Linda
Mary Kubica!! What a fantastic read by one of my favorite authors. Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen and review prior to publication. I feel so honored to get first dibs on the unputdownable book. This is a story about two families who spend a holiday together at a lakeside resort, but only one of the couples survives the trip. Courtney Gray hears a scream from the cottage next door. She finds her niece covered in blood and then she finds the bodies. What follows is a mystery that this listener did not see coming at all! Props to Courtney for doing more than the police and stopping at nothing to get justice for her family. And oh my goodness, what an ending!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen prior to publication. I've always enjoyed Max Lucado's books and this one did not disappoint. We all have those inner thoughts, some positive and some negative and if you are looking for help with the negative, this book is for you. My favorite was the advice on guilt as I've lived with it for a while. The book was broken up into six sessions: The power of your thoughts, Three tools for thought management, Getting unstuck from anxiety and guilt (my favorite), Finding joy and avoiding the lure of lust, Navigating overwhelming situations and pain, and Facing rejecting and dissatisfaction. Overall, I found this audio very useful and will incorporate some of the tools mentioned in my everyday life. I will say the only thing I didn't care for was the narration by Lucado (sorry Max) but I did struggle with that aspect of the audio.
Louisa and Henry, what can I say about them that won't give away the story? All I know is every single time he called her Louisa, I swooned as much as she did. While the story is centered around their romance, I found the supporting characters to be both delightful and diverse. I loved each and every one (except maybe Louisa's mother). This book had everything - heart, romance, secrets, and in the end, lesson that home is where your favorite people are and that everyone gets over heartbreak and grief differently and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. A book that will stick with me for years to come that I thoroughly enjoyed from the first page to the last. Thank you Netgalley for giving me early access to this beautiful story.
This book started out so well. That first line will rope you in, “The week I shot a man clean through the head began like any other...” Okay Emma, I'm in! The story is about a woman who's sister was murdered and the man who went to prison for said murder. The day he is released, she decides she can't live in a world where his is alive and her sister is not. Thus she sets out on a roadtrip to avenge her death, “an eye for an eye.” I struggled to stay in the story mid-way through and found the back and forth between both past and present and Birdie and Jimmy very difficult to follow. However, I did find it a solid three star read and look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to give it a chance!
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of Tessa Bailey's newest title in the Big Shots series. I really enjoyed this series when it first started but the last few books just didn't work for me. Perhaps I've aged out of this genre as I prefer more romance and plot than smut. This one was full of innuendos and vulgar language and I had to force myself to finish it. Some readers might enjoy that, but I'm afraid this is my last book in this series if the plan is to continue with similar dialogue. I will give props to the narrator! She does a fantastic job and helped me power through.
The Mad Wife was not what I thought it would be. The beginning of the book was exactly what I pictured but then it got pretty dark. Then it got really dark... and I loved every minute. As women, we are held to such high standards - have the babies, keep the house tidy, cook dinner, and that is exactly what is expected of the women in this story based during the 1950s housewife era. Our main character is Lulu - struggling mom of two trying to recover from a tragedy all while keeping her house in order and her husband happy. Then she meets Bitsy, her new neighbor and suspects that something is horribly wrong with her. She becomes fixated with Bitsy and while trying to uncover her dark secrets, she slowly begins to unravel her own for the reader. This book was so sad, yet so necessary. It demonstrates how hard life is for some of us, how we are constantly expected to power through during even the toughest trials of our lives with little to no support. It was a stunning, haunting story that I will not soon forget. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC and thank you to the narrator for doing it justice.
Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for a book by one of my favorite ghost storytellers! Karen White is my favorite author to read during spooky season and her stories about ghosts and their pasts are phenomenal. I've been a fan since her first novel about Melanie and I was so excited when she started a new series featuring Melanie's step-daughter, Nola. In book three, we find Nola and her group of friends still renovating her new house while also trying to put a few ghosts to rest. She finds the perfect house for an old flame, but it comes with a price - a ghost that is becoming more powerful by the day. If Nola, Beau and the rest of the clan don't figure out why the ghost is here and how to set him free, all their lives could be in danger. I enjoyed this continuation of the story very much and I think Karen does a great job with these characters (although I do wish Beau and Nola would quit ignoring their feelings for each other).
I have always enjoyed Erin Craig's books but I struggled with this one, possibly because I always struggle with modern retellings of stories. I usually avoid them but wanted to love this one because I love this author. Alas, it was not meant to be. The story is about a town called Mistaken and a girl (Greer) who is trying to adhere to her towns traditions to avoid the mysterious creatures that lurk nearby. When her love interest Ellis disappears into the forest, she sets out on a mission to find him. While I found parts of it interesting, I felt the story dragged on and I struggled to pay attention throughout. I appreciate the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Linda Castillo has done it again. I was in a listening slump and tried several audio books and gave up on all of them. Just when I thought I wasn't in the listening mood, I started this one and I can't even explain it - there's just something about Castillo's writing that draws the reader in and Kathleen McInerney always does a fantastic job narrating this series! Once again Kate is called to solve a murder in her Amish town of Painters Mill, a 21-year-old Amish man has been murdered and his body dismembered. Before Kate can even get started, a second body of another Amish man is found. Yet no one in the small town is willing (or their too scared) to talk about what's going on. With very little info to go on, and the rumor of sex trafficking, Kate must work relentlessly to find the killers before it's too late and more lives are lost. I really enjoyed it and always look forward to the next one!
Thank you Netgalley for the audio ARC of this novel by Christine Nolfi. This book has a little bit of everything - family secrets, small town vibes, and of course... books! What's not to love? The story is about the life of Hanna Reeves, who has decided to hire Claire Shelton and her family to catalog her possessions. Hanna is a fiesty old woman and she and Claire butt heads a few times throughout the novel but grow to appreciate one another. When Calire finds Hanna's secret journals (while snooping where she shouldn't), she takes it upon herself to reveal some things to others in the community about what she finds. As she digs deeper into the journals, she uncovers more family secrets that have the whole town wanting to learn more!
Thank you Netgalley for this fantastic audio ARC by Kelly Rimmer. I really enjoyed the narration of this book and the story itself. I loved the spooky ghost vibe and I really felt for the main character, Fiona as she struggles with family secrets and the restoration of her uncle's house. The story was original and captivating! I thoroughly enjoyed the dual narrative and timelines of this novel. To hear the backstory and secrets from Fiona's ancestors made the book more interesting and I really liked that the author chose to tell the story through a book written by her uncle. A great read I will reommend to many!
This was my first audio by Brennan and it kept me listening. Mia is on a well deserved vacation from her life, yet the island she's on has many secrets and a few dead bodies. Mia takes it upon herself to crack the case with the help of a young girl she befriends. What follows is a lot of flirting with a lot of different men (I feel like the MC had too many love interests here), a ton of almost sexual encounters (most of which never happen) and lastly, a mystery. This read like a cozy mystery to me, minus all the internal dialog about sex from the main character, which I could have done without. Aside from the very awkward sexual content, I thought it was a solid cozy mystery.
A deserted island no one knows about is the perfect place for four friends to meet every year to catch up on life, drink and swim. No one even knows they are there. So when all of their bodies disappear, the police rule it as a boating accident gone wrong. Ten years later, the island is now owned by the sister of one of the victims and she plans to open the island up as a resort. Before the grand opening, Anneliese and a group of her plans book a private week for her bachelorette party. Four new friends, same island. One of them disappears. Is this revenge for what happened years ago? Or is someone just messing with them? I will say I strugged through the audio version of this book (though I can't pinpoint why). I was given the opportunity to both read and listen and found I enjoyed reading this novel more. However, it was still difficult to get through and I found myself losing interest. Too many characters to keep track of and it was just really hard for me to follow. I still give it three solid stars as it was an okay read, just not my favorite. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to listen and read this one prior to release date!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audio version of this novel. This was my first novel by Court Stevens and what drew me in was the description and the place. Growing up in Ohio, I'm always drawn to rural books within the tri-state area. I really strugged with the beginning of this one. There were so many characters and I couldn't keep track of who was who and what was what. It felt like the book was just all over the place. I can typically manage two timelines but this one had me all sorts of confused and I didn't love any of it enough to rewind and start over to figure out what I'd missed. I did enjoy the actual plot (a murder that happened over twenty years ago and the people still affected by it in the present). I was really rooting for Anna and hoping that everything would work out for her in the end!
I adore Katherine Center's novels and this one did not disappoint. The beginning was familiar and similar to most of Center's novels. I will admit that during the middle portion of this audio, I lost a bit of interest but the author brought me back before it ended. Katie is quirky, awkward and funny. Hutch is quiet and moody. What could go wrong? When they are thrown together on a project, the two have to learn to navigate each others quirks - Katie because she needs her job and Hutch because he's trying to make up for past mistakes. Of course they fall in love with each other and of course neither of them will admit it. Will a close call with a hurricane force them to face their fears and admit their true feelings to one another? Read it to find out! Also, shout out to the author for creating a character like Katie (I also am afraid to wear colors and mostly stick with black or neutral! It's a real thing. Colors on my person frighten me!) The narrator also always does a fantastic job with her novels.
This book was informative and helpful. As someone who read the five love languages, I liked and appreciated what the author did by incorporating them into the workplace. Chapter 11 was my favorite as it talks about honesty and suggests that managers, 1) Acknowledge mistakes 2) Lead by example 3) Encourage diverse viewpoints 4) Show sensitivity with consistent check-ins, etc. These sound basic, but I am astonished by how many managers can't even do the first four suggestions. I've found them all to be very effective in the workplace and wish they were requirements of all leaders. I also liked “The weight of trust” section which provides seven questions you can ask your teams to get an idea of how your company is doing with trust. Also a very helpful tool! Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone in a leadership or management role IF they want to see actual change and improvement with their employees. Thank you Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read it in advance!
Jeneva Rose is fantastic! This series is fantastic! I could not wait to read book two so a huge thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing, Inc. for the ARC. Sarah Morgan is at it again, this time with a new husband - Bob Miller. And like her first husband, Adam, Bob cheats on Sarah so she files immediately for divorce. As if a divorce and custody battle wasn't enough, new DNA is uncovered in Adam's case and Sarah is once again thrown into the spotlight. Then Bob's mistriss goes missing and things get really messy. This book kept me reading well past my bed time and I couldn't wait to get to the finish, which was just as good as book one. I will recommend this series to a lot of patrons and I can't wait to read what Jeneva writes next!
I have always enjoyed Alex Finlay's stories and this one did not disappoint. It draws you in from the very first chapter. When five college students don't show up for their weekend dinner with parents as planned, everyone thinks they are just avoiding the evening. The next morning, everyone is panicked as it's not like these kids to disappear and not keep in contact with their parents. FBI Agent Sarah Keller has just moved to the area and is thrown into the case immediately. With one girl already dead and ruled an accidental drowning, the race is on to find out what happened to the five and are these cases linked. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat. I will say I guessed what was coming and was right, which is rare! I also had the privilage of reading this one and listening. The narration is fantastic! This one did not disappoint. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur books for the ARC.
Appalachian fiction at its finest. The author roped me in from the first page and I couldn't stop reading. The story follows a group of people living in a small mountain town and the devastating things that happened there ten years earlier. Three girls go missing without a trace. The only thing left in their place are Apple dolls. Days after being taken, one girl is returned but she can't speak so the police and parents are left without answers. Ten years after, the brother of one of the girls hires a PI, Annie Gore. Annie is also from a small Appalachian town and is know for finding people. As she digsuu deeper into the case, she stirs up some trouble not just for herself, but others in the town. It becomes increasingly apparent that either someone within the town took their own or the folklore about the witch and her crows is true. When history repeats itself, Annie must work even faster to uncover the truth, before it's too late. Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this fantastic atmospheric story.
Thank you NetGalley for this amazing ARC of one of my favorite series. Book three of the Molly the Maid series finds our very own Molly in the limelight as she's just discovered her precious faberge egg that belonged to her late grandmother is worth a lot of money. Molly and Juan Manuel must decide what to do with it - sell it and become rich or keep it. The decision is made for them when the egg disappears and death threats begin. Just as quickly as the egg is stolen, it is returned with another threat, “Sell it or die.” Molly and her cast of hotel friends must work together to track down the perpetrator before it's too late. I absolutely adored this one as we get to finally hear Gran's story and how she came to be the caretaker of Molly and her tragic love story had me in tears. This one made me laugh a lot, cry a little and the ending was absolute perfection. I adore Molly the Maid and her stories, so I do hope Nita Prose isn't finished with her story just yet.