of them knows what happened to her sister and she wants answer! Woohoo, Kathryn Croft has delivered once again!!!! The Christmas Party brings on the secrets, lies, tension, suspense and revelations! This was a fast-moving book which me guessing and coming up with my own theories only to have another twist and reveal pop up and see me starting over with my suspect list.

I had a great time reading this book. The book is told in two timelines which had me fully immersed in the book and glued to the pages. How well do you know your friends?? Could one of them be a killer?????? I loved the setting, the atmosphere, the trapped feeling and the quest for answers.

Gripping, shocking, chilling, and hard to put down! The Christmas Party is a wonderfully written, well thought out, and shocking page turner!

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.