From the NYT bestselling author comes a chilling new thriller about a ritualistic murder of a college professor that sends a small town cop back into the trauma she thought she’d put behind her.
Officer Miranda Rader of the Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.
However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop—Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda. 15 years ago.
And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right—before it’s too late.
“You know, my parents didn’t give me much advice about relationships, but my mother told me that we should never go to bed upset with one another.” Talvi reached am arm out to invite Annika to curl up against his chest.
“Aww, that’s a sweet thing to say,” she said as she cozied up in the crook of his arm. “What did your dad tell you?”
“He said to make sure the sofa was comfortable, just in case.”
Talvi Marinossian has slain maenads and fought off vampire attacks, but nothing has prepared him for getting involved with one of these forbidden ‘Modern Girls’. When he finally tracks down Annika it’s obvious that she’s changed since her recent adventure in his homeland. It’s also clear that she’s not ready to embrace the next chapter in her life. He tries to persuade her to open up to him, but she finds it difficult since he won’t even explain how he earns a living, why he has a secret cell phone, or the reason he keeps another woman’s handkerchief in his pocket.
Instead of relying on Talvi to help her adjust, Annika delves into her music and her job, and it isn’t long before the new lovers find themselves completely out of sync with one another. Just when they start to find their rhythm, Talvi is called away on business and whisks Annika off to Paris for what is supposed to be a working vacation. But one bad decision leads to another, and the chaos that ensues may cost someone their life.
I can’t even begin to tell you guys how excited I was when Emigh approached me to review The Silver Thread. I was fangirl excited. I squeed like a young girl at a One Direction concert when I saw the email from her. I had reviewed The Flame and The Arrow and enjoyed reading them, so I had high expectations for this book.
I wasn’t disappointed.
The story begins with Talvi and Chivanni at Talvi’s family’s house. They are discussing trying to find Annika after she is pulled through the portal. Talvi is also mourning the loss of his sister, Yuri, well, what he considers a loss. Yuri was turned into a vampire by Konstantin.
After about 3 months of searching, Talvi finds Annika in Portland. She was living with her brother Charlie and his best friend, James. She had been depressed. The only thing she was doing was playing with her band, drinking, and going to bed. That’s it. When Talvi shows up, it’s like a switch has been thrown. She was thrown out of her depression.
This is where the book turned good. Instead of having an adventure, the author chose to examine Talvi and Annika’s relationship. Sure, they were married, but they were strangers. When they started living together, they found out that they were different. I hated that Annika came off as jealous for a few chapters.
Talvi was not good at communicating outside the bedroom. He never talked to Annika unless it was to be a smartass. I didn’t blame Annika when she starts questioning her relationship with Talvi.
I wished that Annika could figure out who she wanted. It drove me nuts when she was seesawing back and forth between Talvi and Finn. Her time with Finn in Paris was, interesting. I am glad the author went the way she did with the storyline.
The sex was as good in the first book. Just as toe-curling and just as hot!!!
I will say that I was a little disappointed that Yuri only made one appearance. Also that she seemed to change from the first book. I got very sad about that.
The ending was great, and I didn’t see the twist coming. It came out of the left field and left it wide open for a 3rd book.
I would recommend The Silver Threat to anyone over 21. There is graphic sex, violence, and language. There are also scenes of drug use.
If you enjoyed reading The Silver Thread, you will enjoy these books:
In a poignant romance from the author of This One Moment (“Hot, intense, and filled with emotion.”—Rachel Harris), the rock stars of Pushing Limits have hit the big time. But fame gets tough when love presents a fork in the road.
At twenty-one, Jared Leigh had been prepared to give up the life of a touring musician to be a father after getting his girlfriend pregnant. When she told him that she’d gotten an abortion, Jared was devastated. Now at least he has the groupies to keep him company—until a blast from the past rocks his world.
Callie Talbert hasn’t seen her sister’s ex since high school. But after Callie bumps into Jared while she’s grocery shopping with four-year-old Logan, there’s a spark that wasn’t there before. Jared quickly realizes that her deaf “son” is the same age his own child would have been. When Jared demands to know more about Logan, Callie panics. There are things she just can’t tell him. Besides, Jared’s a bad-boy rocker, not a dependable father figure. He’ll move on to his next gig soon enough . . . right?
Trouble is, Jared refuses to be pushed away, and the more quality time he spends with Logan, the more he’s captivated by the woman Callie has become. When the truth is revealed, Jared only hopes that the three of them have what it takes to become a real family.
I started reading this book and judging it. Yes, I judged a book by its cover and by the synopsis. Now, I am going to avenge myself. Read this book. It is that good.
I didn’t like Jared’s character in the beginning. I thought because he was a rock star, he was all about money and girls. The first chapter painted him like that. After he bumped into Callie and Logan, he started to change. I could see him falling in love with Callie. I could see the promise of what a great father he would be to Logan.
I didn’t like Callie. She lost her entire family in a freak accident when Logan was 1 year old, which is sad. Keeping Jared in the dark about his son was wrong. She wasn’t thinking straight and had been listening to her sister. The same sister who told Jared she had an abortion. But not telling him when he got in her life was wrong.
The romance between Callie and Jared was a slow burn, and it was delicious to read. The sex wasn’t that bad, either.
My only complaint is that it’s book 2 in a series. It can be read as a standalone book.
I would recommend My Song for You to anyone over 21. There is explicit sex, language, and mild violence.
If you enjoyed reading My Song for You, then you will enjoy these books:
When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt’s home, it’s immediately clear that the manor is cursed. The endless creaking of the house at night and the eerie stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too—questions that Silla can’t ignore: Why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer? Who is the beautiful boy who’s appeared from the woods? And who is the tall man with no eyes who Nori plays with in the basement at night… a man no one else can see?
I stayed up until 1 am to finish reading this book. I had to finish this book because it had such a grip on me. It scared me to death and fascinated me at the same time. It was good when I can’t sleep after finishing a book because it creeped me out.
This book is written in such a different fashion it is hard to explain. In one chapter, you are reading in 1st person, and then you could be reading in 3rd person. I don’t like it when the book jumps around like that, but it worked in this case. There were also excerpts from Silla’s diary that were creepy. I got the chills from reading it.
This book also fucks with your mind. I won’t go into it, but, baby, things are not what they seem in this book!!!
Like I said above, this book is a mind fuck. The huge twist at the end threw me for a loop. I didn’t even see it coming. Not a hint, nothing.
I would recommend And the Trees Crept In to anyone over 21. It is a clean book with no violence and mild language.
If you enjoyed And the Trees Crept In, you will enjoy these books:
Young, lovely Norwegian Agnes Gerner is waging a dangerous and secret fight. Outwardly, she is a devoted Nazi sympathizer engaged to a prominent businessman. In fact, she is part of an underground resistance doing everything to win the war against the Germans. The only hope she has of being reunited with the man she truly loves—who serves under the code name “Pilgrim”—is if the Nazis are defeated. Of course, there’s no guarantee that she’ll be alive when that happens…
Many years later, three sets of remains are found in a popular Oslo forest—two adults and a child. Despite his boss’s call to not spend extra time on the old case, Detective Tommy Bergmann cannot help but dig deeper, especially as he uncovers connections to a more recent murder. As he unravels the secrets of the past, it becomes clear that everything is permissible in war—and that only those who reject love can come out victorious.
My review:
I wouldn’t say I liked this book when I first started reading it. I had a lot of problems keeping my attention focused on it. Once I got past the first few chapters, I started to like the book.
I didn’t expect that I would like Tommy Bergmann by the end of the book. In the beginning, I detested him. He admitted that he beat his girlfriend over their 12-year relationship. He did have an awesome work ethic, and his remorse for his past behavior came across the pages. Even though he is a fictional character, I wanted to slip him a card to a psychologist. When he had a chance with another woman, he called it off because of his issues with his ex-girlfriend.
Agnes annoyed the ever-living out of me. I can’t put a finger on it, but I read her chapters with a bad taste in my mouth. I did find it fascinating how female spies were regarded during World War 2. Agnes proved them wrong. Her scenes with The Pilgrim also didn’t ring true to me. I figured out that he wanted a piece of ass and a place to crash, and she fell in love with him.
I liked the dual storylines. The author kept them apart and devoted entire chapters to Tommy and Agnes. I got confused was the beginning of the book when Kaj and the detective were killed. I got confused in the 2003 chapters when Tommy came to the crime scene. And then when he was called the woods when they found the bones.
The author did a great job keeping the killers under wraps until the end. He took me on a multi-country jaunt to find out how those two cases were connected. I did figure out the 1942 storyline about halfway through the book. But the 2003 storyline (and how they connected) did take me by surprise, and I was a little shocked by the ending.
I would recommend The Last Pilgrim to anyone over 21. There is sex and lots of violence.
If you liked The Last Pilgrim, you will enjoy these books:
First, Vanessa Kelly brought readers The Renegade Royals. Now, in a delightfully witty new series, she introduces The Improper Princesses—three young women descended from royalty, each bound for her own thrilling adventure . . .
Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.
Powerful and sophisticated, Charles can make or break reputations with a well-placed word. But his new protégée, with her habit of hunting bandits and punching earls, is a walking scandal. The ton is aghast . . . but Charles is thoroughly intrigued. Tasked with taking the hoyden in hand, he longs to take her in his arms instead. Can such an outrageous attraction possibly lead to a fairytale ending?
I have mentioned in other reviews that I am a huge fan of historical romance. I love to be able to immerse myself and pretend, for a little while, that I am in Regency England. Something about that period fascinates me to no end. When I got My Fair Princess to review, I was excited about reading it.
The book lived up to the internal hype in my mind. The author was spot on with the sayings and the tons attitudes. The rigid rules society lived by and how they dressed were spot on. It is amazing what was considered awful, and life-ending back in that society is normal in these times.
Miss Gillian Dryden is a prime example of what I stated above. She is the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of England. Her mother had made a bad decision, slept with the Prince of England, got pregnant, and decided to keep the baby. It didn’t matter that she married an Italian count; the stain of what she did followed Gillian.
I liked Gillian’s character. She was spunky, outspoken and she was unpolished. Even though her mother was a Contessa and her stepfather a Count, she wasn’t brought into Italian society because of her birth. So she didn’t have the social graces that most girls of that period did, and I loved it. It was very refreshing to read her scenes because she spoke plainly.
But there was a downside to her character that I didn’t like. She was stubborn and didn’t listen to reason (or Duke Leverton). She took risks that put people and herself in danger. But it did make for an interesting read.
The Duke of Leverton (or Charles Valentine Penley). Oh, where do I begin with him? He has an iron facade, and nothing got to him except Gillian. Seeing his facade starting to crack and then for him not to be “Perfect Penley” was great.
I wish I could say that the rest of the story was as great as those characters. There was some promise when Gillian met Letitia and her husband, but that petered out. She gets a couple of bad nicknames (Doxy Duchess was one), and they all decide to vacation in the summer. I would have loved to see that triangle work its way out. Even the subplot of the smugglers was eh. I figured out who was helping them about halfway through the book.
The ending was cute, and I loved the epilogue.
I would recommend My Fair Princess to anyone over 21. There is sex and mild violence.
If you enjoyed My Fair Princess, you will enjoy these books:
Bestselling Polish crime by award-winning author Zygmunt Miloszewski.
All eyes are on famous prosecutor Teodor Szacki when he investigates a skeleton discovered at a construction site in the idyllic Polish city of Olsztyn. Old bones come as no shock to anyone in this part of Poland, but it turns out these remains are fresh, the flesh chemically removed.
Szacki questions the dead man’s wife, only to be left with a suspicion she’s hiding something. Then another victim surfaces—a violent husband, alive but maimed—giving rise to a theory: someone’s targeting domestic abusers. And as new clues bring the murderer closer to those Szacki holds dear, he begins to understand the terrible rage that drives people to murder.
From acclaimed Polish crime writer Zygmunt Miloszewski comes a gritty, atmospheric page-turner that poses the question, what drives a sane man to kill?
What drives a sane person to kill? That question could be answered by looking at today’s headlines. “She cut me off,” “He cheated on me,” and “She grabbed the last pair of socks in the discount bin” as a few examples. I mean, we have all heard them. What the author did is backtrack from the murder and examined the circumstances.
This is the 3rd book in a series, so it could be a standalone book. There were a few references to past books, but other than that, this book was its own animal.
I was not too fond of Helena’s (Hela’s) or Teodor’s characters. Hela came across as a spoiled brat, and Teodor came across as a cold, unfeeling person. He had this edge when comforting people, which made me uncomfortable.
The plot was fantastic, and it was fast-paced. The two storylines meet up towards the end of the book. The way that the author did it was great!!! I couldn’t put my finger on the murderer/vigilante. It could have been anyone. The big twist at the end was a surprise.
I would recommend Rage to anyone over 21. There is explicit sex, instructions on how to kill someone with lye balls, a descriptive scene where a man is throat raped with a pole, and mild language.
If you enjoyed reading Rage, you will enjoy reading these books:
The ultrawealthy families of Chouteau Forest may look down on a woman like death investigator Angela Richman, but they also rely on her. When a horrific car crash kills a Forest teenager, Angela is among the first on the scene. Her investigation is hardly underway, however, when she suffers a series of crippling strokes. Misdiagnosed by the resident neurologist, Dr. Gravois, and mended by gauche yet brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Jeb Travis Tritt, Angela faces a harrowing recovery.
It’s a drug-addled, hallucinating Angela who learns that Dr. Gravois has been murdered…and the chief suspect is the surgeon who saved her life. Angela doesn’t believe it, but can she trust her instincts? Her brain trauma brings doubts that she’ll ever recover her investigative skills. But she’s determined to save Dr. Tritt from a death-row sentence—even if her progress is thwarted at every turn by a powerful and insular community poised to protect its own.
Before reading Brain Storm, I had never been disappointed in a book. I had such high hopes for it by the Goodreads descriptions and all the 4 and 5-star reviews. I was like, “Yes, this is going to be awesome to read,” and it was for the first few chapters.
I enjoyed reading about Angela’s job, her community, and her friends. The author did a great job setting up her backstory. Then the misdiagnosis and stroke happened, and this is where the book took a nosedive. We got to read all about Angela’s recovery and her hallucinations. That wasn’t bad, but there was so much going on in the backstory!!!
Like the Angel of Death working at the hospital, the little boy dying because Dr. Gravois testified before the insurance company that he didn’t need treatment, and the romance between Monty and Kate. The focus, instead, was on Dr. Tritt and the accusations that he killed Dr. Gravois. Which was silly.
The ending was anticlimactic, and I didn’t have that “Aha” moment when the bad guy was caught. Because the said bad guy didn’t show up until 3 chapters before the end.
There were some redeeming qualities to this book. The author knew how to make a character come off the page, and she knew how to make you care about the main characters. Which is huge in a book.
I would recommend Brain Storm to anyone over 16. There is minimal violence, no sex, and a gruesome car accident description.
If you enjoyed reading Brain Storm, you will enjoy reading these books:
In fiery young Deirdre Callaghan’s home of Skellig City, no one has dreamt their own dream in over a thousand years. Dreams are produced by the Dream Makers and sold by the Ministry, the tyrannical rulers of the city. In Skellig City, years of life are awarded equally and the ruined are cast away beneath the city on their 35th birthday.
Unbeknownst to the Ministry, Deirdre’s handsome friend Flynn Brennan is afflicted with a terrible disease – a disease that accelerates the aging process. Knowing his fate if the Ministry should ever discover his illness, Flynn has lived his whole life hiding from their watchful eyes. When Flynn’s secret is finally discovered, Deirdre is determined to free him from the Ministry’s grasp. But to save him, she will have to reveal herself to a shadowy enemy…one that none of them even knew existed.
This was an interesting book. A society of people lives in an underground city called Skellig City. These people have never dreamed their own dreams. They pay for dreams that are made by the Dream Makers. These dreams are sold by the Ministry, the ruling government of Skellig City.
The book starts when Deirdre Callaghan is late to the attendance of her friend’s Descent. In this society, you are considered ruined at 35. Then you are sent through a tube to Tir Na nOg, their version of an afterlife. Her mother is due to have her Descent next week, and Deirdre is sick at the thought of her mother leaving her.
While that is going on, Deirdre is fighting to keep Flynn from being discovered by the Ministry. Flynn’s aging disease makes him seem much older than his 15 years. Because of this, he has been hiding from the Ministry and their Drones.
One day, Flynn is found out and captured, and Deirdre is forced to take action to help him. The series of events that happens afterward blows Deirdre’s mind.
Interestingly, the author chose 35 as the age for being ruined. Not interesting bad, but interesting good, if that makes sense. The comments about the ruined are very interesting too. “They are a drain on our society” was one quote that stood out in my mind.
The wannabe romance between Flynn and Deirdre was cute. The touches and glances were enough to convey how they felt about each other. It made me go “Awww” and get a sappy grin.
I liked that the author included the roots of Skellig City. It was interesting to read, and I hope she continues it in the 2nd book.
The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger, but I figured that much when I saw “#1” after the series name. The cliffhanger wasn’t that bad, but it made me “Grrrr” when it ended.
I would recommend The Dream Protocol to anyone over 16. There is no sex, no language, and mild violence.
“Regret is what stands in the way of happiness,” she said then turned and walked away…
From award-winning USA TODAY Bestselling Author BETTE LEE CROSBY, comes an early twentieth century family saga of two Southern men who come up against one another. Both are prideful, iron-willed and stubborn. One will lose his farm, the other will lose his family. In a tale that delves into the heart of a small town West Virginia community two men discover that being right is not the same as being happy.
Believing he has lost everything, Cyrus Dodd has no choice but to start over. He and wife Ruth leave their farm and travel to Wyattsville. As they settle down to a life far different than what he’d planned, Cyrus is forced to deal with one challenge after another, and the regrets trail behind him like a row of ducklings.
He told Ruth they were leaving trouble behind and swore this time it would be better; but now he’s wondering if that’s a promise he can keep.
Readers View says, “An engrossing story of ordinary people…a tale richly told.”
Indie Book Awards, Historical Fiction Finalist
This book is great about what happens after you’re hit with blow after blow in life, and you don’t give up. It had a positive message woven throughout it. It shows what happens when you have everything but lose the most important thing: family.
This was an easy read and would be perfect for the beach or pool. You can put it down and not lose your page or your way with the plot. After a tense couple of first chapters, the book evens out and is smooth sailing.
I didn’t like the chapters that started Cyrus’s musing, Ruth’s, or even Bethany’s. It struck me as odd, and didn’t need to be there. I got enough from the actual story to read that. That took away from the story.
This is book 4 in a series, but it can be read as a standalone book. No reference to previous books at all. If this didn’t have a #4 after it, I wouldn’t have known it was part of the series.
I would recommend The Regrets of Cyrus Dodd to anyone over 21. There is marital rape, spousal abuse, child abuse, and murder.
If you enjoyed reading The Regrets of Cyrus Dodd, you will enjoy reading these books:
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