Lisa
An other worldly, haunting mystery exploring how people change (or don't change) in a place where the past bleeds into the present.
This book takes place in a small, isolated town surrounded by redwoods, and it couldn't be more perfect for the plot. It amplified how stifling a community can be where nothing changes and everyone knows everybody.
Because James has been gone for 20 years, you get the unique perspective of an outsider who still has insider information, and that works great to create an atmosphere where everyone is suspicious. Things unravel at a great pace, and by the end I had a bunch of theories and was still surprised.
This was also a really interesting look into how lifelong relationships grow together and apart, how time and distance can change our perception of people, and how ignoring the truth will eat away at you.
I'd recommend for anyone looking for a moody, suspenseful mystery with a little bit of romance and a deep exploration of loss.
I can already tell this one will stick with me for a while.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for feedback
An other worldly, haunting mystery exploring how people change (or don't change) in a place where the past bleeds into the present.
This book takes place in a small, isolated town surrounded by redwoods, and it couldn't be more perfect for the plot. It amplified how stifling a community can be where nothing changes and everyone knows everybody.
Because James has been gone for 20 years, you get the unique perspective of an outsider who still has insider information, and that works great to create an atmosphere where everyone is suspicious. Things unravel at a great pace, and by the end I had a bunch of theories and was still surprised.
This was also a really interesting look into how lifelong relationships grow together and apart, how time and distance can change our perception of people, and how ignoring the truth will eat away at you.
I'd recommend for anyone looking for a moody, suspenseful mystery with a little bit of romance and a deep exploration of loss.
I can already tell this one will stick with me for a while.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for feedback
An other worldly, haunting mystery exploring how people change (or don't change) in a place where the past bleeds into the present.
This book takes place in a small, isolated town surrounded by redwoods, and it couldn't be more perfect for the plot. It amplified how stifling a community can be where nothing changes and everyone knows everybody.
Because James has been gone for 20 years, you get the unique perspective of an outsider who still has insider information, and that works great to create an atmosphere where everyone is suspicious. Things unravel at a great pace, and by the end I had a bunch of theories and was still surprised.
This was also a really interesting look into how lifelong relationships grow together and apart, how time and distance can change our perception of people, and how ignoring the truth will eat away at you.
I'd recommend for anyone looking for a moody, suspenseful mystery with a little bit of romance and a deep exploration of loss.
I can already tell this one will stick with me for a while.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for feedback
An other worldly, haunting mystery exploring how people change (or don't change) in a place where the past bleeds into the present.
This book takes place in a small, isolated town surrounded by redwoods, and it couldn't be more perfect for the plot. It amplified how stifling a community can be where nothing changes and everyone knows everybody.
Because James has been gone for 20 years, you get the unique perspective of an outsider who still has insider information, and that works great to create an atmosphere where everyone is suspicious. Things unravel at a great pace, and by the end I had a bunch of theories and was still surprised.
This was also a really interesting look into how lifelong relationships grow together and apart, how time and distance can change our perception of people, and how ignoring the truth will eat away at you.
I'd recommend for anyone looking for a moody, suspenseful mystery with a little bit of romance and a deep exploration of loss.
I can already tell this one will stick with me for a while.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for feedback
(4.75 stars) A Christmasy, locked room mystery tailor made for book lovers and fans of romantic suspense.
This was a quick fun read. The banter is witty. The mystery is compelling and twisty. The romance is swoony with some great protection tropes. It's the perfect book to read during the busy Christmas season when you have a million other things on your mind.
My only complaint was that some parts of the big finale twist kind of came out of nowhere, but it didn't ruin anything for me. I just think it would have been better to lay a little bit more groundwork.
Overall would recommend. Will reread. Great if you watch Knives Out and were like "I wish this had more romantic suspense".
(4.75 stars) A Christmasy, locked room mystery tailor made for book lovers and fans of romantic suspense.
This was a quick fun read. The banter is witty. The mystery is compelling and twisty. The romance is swoony with some great protection tropes. It's the perfect book to read during the busy Christmas season when you have a million other things on your mind.
My only complaint was that some parts of the big finale twist kind of came out of nowhere, but it didn't ruin anything for me. I just think it would have been better to lay a little bit more groundwork.
Overall would recommend. Will reread. Great if you watch Knives Out and were like "I wish this had more romantic suspense".
This was fun. Unique premise and a great blend of action and humor.
If you like urban fantasy and have ever looked around a Costco thinking about what you could use as a weapon, this book is for you.
It goes quick. I listened to the graphic audio version and enjoyed it.
This was fun. Unique premise and a great blend of action and humor.
If you like urban fantasy and have ever looked around a Costco thinking about what you could use as a weapon, this book is for you.
It goes quick. I listened to the graphic audio version and enjoyed it.
A dramatic and emotional conclusion to the mysteries set up in the first book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, but it has a different vibe than the first. There's more action but less excavating. The plot is quick paced and the stakes are high. Multiple twists took me by surprise.
Inez and Whit's flaws are front and center in this one in a way that was a little frustrating to watch play out, but they never go so far as to be unlikeable (at least not for long). The romance takes a very different tone in this one, which isn't unexpected but did make me miss the yearning and the early stages of falling in love from the first book.
I particularly liked the epilogue.
Having finished the duology, I'd absolutely still recommend it for anyone who wants a historical fantasy romance with mystery and strong "touch her and die" themes.
A dramatic and emotional conclusion to the mysteries set up in the first book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, but it has a different vibe than the first. There's more action but less excavating. The plot is quick paced and the stakes are high. Multiple twists took me by surprise.
Inez and Whit's flaws are front and center in this one in a way that was a little frustrating to watch play out, but they never go so far as to be unlikeable (at least not for long). The romance takes a very different tone in this one, which isn't unexpected but did make me miss the yearning and the early stages of falling in love from the first book.
I particularly liked the epilogue.
Having finished the duology, I'd absolutely still recommend it for anyone who wants a historical fantasy romance with mystery and strong "touch her and die" themes.
A dramatic and emotional conclusion to the mysteries set up in the first book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, but it has a different vibe than the first. There's more action but less excavating. The plot is quick paced and the stakes are high. Multiple twists took me by surprise.
Inez and Whit's flaws are front and center in this one in a way that was a little frustrating to watch play out, but they never go so far as to be unlikeable (at least not for long). The romance takes a very different tone in this one, which isn't unexpected but did make me miss the yearning and the early stages of falling in love from the first book.
I particularly liked the epilogue.
Having finished the duology, I'd absolutely still recommend it for anyone who wants a historical fantasy romance with mystery and strong "touch her and die" themes.
A dramatic and emotional conclusion to the mysteries set up in the first book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, but it has a different vibe than the first. There's more action but less excavating. The plot is quick paced and the stakes are high. Multiple twists took me by surprise.
Inez and Whit's flaws are front and center in this one in a way that was a little frustrating to watch play out, but they never go so far as to be unlikeable (at least not for long). The romance takes a very different tone in this one, which isn't unexpected but did make me miss the yearning and the early stages of falling in love from the first book.
I particularly liked the epilogue.
Having finished the duology, I'd absolutely still recommend it for anyone who wants a historical fantasy romance with mystery and strong "touch her and die" themes.
Romance, adventure, treasure, murder, and mystery all in a lush historical setting. If you're still chasing the high from The Mummy (1999), this may be for you. It's a bit of a slow start but by the end you'll need to remind yourself to breathe.
Slow burn romance.
A mystery that gets deeper the more it gets untangled.
And an ending that will make you wish you had book two.
Do yourself a favor and look up the beautiful portraits from the special edition.
Romance, adventure, treasure, murder, and mystery all in a lush historical setting. If you're still chasing the high from The Mummy (1999), this may be for you. It's a bit of a slow start but by the end you'll need to remind yourself to breathe.
Slow burn romance.
A mystery that gets deeper the more it gets untangled.
And an ending that will make you wish you had book two.
Do yourself a favor and look up the beautiful portraits from the special edition.
Added to listParanormal Romancewith 44 books.
Added to listSmall Townwith 24 books.
Added to listInvestigationwith 56 books.
Added to listRomance for Spooky Seasonwith 13 books.
A beachy, cozy, romance that will make you want some ghosts and banana bread in your life.
This book gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. The setting of Boneyard Key is full of ghosts, but in a fun non threatening way. There are some goosebump-inducing moments but nothing terrifying. I’d almost go as far to say it was heartwarming to read about how kindly the town treats the ghosts amongst them.
The romance is easy without being too insta-lovey. It has enough challenges to drive the plot but not so many that you worry they won’t work through them. I’m honestly surprised how much I loved reading this book and I can’t wait for more.
I’d absolutely recommend this any time of the year, but it would be an especially great option for readers looking for softer spooky options around Halloween. More Casper the Friendly Ghost vibes than Poltergeist.
A beachy, cozy, romance that will make you want some ghosts and banana bread in your life.
This book gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings. The setting of Boneyard Key is full of ghosts, but in a fun non threatening way. There are some goosebump-inducing moments but nothing terrifying. I’d almost go as far to say it was heartwarming to read about how kindly the town treats the ghosts amongst them.
The romance is easy without being too insta-lovey. It has enough challenges to drive the plot but not so many that you worry they won’t work through them. I’m honestly surprised how much I loved reading this book and I can’t wait for more.
I’d absolutely recommend this any time of the year, but it would be an especially great option for readers looking for softer spooky options around Halloween. More Casper the Friendly Ghost vibes than Poltergeist.
I love Tangled, but was hesitant about reading a story where the heroine was naive, earnest, trusting, and interacting with the world for the first time.
Ren is still all those things, but she's also charming and kind and that made the difference.
The book does a great job following the spirit of the movie and is full of little Easter eggs any Tangled fan will recognize.
That being said, I think the book is still good enough on its own for someone who hasn't seen the movie.
It's not my favorite Christina Lauren book but it does like a Christina Lauren book, so I still enjoyed it.
I love Tangled, but was hesitant about reading a story where the heroine was naive, earnest, trusting, and interacting with the world for the first time.
Ren is still all those things, but she's also charming and kind and that made the difference.
The book does a great job following the spirit of the movie and is full of little Easter eggs any Tangled fan will recognize.
That being said, I think the book is still good enough on its own for someone who hasn't seen the movie.
It's not my favorite Christina Lauren book but it does like a Christina Lauren book, so I still enjoyed it.
Forbidden love filled with all the tension, longing, and heart you could ask for.
This is basically a slow burn in the Tessa Bailey world, despite a timeline that feels jarringly fast at first. You get a very charming meet cute, leap through the getting to know you phase, and dive deep into the desperation of two people forced to ignore their feelings. It kind of feels like the whole book takes place in a third-act-breakup, but not in a bad way. The timeline makes sense since so much of Sig and Chloe's story takes place before we meet them in the previous book. It's written in a way that feels natural, there's just a small part of me that is bummed I missed out on some of those early moments.
Sig and Chloe are likeable (yet flawed) and you really root for them to figure things out. Really great romantic tension with their efforts to not cross the line drawn between them. Watching Chloe grow more confident and independent with Sig's help is a delight.
The actual sports aspect is pretty light but it IS there. There are plenty of fun scenes with notable members of the team outside of practice or games, so to me it did still feel like a sports romance.
Tessa Bailey should also be called The Queen of Breadcrumbs because she always sets up her next book in a way that has you invested based off of just a few pages. I have no hesitation about continuing with the series.
I'd recommend to anyone who loves Tessa Bailey (obviously), fans of Clueless, and people who think self sacrifice is a noble way to show your love.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper and Avon Voyager for access to this ARC in return for honest feedback.
Forbidden love filled with all the tension, longing, and heart you could ask for.
This is basically a slow burn in the Tessa Bailey world, despite a timeline that feels jarringly fast at first. You get a very charming meet cute, leap through the getting to know you phase, and dive deep into the desperation of two people forced to ignore their feelings. It kind of feels like the whole book takes place in a third-act-breakup, but not in a bad way. The timeline makes sense since so much of Sig and Chloe's story takes place before we meet them in the previous book. It's written in a way that feels natural, there's just a small part of me that is bummed I missed out on some of those early moments.
Sig and Chloe are likeable (yet flawed) and you really root for them to figure things out. Really great romantic tension with their efforts to not cross the line drawn between them. Watching Chloe grow more confident and independent with Sig's help is a delight.
The actual sports aspect is pretty light but it IS there. There are plenty of fun scenes with notable members of the team outside of practice or games, so to me it did still feel like a sports romance.
Tessa Bailey should also be called The Queen of Breadcrumbs because she always sets up her next book in a way that has you invested based off of just a few pages. I have no hesitation about continuing with the series.
I'd recommend to anyone who loves Tessa Bailey (obviously), fans of Clueless, and people who think self sacrifice is a noble way to show your love.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper and Avon Voyager for access to this ARC in return for honest feedback.
This is a five star book for me but it won't be for everyone. This is an EXTEME slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, sports romance.
Sal is strong, confident, kind, and relatable in a way that many of Zapata's characters can be. Her inner monologue can read a little immature (lots of "everybody poops" thoughts) but she's still very likeable. Kulti passes grump and veers into asshole territory off and on but he doesn't always get away with it, and at the end of the day his heart is in the right place.
As someone who played soccer for a lot of years, I'm happy with the sports aspect of the story. It's present throughout and vital to the story while still leaving room for the romance to shine, and where the romance shines is in the collection of moments Zapata has given us. She really zeros in on the small, subtle ways people fall in love. You get everything, good or bad. Small and big. The building blocks of their relationship are all there waiting for you.
As someone who is a big fan of the "Mr. Darcy hand flex" this gave me the butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling I've chased since reading my first book romance.
This last reread was done with the new audiobook, and while initially skeptical both actors NAILED IT. I was particularly worried about Kulti's accent but I had zero complaints.
I'd recommend this to everybody. The banter is funny, the relationships between characters heartfelt, and watching things go from enemies to friends to lovers is satisfying. This is my favorite Mariana Zapata book.
This is a five star book for me but it won't be for everyone. This is an EXTEME slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, sports romance.
Sal is strong, confident, kind, and relatable in a way that many of Zapata's characters can be. Her inner monologue can read a little immature (lots of "everybody poops" thoughts) but she's still very likeable. Kulti passes grump and veers into asshole territory off and on but he doesn't always get away with it, and at the end of the day his heart is in the right place.
As someone who played soccer for a lot of years, I'm happy with the sports aspect of the story. It's present throughout and vital to the story while still leaving room for the romance to shine, and where the romance shines is in the collection of moments Zapata has given us. She really zeros in on the small, subtle ways people fall in love. You get everything, good or bad. Small and big. The building blocks of their relationship are all there waiting for you.
As someone who is a big fan of the "Mr. Darcy hand flex" this gave me the butterflies-in-my-stomach feeling I've chased since reading my first book romance.
This last reread was done with the new audiobook, and while initially skeptical both actors NAILED IT. I was particularly worried about Kulti's accent but I had zero complaints.
I'd recommend this to everybody. The banter is funny, the relationships between characters heartfelt, and watching things go from enemies to friends to lovers is satisfying. This is my favorite Mariana Zapata book.
Part dark romance with some light suspense.
I don't know that I found anyone particularly likeable, but I did find myself unable to stop reading.
I doubt I'll be continuing with the series, but it was enjoyable enough for someone who likes tension, cons, and a protector trope romance.
Check trigger warnings if you have any.
Part dark romance with some light suspense.
I don't know that I found anyone particularly likeable, but I did find myself unable to stop reading.
I doubt I'll be continuing with the series, but it was enjoyable enough for someone who likes tension, cons, and a protector trope romance.
Check trigger warnings if you have any.
A sci-fi story that thrives in the gray areas of morality, friendship, and the reality of ever changing history.
I really enjoyed this read. The different cultures and worlds felt established and unique. The pacing was great, the stakes are appropriately high, and there's a real emotional depth lying underneath all the action. Big themes of the self vs. the whole, historical blind spots, and whether there are ever truly good guys and bad guys.
A sci-fi story that thrives in the gray areas of morality, friendship, and the reality of ever changing history.
I really enjoyed this read. The different cultures and worlds felt established and unique. The pacing was great, the stakes are appropriately high, and there's a real emotional depth lying underneath all the action. Big themes of the self vs. the whole, historical blind spots, and whether there are ever truly good guys and bad guys.
I thought I had this book all figured out in the first 20 pages. Things seemed almost too obvious to me, so I kept reading assuming I would either be very surprised or not surprised at all. I'm happy to report most of my assumptions were wrong.
I thought this book would be about Clementine trying to find Iwan in her present, but it's really about change, growth, and the expectations you put on other people. Finding him wasn't the hard part, it was coming to terms with the seven years in between past and present Iwan. This is what kept me reading.
I didn't have any complaints about pacing while reading it, but in hindsight things feel very quick. The story has depth but overall it feels like not a lot happened. I'm sure this is because time is split between the past and the present.
I think this is one of my favorites of hers. Ashley Poston writes tender romantic comedies with complex feelings on grief and this is no exception. Fans of her other books will find this one just as good.
I thought I had this book all figured out in the first 20 pages. Things seemed almost too obvious to me, so I kept reading assuming I would either be very surprised or not surprised at all. I'm happy to report most of my assumptions were wrong.
I thought this book would be about Clementine trying to find Iwan in her present, but it's really about change, growth, and the expectations you put on other people. Finding him wasn't the hard part, it was coming to terms with the seven years in between past and present Iwan. This is what kept me reading.
I didn't have any complaints about pacing while reading it, but in hindsight things feel very quick. The story has depth but overall it feels like not a lot happened. I'm sure this is because time is split between the past and the present.
I think this is one of my favorites of hers. Ashley Poston writes tender romantic comedies with complex feelings on grief and this is no exception. Fans of her other books will find this one just as good.