Category: ARC

The Woman In the Mirror (An Alexandra Mallory Novel) by Cathryn Scott

The Woman In the Mirror: (A Psychological Suspense Novel) (Alexandra Mallory Book 1) by [Grant, Cathryn]

Publisher: D2C Productions

Date of publication: July 1st, 2016

Where can you find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Alexandra loves martinis and men. 

But she hates misogynists.

Men want her. 

Women like her, but they don’t always know why.

She has an insatiable curiosity and sometimes takes risks she shouldn’t.

Trying to escape the consequences of her risky behavior, she rents a room in a clifftop bungalow, where she finds herself caught in a web of deception and jealousy.

When she untangles the lies, she’s compelled to right a terrible wrong, even at the risk of revealing secrets of her own.

A hypnotic sociopath you can’t help but love.

A gripping, page-turning journey, peeling back more and more layers through tantalizing revelations of the past.

My review:

I couldn’t get into this book. I liked the blurb when I read it, plus that it was a psychological thriller drew me in. But once I started reading it, I couldn’t get into it.

It was Jared and Alexandra’s characters.

I know the author wanted Alexandra to be a strong, mysterious female lead. And in some ways, she was. The author did a great job of releasing key facts about Alexandra at the right moment in the book. What I didn’t get was Alexandra having sex with every single guy she came into contact. Everyone, except for Tom. It made Alexandra look like a slut than this mysterious person.

Jared’s character had promise in the book. I liked him in the beginning. He came across as this guy who got stressed out at work and needed to take a break. He then got stalked by his landlady. Which was fine until he got obsessed with Alexandra. Every chapter that was from his perspective was all about her and how much he needed her. I guess it was supposed to show how she casts her spell over men, but it showed how pathetic Jared was.

The story was ok. It kept me on my toes with following the various subplots. One subplot went back to her college days, one to right after she left college and then the couple in her present. The more I read, the more I realized how Alexandra sticks up for people that she perceives are the underdog.

The ending of the book was a surprise. The author did a great job of ending all the substory lines in the preceding chapters. I was shocked at how things ended. Despite saying that I couldn’t get into the book, in the beginning, I would like to read the next book. The way this book ended left it open for another book.

How many stars will I give The Woman In the Mirror? 3

Why? A good book but it lacked with the thriller part. Plus, I didn’t like the main character at all and thought the male main character was a bit of a wuss.

Will I reread? Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range? Adult

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

Serene (A Dr. Rachel E. Color-Me-Mystery: Book 1) by Jim Musgrave

Publisher: Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Member’s Titles

Date of publication: July 17th, 2016

Part of a series: Yes

Which series: Dr. Rachel E. Color-Me-Mystery

Serene – Book 1

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

This is the mystery that establishes Dr. Rachel Edelstein as a sleuth with a super-power. Raised on an ashram in California, she is molested by Guru Bhagwan Sharma, but he pays for her college education after her parents are found dead inside a lab working on a secret experiment called “Serene.”

While working as a psychiatrist in the Israeli Army, she treats two IDF soldiers who had also been members of the Omshanti ashram back home. When they are murdered in a strangely anti-Semitic way, and no DNA evidence can be found, she decides to resign her commission and return to California to try to solve the murders.

After she teams up with another Jewish psychiatrist, Dr. Jacob Stein, who attends the same Kaballah study group, she is recruited by a scientist who worked with her parents on Serene. Dr. Joshua Lawrence implants the beta test device in her brain, but instead of allowing her to control her own libido, she is able to see the sex traumas of others.

This is the first mystery in a series that features illustrations that can be colored by the reader. Watch for more Dr. Rachel Edelstein and Dr. Jacob Stein Techno-Mysteries.

My review:

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. It is part adult coloring book and part mystery. I made the mistake of leaving my Kindle on with one of the pictures up, and my 11-year-old had a look. She had no clue what it was but still.

If I had the paperback (or even hardcover) of the book, I would have been coloring in those pictures. They looked fun to color and did go with the story.

The story, itself was also decent. In the beginning, it was all over the place, which is something I hate in a book. Once I got past Rachel’s backstory, the story progressed. The author did an excellent job keeping who the bad guy a mystery until the end.

Rachel had overcome a lot in this book. Her parents moved her to a commune when she was 10. She was chosen as a “bride of passion” and raped when she was 12. Then her parents died. That’s a lot for a kid, and Rachel has issues. She returns to the commune after two IDF soldiers are murdered in horrific ways. She agrees to become the beta tester for a project that her parents were working on when they died.

I won’t say much about the book after that point. I will say that it is full of androids, bizarre sexual practices, and one woman who is looking for answers.

I did like that the Kabbalah was mentioned here. Rachel was a student of it, and the author did get into some of what it is about, but not enough. I wished that he did because I find it fascinating.

The end of the book was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting the killer to be who it was. I am pretty good at figuring out mysteries, and this one I didn’t and it still chafes at me.

How many stars will I give Serene? 4

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes but with a warning about the coloring book pages.

Age range: Adult

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

Clementine and Claudia by Piper Milton

Clementine and Claudia: A gripping historical romance novel of two sisters divided by love and war by [Milton, Piper]

Publisher: Silvertail Books

Date of publication: September 22nd, 2016

Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

There are more than two sides to every love story…

The First World War is raging and sisters Clementine and Claudia are coping in very different ways. Clementine is a nurse on the front line, doing her best to save the lives of soldiers wounded while serving their country. Claudia, on the other hand, is living the good life in England, deliberately oblivious to the horrors her sister and so many others are living through. When they both meet their perfect man, their already fractured relationship is tested in ways they could never imagine.

The début novel from Piper Milton, Clementine and Claudia is a powerful and beautifully written story of romance and war for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, and a wonderful addition to the romantic traditions of Penny Vincenzi, Soraya Lane, Brief Encounter and Downton Abbey.

My review:

This book was so slow at the beginning that I almost DNF’d. Stress almost. Once I got past the first couple of chapters, the book started to pick up steam and move along.

I loved the historical aspect of this book. I loved that it took place during World War 1. The author did an excellent job world building. I could picture the bomb and air raid sirens going off. I could hear the battlefield in my ears along with hearing the moans and groans of injured patients.

I did have an issue with the romance part of the book. I want my romance from that period to be sweet and innocent. This one was twardy, and it was almost dirty.

I know people can’t help who they fall in love with. I wished that the author chose a different road for her characters. Cheating on your spouse isn’t cool, and I felt for Charles in that scene. And in the scene where he let his wife go to be with the one she wanted. I was so sad about that.

The ending was what I expected because I knew that the star-crossed lovers would be together.

How many stars will I give Clementine and Claudia: 3

Why: A wonderfully written, vivid historical piece that was written as a historical romance. For me, the romance fell flat and like I said in my review, was twardy and almost dirty.

Will I reread? Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends? Maybe

Age Range: Teen

Why: Sexual situations (but never gotten into detail) and description of wartime violence (including an amputation of a leg).

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

Anywhere You Are (Return to Briarwood: Book 3) by Elisabeth Barrett

Anywhere You Are: A Return to Briarwood Novel by [Barrett, Elisabeth]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept

Date of publication: September 20th 2016

Genre: Romance

Series: Return to Briarwood

Once and Again – Book 1

The Best of Me – Book 2

Anywhere You Are – Book 3

Where can you find this book: Amazon 

Book synopsis:

The author of Once and Again (“Engaging, sexy, and immensely touching.”—Marina Adair) invites readers back to the Briarwood with a novel about a single-minded businessman and the rock princess who melts his heart.

As the daughter of a music legend, Grace Davingham knows all too well what it’s like to be burned by the media’s glare. Now all she wants is to be left to do her painting and conservation work in peace, with no intention of returning to the spotlight. But after she sprains her ankle hiking and a handsome real-estate mogul comes to her rescue, Grace once again finds herself in the public eye.

Sexy, successful, and averse to any attachments, Marcus Colby thrives on rigid discipline in order to manage both his real-estate investment company and his personal life. Marc has no time for fun, and no patience for crazy. Which is why meeting Grace—and inheriting an enormous Great Dane who won’t listen to a word he says—has turned Marc’s carefully constructed world upside down.

Only when Grace and Marc square off over a local controversy do they realize how different they really are. But if opposites attract, their love is destined to bind them together—forever.

My review:

I was “Meh” about this book. It wasn’t because it was a 3rd  book in the series. Anywhere You Are can be read as a standalone book. It wasn’t because of Great Dane named Mr. Pipplepotts. It was because Marc and Grace weren’t believable as a couple. Something about their relationship struck me as forced. I don’t like it when a romance novel comes across that way.

Marc was rigid in his dealing with life and with Grace. I understood some of his rigidity but the way he acted with Grace was a little over the top sometimes. He blew hot and cold, and it drove me nuts.

Grace grew as a character in the book. She was a person who hid out all the time and let people take advantage of her. She became someone who stood up to her family, Marc and people who took advantage of her. I loved it. Plus her interactions with Mr. Pipplepotts was great.

Marc and Grace’s relationship seemed forced. I couldn’t put the finger on it, but his past issues were part of the relationship being the way it was. They also didn’t seem to connect with me as being a couple until the very end.

The ending was what I thought it was going to be and all issues throughout the book were resolved. What got me was that Marc, who is private, was OK with Grace doing guest spots on her family’s reality TV show. A total 180 from where he stood that the beginning of the book and that bugged me.

How many stars will I give Anywhere You Are? 3

Why? Like I said above, I was “meh” about the book. But, the plot was solid and the author did do a great job of making you like the main characters (yes, Marc grew on me after a while)

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range? Adult

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

Visibly Broken by Chelsea Camaron and MJ Fields

Visibly Broken by [Camaron, Chelsea, Fields, MJ]

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept, Loveswept

Date of publication: September 20th 2016

Genre: Romance

Where the book can be found: Amazon 

Book synopsis:

In a powerful, smoldering novel from the bestselling authors of the Caldwell Brothers series (“Bad boy heroes to die for!”—Tracy Wolff), two tortured souls team up to overcome the past, finding the courage to heal . . . and to love.

Jason “Cobra” Stanley was born to fight. With a father like his, he had to toughen up just to survive. Now Cobra tries to take out all of his frustration, all of his anger, and all of his pain in the MMA cage. But after he receives one too many hits to the head during a match, the cycle of violence comes to a screeching halt. Cobra wakes up in the hospital, under the care of a nurse whose blond hair shines like a halo—and whose pure heart touches him on the deepest level.

Lorraine Bosch is a fighter too. The lone survivor of a chilling family tragedy, she prides herself on remaining professional, despite the chaos of the ER. But Cobra is the ultimate distraction. Lorraine knows she should run away screaming from his rippling muscles and shattered psyche. And yet how can she deny this broken man a second chance—especially since she knows exactly what he’s been through? Lorraine’s used to playing guardian angel. Now it’s her turn to find heaven in Cobra’s arms.

My review:

Do not let first impressions ruin this book for you. The first couple of chapters of this book are tough to read. Jason and his girlfriend are abusive to each other. To stop from hitting her, he starts doing MMA style underground cage matches. During one of those matches, he gets hit on the head hard and gets dumped at the ER. That is where he meets Lorraine, a nurse who is damaged by her past.

Like I said above, you need to get past the first couple of chapters to feel the book. I couldn’t understand why the authors would start the book like that. But the more I learned about Jason and his childhood, the more I understood and it is heartbreaking.

It took a while for Jason to grow on me. It took a while to realize that through helping Lorraine, he was helping himself get over his past trauma. He found someone he could protect in Lorraine. Someone who accepted him and his past with no questions asked. Someone who stilled the rage and violence in him. Someone who made him think that he wasn’t the monster that he believed he was.

Lorraine was as damaged as Jason. It took me a while to realize how damaged she was because of the way the book described her. It was brilliant of the authors to do it the way they did. I thought that there were two people instead of one. The more  interactions she has with Dr. Bennett and his family, I came to understand why and it is sick.

The sex scenes were out of control hot. I didn’t like was that Jason was going bareback with Lorraine within days of breaking up with Missy. It bothered me.. The fact that he moved her into his condo without even asking her. That bothered me too. But, in his way, he was protecting her.

The ending wasn’t what I thought it was. The twist fit in with the plot, and I was a little surprised by it. The epilogue was what got me. I was crying at the end.

How many stars will I give Visibly broken? 4/4.5 stars

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age Range? Adult

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

Dead Souls by J. Lincoln Fenn

Dead Souls: A Novel by [Fenn, J. Lincoln]

Publisher: Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books

Date of publication: September 20, 2016

Genre: Horror

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

From the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel Poe comes an edgy and bone-chilling new novel.

When Fiona Dunn is approached in a bar by a man who claims he’s the devil, she figures it’s just some kind of postmodern-slash-ironic pickup line. But a few drinks in, he offers her a wish in exchange for her immortal soul, and in addition, Fiona must perform a special favor for him whenever the time comes. Fiona finds the entire matter so absurd that she agrees. Bad idea. Not only does Fiona soon discover that she really was talking to the devil incarnate, but she’s now been initiated into a bizarre support group of similar “dead souls”—those who have done the same thing as Fiona on a whim, and who must spend their waking hours in absolute terror of that favor eventually being called in…and what exactly is required from each of them in order to give the devil his due.

My review:

What would you do if the devil approached you, offered your heart’s desire and all you have to do is give him your soul and perform a special favor for him? Would you take him up on his offer or would you walk away?

That is what Fiona ran into in this book. After seeing her boyfriend of 3 years hugging another woman at the airport, she returns home to find that she has locked her keys in the apartment. Upset, she heads to the local bar, where she approached by a man who claims to be Scratch. He wanted to know if Fiona would give him her soul to get what Fiona wanted. All she had to do was perform a special favor. At this point, I would be calling over the bouncer to have him escorted off the property. But for some reason, Fiona didn’t, and she agreed.

Imagine her surprise when she wakes up in her bed and in the apartment that she locked her keys into. Imagine her surprise when her neighbor approaches her with her clothes and an envelope with her name on it. There is a card inside with her name, date, and favor.

Things start to get super creepy. Fiona starts going to a support group of people who have also made a deal with the devil. They ranged from a college student who wanted to levitate to a lesbian who wanted to be straight (yes, you read that right, even I did a WTF there) to a couple who desperately wanted children to a mysterious photographer. They meet once a month to see if they are all still there and to check their cards.

I am going to shut up at this point because the book got creepy and surreal. The favors got called in on everyone in the group.

The ending of the book was surprising. I expected some of it, but I didn’t expect the other thing what happened. Totally didn’t expect it and it kind of threw me off.

How many stars will I give Dead Souls? 5

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Adult

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

At Risk by S.G. Redling

At Risk by [Redling, S.G.]

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Date of publication: September 20th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Colleen McElroy grew up wealthy and pampered, the daughter of a prominent society family in Lexington, Kentucky. But her privileged upbringing could not prepare or protect her from her cruel and abusive first husband. Although her calamitous marriage left her with physical and emotional scars that have yet to heal, they haven’t prevented her from doing her best to rebuild her life.

Charismatic Patrick McElroy has scars of his own from his traumatic childhood in the foster care system, but with his business partner, John, he has built a celebrated, state-of-the-art home for at-risk youths. When one goes missing, Colleen is plunged into a nightmare of uncertainty about the girl’s disappearance. Is she paranoid, seeing disasters where there is just bad luck, or does an unspeakable evil lurk behind the new life she’s made for herself? No longer sure of whom she can trust, Colleen will have to rely on herself to discover the truth.

My review:

This book was fantastic!! Mysteries are usually not my cup of tea; I can generally figure out who the murder was by the middle of the book and then get bored reading. But not this book. The bad guys are clearly stated from the get-go. One emerges at in the middle of the book, and the last couple of bad guys appear at the end of the book.

It is the build-up that got me going. The book starts slow and picks up steam as I get deeper and deeper into the book. By the end, its full throttle to the climax of the book. I rarely read a book that can keep that momentum going. So bravo to the author!!!

The beginning of the story was great. It starts with Patrick, Colleen, Bix, and John at a fundraiser for Patrick and John’s project, a state of the art home for at-risk youth. I got a sense of the strange dynamics among the foursome. Colleen is newly married to Patrick and considers herself an outsider to the trio. Patrick and John met when they were children at a group home, and then they met Bix when they were teenagers in another group home.

Colleen notices that something is off with Patrick. He is being secretive and he keeps telling her that he doesn’t want her involved with what he was doing. Big red flag there. One day, Bix approaches Colleen with a phone that she cloned from John and someone texts a list of names. Colleen agrees to play detective and stumbles into something that goes beyond a cheating husband.

As for the characters, I did like Colleen the most. She started as a timid mouse of a woman, still getting over her ex-husband’s abusive ways. By the end of the book, she blossomed into this woman who wasn’t going to take crap from anyone.

I didn’t understand her friendship with Bix. It was a love/hate relationship between them, with the hate being on Bix’s part. If someone ever talked to me the way Bix talked to Colleen, I would have laid them out flat. She was an abrasive, unlikable character.

I didn’t like John either. He came across as slimy, secretive and was always drunk. He rubbed me the wrong way from the first time he appeared in the book.

Patrick was OK. He seemed to be easily influenced/pushed around by Bix and John. He keeps dismissing their behavior and the way Bix treats Colleen as leftover mannerisms from when they were in foster care.

The ending was explosive and it showcased how strong Colleen was. It showed that you never truly know a person, no matter how close you are to them.

How many stars will I give At Risk? 5

Why? This is a true mystery that keeps you guessing until the end of the book.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range? Adult

Why? No sex but there is mention of a forced sexual situation. Also a ton of violence and language.

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

The Girl from the Sea by Shalini Boland

The Girl From The Sea: A gripping psychological thriller with a heart-pounding twist by [Boland, Shalini]

Publisher: Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Member’s Titles

Date of publication: June 9th, 2016

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

‘I can’t remember anything. Not even my own name.’

When Mia James is washed up on a beautiful, sun-drenched beach she has no idea who she is or what happened to her. She doesn’t even recognise her own face – until a man comes forward claiming to be her boyfriend and providing her with an identity.

As Mia tries to adjust to the perfect life she was living before her accident, she quickly realises that something is wrong. Why is everyone around her lying to her? What don’t they want her to remember?

My review:

Mia is found half-drowned on the beach by a good Samaritan. When she is at the hospital, she finds out that she has retrograde amnesia. After the police put her face on the news with a “Do you know this woman,” her boyfriend shows up to identify her. She is released into his custody.

This is where the book gets excellent. Mia starts remembering bits and pieces of what happened to her. She is seeing the specter of an angry, blonde woman and thinks that she is hallucinating. As she regains her memories, she realizes that not everything is what it seems.

I don’t like stories about amnesia, but this one had me hooked. The mystery behind the accident was written so skillfully that I had no clue what happened until the end.

Mia didn’t click with me. I don’t know why there was such a disconnect, but there was.

Let’s speak about the end, but I won’t be ruining anything for anyone. It had to have been the best ending in a mystery that I have EVER read. There are two twists that were huge. The final pages of the book, let’s say, stalker.

How many stars will I give The Girl From the Sea? 4

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Adult

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

Mosh Pit (The Rose Garden Arena Incident: Book 1) by Michael Hiebert

Mosh Pit (The Rose Garden Arena Incident Book 1) by [Hiebert, Michael]

Publisher: Dangerbooks

Date of publication: September 18th, 2016

Series: The Rose Garden Arena Incident

Mosh Pit – Book 1

Media Frenzy – Book 2 (review here)

80 Proof – Book 3

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Stephanie Banner is twenty years old the night Dakota Shane stands center stage while six bullets ring out through the stadium. Five deaths occur from those shots, although only four ever go on record.

All four are women.

It happens in Portland, Oregon, at the Rose Garden Arena. The show is a sellout. Twenty-two thousand seats gone in less than four hours.

For the eight days leading up to the concert, a handful of disparate lives intertwine as their world unravels. Their sanity, their relationships, their work, their children, the law, and even death hangs in the balance. Among them are: the learning-disabled black kid from East St. Louis trying to move past having his little sister die in his arms when she and his Momma become collateral damage during a drive-by; the quick-witted black man who, after losing control of his car on his way to visit family in Portland, finds himself duct-taped to a chair, a hostage to a meth-addled lunatic wanted for a double homicide; the Latino son now desperately struggling to rise above his abusive father and help his mother and sister move on to a better life, while unable to let go of the tremendous guilt he bears over the fate of the other sister he once had; the slash-punk singer who manages to score her band the best gig of its career, only to learn she may not have a band left to play it; the Korean psychiatrist finally confronting how much of her life has slipped by her—how many years she lost—while focussing on far less important things; the ex-LAPD detective now working for the Portland PD finally facing the ghosts that still linger from the time of the Rodney King riots—a past that forced him to drag his family up out of LA; the bitter ex-wife of a disc jockey who still secretly listens to her ex-husband’s midnight radio show as she drinks herself into a whiskey coma; the out of control daughter having unprotected sex with strangers hoping that pregnancy might draw the attention of parents unable to see past themselves…

And then, Dakota Shane: chart-topping superstar with a dark secret, caught in a media and tabloid frenzy full of rumor, speculation, and lies. She’s off her meds and grappling to find any semblance of herself that might still exist inside an identity forged over the past five years by an extremely successful record company’s marketing department.

Each of these lives is a story and the stories collide with each other like silver balls bouncing off bumpers on a pinball machine.
But in the end, The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a tale about passion, about bravery, about redemption, about fixing those things in the world that are fixable and learning to live with the things that are not—A heartbreaking story of tragedy, despair, and loss that still somehow leaves you with a glimmer of faith, love, and hope.

The Rose Garden Arena Incident is a “serial thriller.” The story takes place over seven separate books, each encompassi

My review:

I don’t like serial novels. I don’t have the patience to wait for each installment to come out. I might make the exception for The Rose Garden Arena Incident.

This book is fantastic!! It starts on the day of the shooting and goes back eight days. Which in itself isn’t new to me but how the author did it is. I met 4 of the main characters in that brief chapter. Then he backed it up to 8 days ago. Each book is a day in the life of all of the characters.

This first book lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. I met Brenda, Stephanie, Karma, among other people and got to see what they did on that day, eight days before the incident.

The ending of the book left it open for book 2, and there are so many questions I have, but I will not put here. Hopefully, they will be answered in book 2!!

How many stars will I give Mosh Pit? 5

Why? This was a great starter book for this series. Well written with characters that are believable, you get hooked and wonder what is going to happen in the next book.

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range? Adult

Why? Sexual situations, underage drinking, and language.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

Tamzin Clarke V Jack the Ripper by Lauren Stock and Robert Stock

Tamzin Clarke v Jack the Ripper by [Stock, Lauren, Stock, Robert]

Publisher: Dragon Girl Press

Date of publication: January 19th, 2016

Series: Tamzin Clarke

Tamzin Clarke V Jack the Ripper – Book 1

Tamzin Clarke V the Mummy – Book 2 (review here)

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis:

Tamzin Clarke’s life seems to be falling into place. She has Jimmy, her musician boyfriend, and a solid group of friends. She’s been taking dance class for ten years, and has been promoted to instruct a first year tumbling class. She works in her dad’s antique shop on the weekends, and is proud of her grades in school.

Then she meets Daniel, the one who makes her question everything. Who is Daniel, and why does he keep disappearing?

When her sister is murdered, Tamzin’s mom is the lead detective on the case, which soon turns into a serial killing spree. The deaths mirror the case of Jack the Ripper, but there couldn’t be a connection. Could there?

Tamzin is now on the case.

My review:

When I saw the title of this book, I almost passed it over and thought to myself “Really.” Then I read the blurb and got intrigued. Jack the Ripper, the most infamous murderer in history, being written into a YA book? Hmmmmm. Then the bad thoughts happened, mainly along the line of “this book is going to suck” and “I shouldn’t read/review this book because I know I will give it a low rating.”

I am happy to say, that not only did the book not suck but I am not giving it a low rating. This book was a great read with two storylines that are blended well together.

The book starts with Tamzin’s much older sister, Vickie, being murdered by a caped gentleman while she is undercover to catch johns.

That’s when I met Tamzin. She is devastated by her sister’s death but she has a great support system of her mother, father, boyfriend, and friends to help her through it. On her way home from dance class, where she teaches  5-6-year-olds, she meets a mysterious boy who she finds out is named Daniel.

She works for her father in his antique shop, and in her spare time, she babysits a young girl in her class. In the meanwhile, three more murders are committed by Jack Angel.

One day, after her sister’s funeral, the creepy owner of the club down the street stops in to see if her father has any new items. While he is there, the little girl who Tamzin babysits for comes in, and the creepy guy gets even creepier by sniffing them and saying that they smell good.

Later on that day, Tamzin gets a phone call from her mother saying that Maxine is missing. So what does Tamzin do, she decides to go and track down Max herself with Daniel and her friends.

I loved Tamzin. She was spunky, bright and came across as a sweetheart. But she shouldn’t have gone running off after Max. A big no but, hey, what is a heroine is supposed to do.

Daniel was an enigma for most of the book. I couldn’t figure out how he was disappearing. When Tamzin figures out who Daniel is, I was surprised.

Jimmy was alright. I can understand his jealousy when Tamzin starts spending time with Daniel.

The end of the story was great, and I loved that the author attempted to humanize Jack the Ripper.

How many stars will I give Tamzin V Jack the Ripper? 5

Why? This is a book that I would feel comfortable letting my tween daughter read. Well written and fast-paced, it takes you on a wild ride!!

Will I reread? Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends? Yes

Age range: Teen on up

Why? Very clean (no sex or foul language). There is violence but it is tastefully written.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book