ARC Review: Every Time I Go On Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies (Vacation Mysteries Book 1) by Catherine Mack

Adult, Cozy Mystery, Thriller, The Vacation Mysteries #1)

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 352 Pages

April 30, 2024 by Minotaur Books

Blurb:

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

“Quick, captivating, and oh-so-much-fun! This delicious mystery is as spellbinding as Knives Out.”—Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of the Finlay Donovan series

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series—is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life—the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life—Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary competitors, rabid fans, a stalker—and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly—theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

My Review:

Look no further for your next favorite vacation read! Seriously, this is the book you’ll be sticking in your carry on, throwing in beach bags, and glued to the pages of this spring and summer!

Bestselling author Eleanor Dash is plotting a murder. The murder of her main character in her bestselling series, that is. What? Agatha Christie did it to Hercule Poirot.

Now on a book tour in Italy with her assistant/sister who always dreamed of being an author, her ex Connor – the inspiration behind her most famous character who has been blackmailing her since before the first book hit the shelves, Connor’s ex-wife (oops), Eleanor’s other ex Oliver, and a gaggle of other authors that have all risen to fame in the wake of the crime that inspired Eleanor’s first book – and did I mention a group of Eleanor’s “biggest fans” who couldn’t pick her out of a line up… things are just a wee bit complicated and crowded. Add in an attempt on Connor’s life and things are about to get a lot more interesting in Italy…

This book was so much fun! Everything you could ask for out of a fun vacation mystery. There was humor, suspense, old jealousies brought to light, and a little bit of heat. I also loved the author’s footnotes and the Poirot references.

I can’t wait for the next book to see where Eleanor will end up next! I’m just glad nobody dies when I go on vacation 😂😉

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

ARC Review: Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Adult, Thriller, Romantic Suspense

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 432 pages

May 21, 2024 by St. Martin’s Press

Blurb:

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them―and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

My Review:

There was a space and time where Nora Roberts was one of my go-to authors but over time I’ve gotten off track. Mind Games was the perfect book to dive back into one of my all-time favorite authors.

Thea reminds me a little of Tory Bodeen from Carolina Moon with her psychic gift, I kept thinking so all the way through and since that is one of my favorites by this author I really enjoyed it.

Thea, Rem, and Grammie endure a great tragedy but thanks to Thea’s gift the police are easily able to capture the man who killed her parents. But when Thea’s gift links her to the killer who shares the same gift and has twisted it into an ugly, cruel thing, it will open a door that Thea will battle to keep closed for years to come.

I love how the author always builds up a great group of supporting characters for her main character. I also loved Thea’s bond with her grandmother. It reminds me of the bond I had with my late grandmother and I got emotional reading this one at times.

I loved Thea’s chemistry with Ty and Ty’s son’s bond with Thea’s dog, Bunk. They all fit together so well. I also loved the setting of this book. It made me want to buy a cabin in the woods of Kentucky.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was well written, the characters were well developed, and the setting was easy to picture. My only draw back was that the showdown at the end seemed a little rushed, but not enough to ruin the reading experience.

My Rating:

4.5 of 5 Knives!

ARC Review: Until the Stars Fall by Vanessa Rasanen

Until the Stars Fall (Immortal Reveries #1) by Vanessa Rasanen

Release day: February 13, 2024
Genre: Fantasy Romance, Fae Romance
Tropes: Fated mates, fake engagement, fae shifter, slow burn, shared dreams
Cover artist: Fran @coverdungeonrabbit
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62916249-until-the-stars-fall
Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4XEZn9

Blurb:

The last time a fae king took a human bride it started a war.

This time it could prevent one.

One of the few humans at the palace, Lieke has served the royal family her whole life, enjoying their protection from the fae who hate her kind. Unfortunately, nothing could protect her heart from falling in love with her best friend–the prince. Even if he returned her love, he could never marry a human, let alone a servant.

But holding onto her mother’s words that love can conquer all, she refuses to give up, no matter the costs.

As the crown prince, Connor is preparing to be king and doing his best to rebuild the king’s armies and neutralize a rebel threat. Tasked with also ensuring his younger brother ends his licentious ways and marries a neighboring princess, he thinks things can’t get any worse. Until a human servant–a woman he saved years ago–catches his brother’s eye and threatens to ruin everything.

When Lieke finds herself sentenced to death for murdering a fae noble, she’s shocked to see it’s the older brother—Connor—who steps in to save her. And not in the way she expected.

In a world jaded by war, where love is weakness, a fae prince finds himself torn between his desire to save his country and his growing love for a human. He can’t save both, but how can he choose between his duty and his heart?

Until the Stars Fall is the first in a new fantasy romance collection of interconnected stand-alones, sweeping you to a magical war-torn world. This fated mates tale with a fake engagement brings you a noble fae prince who falls first–and hard. Loosely inspired by the movie, Sabrina, this slow-burn romance will have you swooning.

My Review:

Have you ever seen a book on social media and known that you were going to love it even though you didn’t know anything about it? Maybe it was the author’s aesthetic post, maybe it was a character post, or even a few excerpts. That was Until the Stars Fall for me. I didn’t know anything really about it when I saw it on Vanessa Rasanen’s Instagram but I immediately knew I had to read it.

The beginning of this book covers the years leading up to the main story, building the groundwork and world building later. I’m impatient and wanted to dive right into the here and now, but it was definitely important to read the sections where Lieke has her unrequited crush on Brennan and getting sent away after Connor saves her the first time as well as her training while she is away. We also see Connor’s role in the kingdom and the issues they are facing get more tense until the current time.

Once the story gets moving, it is such an addictive read. I loved Connor and Lieke together, they have so much chemistry! I don’t read fantasy much anymore – it really has to be a book that grabs me from the start – and this one definitely succeeded in that!

I also loved the set up for coming books, which can be read as standalones but are set in this same world. There is no real cliffhanger end, the characters’ storylines are wrapped up nicely, but it gives you a taste of what is to come.

Overall, this was one of only several fantasy novels I read in 2023 (I was an arc reader) but this was probably my favorite! My only complaint (and it is a small one) is that the author gave the male characters, Brennan and Connor, as well as Lieke’s cousin, Raven, normal names and then we saddle the female main character with an unpronounceable name like Lieke – which kind of reminded me of those big onion things (leeks).

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Stacking the Shelves – 10 February 2024

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Reading Reality. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual.

Books Added to My Shelves This Week:

eARC:

As soon as the author announced this was on Netgalley I put in my request and I was approved a couple days later! I can’t wait to read this one! Dawn Kurtagich is my favorite author.

Blurb:

Beware what waits in the shadows…

With one unexpected email from her estranged best friend, Lucy, Mina Murray’s carefully curated life is turned upside down. Leaving behind her psychiatric practice in London, along with her routine and the calm it brings, she returns to the windswept shores of Wales. Faced with everything she’s left behind, she soon discovers that Lucy’s symptoms mirror those of her mysterious patient with amnesia hundreds of miles away.

With nothing but an untreatable sickness connecting the two women, and with Lucy’s life on the line, Mina finds herself asking questions and being drawn ever-deeper into a web of secrets, missing girls, and the powerful, nameless force at its center—one that has been haunting her for years.

As terrible, ancient truths begin to reveal themselves, Mina prepares to confront her own darkest secrets, and with them, an evil beyond comprehension. Together with a group of smart, savvy women, Mina seizes one last, desperate chance to stop the cycle that began so long ago. But there are dangers to inviting the attentions of what might not be a man, but a monster…

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What books did you add to your shelves this week?

ARC Review: The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Thriller, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 304 Pages

January 9, 2024 by St. Martins Press

Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins returns with a twisted new gothic suspense about an infamous heiress and the complicated inheritance she left behind.

There’s nothing as good as the rich gone bad.

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

But in the aftermath of her death, her adopted son, Camden, wants little to do with the house or the money―and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, his uncle’s death pulls Cam and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but the legacy of Ruby is inescapable.

And as Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will––and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

My Review:

I binged this author’s backlist earlier in 2023 and this author rocketed to the top of my auto-buy list.

I loved the setting of this story, the author really paints a vivid picture of the house and the town.

This book is filled with unreliable narrators from Ruby’s letters to Jules and Camden themselves. Usually when a book goes between timelines or has letters detailing the past I find myself invested in one timeline more than the other but I was equally engrossed in both which I think is a testament to this author’s writing.

I loved the twists this book took, even though one of them I was starting to suspect in the last few chapters but it was still a delicious twist!

Overall, I loved this book and look forward to reading more by this author!

My Rating:

4.5 of 5 Knives!

The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

The Christmas Guest: A Novella by Peter Swanson

Standalone, Christmas Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, audiobook, 112 pages

October 17, 2023 by William Morrow

Blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village’s grim history. Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone, but a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, country residence of the Chapman family. The Cotswold manor house, festooned in pine boughs and crammed with guests for Christmas week, is a dream come true for Ashley. She is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s aloof and handsome brother. But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Is she in a grand romance? A gothic tale? Or has she wandered into something far more sinister and terrifying than she’d ever imagined? Over thirty years later the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time. What began in a small English village in 1989 reaches its ghostly conclusion in modern-day New York, many Christmas seasons later.

My Review:

This Christmas will be killer.

This book begins with a woman reflecting on her life and how she doesn’t accept invitations to people’s houses for Christmas. Instead she cleans, and comes upon an old journal from many Christmases ago.

We follow Ashley Smith as she is invited to pretty, more popular Emma’s house in the Cotswolds for Christmas. She diligently recounts through a series of journal entries her arrival at Starvewood Hall, meeting Emma’s parents and charismatic brother Adam who she immediately falls for.

But a darkness follows Adam, who has been accused of murdering a girl he was involved with some months earlier.

This book was a fast, interesting read that held my interest to the very end. It has a twist halfway through that the reader may or at not suspect but is still thrilling nonetheless followed by a second half that seems to explain the behind the scenes of part one.

I honestly did love it. This was my first read by this author but I will definitely check out his other books as I have been meaning to for a while.

For anyone wanting a seasonal read filled with murder and mystery, I definitely recommend The Christmas Guest!

My Rating:

5 of 5 Knives!

Get your copy!

Book Review: Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

Horror, Standalone

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 304 Pages

September 12, 2023 by St. Martin’s Press

Blurb

A standalone horror novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who’ve fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out…and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it… But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone―or something―that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.

My Review:

I have such mixed feelings for this book. But at least I didn’t DNF it.

Did it have a good setting? Yes. Sufficient scenes of horror? Yes and no. My issues with this book are mostly the characters and the reveal of the events in the book.

None of the characters were particularly likable but I hated the main character most of all. Laney was just… pathetic. Yes, this awful thing happened to her in high school but she’s basically become a doormat ever since. Her husband leaves her post-Covid lockdown with no explanation and she just lets him go. Her best friend stops speaking to her in college with no explanation and she just lets her go. Her other friend didn’t believe her after the incident that happened in high school but she still wants to be her friend even though the bitch is a troublemaking liar. And then there is her obsessive overprotection of her “niece” Madison. And I figured out her reason early on but everyone keeps saying how smart and mature Madison is and yet they all treat her like she’s a toddler not a 16 or 17 year old girl, almost an adult. It was so annoying.

Anyway, Laney rents out her island summer home on what I assume is supposed to be like AirBnB or VRBO or something similar. And she’s had a lot of issues with renters disrespecting her property and not staying out of areas/personal property that they have been told not to. And Laney just sort of sighs and takes it. Again.. total doormat. But the latest renter has reported blood and scratch marks in one of the bedroom closets so Laney and Madison go out to investigate. A lot of weird satanic wannabe type stuff has been showing up on the property lately but Laney has thus far brushed it off. When they get there Laney’s ex-husband Kit and Laney’s ex-bff/Kit’s sister Jayla are there to help. And then her frenemy from high school Sadie shows up with her brother Garrett who makes Laney’s skin crawl – for good reason. And by the end of the night one is missing and their only way off the island is gone.

Sounds like the set-up for a great locked-door/cut off from the world thriller/horror right? What I wouldn’t give for this book to have had a crazy slasher in it. Or a murderous member of the party ready to settle an old wrong. But alas the author takes a supernatural turn in this book. Which I guess shouldn’t surprise me considering this is the author of Bitten (which I did enjoy).

While the author does paint a clear picture of the gore and carnage through the book, it’s like she couldn’t make up her mind. Am I writing about zombies? Vampires? Demons? Eh make it look like all three then give an eye-roll worthy reveal and make it all about saving Mother Earth and not littering or whatever.

I feel like this book had so much potential and it just failed to live up to it.

My Rating:

3 of 5 Knives!

(I Lived to Tell the Tale)

Book Review: The Camp by Nancy Bush

The Camp by Nancy Bush

Mystery, Thriller

eBook, Paperback, 432 pages

June 27, 2023 by Zebra Books

Blurb:

Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets at a summer sleepaway camp isolated in the woods of Oregon, as New York Times bestselling author Nancy Bush puts a diabolical modern twist on the classic 1980s slasher film trope!

There are always stories told around the fire at summer camp—tall tales about gruesome murders and unhinged killers, concocted to scare new arrivals and lend an extra jolt of excitement to those hormone-charged nights. At Camp Luft-Shawk, nicknamed Camp Love Shack, there are stories about a creeping fog that brings death with it. But here, they’re not just campfire tales. Here, the stories are real.

Twenty years ago, a girl’s body was found on a ledge above the lake, arms crossed over her heart. Some said it was part of a suicide pact, connected to the nearby Haven Commune. Brooke, Rona, and Wendywere among the teenagers at camp that summer, looking for fun and sun, sex and adventure. They’ve never breathed a word about what really happened—or about the night their friendship shattered.

Now the camp, renamed Camp Fog Lake, has reopened for a new generation, and many of those who were there on that long-ago night are returning for an alumni weekend. But something is stirring at the lake again. As the fog rolls in, evil comes with it. Those stories were a warning, and they didn’t listen. And the only question is, who will live long enough to regret it?

My Review:

This was my most anticipated release of the summer… and it kind of let me down. It’s described as Friday the 13th meets Yellowjackets and I’m afraid I might have missed something.

The first thing I will point out is this listed as a stand-alone (at least on Goodreads) but as soon as I started reading it the character names and the name of the town Emma is from stood out to me from the only other Nancy Bush book I’ve read – The Babysitter. Yep. Same characters, same town, apparently not a part of that series? That was the first thing that kind of put me off… if I hadn’t read The Babysitter and known Emma’s backstory a new reader might not know or understand what caused Emma to be the way she is as an adult.

The camp/outdoorsy setting was the only connection I can make to Friday the 13th as The Camp devolves more into a nearby cult and religious zealots which I found a bit predictive and boring compared to what I assumed the book would be from the description.

I recently read another upcoming release with Friday the 13th vibes that I felt hit it out of the park but this one let me down big and left me confused and asking if I missed something in comparison.

My Rating:

1 of 5 Stars (I’d Rather Poke My Eye Out)

Book Review: The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade

YA, Mystery/Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 336 pages

June 27, 2023 by Sourcebooks Fire

Blurb:

Sometimes people are lost from you, no matter how much you wish they weren’t and before you can even begin to know how big of a hole they’ll leave behind.

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. She knows Sutton is manipulative, meanwhile everyone paints a picture of her perfection. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone―or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey and watch her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

My Review:

I was drawn to this book based on the description and the diversity in what I thought was going to be a mystery/thriller.

What I enjoyed: the main characters were well developed and the dynamic between the sisters and how they didn’t get along is relatable to anyone that has siblings. The mention of their ancestry added a deeper element to the story.

What I didn’t like: this story seemed really underdeveloped to me. I went in expecting a sort of thriller in a way – sister goes missing, sister comes back and acts strange, I’ve read books with similar plots where the remaining sister almost becomes an amateur sleuth trying to find out what happened but that wasn’t how this book went which was very disappointing for me. The villain was… pretty much a joke. The villain was so one-dimensional and the resolution of the book left me feeling meh.

My Rating:

2 of 5 Knives (Flesh Wound)

Book Review: Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

Where Darkness Blooms by Andrea Hannah

Standalone, YA, Horror/Thriller

eBook, Hardcover, 320 Pages

February 21, 2023 by Wednesday Books

Blurb:

Andrea Hannah’s Where Darkness Blooms is a supernatural thriller about an eerie town where the sunflowers whisper secrets and the land hungers for blood.

The town of Bishop is known for exactly two recurring windstorms and an endless field of sunflowers that stretches farther than the eye can see. And women―missing women. So when three more women disappear one stormy night, no one in Bishop is surprised. The case is closed and their daughters are left in their dusty shared house with the shattered pieces of their lives. Until the wind kicks up a terrible secret at their mothers’ much-delayed memorial.

With secrets come the lies each of the girls is forced to confront. After caring for the other girls, Delilah would like to move on with her boyfriend, Bennett, but she can’t bear his touch. Whitney has already lost both her mother and her girlfriend, Eleanor, and now her only solace is an old weathervane that seems to whisper to her. Jude, Whitney’s twin sister, would rather ignore it all, but the wind kicks up her secret the summer fling she had with Delilah’s boyfriend. And more than anything, Bo wants answers and she wants them now. Something happened to their mothers and the townsfolk know what it was. She’s sure of it.

Bishop has always been a strange town. But what the girls don’t know is that Bishop was founded on blood―and now it craves theirs.

My Review:

The best part of this book was the prologue. After that it goes and stays downhill riddled with plot holes and a storyline that doesn’t make sense leading up to a lackluster end that doesn’t make any sense.

I was drawn to this book based on the description, the gorgeous cover, and the vibes that reminded me of The Dead and The Dark by Courtney Gould but this book was a disappointment that left me, as a reader, with more questions than answers. The author doesn’t flesh out the story enough to explain to the reader why this is the way things are… perhaps we’re supposed to draw our own conclusion as to why the sunflowers crave the blood of women for example. Maybe the point was to be vague and mysterious… it just didn’t pan out.

I see what the author was trying to accomplish with this book but it just didn’t work for me as a reader.

My Rating:

1 of 5 Stars (I’d rather poke my eye out)