Book Review: The Summer House by Keri Beevis

 

Published March 6,  2023

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Mead House was once our childhood home.

Despite my fears, I always knew we would have to return to face the demons of our past.

Back to the place where it happened, to where, as carefree teenagers, we lost our elder sister in the most brutal of circumstances.

As executors of our grandmother’s will, my twin brother, Ollie, and I needed to empty the house for resale.

What I didn’t expect to discover was my sister’s secret journal that contained her most private thoughts and shocking dark secrets.

Now I am questioning everything that I saw that night. Did I get it wrong, who I saw?

Did my evidence send an innocent man, my then boyfriend's brother, to jail for the last 17 years?

I know I have no choice. If I want to find answers, I will have to go back to that fateful night my sister died. When she made her last visit to the summer house.

                                                 MY REVIEW:

The Summer House by Keri Beevis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mead House was once our childhood home.
It is a place where the oldest sister is murdered and the twins left behind go separate ways as adults. Now the house is left to them in their grandmother's will and they need to fix it up in order to sell it. Lana finds her sister's diary and things start to make her wonder what really happened. Ollie has his fiance with him who is a spoiled rich bitch.
As Lana uncovers what really happened the night her sister died, shocking truths come out in this psychological thriller. I read this in one day.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the book to review.

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Hi, I'm Keri Beevis, and I'm the author of the bestselling psychological suspense thrillers, Deep Dark Secrets, Dying To Tell and The Sleepover.

Other titles I've written include Trust No One, Every Little Breath, The People Next Door, With Friends Like These, M for Murder and D for Dead.

In 2021 I signed a 4-book deal with Boldwood Books and my first title with them, The Sleepover, was a UK Top 10 Bestseller.

My next book, The Summer House, is released 6th March 2023.

You can find out more about me on my website.

www.keribeevis.com

Book Review: Whatever Happened To My Ex by Poppy Carter

 

                                                   Published February 23, 2023

                                                   buy on Amazon 

A feel-good romcom with tender moments and small town vibes

by the author of Whatever Happened to Everything.

When Carly is unceremoniously fired from her film production job in NYC, she decides to visit the Vermont farm she inherited from her grandmother three years ago. Quickly realizing she has to sell the rundown place, Carly needs the help of Granny's farmhand Boone, who happens to be a long-ago summer fling.

A picnic at the swimming hole, a romantic street dance at the Apple Blossom Festival...and a baby raccoon who needs rescuing.

This ex-boyfriend she's always wondered about now surprises Carly at every turn. As they face impossible odds and big-time real estate developers, Carly and Boone hatch a plan to rent out the farm to a famous film director — the same one who fired Carly.

A SWEET AND FUNNY SECOND CHANCE LOVE STORY.

MY REVIEW:

Whatever Happened to My Ex by Poppy Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cute contemporary short story.
Carly and Boone were a super fun couple and the banter between them had me laughing. Second Chance love story.
I received this from NatGalley to review.

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Book Review:The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden

 

                                                      Published February 20, 2023

                                                    Buy on Amazon

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…

It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.

It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…

That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.

Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go…

                                                     MY REVIEW:

The Housemaid's Secret by Freida McFadden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I did not know this was the 2nd book to a series but it read like a standalone.
Millis gets hired as a housemaid for the Garrick family. Douglas Garrick says don't ever go on the guest room. My wife is in there and very sick and never bother her. But who can stay away when told that. Millie tries to meet Mrs. Garrick and when she finally does then Millie needs to help her.
I was thinking one thing about this story but it totally changed to something else and the plot twists have you gasping.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the book to read.


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#1 Amazon bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and black cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.

Book Review: Secretly Yours by Tess Bailey

 

                                                    Published February 7, 2023

                                              Buy from Amazon

A steamy new rom-com about a starchy professor and the bubbly neighbor he clashes with at every turn...

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to their small town. When Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she'll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn't the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly. One wine-fueled girls' night later, Hallie can't shake the sense that she did something reckless--and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.

On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She's eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt--and so unbelievably beautiful, he can't focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past. Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he's sucked further into Hallie's orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian's gray-scale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there's something so familiar about her... and her very presence is turning his world upside down.

                                                        MY REVIEW:

Secretly Yours by Tessa Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family's winery.
On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction.
At first I thought Julian was a stick in the mud and boring. I didnt see an attraction between them. Then as I kept reading and the love letters started then I was hooked and couldn't stop reading and was rooting for them.

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New York Times Bestselling author Tessa Bailey can solve all problems except for her own, so she focuses those efforts on stubborn, fictional blue collar men and loyal, lovable heroines. She lives on Long Island avoiding the sun and social interactions, then wonders why no one has called. Dubbed the “Michelangelo of dirty talk,” by Entertainment Weekly, Tessa writes with spice, spirit, swoon and a guaranteed happily ever after. Catch her on TikTok at @authortessabailey or check out tessabailey.com for a complete list of books.

Book Review: Wicked Games by Nancy Brown

 

                                                     Published February 7, 2023

                                                    Buy on Amazon 

Wicked: Evil, Naughty. Games: To play or manipulate based on skill, strength or luck.One Woman. Two men. A race against the clock.

The Players:
Avery Carmichael is a brilliant criminal attorney. She is also the daughter of Jonathan Carmichael, the future governor of New York. She hates games and she doesn’t have time for romance. She is running scared from the only man in her life. She calls him Tic Toc and he wants her dead. Her only objective is to survive.

Liam Sanders is tall, dark and deadly handsome. He’s also the twin brother of Luke Sanders and the newest member of Cross Security. He has a job to do. He doesn’t have time for distractions. But just one look at Avery Carmichael and his game plan changes. He wants her and he’ll do whatever it takes make her his.

Tic Toc is a man who loves games. He’s also a sociopath who communicates through cryptic notes, dead roses and crippling fear. He’s bitter and angry, and nothing will stop him from achieving his goal. He’s set the timeline for the game to playout. When the game ends…so will Avery Carmichael’s life.

The stakes are high.
Each player has their own set of rules.


Time is ticking down…Who will win and who will lose.

                                    MY REVIEW:

Wicked Games by Nancy Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Avery is a criminal attorney and great at her job. She has made an enemy and she calls him Tic Toc. He sends her letters and dead roses. Her dad is the future governor of NY.
Liam Sanders is hired as her bodyguard and when he meets her he wants her and the chemistry between these 2 is HOT!!
The plot is great and keeps you on the edge of your seat and hoping for some of those steamy scenes to keep coming.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the book to review.

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Book Review: The Girl From the Other Side by Anna Svoboda

 

                                                      Published February 28, 2023

                                                                   buy on Amazon 

Being a ghost can get really boring, Jessica could tell you all about it. Sure, every once in a while, you get to have fun scaring some poor folks who had bought a suspiciously cheap house. But after they run away screaming in the middle of the night, you are stuck in an empty building again. Plus, when you have no luck with solving your own murder, there is not even a flickering lightbulb at the end of the dark tunnel that is your gruesome afterlife.

Even though he is very much alive, Aiden sometimes feels like a ghost as well. His moms never ask his opinion about anything, not even about moving into a haunted house. It’s not all bad, since the ghost who appears by his bed every night turns out to be a really cute young woman. However, when magic comes to play and it turns out that Aiden’s sister might become the next target of a mysterious serial killer, his life gets a little too interesting.

                                                               MY REVIEW

The Girl From the Other Side by Anna Svoboda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alden and his family move into a house soon to find out it is haunted. By a girl who had been murdered.
It looks like his sister may be next on the murderer's list.
We meet neighbors who don't always seem to be who they appear to be.

I felt bad for Alden's sister who seemed to be getting treated badly in school and not listened to at home all the time.
I enjoyed this storyline and at time had me laughing. I did figure out who the killer was but reading the journey to the end of the book is what kept me wanting to read.
I received this book from the author.

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Anna Svoboda is a stay at home mom and a part-time programmer. When she isn’t writing, working, or taking care of her family, she usually hides from the outside world with a book in her hand.

Author of various romance novels, her stories center around strong female heroes and realistic relationships. She loves building her own complex worlds and listens to her characters’ opinions while writing. Then she puts them through unimaginable torment for messing up with her plot.

Book Review: Kissing the Highland Twin by Amy Jarecki

 

                                         Published February 7, 2023 by Oliver Heber Books

                                                                 Buy on Amazon

When Lord Andrew MacGalloway agrees to attend a house party, posing as his twin, he does so with good intentions. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to his brother’s fiancé if he did not assume his twin’s mantle. Though an inconvenience, he fully intends to make the event pleasant for Miss Eugenia Radcliffe, engaging her in idle chat, long, chaperoned walks, and dancing the appropriate number of waltzes.

Except carefully laid plans when one is impersonating his brother tend to go awry, especially given identical twins are not exact replicas of one another.

When Eugenia discovers Andrew is not the man to whom she is betrothed, she is humiliated and distraught. Prior to arriving at the party, she suspected her fiancé would not honor his promise of marriage, and now she has proof.

With no other choice, Eugenia renounces the engagement. Unable to remain in Scotland a moment longer, she flees. Andrew feels dreadful for this untoward turn of events and races after the lass, determined to save her from ruin. But does the resolute beauty want to be rescued by the dashing Highlander, or might she have other adventures in mind?

                                                 MY REVIEW:

Kissing the Highland Twin by Amy Jarecki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a funny story of how these twins sometimes have covered for each other but the looks are the only thing the same. The personalities are so different.
When Miss Eugenia meets Andrew posing as Phillip she ends up finding him engaging , which is different than when she first met him. But she likes him a lot. Then she finds out about the switch and she is devastated. At this point Andrew has already fallen for her and now what should he do. Thanks to Oliver Heber Books and NetGalley for the book to review.

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known for her action-packed, passionate romances, USA TODAY Bestselling Author Amy Jarecki has received reader and critical praise throughout her writing career. She won the prestigious RT Reviewers' Choice award for THE HIGHLAND DUKE and a RONE award from InD’tale Magazine for Best Time Travel for her novel RISE OF A LEGEND. In addition to being a USA TODAY Bestselling Author, Amy has earned the designation as an Amazon All Star Author. She holds an MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland and now resides in Wisconsin with her husband where she writes immersive historical and contemporary romance novels.

Become a part of her world and learn more about Amy’s books on amyjarecki.com!

Book Review : The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

                                                    Paperback

                                                   Celadon May 11, 2021

                                                   Buy from Amazon

Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Plot is a psychologically suspenseful novel about a story too good not to steal, and the writer who steals it.

Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written—let alone published—anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot.

Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that—a story that absolutely needs to be told.

In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says.

As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom?

                                                           MY REVIEW:

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the idea behind the book and the storyline but I found it slow paced and some of it boring. I did not dislike the book but I wasn't enthralled with it.
Thank you to Celadon for sending me the book.

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                                                         Jean Hanff Korelitz


Born in New York City, NY, The United States

Website
http://www.jeanhanffkorelitz.com

Twitter
jeanhanffkoreli

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Suspense, Thriller




Native New Yorker! Graduated from Dartmouth College and Clare College, Cambridge. I'm the author of eight novels: THE LATECOMER (2022), THE PLOT (The Tonight Show's "Summer Reads" pick for 2021), THE UNDOING, originally published as YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted by David E. Kelley for HBO and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film of the same name, starring Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin and Paul Rudd), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS, as well as a middle-grade reader, INTERFERENCE POWDER, and a collection of poetry, THE PROPERTIES OF BREATH.

Book Review: Too Far Gone by Allison Brennan

 

                                        Published Minotaur Books (October 30, 2018)

                                        Buy on Amazon

Things finally seem to be going well for FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid. She's just finished training for Hostage Rescue, her husband's relationship with his son is back on track, and her tense relationship with her boss, Rachel Vaughn, has become much more bearable. That is, until her first hostage case throws everything off track.

When a man who appears under the influence and mentally unstable holds a group of people hostage and dies in a shootout with the FBI, Lucy is assigned to investigate what happened. His descent doesn't make any sense - he was an upstanding citizen a year ago and only started declining after a series of blackouts and strange occurrences. Even his autopsy seems suspicious, and the body has been cremated without the proper approval. As Lucy investigates, she realizes that this story may be more complicated than she thinks, and that her own life might be in danger.

                                                                MY REVIEW:

Too Far Gone by Allison Brennan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 14th book in this series and I have not read any other books in this series. You do get a little background on the characters and it could be read as a stand a lone.
FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid is part of a team assembled to take care of a hostage situation at a coffee shop, backing up the negotiator. Customers and the manager are being held at gunpoint by Charlie McMahon, a research scientist who recently lost his job, his family and what appears to be his sanity. He’s shot and killed when the team attempts a rescue and he fires his weapon.
Meanwhile Lucy's husband Sean, is trying to get to know his teenage son, who he didn't know he fathered until recently.
Their lives have all seem to be in danger and looks like someone is out for sean, or maybe not. As we get to know more of what is going on it seems to be worse than I thought.
Thanks to Minotaur for the book to read.

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                                                                Allison Brennan


Born in Redwood City, CA, The United States
September 29

Website
http://www.allisonbrennan.com/

Twitter
Allison_Brennan

Genre
Suspense, Thriller, Mystery

Influences
Stephen King, Lisa Gardner ...more


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Allison Brennan believes that life is too short to be bored, so she had five children and writes three books a year.

40 books and numerous short stories later, Allison relocated in 2019 from Northern California to Arizona with her husband and two youngest children.

RT Book Reviews called Allison “a master of suspense” and her books “haunting,” “mesmerizing,” “pulse-pounding” and “emotionally complex.” She's been nominated for many awards, and is a three time winner of the Reviewer's Choice award winner for RT Book Reviews as well as the Daphne du Maurier award. Most recently, she was nominated for Best Paperback Original by International Thriller Writers.

Most recent book: THE WRONG VICTIM out now in hardcover, in paperback in September 2022. In 2023, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR (Jan); SEVEN GIRLS GONE (April); and NORTH OF NOWHERE (Aug).

You can reach Allison through Goodreads or through her website.

Book Review: We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

 

                                                       First published August 3, 2021

                                                       by Celadon Books

                                                        Buy from Amazon

When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it’s not easy. She deserted them all―and her high school sweetheart―five years before with little explanation, and they've got questions.

Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets―secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives. In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes―and ultimately find a way forward, together.

                                                                 MY REVIEW:

We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ARC from the publisher a couple of years ago. I have no idea why I put off reading it but I am glad that I finally picked it up.
When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York.
Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé.
An ex fiance she never got over and he never got over her but he is married now with a child.
1 brother has a troubled marriage.
They own a pub and opening one up and we find out some secrets that are being kept.
Thank you to Celadon books for the ARC to review, even if a couple year late.

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                                                    Tracey Lange


Born New York City, The United States

Genre
Contemporary




Tracey Lange was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in psychology before owning and operating a behavioral healthcare company with her husband for fifteen years. While writing her debut novel, We Are the Brennans, she completed the Stanford University online novel writing program. She currently lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband, two sons, and beloved German Shepherd.

BOOK REVIEW: The House In the Pines by Ana Reyes

 

                                                      Pub Date 03 Jan 2023

                                                    PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, Dutton

                                                      Buy from Amazon

Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed....

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.

Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey.

At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin....

Utterly unique and captivating, The House in the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the past and return home.

                                                      MY REVIEW:

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.
Now years later she sees a you tube video of Frank with another woman and she just drops dead.
Maya is aso trying to stop her addiction that she started years ago and then goes to find Frank and whatever happened to this woman.
At her mother's house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father's book that didn't stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank's cabin....
I really did not understand at first what was going on and the more I read and about the house thhen I knew something creepy was going on.
Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the book to review.

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                                                                 Ana Reyes


Website
https://www.instagram.com/anareyeswriter/


Ana Reyes has an MFA from Louisiana State University. Her work has appeared in Bodega, Pear Noir!, The New Delta Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and teaches creative writing to older adults at Santa Monica College. The House in the Pines in her first novel.

Book Review: How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton

 

                                                   352 pages, paperback

                                                 Published July 13, 2021 by Forever

                                                    Buy on Amazon

Event planner Kate Sweet is famous for creating the perfect happily-ever-after moment for her clients’ dream weddings. So how is it that her best friend has roped her into planning a bestselling horror writer’s book launch extravaganza? But the second Kate meets—or rather, accidentally maims—the drop-dead-hot Drake Matthews, her well-ordered life quickly transforms into an absolute nightmare.

Drake Matthews is tired of the spotlight and tired of his reputation as the Knight of Nightmares. He's really a nice guy! But he’s not prepared for Kate, a fearless agent of chaos in steel-tipped stilettos, or for that sweet sting of attraction he feels for her. She’s inspiring him to take his writing in a whole new direction—one that no one expects. Because now Kate and Drake are changing up the rules, and this plot twist might just surprise everyone . . . including themselves.

                                                      

                                                             MY REVIEW:

How Sweet It Is by Dylan Newton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book right from the beginning.
Kate Sweet is an event planner and loves her job. Her best friend has her planning an event for Drake Matthews, a best selling horror author.
When they meet it is an accident that has her embarrassed and him wondering what he was thinking.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was Kate's parents. They think she should be a doctor or in the medical field. Not playing as they see it.
You know these 2 will end up together but the journey to the end of the book will have you laughing and cringing with some of the things these 2 do together.
I received this as a review book and never picked it up until now. Thank you to Forver for the chance to read it.


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                                                                    Dylan Newton


Born in Wellsville, NY, The United States

Website
http://www.DylanNewton.com

Genre
Romance, Chick Lit, Paranormal


Dylan Newton was born and raised in a small town where the library was her favorite hang-out. After over a decade working in corporate America, Dylan quit to pursue her passion: writing books. The gamble paid off with four published novels, and more to come! When she isn’t writing, Dylan is pursuing her own happily ever after with her high school sweetheart as they split time between Florida and Upstate New York with their two much cooler daughters, and a tone-deaf cockatiel.
Visit Dylan at her website or on her Facebook page.

Book Review: Best Friend's Forever by Shannon Hollinger

 

                                                   341 pages, Kindle Edition
                                                 Expected publication January 12, 2023

                                                 Buy on Amazon

I emerge from the trees, drenched in sweat, my voice lost as I take in the scene in front of me. The blood. The body. Emma’s eyes meet mine for a second. “It was an accident,” she whispers.

Emma and I were childhood best friends. We did everything together. Until that terrible night in the woods.

I couldn’t tell anyone what I’d seen. We never discussed it, but our bond was too strong; I could never betray my best friend. Even if she had killed someone.

But I also couldn’t stay in town and watch her live a normal life, knowing what she’d done. So I left.

Now, ten years later, I’m back. The guilt and the fear have stayed with me. And I have realized I need to reveal the truth if I’m ever going to move on.

But I never get the chance. Because the day I turn up, Emma is found dead, and the way she died means I start to doubt everything I thought I knew about that night all those years ago.

As my grief turns to anger at all those lost years of friendship, I realise with horror that Emma might not have been the only killer. Someone else is out there. Someone who was close to us both, someone who knew the smallest details of what had happened back then. Who from our small town could have murdered not once, but twice? And who’s next…?

                                                   MY REVIEW:

Best Friends Forever by Shannon Hollinger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had a hard time figuring out exactly what had happened that night in the woods. I kept thinking one thing and then another and who was involved and who wasn't. I didn't trust to many people except for 3 and I was wrong about 1.
We know Kate and Emma were best friends and they were friends along with Becca and Mel. Lily is Kates sister but we find out more as the story unfolds. The night of a party, in the woods after they graduated. since that night Lily has not talked at all from the trauma of whatever she saw.
Kate was dating Jeff at the time and something just seemed off about him. The story starts out from the party and then 10 years later. Kate comes back home to take care of her mom, who has fallen. When she comes back, Emma has died.
I had so many emotions and conflicts going on in my mind while reading this.
Thank you to NetGalley for the book to review.

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                                          Shannon Hollinger


Born in The United States

Website
http://www.shannonhollinger.com

Twitter
thiswritersays

Genre
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller


URL
https://www.goodreads.com/shannonhollinger


With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn't just seen the dark side of humanity - she's been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.

Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, will be released in January 2023 and is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.

Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.

To see a comprehensive list of her work, check out www.ShannonHollinger.com

Find Shannon at your favorite hangout!

https://www.facebook.com/thiswritersays
https://www.twitter.com/thiswritersays
https://www.instagram.com/thiswritersays
http://www.pinterest.com/thiswritersays
http://www.thiswritersays.com

Blog Tour: Her Sister's Promise by Catherine Miller

 

264 pages kindle

Published January 9, 2023 Bookouture

Buy on Amazon

I laugh as I watch my sister dance across the road. Her movement is so graceful, and her happiness so contagious, that I fail to spot the black cab racing towards her, driving so fast that the beautiful butterfly in mid-flight doesn’t get the chance to change direction…

In a split second, my world shatters. My heart crashes inside my chest as I helplessly look on. In a heartbeat, Harper’s life – my precious twin sister – hangs in the balance, and our childhood dream, of spending our lives dancing side-by-side in the spotlight, is fractured forever. Nothing will ever be the same again.

After the accident, Harper struggles to face the heartbreaking reality of never walking, let alone dancing, ever again. And when she starts to distance herself from me, saying it’s too painful watching me follow our dream, I’m in pieces. I have never done anything without her by my side, and suddenly I’m all alone in the world.

Facing life without my best friend is harder than I thought, and don’t know who I can trust. And as my world begins to crumble, will Harper remember the promise she made to me when we were children? That she would always find her way back to me when I needed her, no matter what. I just hope she makes it in time…

MY REVIEW:

                                            

Her Sister's Promise by Catherine Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harper and Jodie are twis and dancers. They are inseparable until tragedy hits.
Harper ends up in a hospital and has rehab and a new life to lead. jodie gives her the space she needs but keeps on dancing and her life turns to something that should never have happened. She lost herself when her sister was hurt and she is trying to do better.
I felt bad for both sisters as they are trying to live their lives seperately but yet remain close.
I enjoyed this book and the author's writing. I felt like i needed to be friends with both sisters and to help them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the book to review.

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Facebook: facebook.com/katylittlelady.author

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katylittlelady/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katylittlelady

Author newsletter sign up link: https://www.bookouture.com/catherine-miller

Blog Tour: Her Fight by Emma Tallon

 

                                                        Title: Her Fight

                                                       Author: Emma Tallon

                                               Publication day: December 13th 2022





                                                     Buy link(s) https://amzn.to/3UCxJyY

If you love reading Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers, you won’t be able to put down this absolutely gripping gangland crime thriller from bestselling author Emma Tallon.


Scarlet Drew is hellbent on getting revenge on her cousin Ruby after she exposed Scarlet’s illicit affair with a Met detective. Scarlet fears she’ll never see her boyfriend again now he’s in hiding, and she wants to make Ruby pay.


With all her focus on Ruby, Scarlet fails to notice an old enemy rearing its ugly head. Trapped in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of London with her aunt Lily, she realises too late the danger they’re in, and that someone has been feeding their most dangerous rival information – someone from inside the family firm…




As the Drews face their most deadly fight yet, they know that with just one wrong move, their entire world could come crashing down. Can they catch the mole working alongside them? And when Scarlet finally gets her hands on Ruby, will she get the revenge she’s been waiting for?

                                              MY REVIEW:

Her Fight by Emma Tallon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series is a spinoff from the Anna Davis series, which you should read first but not necessary to know what is going on. You do want to read this series in order to understand the characters.
As always I enjoyed this book and the ending... perfect.
Scarlet Drew is hellbent on getting revenge on her cousin Ruby after she exposed Scarlet’s illicit affair with a Met detective. Scarlett's Aunt Lily knows that Scarlet will kill Ruby if she is found. Even though Ruby is her daughter she does understand why but would like to find Ruby first.
Scarlet's other enemy is a cop, who was partners with Scarlet's lover. Who also was in love with him.
The Drew's are also dealing with a secret that came out n the last book and how the boys are dealing with it.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for another great read from this author.

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