Category: ARC

All the Best Lies (Ellery Hathaway: Book 3) by Joanna Schaffhausen

All the Best Lies: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway Book 3) by [Schaffhausen, Joanna]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Ellery Hathaway

The Vanishing Season—Book 1 (Review Here)

No Mercy—Book 2 (Review Here)

All the Best Lies—Book 3

Where you can find All the Best Lies: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

FBI agent Reed Markham is haunted by one painful unsolved mystery: who murdered his mother? Camilla was brutally stabbed to death more than forty years ago while baby Reed lay in his crib mere steps away. The trail went so cold that the Las Vegas Police Department has given up hope of solving the case. But then a shattering family secret changes everything Reed knows about his origins, his murdered mother, and his powerful adoptive father, state senator Angus Markham. Now Reed has to wonder if his mother’s killer is uncomfortably close to home.

Unable to trust his family with the details of his personal investigation, Reed enlists his friend, suspended cop Ellery Hathaway, to join his quest in Vegas. Ellery has experience with both troubled families and diabolical murderers, having narrowly escaped from each of them. She’s eager to skip town, too, because her own father, who abandoned her years ago, is suddenly desperate to get back in contact. He also has a secret that could change her life forever, if Ellery will let him close enough to hear it.

Far from home and relying only on each other, Reed and Ellery discover young Camilla had snared the attention of dangerous men, any of whom might have wanted to shut her up for good. They start tracing his twisted family history, knowing the path leads back to a vicious killer—one who has been hiding in plain sight for forty years and isn’t about to give up now

First Line:

Camilla Flores has always been in the wrong place at the wrong time, starting with the day she was born, six weeks early, in Puerto Rico, before her mother could cross the ocean and land on continental American shores.

All the Best Lies by Joanna Schaffhausen

My Review:

All the Best Lies is Reed’s story. Reed’s biological mother was brutally murdered when Reed was four months old. A prominent senator adopted him and but he always had questions about his mother. Then, a DNA test threw his world into a tailspin. The results of that DNA test makes Reed take another look at his mother’s unsolved murder. But, someone doesn’t want that murder solved, and they will do anything to keep it that way. What was in that DNA test, and who killed Reed’s mother? And what is tying them together?

All the Best Lies is the 3rd book in the Ellery Hathaway series. This book cannot be read as a standalone. You do need to read books 1 and 2 to understand Ellery and Reed’s relationship as well as Reed’s relationship with his family. If you do decide to pick the book up and read it, be prepared to be confused.

I loved Reed. He was determined to find out exactly what happened to his mother. His reactions to certain people in the book were right on. I would have been mad too!!! The only thing I didn’t agree with was when he went off on his own towards the end of the book.

I liked that Ellery took a step back in this book. What I mean by taking a step back is that her backstory and issues weren’t made the focal point of the book. She was still the same kick-ass ex-cop who went out of her way to help Reed.

I didn’t agree with the romance angle of the book. It didn’t seem right to have a romance between Ellery and Reed. I understood why the author did it (to show how far Ellery had come) but still.

The plotline about Reed’s mother’s murder was fantastic. The author did a great job of keeping the killer under wraps. Several red herrings were thrown out. I went back and forth about who killed Camilla and mentally kicked myself when the killer was revealed. I also loved the twist that was thrown in at the end. I did not see that coming.

The plotline about Ellery and her father broke my heart into little bits. I wanted to smack the crap out of her father. I understood her feelings about what he asked. I would have been torn too.

The end of All the Best Lies was terrific. The author did a great job of wrapping up all of the plotlines and bringing them together. I loved how Ellery was able to get the killer. Well, she had help but still. It was fantastic. I do wonder if there is going to be a book 4.

I would give All the Best Lies an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread All the Best Lies. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Stepbrother with Benefits (The Masons: Book 2) by Hazel Kelly

Stepbrother With Benefits: An Opposites Attract Romance (Mason Family Book 2) by [Kelly, Hazel]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: February 3rd, 2020

Genre: Romance

Series: The Masons

My Best Friend’s Sister—Book 1 (review here)

Stepbrother with Benefits—Book 2

Where you can find Stepbrother with Benefits: Amazon

Book Synopsis:

The first time I laid eyes on James Mason, the world stood still.

Unfortunately, the tether ball I’d just spiked didn’t, and when it ploughed into the back of my distracted head, I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.

I don’t know why I was so dumbstruck. All he did was ride up on his skateboard and call my best friend’s name.

Perhaps it was his confidence that roused me. Or the funny cowlick at the front of his dirty-blond hair. Or the way his jeans sagged on his hips… Not that I’d ever noticed the way a boy’s jeans fit before.

But it wasn’t my name he called that day, and it never will be.

Because guys like James Mason don’t fall for bookworms like me. And even if they did, that farfetched dream died the day he became the stepbrother I never wanted.

Not that I don’t want him.

I love the idea of him wrestling me to the floor and pinning me down with the weight of his body. But there’s nothing familial about the way I wish he would pull my hair, the way I wish he would pull me close.

I’ll be taking that secret to the grave, though, because our families have been through enough.

Besides, he doesn’t see me that way.

So I keep biting my tongue. As hard as it takes to keep my secret.

And only when I’m alone do I ever imagine that it’s him.

First Line:

The first time I laid eyes on James Mason, the world stood still.

Stepbrother with Benefits by Hazel Kelly

My Review:

Stepbrother with Benefits is book 2 in The Masons Series. I keep going back and forth if you can read this book as a standalone. In some sense, yes, you can. But if you want to understand the dynamics of James and Brie’s combined family, then I would highly recommend reading book one first. It explains the backstory to the series better than this book does.

I am going to throw up a trigger warning. A professor sexually assaults Brie in the middle of the book. It wasn’t rape but a combination of grabbing (breast and genitals) and threats made against Brie. It was a direct reference to the #MeToo moment. If this triggers you, I suggest picking up another book to read. The author did a fantastic job of showing how raw Brie was after that and how she dealt with it.

Brie and James had some serious chemistry going on in this book. Even before they had sex, their encounters were sexually charged. When they had sex, it was flipping amazeballs. One of the best sex scenes I have read to date. Even I was left feeling fulfilled by reading it!!

I didn’t get the “Ewww” factor with Brie and James being stepbrother and sister. One reason: They weren’t blood-related. Another reason: They weren’t raised to think of themselves as siblings. Brie was Maddy’s friend way before James’s father, and Brie’s mother got married. So they knew each other. If anything, I thought that it was a sweet romance. It was evident that James loved Brie. I guessed that right from the beginning.

I liked Brie, and I had an instant connection with her. She was quiet and didn’t bother anyone. She was loyal to her best friend, to the point where she backed off when she thought her friend was interested in James. But, she was also a fighter and a survivor.

I loved James in this book. He had come across as uptight and controlling in Maddy and Quinn’s story. So to see him unbend in this book was excellent. What I loved is that he acknowledged his feelings for Brie reasonably early in the book, and he spent most of the book trying to win her over. The most telling scene was when he went after the professor but refused to do anything. I had tears streaming down my face. If only all men (and women) could act like that when a loved one had been harmed. I loved that he also fought for her. He started reading Harry Potter, and that scene in the ice cream store was sweet.

I will say that both Brie and James dealt with the backlash about their relationship fantastically. I loved how James put various people in their places.

The end of Stepbrother with Benefits was terrific. Not only did it set up Maeve’s story perfectly, but the way it ended with James and Brie was perfect. Put it this way, they both deserved the HEA that they got.

I would give Stepbrother with Benefits an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Stepbrother with Benefits. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

Things in Jars: A Novel by [Kidd, Jess]

4 Stars

Publisher: Atria Books

Date of publication: February 4th, 2020

Genre: General Fiction

Where you can find Things in Jars: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book synopsis:

In the dark underbelly of Victorian London, a formidable female sleuth is pulled into the macabre world of fanatical anatomists and crooked surgeons while investigating the kidnapping of an extraordinary child in this gothic mystery—perfect for fans of The Essex Serpent and The Book of Speculation.

Bridie Devine—female detective extraordinaire—is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading curiosities in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the labyrinthine, sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing a past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where spectacle is king and nothing is quite what it seems.

Blending darkness and light, history and folklore, Things in Jars is a spellbinding Gothic mystery that collapses the boundary between fact and fairy tale to stunning effect and explores what it means to be human in inhumane times.

First Line:

As pale as a grave grub she’s an eyeful.

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd

My Review:

When I read the blurb for Things in Jars, I knew that I needed to read the book. A mystery set in Victorian England that had a paranormal/fantasy bent to it. Another thing going for this book is that I had read Himself by the author and loved it. So, yes, I was excited to read the book. I am glad that I did because Things in Jars were fantastic!!

Things in Jars had a great storyline. Bridie Devine is a female detective who takes on a case that she thinks will be easy. A 6-year-old girl has been kidnapped, and her father is frantic to get her back. But, as Bridie starts to investigate this story, she notices that things aren’t adding up. Then Bridie’s past collides with her present in a way that could derail her investigation. What is so special about that girl? Why are so many people after her? And what will happen when Bridie is forced to face her past?

The plotline for Things in Jars was lightning fast. That surprised me because when a book goes from past to present, there is always some lag. But not in this case. The author was able to keep up the pace of the plotline and seamlessly go from past to present. There are also no dropped characters or storylines. It made reading this book absolutely a joy!!

I am not a massive fan of when books got back and forth in time. But in this case, the author made it work. As Bridie investigated Christabel’s kidnapping, the author showed what it was like for Bridie growing up. It wasn’t pretty. There were parts of her childhood that made me want to hug her. The time spent in the Eames household, and what Gideon put her through was awful. But, it showed where she got her medical skills and how it shaped her into the woman she was in the present day.

The storyline with Christabel’s kidnapping was interesting. I liked it because I had to figure out if Christabel being a freak of nature was true or not. For a time, I did think that Christabel was an innocent child. But, then there was a crucial scene that involved snails and feet that changed my mind.

I liked that the author took the Irish myth of the Merrow and ran with it. I wasn’t familiar with that myth and spent some time reading about it after I finished the book. I loved it!!

I also loved how the author tied Bridie’s past and present together. There were a couple of people from her past that showed up, not including Ruby Doyle. I was surprised at how they were tied in.

I loved the paranormal angle of the book. I did feel that Ruby’s storyline was dragged on, and I did think, for a time, that his connection to Bridie was forgotten. But, it wasn’t, and the reveal was heartbreaking. I’ll admit, I cried.

The end of Things in Jars was nothing short of amazing. The author did a fantastic job of wrapping everything up. My heart broke a few times when reading the ending. I was wondering if there was going to be another book, but I don’t think so. If I’m wrong, that’s great. But the vibe I got was no.

I would give Things in Jars an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Things in Jars. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Scot Under the Covers (Wild Wicked Highlanders: Book 2) by Suzanne Enoch

Scot Under the Covers: The Wild Wicked Highlanders by [Enoch, Suzanne]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: January 28th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Wild, Wicked Highlanders

It’s Getting Scot in Here—Book 1 (Review Here)

Scot Under the Covers—Book 2

Where you can find Scot Under the Covers: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

When a resourceful English lady and a hot-blooded Highlander join forces to trick a scoundrel, every rule will be broken!

Miranda Harris is known for her charm, wit, and ability to solve any problem she encounters. But when her brother lands neck-deep in gambling debt to a crafty villain and Miranda is subsequently blackmailed into marrying him, she must enlist the help of the devil himself to save the family honor―and herself.

Devilishly handsome Highlander Aden MacTaggert knows next to nothing about the ways of the ton, but he most certainly knows his way around gaming halls and womens’ hearts. Still, Aden is not sure how he’ll manage to find a Sassenach bride in time to save his family’s inheritance. When his almost sister-in-law Miranda comes to him for assistance, he proposes a partnership: She will help him navigate London society and he’ll teach her everything about wagering…and winning back her freedom. The beautiful, clever lass intrigues Aden―but is she playing her own game, or are the sparks between them real? He is accustomed to risking his pocket. But betting on Miranda’s love is a game he can’t afford to lose. . .

First Line:

“I said he was in the doorway,” Aden MacTaggert stated, eyeing his older brother on the great black Friesian warhorse Coll rode.

Scot Under the Covers by Suzanne Enoch

My Review:

I am a massive fan of historical romances. I am also a massive fan of historical romances that involve Highlanders. So, when I saw that Scot Under the Covers was up for review, I knew that I needed to read it.

Scot Under the Covers is the 2nd book in the Wild, Wicked Highlanders series. This book can be read as a standalone book, but I would highly recommend reading book 1. That way, you can get a feel for the boys’ relationship with their mother and her demand that brought them to London. It is explained in this book but gets more in-depth in book 1.

Scot Under the Cover got off to a slow start. I did appreciate the slow start. The author chose to lay the groundwork for Miranda’s storyline. She also decided to let the reader get a good feel for what type of person Aden was. The book did pick up in pace after that first couple of chapters, and it kept a steady pace throughout the book.

I loved Miranda’s character growth in this book. She was introduced as a shy, sheltered debutante. She was sharp, and she knew how to defend herself verbally. Her character growth came when she was forced into an engagement to Captain Robert Vale. She was forced to depend on her wits to outwit him, and when that didn’t work, she turned to Aden. By the end of the book, she was an amazing woman, and she was worthy of Aden.

I had liked Aden in the previous book. The small glimpse that was given of him showed him to be a man who took risks, in and out of the gaming hells. If I liked him in the previous books, I loved him in this one. He knew something was going on with Miranda. Once he found out what was going on, he was going to do anything and everything to help her. What I liked is that not everything is what it seems with him. He had layers upon layers. It was interesting to see what was going to be revealed once one of his layers were peeled back.

I never do this, but I loved the villain in this book. Captain Robert Vale was indeed an evil man. Each one of his interactions with Miranda gave me chills. How he got to Miranda gave me chills. Everything about him gave me chills. I was surprised that he was juggling more than one ball, though. When that was revealed, I did have hope for Miranda after that.

Aden and Miranda’s romance got off to a slow start. She was attracted to him (and him to her), but she was too focused on trying to shake Captain Robert Vale to acknowledge it. It was when Aden found out what was going on that their romance sparked. Then it was all downhill. Aden knew that he was going to marry Miranda reasonably early in the book. It took Miranda much longer to come to that realization.

This is not a clean romance. There is sex. Now how the sex scene came about is interesting. Miranda didn’t want Captain Robert Vale to take her virginity. She asks Aden, who is more than happy to help. The sex scenes were tastefully written and were hot.

I was a little annoyed (actually a lot) with Miranda’s brother and his role in everything. How she could keep talking to him after that baffled me. I also don’t understand how Aden kept his temper too.

The end of the book was nothing short of amazing. But, I was a little put off by how Miranda and Captain Robert Vale’s storyline ended. I was left unfulfilled and feeling a little irritated. But, other than that, amazing and a real HEA!!!

I would give Scot Under the Covers an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Scot Under the Covers. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Dark Alpha’s Temptation (Reaper: Book 9) by Donna Grant

Dark Alpha's Temptation: A Reaper Novel (Reapers Book 9) by [Grant, Donna]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperback

Date of publication: January 7th, 2020

Genre: Romance, Fantasy

Series: Reaper

Dark Alpha’s Claim—Book 1

Dark Alpha’s Embrace—Book 2

Dark Alpha’s Demand—Book 3

Dark Alpha’s Lover—Book 4

Dark Alpha’s Night-–Book 5

Dark Alpha’s Hunger—Book 6 (Review Here)

Dark Alpha’s Awakening—Book 7 (Review Here)

Dark Alpha’s Redemption—Book 8 (Review Here)

Dark Alpha’s Temptation—Book 9

Where you can find Dark Alpha’s Temptation: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

There is no escaping a Reaper. I am an elite assassin, part of a brotherhood that only answers to Death. And when Death says your time is up, I’m coming for you…

Carrying Death’s orders is my sole duty. I’ve never had reason to question her, even if I disagreed. But Kyra’s fierceness and willpower sheds light on my mission. She drives the darkness of my world away. The answers to the Others’ goals lie in her past. For Kyra, I will risk going against Death’s wishes. For her…I will battle the past and the future itself.

First Line:

It was good to be right.

Dark Alpha’s Temptation by Donna Grant

My Review:

I was excited to read Dark Alpha’s Temptation. The promise of finally getting some knowledge of who the Others are and what their agenda excited me the most. I won’t lie and say that Dark Alpha’s Temptation delivers on that promise. Instead, what it does, is add to the mystery of who the Others are.

Dark Alpha’s Temptation was a filler book. There was no progression of the Reaper storyline. Don’t get me wrong; I loved the book. It’s just that I wish the storyline progressed a little more.

The plotline of Dark Alpha’s Temptation was lightning fast. As with most fast-paced books, there was some lag in the plotline. I didn’t mind it because once the author got over the lag, the book shot along.

Kyra and Dubham’s relationship was sexually charged right from the beginning. Some serious sparks were coming off the pages. When they finally did have sex, I thought my Kindle was going to combust spontaneously. It was that good.

I liked Kyra. I wanted to know why she was so focused on Dubham. There was a twist in her plotline that I didn’t see coming. I felt terrible for her.

Dubham was your typical strong but silent type. He was suspicious of Kyra but so attracted to her. His backstory was awful to read, and how he died was even more appalling. I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like for him.

I wanted to know where Rhi went, as did everyone else. There was a colossal complication with that storyline that made me go “Hmmmm.“

Like I mentioned above, the storyline with the Others got more mysterious. What was revealed at the end of the book surprised me. I want to know what their end game is!!!

The end of Dark Alpha’s Temptation was exciting. I have a feeling that the main characters in the next book were revealed. I also am looking forward to seeing what the Others are going to bring to everyone in this universe.

I would give Dark Alpha’s Temptation an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Dark Alpha’s Temptation. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch: Book 3) by Caitlin Crews

The Last Real Cowboy (Cold River Ranch Book 3) by [Crews, Caitlin]

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: January 28th, 2020

Genre: Romance

Series: Cold River Ranch

A True Cowboy Christmas—Book 1 (Review Here)

Cold Heart, Warm Cowboy—Book 2 (Review Here)

The Last Real Cowboy—Book 3

Where you can find The Last Real Cowboy: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

In Cold River, sometimes forbidden love is the sweetest of them all…

Perennial good girl Amanda Kittredge knows that her longtime crush on Brady Everett was never really supposed to go anywhere. But when Brady comes home to Cold River during Amanda’s first attempt at independence, well, who better to teach her about rebellion than her older brother’s bad-boy best friend?

Brady’s plans did not include being forced to work the family homestead for a year–and yet, here he is. And, to make matters worse, his best friend’s innocent little sister is making a menace of herself in the most grown-up, tempting ways. When Amanda begs Brady to teach her about men, he knows he should refuse. But could Brady’s greatest temptation be his salvation?

First Line:

Brady Everett was the insufferable, patronizing, sadly all-too-gorgeous bane of Amanda Kittredge’s existence.

The Last Real Cowboy by Caitlin Crews

My Review:

The major plotline for The Last Real Cowboy centered around Brady and Amanda’s romance. The author chose to have that plotline go at a medium pace, which was more than OK with me. There was some lag towards the end of the book. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but the author was able to get the book back on track, so I dealt with it.

I am going to put up a quick trigger warning. Brady suffered intense emotional and verbal abuse by his father. The author didn’t hold back any punches when it came to writing what Angus did to him. Those were some of the most intense scenes of the book, and I will admit, I sobbed through them all. So, read with care if that type of abuse triggers you.

Brady was an enigma in Grey and Ty’s books. He was portrayed as someone who could care less about the ranch. I will admit, I was curious about how he would come across in the book. I was surprised when his character turned out to be the exact opposite of the previous two books. I felt terrible because he did have some legitimate business opportunities, and he got bullied/laughed at by his brothers. That was hard to read because they were continuing what Angus was doing to him.

I thought that Amanda was immature and impulsive for most of the book. But, once I got to thinking about it, I would have been the same way if I had four older brothers breathing down my neck. While she did mature throughout the book, her impulsiveness stayed. That impulsiveness was crucial towards the end of the book.

I did think that Brady and Amanda were a good couple, right from the beginning. They complimented each other. I loved that Amanda wasn’t afraid to go to bat for her man when the going got tough. I wouldn’t want to piss her off, that’s for certain. That scene was the best in the entire book.

The sexual attraction between Brady and Amanda was immediate and red hot. Of course, Brady did try to reign it in (because of her brothers), but Amanda kept chipping away at his defenses. That sexual attraction morphed into some intense sexual chemistry. The author was smart and built that chemistry up. So when they did have sex, it was explosive.

The plotline about Brady and the ranch was sad. As I mentioned above, his father abused him. He ensured that Brady would continue to be outcast by his brothers after his death. His college education was used against him time and time again. There was a point in the book where I did wonder why Brady was staying.

While The Last Real Cowboy is the last book in a series, it can be read as a standalone. But I would strongly suggest reading the first two books. It explains more about Angus and the brothers’ relationships.

I do wonder if Amanda’s brothers will be getting their books. If they do, I want to read it. They were a massive presence in The Last Real Cowboy!!

I wasn’t thrilled with the ending of The Last Real Cowboy. While everything happened the way I thought it did, I was left with a feeling that it was rushed.

I would give The Last Real Cowboy an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Last Real Cowboy. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

The Other People: A Novel by [Tudor, C. J.]

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine Books

Date of publication: January 28th, 2020

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find The Other People: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

A gripping new thriller about a man’s quest for the daughter no one else believes is still alive, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place.

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’ It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again.

Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter.

Then, the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found, in a lake, with a body inside and Gabe is forced to confront events, not just from the night his daughter disappeared, but from far deeper in his past.

His search leads him to a group called The Other People.

If you have lost a loved one, The Other People want to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.

There’s just one problem . . . they want other people to know it too.

First Line:

She sleeps.

The Other People by C.J. Tudor

My Review:

The Other People is about Gabe and his search for his missing daughter. Gabe’s wife and daughter were murdered while he was on the way home. At the time, Gabe didn’t know that and was surprised when he saw his daughter’s face appear in the back window of the car in front of him. That set off a series of events. Gabe was accused of their murder and the cleared. Then the car is found and new evidence that his daughter wasn’t the one that died. But, Gabe isn’t prepared for the truth. He also wasn’t ready for a secret that he has kept buried to be exposed. What happened the night his wife and daughter were killed? Will Gabe get his answers?

I know that it is only a few weeks into the new year, but this has to be the best mystery/thriller/suspense book that I have read to date. I couldn’t put this book down!! Put it this way, I read it in two hours. It was that good!!

The plotline in The Other People does get off to a slow start. It did take me a couple of chapters before I got immersed in it. There was also a small amount of lag in the book, right around where Fran left Alice with her mother. But the author was able to get the book back on track.

Gabe was amazing in The Other People. He knew that he saw his daughter the night of the murder, and he never gave up hope that she was alive. I did feel bad for him at the beginning of the book because he was utterly destroyed by what happened. I also admired his restraint when he found out what his in-laws had done. I would have gone ballistic. And of course, there was the issue of his secret. I wish that it had been released earlier in the book.

Fran was an enigma throughout the book. I didn’t understand why she was on the run until she went to her mothers. Then a little bit of her story fell into place. At that point, I understood why she did what she did. My heart broke for her.

I figured out Alice’s story reasonably early in the book. But I couldn’t understand what was happening to her with the stones. Then it was explained and man, it was creepy. Again, my heart went out to her.

The plotline with Gabe looking for his daughter was amazing. The author was able to show his frustration, worry, anger, and hope. I was a little irritated by how the police treated him. But once concrete evidence was found (and Gabe told them what his father in law did), they took him seriously.

The plotline with Fran and Alice was interesting. Right away, I guessed what was going on. But I never guessed why it happened, who Fran was running from and how it was connected to Gabe. That all took me by surprise. Add in the secondary storyline with Fran’s sister and The Sandman, and yeah, I was blown away.

There was a paranormal element in the book that I wished it had more power in the book. It was interesting because of how Alice brought the stones in. But, the connection to Gabe’s secret was something that I didn’t even see coming.

The end of The Other People was interesting. I say interesting because there were a couple of twists in the plot. I didn’t see either of them coming. The author did a great job of combining all of the storylines, even ones that I thought were done with. But, it was the very end of the book that gave me chills.

I would give The Other People an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Other People. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Jane Anonymous: A Novel by [Stolarz, Laurie Faria]

5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books

Date of publication: January 7th, 2020

Genre: Young Adult

Where you can find Jane Anonymous: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Bestselling author Laurie Faria Stolarz returns with Jane Anonymous, a gripping tale of a seventeen-year-old girl’s kidnapping and her struggle to fit back into her life after she escapes.

Then, “Jane” was just your typical 17-year-old in a typical New England suburb getting ready to start her senior year. She had a part-time job she enjoyed, an awesome best friend, overbearing but loving parents, and a crush on a boy who was taking her to see her favorite band. She never would’ve imagined that in her town where nothing ever happens, a series of small coincidences would lead to a devastating turn of events that would forever change her life.

Now, it’s been three months since “Jane” escaped captivity and returned home. Three months of being that girl who was kidnapped, the girl who was held by a “monster.” Three months of writing down everything she remembered from those seven months locked up in that stark white room. But, what if everything you thought you knew―everything you thought you experienced―turned out to be a lie?

First Line:

Dear Reader(s),

Before ten months ago, I didn’t know that the coil spring from a mattress could be used as a makeshift weapon, or that the rod inside a toilet tank worked just as well as the claw of a hammer.

Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz

My Review:

I was intrigued when I read the blurb for Jane Anonymous. I have read plenty of books about kidnapping and the effects on the victims, so I thought I was ready for the book. Well, I was wrong. Jane Anonymous was one of the rawest, more emotional books that I have read to date.

The plotlines for Jane Anonymous are split into two sections. There is “Then” and “Now.” The pacing for each plotline is fast and well written. There is no lag, which was great and complimented the fast pace of the plotline. There were also no dropped characters.

I wanted to reach through my Kindle, grab Jane, and hug her. The author did a fantastic job of showing the difference in her. She was an outgoing girl with a fantastic view of life before her kidnapping. After her abduction, though, she was the opposite. The author didn’t make her magically healed and had her forget what happened to her. Instead, she had Jane struggle with being home. She also showed how Jane was affected by PTSD and anxiety. Again, there were tears on my end.

The “Then” part of the storyline was amazingly written. I liked reading how Jane kept her sanity during her captivity. The author did a fantastic job of showing how Jane was broken down by her kidnapper and then built back up. It was a perfect example of Stockholm Syndrome. But, my favorite part of this book was when she escaped. It was amazing!!

The “Now” part of the storyline broke my heart. Jane was so broken. She tries to recreate her room from when she was kidnapped. Jane kept to the award system that her kidnapper used. She refused to talk to someone because of how they treated her. She had to deal with people alternately praising her and talking about her behind her back. But, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

The end of Jane Anonymous was terrific. I can’t get into it, but I was a blubbery, sobbing mess. It made me have hope for her too. I am for sure going to be looking out for more books by this author!!

I would give Jane Anonymous an Older Teen rating. There are no sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 16 read this book.

I would reread Jane Anonymous. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

No Mercy (Ellery Hathaway: Book 2) by Joanna Schaffhausen

No Mercy: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway Book 2) by [Schaffhausen, Joanna]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: January 15th, 2019

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Ellery Hathaway

The Vanishing Season—Book 1 (Review Here)

No Mercy—Book 2

All the Best Lies—Book 3 (expected publication date: February 11th, 2020)

Where you can find No Mercy: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Police officer Ellery Hathaway and FBI profiler Reed Markham take on two difficult new cases in this stunning follow-up to The Vanishing Season.

No Mercy is award-winning author Joanna Schaffhausen’s heart-pounding second novel.

Police officer Ellery Hathaway is on involuntary leave from her job because she shot a murderer in cold blood and refuses to apologize for it. Forced into group therapy for victims of violent crime, Ellery immediately finds higher priorities than “getting in touch with her feelings.”

For one, she suspects a fellow group member may have helped to convict the wrong man for a deadly arson incident years ago. For another, Ellery finds herself in the desperate clutches of a woman who survived a brutal rape. He is still out there, this man with the Spider-Man-like ability to climb through bedroom windows, and his victim beseeches Ellery for help in capturing her attacker.

Ellery seeks advice from her friend, FBI profiler Reed Markham, who liberated her from a killer’s closet when she was a child. Reed remains drawn to this unpredictable woman, the one he rescued but couldn’t quite save. The trouble is, Reed is up for a potential big promotion, and his boss has just one condition for the new job—stay away from Ellery. Ellery ignores all the warnings. Instead, she starts digging around in everyone’s past but her own—a move that, at best, could put her out of work permanently, and at worst, could put her in the city morgue.

First Line:

You kill one guy, one time, and suddenly everyone thinks you need therapy, Ellery Hathaway thought as she stood in the biting wind of the subway T platform overlooking the icy Charles River.

My Review:

No Mercy’s plotline was simple. Ellery is on involuntary leave after killing the person who had kidnapped four people and killed them. She is also forced into group therapy for people who have survived violent crimes. Figuring that all she needs to do is show up, Ellery is soon drawn into two different crimes. One involves a woman who survived a brutal rape and is desperate for the rapist to be found. The other crime consists of a woman who lost her son in a fire set by an arsonist, 25 years ago. The man convicted for the crime has been paroled, and Ellery isn’t sure if he did it. Instead, she thinks that someone close to the family set the fire. So, what does Ellery do? She calls Reed and asks him for his help. Will Ellery be able to help the rape victim? And will she get to the bottom of the arson?

When I started reading No Mercy, I didn’t know what to expect, plotwise. Because it is book 2, I was expecting this to be more of a filler book. I was expecting the pacing of this book to be slower than The Vanishing Season. Then I started reading it, and all of those preconceived expectations were blown away. This book was not a filler book. The pacing of No Mercy was as fast as The Vanishing Season, if not faster. I did not expect that and loved it!!!

I loved Ellery in No Mercy. She was the same wiseass woman, but there was more of an edge to her. She didn’t hide who she was or what had happened to her. That did cause some minor issues in the book. What amazed me about her was her character growth during the book. Instead of holding people at arm’s length, she started slowly letting them in. She showed empathy towards Wendy. It was beautiful to watch, knowing that her past hindered her. I hope that in the next book, there is even more character growth.

I liked Reed in this book. I liked that the author made his character flawed. There were some parts of the book where I didn’t feel bad for him, though. Like when he made promises that he couldn’t keep (taking his daughter to Disney World) or when he kept missing visitations with her. Because he was with Ellery, helping her with those two cases. But, at the same time, it was evident that he loved his daughter. He did help Ellery with her two cases. His insights lead to some significant breaks in those cases.

The one thing that I wasn’t crazy about in this book was the romance scenes between Ellery and Reed. While it did add to Ellery’s recovery (remember she was sexually assaulted), I didn’t think it had a place in the book. I could have done without it.

The plotline with Wendy, the rape victim, was heartbreaking. To see a woman beaten down the way she was broke my heart. When she reached out to Ellery, she was nearing rock bottom. I did like how the author kept that storyline going without it intertwining with the main storyline. I do wish that there was a better ending. But, unfortunately, that ending of that plotline was all too realistic.

The plotline with Mayra and the fire was interesting. There were so many twists and turns that I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to turn out. The author had me choosing between 3 people as to who set the fire and guess what; it was neither!! I did like how she wrapped that plotline up.

No Mercy cannot be read as a standalone book. It would be best if you read The Vanishing Season before reading this book. I can’t stress this enough.

The end of No Mercy was exciting. There was a small secondary storyline about Reed and his biological mother that was intertwined with one about a family DNA test, what Reed finds out at the end of the book set up for book three perfectly. I can’t wait to read it!!

I would give No Mercy an Adult rating. There are sexual situations. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread No Mercy. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The Vanishing Season (Ellery Hathaway: Book 1) by Joanna Schaffhausen

The Vanishing Season: A Mystery (Ellery Hathaway Book 1) by [Schaffhausen, Joanna]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books

Date of publication: December 5th 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Ellery Hathaway

Vanishing Season—Book 1

No Mercy—Book 2

All the Best Lies—Book 3 (expected publication date: February 11th, 2020)

Where you can find Vanishing Season: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Ellery Hathaway knows a thing or two about serial killers, but not through her police training. She’s an officer in sleepy Woodbury, MA, where a bicycle theft still makes the newspapers. No one there knows she was once victim number seventeen in the grisly story of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. The only victim who lived.

When three people disappear from her town in three years, all around her birthday—the day she was kidnapped so long ago—Ellery fears someone knows her secret. Someone very dangerous. Her superiors dismiss her concerns, but Ellery knows the vanishing season is coming and anyone could be next. She contacts the one man she knows will believe her: the FBI agent who saved her from a killer’s closet all those years ago.

Agent Reed Markham made his name and fame on the back of the Coben case, but his fortunes have since turned. His marriage is in shambles, his bosses think he’s washed up, and worst of all, he blew a major investigation. When Ellery calls him, he can’t help but wonder: sure, he rescued her, but was she ever truly saved? His greatest triumph is Ellery’s waking nightmare, and now both of them are about to be sucked into the past, back to the case that made them…with a killer who can’t let go.

First Line:

It’s too dark to go out but too hot to sleep.

The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen

My Review:

When I saw the blurb for The Vanishing Season, I was intrigued. The victim of a serial killer becomes a cop who then sees a coincidence when people go missing each year around her birthday. The book had me at that. Forget that a famous profiler got involved, I wanted to read about how Ellery was dealing with the aftermath of her trauma. And the author more than delivered!!

The Vanishing Season takes place in the town of Woodbury, Massachusetts. Ellery Hathaway, the only living victim of a sadistic serial killer, is a police officer there. Over the past three years, Ellery has noticed that a person has gone missing on her birthday. Suspecting a serial killer, she tries to get the chief to investigate and is written off. With days left until another person disappears, Ellery reaches out to the FBI agent who rescued her. Reed Markham. Can he help Ellery find the killer before he/she strikes again?

The plotline for The Vanishing Season was lightning fast, and it kept up that pace throughout the book. There was no lag, which was surprising considering how fast this book went. The author was able to keep my focus on the book for the entire book. Put it this way; I picked this book up at 9 am and finished it at 11 am.

I loved how the author portrayed Ellery’s character. It was Ellery that drew me to the book. I wanted to know, “How could someone live after being tortured like she was?”. I got my answer back tenfold. She had severe PTSD and couldn’t form attachments. But she managed to live a normal (if you could call that normal) life. I did want to smack her mother upside the head at points in the book. Your kid was kidnapped, sexually assaulted over and over, and tortured, yet you didn’t get her into therapy? That was a massive WTF from me.

I liked Reed. He was a washed-up version of the person he was when he rescued Ellery. I liked that he acknowledged that. I wasn’t too sure what to make of his dropping everything to help Ellery when she called. But I understood why he did it. He wanted to see how she turned out. He also understood the implications of the people missing on her birthday, and he believed her when she told him what was going on. The small sub storyline with his family did catch my interest.

The main storyline was well written. The author did a fantastic job of keeping how the killer was and why he/she was doing it under wraps. She had me thinking that it was several different people until the big reveal. I was surprised at who it was. I was also shocked at the twist in the plotline. I was not expecting it to go the way it did or what happened.

The end of The Vanishing Season wrapped up beautifully. There was enough left where I did wonder what the next book will be about. I can’t wait to read it!!

I would give The Vanishing Season an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Vanishing Season. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**