book lovers unite

BY GEMMA ROGERS

I just finished reading “The Good Wife”, by Gemma Rogers. Thanks to NetGalley, Gemma Rogers and BoldWood Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review. This was an excellent book. I was not expecting to be so into it because it seemed at first like a recycled plot…but it wasnt.
The story follows a young wife named Chloe who is married to the most revolting human imaginable, Tom. He is not a nice man and CHloe longs to escape. When she finds out he is having an affair with a call-girl she approaches the woman and offers her a deal. The deal, if it works will be her ticket to freedom…or will it?
What I liked about this story was that it moved quickly and the main character was completely rootworthy. Even the mistress was rootworrthy. Thats how despicable the character of Tom was. I also loved the ending. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Let’s just say everyone got what they deserved. This was such a good book that I found it impossible to put down. I read it in one day…basically ignoring al my duties and family to find out what happened.’
If you are a fan of the domestic thriller, then this is the book for you. I can’t wait to read more books from this author. Just a warning that there are some possible triggers, especially if you been the victim of an abusive partner.
My congratulations to the author…Well DOne!

#BOOKREVIEWS #GEMMAROGERS #THEGOODWIFE #NEEDTOREAD #DOMESTICTHRILLER #FEMALELEADCHARACTERS #WOMENSFICTION #FICTION

by SUE FORTIN

I just finished reading “The Missing Wife”, by Sue Fortin. Thanks to NetGalley, Sue Fortin and Storm Publishing for giving me an advancec copy in return for an honest review. This novel can best be describes as a family mystery or mystery thriller. It is about three sisters who grow up in Ireland. One day the oldest sister Kathleen goes missing, and noone knows why. The middle sister receives a mysterious phonecall one day and rushes back to her hometown to thry and find out what happened to her sister, and stumbles upon a suspicious set of events that she and her daughter get caught up in. Throughout the book, we find our Kathleens big secret, why she left and what happened to her.

The way the author goes back and forth between present and past makes the story interesting because we slowly find our clues to what happened to Kathleen, while at the same time we find out the reason why she left… and is missing. The story contains interesting suprises but remains focused on providing the answers to the questions about where Kathleen is.

I liked the family dynamic between the three sisters and the parents. I liked how the story make the bad guys (and girls) layers so that the readers kind of felt sorry for some of them. I liked the main character and her resolve to find her sister.

I really liked the setting of the novel, and how it made me feel like I was actually in Ireland, by writing how some words were pronounced in Ireland. I liked that there was a back story that made sense to the outcome of the story.

Now the backstory…I think I was expecting it to be a bit more juicy. I don’t know. I was a little underwhelmed by it all. But that didn’t take away from the fact that I enjoyed learning about Kathleen as Siobhan her sister did. It was well paced, entertaining, and had a satisfying ending.

Happy Reading

#THEMISSINGWIFE #SUEFORTIN #NETGALLEY #STORMPUBLISHING #MYSTERYTHRILLER #FICTION #FAMILYTHRILLER #DOMESTICTHRILLER #WOMENSFICTION #SUSPENSE



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BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER

I just finished reading “The Good Sister”, by Gilliam McAllister. Here are my thoughts.

If there is one word I could use to describe this book it would be haunting…absolutely haunting. Two sisters, so close growing up, both have kids. One is steady and hardworking and organized the other lives life on the edge, throws caution to the wind and is slightly discombobulated. The older sister Martha, has a new born baby named Layla who is always collicky and crying and difficult. Her sister Becky is the wild one with a child of her own named Xander, and she volunteers to help Martha with baby Layla whenever Martha needs her.

So when Martha is called to take care of some business away from home and has to leave for two days, Layla is taken to stay with Becky. Unfortunately Layla is found dead in her crib and noone knows what happened and Becky is charged with killing her neice.

The entire book revolves around the trial, and is told from the perspective, of the sisters, the witnesses, and even the judge. It is harrowing and awful and so very sad. It is easy for the reader to feel empathy for both sisters and what they have lost.
I really went back and forth on what really happened and at the end all is revealed.
It was an excellent book, wel written and full of incredibly sad and emotional moments. The author seemed to hit on every emotion that might have been felt if this had actually happened. I was hooked.

Even though it was slow to start it was an excellent rollercoaster of emotions that was an incredible read.

Well done Gilliam McAllister…well done.

#THEGOODSISTER #GILLIANMCALLISTER #FIVESTARBOOKS #FIVESTARS #FICTION #WOMEN’SFICTION #FEMALELEAD #NEEDTOREAD #FIVESTARFICTION



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BY JAMIE DAY

I just finished reading “One Big Happy Family” by Jamie Day. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’a Press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of a young housemaid who works in a hotel owned by a creepy owner who dies and has his daughters ascend to the hotel for the reading of the will. There is also a possibly dishonest lawyer and a stowaway who is hiding in the hotel because of her abusive boyfriend. How are all these characters related….Well, that is one heck of a story which weaves in and out of the past and present to expose all the secrets the sisters have (and boy are they BIG secrets) and leads to a very explosive ending where all secrets are revealed.

What I liked about this story was the back story of the sisters and how they grew up with a total loser of a father who had many mistresses and didn’t really care about his children. I kind of felt sorry for them. The back story set up and explained alot of why there were so many secrets in the family.

What I also liked was how the author managed to keep the mystery secret and tie everything together at the end in an explosive way. I liked that all the sisters were deliciously flawed and all acted terrible to each other. I liked the murder mystery and how it also led to secrets being revealed.

What I didn’t like was the flow of the book. I went from being exciting to really wordy and I found myself skipping paragraphs because I didn’t see their importance. I also didn’t like the Charley was stealing from guests to help pay her grandmothers rent.

Overall, I liked this book. It was filled with interesting characters who had secrets that impacted everyone in the book. The ending which revealed the villain behind everything was brilliant. I felt sorry for the villain because their backstory was incredibly sad but….everyone got what they deserved.

A good choice for anyone who enjoys this genre. Happy Reading!

#ONEBIGHAPPYFAMILY #JAMIEDAY #NETGALLEY #STMARTIN’SPRESS #FEMALELEAD #MYSTERYTHRILLER #WHODIDIT #THRILLER #WOMENSFICTION

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BY ALEX FINLAY

I just finished reading “If Something Happens to Me”, by Alex Finlay. Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This is my first time reading this author. I went into this story blind. Sometimes I read online reviews or summaries before starting a book, but not this one. This is a story about a fairly new Officer, Poppy is asked to look into a mysterious dissapearance of a young girl named Allison, when the car she was abducted in is found in a nearby lake but…she isn’t in it. The story also includes Allison’s dad, her boyfriend Ryan and Poppy’s family. Then there is the mysterious hitman Shane O’Leary and his family and we don’t get the connection at first until we do and then the story takes off…

But I think I’ve said too much…this book is awesome. It is a fast paced adventure involving alot of characters and is told in parts so that the reader doesn’t lose track.

What I loved about this book was that it was so seemless in its transition between characters and plots. The author chose the perfect time to make revelations in the novel to make it interesting and suspenseful and surprising.

There were a few loose ends that I had questions about…but it certainly didn”t take away the impact of the story and its resolution which was awesome and necessary and totally satisfying. All the characters were flawed, except for maybe Ryan who I just wanted him to be happy.

All in all, a great book. Five out of five stars. A must read for lovers of this genre.

Happy Reading everyone
#IFSOMETHINGHAPPENSTOME #ALEXFINLAY #STMARTIN’SPRESS #NEEDTOREAD #MYSTERYTHRILLER #FIVESTARRATING #FICTION #FEMALELEAD #BOOKREVIEWS #THRILLERBOOKREVIEW


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BY KATE HEWITT

I have just finished reading “The Last Stars in the Sky” by Kate Hewitt. Thanks you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is not the type of book I would normally read. It is about a family of five who journeys to their summer cabin in Canada to start anew after the husband loses his job and they lose the house. Alex, the wife feels as though an extended trop to the cabin will be the answer to reset their lives. The son Sam, stays at college and the rest of the family travels to the cabin. A few days after they arrive…there is a nuclear strike in the USA and they are left without food water or safety. With their future in jeapordt, Daniel (The Husband) leaves the family to go find ;Sam, while Alex, and her two daughters are left at the remote cabin to survive.

And survive they do…through resilience and sheer determination they learn to hunt, fish, forage in the woods, and suvive agains the odds…sometimes doing and seeing things they would never want to do. Meanwhile Daniel struggles to find Sam…and endures his own survival in what seems like horrible consequences.

The story culminates in some feel good moments…but ultimately, the family must work together to keep surviving, but at this point, the reader is fairly confident that they will all survive.

I loved the characters in this story. They were real and honest and scared and resilient when they had to be. There were some ugly moments but moments of great triumph as well. The suthor did an excellent job of showing both the wonderful and horribly ugly side of humanity.

I wish more time had been spent describing the journey of Daniel when he went looking for Sam. We still don’t know what he did that was so awful…we can only imagine and maybe that is the whole point.

All in all…i liked this book ALOT! A welcome departure from my usual choices that tells the story of survival and sacrifice and the human spirit.

Happy Reading

#THELASTSTARSINTHESKY #KATEHEWITT #NETGALLEY #STORMPUBLISHING #NUCLEARATTACK #FAMILYSURVIVAL #FAMILYDRAMA #FICTION #CABINLIFE #FICTIONBOOKREVIEW



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BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER

I just finished reading “The Choice” by Gillian McAllister. Here are my thoughts.

I love books that have a momentous choice as a jumping off point for a novel that is written from two perspectives, each depending on which choice the main character makes. It is usually fascinating and includes both good and bad consequences and delves into how your live would continue as a result of the choice you made. That is what this book is about. The main character Joanna is out one night with a friend at a bar where she is harassed by a mam. While walking home (Why would you walk home from a bar…hello???) she thinks the man that harassed her is following her so she gets scared and when she thinks he is about to attack her she pushes him and he falls down the some stairs and is severely injured. So…does she call for help or does she walk away and hope for the best. How does the decision impact her life and the life of her husband and friends and family and above all..how does it impact her?

I thought the main character was super interesting…yes she had faults…yes she lied. But…this book is all about not just self-preservation, but doing the right thing and how guilt can eat away at you until you invoke your own form of punishment.

While I did find it a little wordy at times, I liked the back and forth because I totally understoon the impact of each choice. It was interesting to see the journey of the main character in each situation and the impact that each choice had on her relationships…because each choice did have both positive and negative impacts on her life and the life of those around her.

In the end, this is a book about self-renewal, and consequences, and growth and love and understanding and maturity. I really liked it and while it did not contain shocking plot twists or revelations (there was one kind of exciting one) it did offer an interesting insight into the impact of choices that we make, and how they can be overeaching in both good and bad ways.

A well written story that kept me interested and intrigued until the very end.

Happy Reading.

#THECHOICE #GILLIANMCALLISTER #WOMENSFICTION #FEMALELEAD #THRILLER



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BY GILLIAN MCALLISTER

I just finished reading “Just Another Missing Person”, by Gillian McAllistair. A myster thriller that begins slowly but then picks up speed and keeps up an intense pace until the very end.

This is a story about a Police Officer named Julia who is a detective investigating a missing person. She finds her self testing her integrity to get to the truth and is met with many perplexing questions and mysteries. The story is also told from the narrative of Lewis, a grieving father whose own daughter disappeared over a year ago and Emma a devoted mother who wants t believe in her mysterious young son, but seems to think that he may be connected to the missing person.

The novel begins slowly introducing Julia’s family as well as the the other narrators and their families and giving an interesting back story to all of them. You know one of the characters is the bad guy but you are never quite sure because the story keeps shifting slightly, until about two-thirds of the way through when all is revealed in a exciting, somewhat shocking, and crazy way.

In the end, the truth about everything (well almost everything) is revealed. It is believable, and glorious and extremely well written, leaving nothing out. It was quite clever how the author told us just enough to keep us reading and magnificently tied everything up at the very end. CLever…very clever. And the bad guy….awesome.

I think lovers of this genre will enjoy this book. It is a little long for my taste…but well worth the read.

Happy Reading Everyone!

#JUSTANOTHERMISSINGPERSON #GILLIANMCALLISTER #WOMENSFICTION #MYSTERYTHRILLER #STRONGFEMALELEAD #FOURSTARBOOK #GOODREADS




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