Sarah
Annabelle is one of my favourite films, I wouldn't want a doll like that anywhere fuckin near me but watching it through the safety of a tv is fine.
So when I saw this creepy ass cover I knew that all sorts of shenanigans would be happening in it and I wasn't wrong!
I've read another book by this author, it was very well written and it did creep me out a bit, which I enjoyed, so this one was a given.
It was creepy and I frequently found myself saying ‘just get rid of it!!' ‘it's getting closer!!' and other things that you shouldn't say loudly at 2am while sitting in the dark especially not with other people in the house.
This is an author I know I enjoy and whose books I know will keep me gripped.
Huge thanks to Stephen Lancaster, Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Hmmmm, recently I've been reading more about hauntings and supernatural occurrences so when I came across this on NetGalley and was approved for a copy I was very excited, I want to know more about this sort of thing and the experiences that people have and when I read that it's going to be a creepy read with hair-raising experiences, I believe that I'm gonna get just that. Sadly it was not to be.
It just wasn't for me, I found it too slow and boring in parts and was happy when I'd finished reading it.
Sorry.
Huge thanks to Logan Corelli, Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
A nice steady stroll through an A-Z of a collection of french wonders, it doesn't take long to read but that's not the point, it's a lazy sunny sunday in Paris, you're sitting in front of a cafe watching stereotypical french people pass by before you ignore all of them and read this while drinking your cafe au lait.
I enjoyed it but that might be because there's the word ‘cheese' in it.
Huge thanks to Piu Marie Eatwell, Thistle Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Any book that includes a ‘Squirrel containment officer' is a book I know i'm going to enjoy. I so very much wish that all of these traditions were real because I would make it my mission to go and watch each and every one of them and take photos!!
Huge thanks to Julian Worker, BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Book 2 in the Kenni Lowry Mystery series.
Gotta love this series! Kenni is a wonderful character and I absolutely LOVE her ghostly grandfather, he is awesome!
The mystery is well written and the characters are fun, the development is steady and the setting is ‘typical' small town which is how I like most of my cozy mysteries.
Have books 3 and 4 to read so they're going on my list of ‘to-read very soon' cozies, will hopefully start book 3 today but we shall see.
Huge thanks to Tonya Kappes, Henery Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Funny cosy mystery set around a funeral home as Tallie Graver tries to find out who killed one of her ‘friends'.
Secrets and lies abound, as they are wont to do in a mystery book, as is the occasional murder with a sprinkling of romance and a heaped dose of humour.
Huge thanks to Misty Simon, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
This is the first book in this series that I have read, I do have book 5 to read and will be getting to that soon.
As Meg Reed is in boot camp training for the Mud, Sweat and Tears extreme 5k mud run (which sounds like fun just for the beer addition) she finds the body of their trainer, Billy the Tank, in the steam room. She then begins to investigate to find out who wanted him dead and why.
Fun and quick cozy read with a great core cast of characters who gel well together and with the added fun of being beer drinkers, my tipple of choice.
Huge thanks to Kate Dyer-Seeley, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
This is the second book in the Country Club Murders series that I've read and I loved it as much as I did the 3rd book (which was the first one I read).
Ellison Russell is a strong, funny and smart female character who knows her own mind and loves her family. I always enjoy getting back into her world to see how she develops.
I enjoyed the mystery as it involved killer clowns and I love me some killer clowns (Pennywise being my favourite obvs) in a book!
Will be keeping my eye out for the rest of the books in this series as I need to read them all and have them available for re-reads when I need a strong female character to give me a boost.
Huge thanks to Julie Mulhern, Henery Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
This is the 9th book in the Haley Randolph series and the first one I have read.
I love the fact that Haley only does this job to get high end boutique items, she is a very well written character who I really enjoyed reading about.
The mystery is good, the characters are fun and the interplay between them is well done and funny.
I will definitely be looking for the rest of the books in this series to see how Haley has got to where she is.
Huge thanks to Dorothy Howell, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
This is the first one in this series that I have read and it wasn't bad.
When Mainely needlepointers Dave Perry and main character Angie Curtis find hermit Jesse Lockhart dead on King's Island they begin the search for the murderer to avenge his death and save the island as it's a sanctuary for endangered Great Cormorants.
Basically there I've just reworded the blurb and may have made it sound weird but it's an entertaining cozy mystery that has good characters and a lovely setting. I will be looking for the rest of this series as I do love me some cozies!
Huge thanks to Lea Wait, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Really, really loved this book, so much so that it's getting a re-read this evening.
The illustrations are wonderful and it's very well written.
Just read it and listen to the podcast, do it! Do it NOW!!
Huge thanks to Aaron Mahnke, Headline, Wildfire and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Animals, humor and crazy old ladies. Perfect book to break up the violence in the books I usually read.
Would read more by this author if he releases anymore books.
That is all.
Huge thanks to P.J. Miller, thirty8street Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Book 5 in the Erika Foster series and I love this just as much as I love all the other books in this series!
She is so well written! She's a damaged, driven, strong, funny, loving and committed woman. She throws herself fully into everything but romance, still haunted by her past but striving to move forward. Love her.
It's all so well developed, the back stories of the characters, the interplay between them all, the mystery, the violence needed to move it along is there to do that and isn't over the top or distracting from the plot, the twists and turns, the ‘oohh, I wasn't expecting that' moments and the wrap up of the main ‘story' but knowing there's still more to come from this great cast.
I highly, highly recommend this series to all procedural/mystery/thriller readers as it really does deliver on it's promises.
Patiently waiting for Deadly Secrets now!! Book 6 in the series for all of you playing along at home. So excited to get back into Erika's world to see what's happening.
Huge, huge thanks to Robert Bryndza, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
I love Joe Kenda, he has that face that you know you shouldn't mess with him, his eyes burn into you and he knows if you've been bad or good (kinda like a stern santa with a gun and badge).
When I saw this on NetGalley I knew I had to request it, I needed to read this because it's true crime and, like lots of the people who've reviewed this book, I love me all the true crime I can get my fat little fingers on, so imagine my delight and excitement when I was approved!
Jumping right in I read it in 2 days, trying to savour it, getting into the mind of Kenda as he recounts some of his cases and lets you see a little bit of his life behind the badge, getting to know him a bit better and see how his mind works regarding home vs work life.
I really got into this book and didn't want it to end, I know I will definitely be looking for more by Kenda, in the hope that he will write more and we can be in his world again.
Huge thanks to Joe Kenda, Center Street and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
I've had this for a while now and finally had the time to settle in and read it. What a thrill ride it was!!
There's a lot of info about military procedures in the first few chapters but it's all relevant to the story and plot so stick with it as it ramps up to action and violence (which is what I usually look for in a book if I'm honest!).
It flows well and the characters are very well written, there's sarcastic humour along with the drama and you find yourself getting immersed in it as you want to know what happens next.
Set in the near future and told from various perspectives, it's all happening in a realistic timeframe rather than taking place in a week or two. Can't say too much about the plot as I'll be spoilery and I don't like to spoil stuff for others.
Not many books make me cry but this one managed it twice so when I'd finished it I had to watch cute animal videos to calm myself down!
I thoroughly enjoyed this and eagerly await more from this author as he's both very well informed and an engaging storyteller. Very well done Mr Roberts!!
Huge thanks to the author, Justin Roberts, for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Maggie McDonald is back and as organized as ever!! I am really enjoying this series as I love the characters and it gives me tips on how to organize my life.
When the fiancee of Maggies new client Professor Lincoln Sinclair is found murdered in his home, Maggie knows she has to investigate to find out who killed her and why to clear Lincolns name.
The mystery was good and the cast of characters is wonderful, the group of friends she has is fun and supportive, doing what they can to help Lincoln in his time of need.
The third book in this series is waiting on my kindle for me to jump into and I think it's about time I did just that.
Huge thanks to Mary Feliz, Kensington Books and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Book 4 in the Java Jive cozy mystery series and it can be read as a stand alone. You get enough back story from the previous books to get you caught up and not feel like you're missing too much information.
The characters are well written, the humour is just right, the mystery is good and it's a quick read.
Huge thanks to Caroline Fardig, Random House Publishing Group - Alibi and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
I really enjoy these books, curled up in bed just devouring little facts and figures before I get back to true crime books that fill my head with death.
Huge thanks to the Bathroom Readers' Institute, Printers Row Publishing Group, Portable Press and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
Prologue - 31st January 1976
3 children watch as another child's body, wrapped in a flour sack, is buried under an apple tree. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next'. (I'm paraphrasing here, it has more info than that but this is the pertinent bit in my eyes)
Told over 9 days from 30th December 2014 to 7th January 1015.
When a woman is found strangled in a church, DI Lottie Parker is called in to find out what the frack is going on. Lottie is still mourning the death of her husband and hasn't really got her head together yet, she has 3 children who she doesn't seem to be able to communicate with and she just throws herself back into work.
There are more deaths as she tries to figure it out and some of it hits too close to home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this!! Lottie is a wonderful yet damaged character, she's having a hard time and not being able to spend as much time with her children as she can is difficult for her but they remind her too much of the husband she lost and she still grieves over him.
The story has it's slow points but that's just so you can catch your breath from everything else that's going on. There's a lot of secrets and lies, sexual abuse of children (not graphic but upsetting none the less) and the grief, anger, hopelessness and pain associated with it.
I would say I'm looking forward to the next one but I've already read, and loved, it so the review will be coming in the next half an hour or so!!
Huge thanks to Patricia Gibney, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinion are my own
This was a very, very quick read because of how well it flows, it's full of humour, there's some gruesome and violent bits but it's not too bad, the different places they go while in the Glass Vault are well described and immersive.
It ended a little abruptly for me but now I know there's another book coming I can wait for that to see if what I want to happen, happens.
To say I don't read very much YA at all, I really quite enjoyed it and am anxious (I'm always anxious!) to read the next one.
Huge thanks to Candace Robinson and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
3.5 stars
The premise of this pulled me in, with social media being the huge platform it now is I enjoy reading about how it could go wrong, with how much information people post online about where they are, what they're doing, selfies, pictures of food etc and then how much hate spews from other people for no reason other than to make themselves feel better and make the other person feel worse or suicidal.
We have a Twitter killer, @bemykiller, who, if you send them a message will pick someone to kill, the #bemykiller trends and people die. When Hazel, who makes documentaries and is our main character, finds out that an old friend of hers, Meredith, has been killed by the Twitter killer, she decides to investigate and try to find out what happened. Shenanigans ensue and it gets violent.
There are a lot of characters to contend with in this, most of the notes I made are names and who people are and how they connect to the story, it's a slow start and the violence is quite extreme considering this is a mystery/thriller rather than a horror.
I did enjoy the story as a whole but it can get confusing with all those people and I would've loved to see Fun Central, the abandoned amusement park where they go to film a documentary, be more of a character, as that's what kept me reading, thinking more would happen there that would take this from a 3.5 star book to a huge 5 star book. Alas, that did not happen.
Will still keep my eyes open for more by this author as he does write well and I'm hoping I'll enjoy one of those more than this.
Huge thanks to Richard Parker, Bookouture and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own
I've been sitting here for a while now trying to work out what to say about this book and to write a cohesive review (my reviews don't usually end up that cohesive anyway really!) and I just don't know what to put.
I liked it but it wasn't as good as I thought it would be yet it wasn't terrible. What I'm trying to say is it's a so-so book that i feel pretty blah about.
Best. Review. Ever. Sigh
Huge thanks to Amy Schumer, HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own