Hex Life by Various Authors

June 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Various Authors, edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering
Publisher: Titan Books
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Full length (384 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

These are tales of wickedness… stories of evil and cunning, written by today’s women you should fear. Includes tales from Kelley Armstong, Rachel Caine and Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing in their own bestselling universes.

Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery will take the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuse them with fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns–even if they’re set in the past. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman’s gotta eat.

Bring out your dread.

We’re fed the idea of the wicked witch, all dressed in black, her haggard face glaring evilly back at you, from a very young age. But what if all witches weren’t evil? What if they did what they did for a good reason? Of course, not all witches are altruistic, but what if some of them were? That’s where Hex Life comes into play. Within the collection, you’ll find all kinds of witches with all kinds of motives. Are you brave enough to take a chance?

Witches have been a favorite subject of mine for a long time. Despite the Wicked Witch of the West and all of the evil witches Disney has given us over the years, I was still drawn to them. So, when I stumbled across this anthology, I knew it was something I needed to read. I’m happy I did because it did not disappoint me in any way. The witches in Hex Life are as varied and unique as the authors writing them.

An Invitation to a Burning by Kat Howard. You go into this thinking one thing and discover it’s quite something else. An excellent way to kick off the anthology.

Widow’s Walk by Angela Slatter. This was probably my favorite of the group because it focuses around three older women, all witches, and the community they live in. It’s sort of like what would happen if Sleeping Beauty’s fairy godmothers grew to be old and bitter, but still cared for the innocent.

Black Magic Momma by Kelley Armstrong. I love her Women of the Otherworld series and getting a bit of Eve’s origin story was a nice surprise.

The Night Nurse by Sarah Langan. This was one heck of a creepy story, but I loved it. As an overwhelmed mother, I could relate to it on a personal level. However, the ending was a bit of a surprise.

The Memory of Trees by Mary SanGiovanni. An odd and, for me, a confusing, story about nature battling back against technology.

Apparently after the 2003 raid of two of the viagra buy australia pharmacists brick and mortar practice, authorities said customers paid much more than normal retail cost for the drugs, but could get them without undergoing proper examinations. The majority of men today prefer to purchase Kamagra tablets from any of pharmaceutical store. viagra without prescription online continue reading this web-site now Of cheap generic cialis course, if illegal drugs are not your thing, then medication alternative is the right call to be freed of impotence. Eat at least 1 gram of protein per a pound of your cheap viagra icks.org bodyweight. Home by Rachel Caine. I’ve always wanted to read her Morganville Vampires series so this was a nice little introduction to her writing style and some of the characters. Definitely makes me want to delve into the series more now. A bit of humor and a lot of fun.

The Deer Wife by Jennifer McMahaon. The only romantic story in the bunch, very sweet and different from your usual fare. There is a heart-stopping moment near the end that nearly made me cry, too.

The Dancer by Kristen Dearborn. I love a story with supernatural powers. I think this was less witchy and more Firestarter, but one of the best stories in the collection in my opinion. I really felt for the young girl in this as her family was creepy and abusive.

Bless Your Heart by Hillary Monahan. Nothing makes me happier than a good revenge story. Especially when the revenge is so well deserved. Bonus points for mom going to such great lengths to defend her son who is being buillied for no other reason than because he’s gay. A bit of a warning though because this one gets rather gross rather fast.

The Debt by Ania Ahlborn. This was an odd, yet intriguing story. It was very fairy tale-like in its structure, but dark and foreboding as well. The end caught me off guard, to be honest.

Toil & Trouble by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Madaug Kenyon. This one started strong and lost me about halfway through. I generally enjoy the Dark-Hunters books so I’m not sure what went wrong with this story. I’ll blame it on me though.

Last Stop on Route Nine by Tananarive Due. This wavered between alternate universes and ghost story but was wholly frightening as well. The heavy overtones of racism only added to the oppressive and scary atmosphere. One of the best in the collection.

Where Relics Go to Dream and Die by Rachel Autumn Deering. I finished this story and was left utterly confused. I’m not sure what really happened in the end, but still somehow enjoyed it. Weird, I know, but that happens to me sometimes.

This Skin by Amber Benson. What a creepy, frightening story! It’s tough being a teenager, but it has to be even tougher to be one who’s homicidal. Really enjoyed this one a lot, despite the creep factor.

Haint Me Too by Chesya Burke. Historical fiction is a huge draw for me, so finding a witchy story sed during the times of sharecroppers intrigued me. It also enraged me because of the way Shae and her family are treated by the white people in the story.

The Nekrolog by Helen Marshall. I went back and forth on this story. It was long and interesting, but I also got confused a time or two. There are a couple of point-of-view and time period changes that threw me off. But overall, it was a decent story.

Gold Among the Black by Alma Katsu. I’m a sucker for a poor waif living in a castle as staff kind of story. Every girl deserves her prince (or princess), right? Jesper was the best part of the story and I’m glad that Greta got what she deserved in the end.

How to Become a Witch-Queen by Theodora Goss. Tied with Widow’s Walk for the number one position, honestly. A unique and fun spin on Snow White that left me smiling at the end. There were so many little things about this story that made me happy. It was the perfect story to end the collection with because it left me feeling good.

Overall, the authors came together to create an exciting and varied collection of stories. They hit many time periods and genres that there’s sure to be something for everyone in this anthology. While there were a few names that drew me to this collection – Kelley Armstrong and Sherrilyn Kenyon for example – I also discovered many new-to-me authors that I’m excited to explore.

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Hide Away by Jason Pinter

February 11, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (365 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

From the bestselling author of the Henry Parker series comes a page-turning thriller about a vigilante who’s desperate to protect her secrets—and bring a killer to justice.

On the surface, Rachel Marin is an ordinary single mother; on the inside, she’s a fierce, brilliant vigilante. After an unspeakable crime shatters her life, she changes her identity and moves to a small town in Illinois, hoping to spare her children from further trauma…or worse. But crime follows her everywhere.
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When the former mayor winds up dead, Rachel can’t help but get involved. Where local detectives see suicide, she sees murder. They resent her for butting in—especially since she’s always one step ahead. But her investigative genius may be her undoing: the deeper she digs, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried.

Her persistence makes her the target of both the cops and a killer. Meanwhile, the terrifying truth about her past threatens to come to light, and Rachel learns the hard way that she can’t trust anyone. Surrounded by danger, she must keep her steely resolve, protect her family, and stay one step ahead, or else she may become the next victim.

One night, Rachel Marin’s life is unexpectedly turned upside down. Left alone with her young son and infant daughter, she changes their names and moves to Illinois, hoping to escape her past and the darkness that is searching for her. Until her life is yet again rattled and she begins to believe all she’s created is about to cave in on top of her.

Rachel Marin is an intense and complicated character. Since her husband’s murder, she’s forced to completely reinvent herself. She becomes both physically and emotionally strong and resilient, being the best mom and protector she can be to her kids. That said, she has difficulty allowing people to help her, which is understandable considering her past. However, if she trusted those trying to help her a little more, things might be a little less stressful for her. All in all, I was impressed with the lengths she went to in order to keep her past secret and her family secure.

Detective John Serrano I liked from the very beginning. It might have been his obsession with the Lord of the Rings series that did it, but there was something very homey about him. He became even more engaging as his own history came out little by little. His partner, Leslie Tally, was an interesting character as well, but I don’t feel like I got to know her as well as I did John. I do hope that we get more of her backstory in the next book, I’d love to know more about her wife and kids. They work well together though, despite being such polar opposites. These two are the kind of detectives that make me want to read police procedurals, honestly, and I would have enjoyed this just as much if it was focused on them and not Rachel.

From the very first pages, Hide Away grabbed my attention and held it. Chock full of intense, crazy action, I was never bored and eager to get to the next page. It seemed like every time I had it somewhat figured out, some new bit of information was added that changed my whole perspective. My only complaint was that it took so long to get to the meat of Rachel’s backstory. Although necessary, to a point, I was anxious to find out what happened to make her take such drastic steps. I’m excited to see what the next installment in this series brings us.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Followers by Megan Angelo

December 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Followers by Megan Angelo
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (384 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss—a striving, wannabe A-lister—who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.

Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.

Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

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Floss, Orla, and Marlow are nothing alike. Floss is an attention seeker of the highest order. Orla, while wanting fame – as a writer, not an internet sensation – doesn’t necessarily want to be in the spotlight either. Marlow, on the other hand, has all the fame a person could want and more. The path that brings Floss and Orla together is pretty ordinary, but that’s where the usual stops and the crazy begins.

Orla was my favorite of the three women. Although she has a toxic crush on her high school pal, Danny, she mostly does what she can to survive. Once Floss enters her life, she finds a way to help her friend gain the notoriety she craves, even if it nearly leads to their destruction. I could relate to Orla in the way that she constantly gave things up for Floss, even when she didn’t want to or felt like Floss wasn’t deserving. In a lot of ways, most of Orla’s relationships were a bit toxic.

Floss annoyed me in so many ways. She was abrasive, unrepentant, and walked over anyone who stood in the way of her gaining followers – Twitter, Instagram, whatever. Her downfall was caused by a careless mistake, one that had dire consequences, but even then, she strove to rebuild her brand and become famous again. She mellowed out a bit by the end, but I never really warmed up to her.

Marlow was probably the most interesting of the three, however. Her role plays out in the near future, thirty-five years after Floss and Orla’s role, but it isn’t as crazy a future as you might think. As a well-loved reality star, Marlow’s situation was unlike any other I’ve read about. I thought that she was a bit spoiled and whiny at first, but as her story unfolded, I really began to empathize with her.

For me, the most interesting part of the book was the idea of The Spill – an incident that occurred online that caused a complete upheaval of the world as Floss, Orla, and everyone of their generation knew it. The Spill made way for a new and more intrusive form of internet, one that was government controlled. As far-fetched as this might have sounded ten years ago, today, it is frighteningly possible. Although Marlow’s timeline is set in 2051, it seems like it could be 2021 in so many ways.

Followers is one of the most interesting and in-your-face books I’ve read all year. The author realistically portrays influencer culture and its effect on the internet and the real world. Even Marlow’s futuristic life isn’t all that unimaginable in today’s world. It’s partly a social commentary and partly a warning, wrapped snugly in a wonderfully written and addictive narrative.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner

October 25, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (208 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.

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If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…

On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise Watters is on cloud nine. She has a wonderful home, an amazing husband, and everything she could ever hope for. However, soon enough, she learns that it’s all a lie. What’s real and what’s not? Can she truly trust anyone? It’s hard to know what to do when nothing is as it seems to be.

Elise is an interesting character with quite a backstory. I loved learning about her mother, the apothecary, and herbal lore that was woven throughout the story. After discovering her husband is involved in something he shouldn’t have been, she starts to spiral out of control. This leads to her becoming more than a little paranoid but, at times, it’s a well warranted paranoia. It seems like everyone is lying to her, so how can she trust anyone? At every turn, she’s finding more evidence that her husband is plotting against her and she has no idea who to turn to for help. Honestly, I probably would have found myself feeling the same way she did during most of the book.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, some that I saw coming and others that took me completely by surprise. The Poison Garden is a fast-paced, thrill ride of a novel, that left me wondering what was lurking around the next corner. Although at times, the plot is over the top and unbelievable, I didn’t find it to be a detraction. Rather, that kind of insanity feeds my need for drama and made me enjoy this all the more.

Having enjoyed a previous book by the author, After Nightfall, I was excited to be able to read The Poison Garden as well. I now consider myself a full-fledged fan and can’t wait to get my hands on her other two novels. Will be interested to see what her next novel brings as well.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

October 23, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (256 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Imagine that your husband has two other wives.

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.
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You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

She’s wife number two and she’s more than happy in her role in the marriage. Yeah, there are times when she’s lonely, or needing her husband, but she knew what she was in for when she signed up. But did she really? Is there something that her husband is hiding from her and his other wives? There’s only one way for her to find out.

Thursday – yes, that’s actually her name, not just her day of the week – is wife number two in a polygamous arrangement with her husband, Seth. The problem is, she’s not allowed to know so much as the names of the other wives. So, after discovering what she believes is a clue to the third wife’s identity, Thursday engages in a bit of cyber-stalking until she finds her. This is where it all starts to get a little crazy.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but I can honestly say that it was not what I wound up getting. The ending completely took me by surprise, I had not even entertained it as a possibility. Now, I can be a rather gullible reader, so that might have something to do with it, but I was completely stunned when I read the final pages.

The Wives was one of the most insane, engrossing books I’ve read all year. I have this weird fascination with polygamy and I’m not even sure where it came from. However, the idea of plural marriage is alluring and therefore, this book was a must read. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great psychological thriller packed with twists and turns you weren’t expecting. Although I don’t often re-read books, I’d love to read this one again, knowing the things that I know now, and wonder if it would change anything. I will definitely have to pick up more of the author’s books now.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

September 6, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (307 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.
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Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

Lila Bennett’s day starts out amazingly well. She won a big case and, despite the anger from the prosecution’s side, she’s flying high on that victory. That is, until her boss convinces her to meet him for a drink before going home. It is her biggest mistake in more ways than she’ll ever know.

This was one of the more unusual books I’ve read this year. At the moment of the attempted kidnapping, Lila’s world splits into two realities. In one, she narrowly escapes her captor and goes on to try and right all the wrongs she’s committed in the past, trying for a better life. In the other, she’s taken hostage and held captive. And right up until the very end, you’re not sure which reality is the real one. Even then, you’re still left wondering if maybe you were duped. I know I put the book down after I finished and wondered whether either reality had been real.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about Lila, but the more you get to know her and her past deeds, you realize she wasn’t a very good person. However, she really does strive for redemption though both realities, accepting her faults and wanting to make amends. Captured Lila has no other choice, but Free Lila is making amends as a thank you for avoiding the fate of Captured Lila.

I was very proud of myself with this novel, however. It’s very, very rare for me to figure out who the bad guy is when I’m reading this kind of book. I’m not sure if I’m not paying close enough attention or if I’m too absorbed in the story itself to care, but for the first time in recent memory, I figured it out. That said, every time I thought, “Oh, her captor is…” the next chapter had me doubting myself all over again. After all, Lila had no shortage of enemies. Even though I’d figured it out, the reasons for their behavior hadn’t ever occurred to me, so that was still a surprise in the end.

The Two Lila Bennetts is one of the most unusual and engaging novels I’ve read all year. Each reality grabbed my attention and held it. And those rare moments when the two came together made my nerdy little heart shout with joy. The writing duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have done it again. Every book gets better and better, leaving me eager for the next. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the next novel.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie

July 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment


I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie
Publisher: Lake Union
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (380 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

What happened to Amanda Holmes?

Twenty years ago, she was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime.
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Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. Ryan needs to sell. Margaux hasn’t made up her mind. Mary believes in leaving well enough alone. Kate and Liddie—the twins—have opposing views. And Sean Booth, the groundskeeper, just hopes he still has a home when all is said and done.

But it’s more complicated than a simple vote. The will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart?

You never quite get past a tragedy that happens in your youth. It’s even harder when it’s of your friends involved in the accident. But how do you get past it when someone you love – a member of your own family – might have caused the incident in the first place? How do you cope with knowing someone you’re so close to has been keeping such a horrible secret?

Told from several points of view, I’ll Never Tell pieces together one summer night from twenty years previous. Bit by bit, the mystery is put together until you know who hurt Amanda Holmes. I love that one of the points of view is Amanda’s, it lends an authenticity and an emotional element to the novel. Her voice was probably my favorite because she was the only one you could truly trust. All the others had something to hide for one reason or another.

Of all the siblings, Ryan is the only one I felt badly for. He was outright accused by his father of harming Amanda, but never to his face. I can’t imagine how much of a gut punch it had to have been to find out in your father’s will that he suspected you of something so awful. Now, Ryan wasn’t a saint, but he had put in extra effort to become a better person after that summer. I think liked Margo the best though since she seemed to have it together more than Mary, Liddie, or Kate. Sean, I don’t know what it was about him, but he gave me the creeps from the very beginning. All in all, they make for an interesting and unique cast of characters. Each holding onto their own secrets, not telling a soul about what they’re harboring. It makes for a very effective suspect pool.

I’ll Never Tell is a rollercoaster ride of lies, deceptions, and secrets hidden for twenty years. The author does an excellent job of distracting you with false clues, making you suspect one person while all along it was someone else. I’ll say this much – I had two suspects high on my list and it wound up being neither in the end. The author is just that good. I’ll Never Tell is one of the most gripping, engrossing novels I’ve read so far this year.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson

April 3, 2019 By 1 Comment


One Small Sacrifice by Hilary Davidson
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (366 pages)
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

An apparent suicide. A mysterious disappearance. Did one man get away with murder—twice?

NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling has had her eye on Alex Traynor ever since his friend Cori fell to her death under suspicious circumstances a year ago. Cori’s death was ruled a suicide, but Sheryn thinks Alex—a wartime photojournalist suffering from PTSD—got away with murder.
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When Alex’s fiancée, Emily, a talented and beloved local doctor, suddenly goes missing, Sheryn suspects that Alex is again at the center of a sticky case. Sheryn dislikes loose ends, and Cori’s death had way too many of them.

But as Sheryn starts pulling at the threads in this web, her whole theory unravels. Everyone involved remembers the night Cori died differently—and the truth about her death could be the key to solving Emily’s disappearance.

Alex Traynor doesn’t have an easy life. Suffering from PTSD acquired during his years as a wartime photojournalist, bad luck seems to follow him wherever he goes. Accused – and then absolved – of taking part in the death of his friend Cori Stanton, Alex is haunted both by his lack of memory from that night as well as by the detective who can’t let the case go. When his fiancée, Emily, disappears, suddenly Alex is back in the crosshairs. But did he do something to Emily or are there bigger forces at work?

It’s easy to have sympathy for Alex Traynor. Early on in the novel, you see his PTSD kick in and you can feel his stress and anxiety as a result. He makes for a very sympathetic character who has some pretty awful moments. His relationship with Emily, a doctor he met in a war zone, is endearing and gives hope to the reader that maybe, he really didn’t hurt her. The crazy thing is, he has no idea whether he has or not.

I had a real love/hate relationship with Detective Sheryn Sterling. On one hand, I love that she wasn’t willing to let Cori Stanton’s death go until she had the answers she needed to close the case. On the other, she is borderline obsessed with Alex and often comes across as if she’s trying to set him up to pay for Cori’s death. About halfway through the story, once she realizes that things weren’t as clear cut as she’d thought, I really began to like her and understand her motivation. Her partner, Rafael Mendoza, is the perfect guy to mellow her out. He made me laugh often and smoothed out some of Sheryn’s rougher edges.

One Small Sacrifice is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. The author is a master at misdirection, leaving tidbits here and there to completely throw the reader off the scent. I’ll admit that I’ve never been very good at figuring these things out, but I was even less sure of the culprit here. Had Alex finally snapped? Was Detective Sterling setting him up? I had no idea what was really going on. When the actual bad guy was revealed, I was floored because it was one of the few people that hadn’t actually occurred to me until near the end. Excellent mystery that I’d highly recommend to anyone who loves a roller coaster ride of a novel.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan

April 2, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Perfect Girl by Gilly Macmillan
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks/Harper Audio
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (464 pages/audio 9 hours 34 minutes)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Zoe Maisey is a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Three years ago, she was involved in a tragic incident that left three classmates dead. She served her time, and now her mother, Maria, is resolved to keep that devastating fact tucked far away from their new beginning, hiding the past even from her new husband and demanding Zoe do the same.

Tonight Zoe is giving a recital that Maria has been planning for months. It needs to be the performance of her life. But instead, by the end of the evening, Maria is dead.

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It’s not often you get a chance at a fresh start and that’s why Zoe Maisey is doing everything she can to be the perfect girl. She doesn’t want to be the one who destroys the second chance family after all. But what do you do when your past catches up to you?

Zoe was definitely my favorite character. She made a horrible mistake – one that cost three teens their lives – but she was young and I honestly think she was drugged or given alcohol she wasn’t aware of drinking. Despite all that, she really does feel guilty and has made solid efforts to become a better person. She knows that, even if she’s not at fault, she’s going to always be the first suspect due to her history.

The others didn’t make as much of an impression on me. Sam seemed to be a bit of an afterthought as he never really gets involved in Maria’s death. Tess isn’t too bad and I did like her more as we moved through the story, but she does make some questionable choices. Lucas’ relationship with Zoe is better than most step-siblings. You know he’s been through some tough things with how well he and Zoe get along, and it’s great that they had the support of the other in this. Chris bugged me from the very beginning, but I think a lot of that had to do with the way Maria was constantly micromanaging Zoe so that Chris wasn’t put out.

The idea of a second chance family – one where everyone gets a fresh start – is a good one. Maria and Zoe want to move past Zoe’s accident. Chris and Lucas want to move on from the death of Lucas’ mom. But what wasn’t great was Maria’s pushing Zoe to hide everything and maintain this ideal of the perfect family. Families aren’t perfect. Even the best ones are messy at times.

While I’m not generally a fan of novels told in the first person point of view, in an audiobook it seems to work better for me. Although, I did find myself talking back to the car stereo more often but I’m not sure if that’s because of the characters or the POV. The male narrator, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart, had a soothing, pleasant voice and the way he voiced both Sam and Lucas was enjoyable. The female narrator, Penelope Rawlins, however, did a much better job of making you think that there were two separate narrators. It actually took me several alternating points of view before I realized there was one person for both Zoe and her aunt, Tess.

The Perfect Girl is an engaging story full of hidden secrets and lies of omission. Although it has a bit of a slow start, once the author gets the ball rolling, it doesn’t stop until the end. The ending was a bit of a cliché, but for once, I fully agreed with its use. Seemed like the perfect way to end it, in my opinion. I’ll be anxious to check out other books by this author soon.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

March 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Every You, Every Me by David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, YA
Length: Full length (256 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he’s been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan’s starting to believe it’s Ariel that’s behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself.
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Creatively told with black-and-white photos interspersed between the text so the reader can see the photos that are so unnerving to Evan, Every You, Every Me is a one-of-a-kind departure from a one-of-a-kind author.

Losing your best friend is hard enough. But what if you think you’re losing your mind, too? Ever since Ariel left, Evan’s found himself adrift. Unable to sleep or concentrate, he’s falling farther and farther into a dark hole of what ifs. But when he finds the first picture, he begins to wonder if there is more going on than he suspects.

I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Evan at first. You want to coddle this boy who has lost his best friend, but you also feel the need to shake some sense into him. However, as you get deeper into the story and begin to understand all that was going on with his friend, Ariel, it makes more sense why he’s being so hard on himself. Why these photos he’s finding are so important to figure out. Still, there are moments where he should have taken a step back and reevaluated his situation. He might have been able to better cope with certain things if he wasn’t forever pushing forward at a breakneck pace.

Although set in high school, the emotions and mental health struggles that both Evan and Ariel deal with throughout the story spoke to me on an adult level. So many times in our lives we’re going through something and believe that no one else will ever understand. That’s not unique to teens, it pursues us into our adult lives as well. It’s an unfortunate part of life, but one that most of us learn how to deal with in the end. I think that, by the end, Evan has started to understand this as well. It’s my hope for him anyway.

Told through both prose and a set of increasingly strange black and white photographs, Every You, Every Me isn’t your typical young adult fiction. This is a good part of the reason why I picked it up, I was intrigued by the concept of mixed media. In addition to the photographs, the story feels like an old journal entry, complete with random strike throughs in the text. Most of the time, the strikethroughs in the text make sense, as if Evan is editing his thoughts in real time, although there are moments where it didn’t seem to jive for me. In the end, Every You, Every Me is a tale of friendship, mystery, and finding mental wellness when you don’t think it’s possible.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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