Review: Dark Secret

Dark Secret by Janice Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At this rate, if I keep finding authors/series/books I love, I'll hace to read 20 hours a day for the next 6 years just to make my TBR pile a bit lighter.

This is the second book in a series, and I already have books 1 and 3 lined up. I like it when you can read a book and both get an insight of previous books, and can understand all the events and characters in the one you're reading.

DS Ava Merry and DI Jim Neal have a strained relationship at times. He's collected and professional, she's the kind of person that acts before she processes the consequences. But they make a great investigating pair, and when a man falls from the top of the Cathedral, they quickly suspect it's not a suicide.

This book has the feel of a traditional mystery, but in a modern way: a couple of detectives, a closed group of people who are the suspects, an ending that is unexpected but very clearly described and logical.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Second Stage of Grief

The Second Stage of Grief by Katherine Hayton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ngaire Blakes is in trouble again. Somehow, she managed to leave the force (even if it's just temporary) and is working in a law office. After two books, I still don't know what makes this character act as she does, but I like her quite a lot.

In the meantime, terrible crimes are being committed and they seem to be linked to her. What is more, she's a suspect. Someone is trying to frame her. Instead of seeking help from her former colleagues, she leaves town and goes into hiding in a remote village where her estranged father lives. This complicates the whole investigation as she has completely vanished.

I like the series and the characters, but lately I seem to be reading about women that continually make the wrong decisions. There's not an ounce of common sense in them and Ngaire Blakes is not the exception.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Fire Child

The Fire Child by S.K. Tremayne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great book!
I'm not one for scary-horror books, but this one has just the right touch, the one that keeps me reading and reading and reading, just wanting to see what happens in the end.

The plot, basically, is the following: rich, handsome widower with a child marries young, pretty penniless girl 10 years his junior. He takes her to live to the crumbling family home , in the middle of nowhere, and leaves her there with his mother, son and the housekeeper.

The house is old, scary and the ghost of his first wife, who died in "mysterious circumstances" appears now and then. The little boy predicts terrible things are going to happen and the new marriage starts to fall apart.
This book has a gothic-Rebecca feel, and it's a page turner, the I-can't-put-down kind of book.

Great book, great author.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: If I Forget You

If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Greene
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story has been told many times before: young boy meets young girl. They're from different social backgrounds, her father intervenes and separates them. Twenty years later they meet each other in a chance encounter. This is the love story of Henry Gold, a poet and Margo Fuller, an heiress.

This could be a lovely story. My problem is that I'm just too pragmatic and have an intense dislike for characters that spend their whole life dwelling in the past, like the main character in this book, and Henry spends 20 years of his life "remembering" and just that. Margot doesn't have it better. She marries a rich man, has 2 children and lives in the suburbs.
I think I can say both their lives are kind of boring.

When they meet again 20 years later, nothing much happens either. I mean there's not much drama or action or thrill

But don't get me wrong. I did enjoy this book. It's light, well written, hopeful. You read it easily and happily. And maybe that's the whole point.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Angel of History

The Angel of History by Rabih Alameddine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It's always difficult to review a book that was not so great for me, from an author I like. More than that, from a great writer.

I read "An Unnecessary Woman" by Rabih Alameddine a couple of years ago and was swept away by how good it was. It was the first book I read by this author, so I thought I knew what to expect from another of his books.

Big, big mistake! This book was just too "verbal" for me. We have Jacob/ Yak'Ub, a gay writer who has seen half his friends and partner die of AIDS. He's on the brink of a mental breakdown and is in the waiting room of a psych hospital waiting to be admitted. We also have Jacob's life story, and Death and Satan discussing in Jacob's living room.
We also have a string of saints and martyrs appearing at all times.

For me, the best part is almost at the end of the book, when the author describes a party where they have caged men "decorating" the house. The theme terrible and at the same time hilarious.

So, for me, a book marvelously written but with a complex and sometimes dull story.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: e-Murderer

e-Murderer by Joan C. Curtis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First book in a new series, and a very pleasant surprise.

Jenna Scali is a part time office admin and graduate student living in Athens, Georgia. When she starts receiving strange and violent e-mails describing murders, in her office computer, she thinks they might be related to the psych practice she works for. When her boss refuses to go to the police, she takes matters in her own hands, which gets her into quite a lot of trouble.

Though the characters/descriptions sometimes lack depth, the plot is quite good and the end is unexpected, but in line with what happens in the book.

I'm always happy when I find new authors, and I hope the next book in the series is as antertaining as this one.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Sister Dear

Sister Dear by Laura McNeill
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm in a minority here, as most readers have given the book 4-5 stars. But I just didn't think it was that great.

For me, it was very predictable, and if you read it, you'll see that the author gives us clues and answers all the time.
After spending 10 years in a jail for a crime she didn't commit, Allie Marshall returns to her small hometown decided to renew her relationship with her daughter, sister and family. But she just can't put the past behind and starts investigating, as she believes the killer is still at large.

The characters are not very likable. And while Allie is great, her parents are zeroes, her sister is a brat and her daughter is a typical shallow teenager.

Also, everything gets resolved (for the best) in a few pages.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Dead Girl Running

Dead Girl Running by Ann M. Noser
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love young adult books, and if the genre is dystopian, so much the better...

This book started very well, even if doesn't give you much info on what happened before the New Order was in charge.
But then it grew more and more confusing. There seems to be a rebellion, but there's not much background, and there's a race from where the winners are selected to become great citizens (and then disappear), and some event that happened 8 years before and changed the life of Silvia, the main character.

Instead of focusing on these subjects, we get lots of information about yoga and how to train for a race, and some teen romance.

The characters are a mixed lot: Silvia, strong, but not nice and traumatized by her father's death. Yoshe, her mother, who is really unlikable; Gus (Silvia's boss and mentor) adorable. And lastly, the two guys: Franco, who starts out great and ends up being a completely different person, and Liam, who is irrelevant.

But I have to say that I enjoyed the book, even if I'm criticizing it. It's a fast, light read and the events are well written and described (even if more background is needed).

I will surely read Book 2 when it's published.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Blood Secrets a Gripping Crime Thriller Full of Suspense

Blood Secrets a Gripping Crime Thriller Full of Suspense by Gretta Mulrooney
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tyrone Swift is back again.

In the second book in the series, a man asks him to find out who -and why- severely hurt his son 15 years before. The son was left for dead and the family collapsed. Now, they are all poster cases for dysfunctional people and not one of them is telling the truth.

Swift has many personal problems. He's still got relationship issues, or maybe I should say non-relationship, as his girlfriend left him some time before to marry another man.
He still lives in the same house, has the same neighbors and does the same private investigating job.
But I did find him more relatable and interesting.

He's being stalked and horribly pranked, and has to add discovering the culprit to his other duties.

There's a side story involving Swift's love life which I thought very good. Let's see what happens in the next books, as I hope there will be more.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Crime on the Fens

Crime on the Fens by Joy Ellis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just love discovering new authors and new series. This is so good!

This is book 1 in the DI Nikki Galena series, and author Joy Ellis has written 5 books already.

There's a strong female lead, grumpy and uncompromising, as in many of the books I've read lately. But DI Nikki Galena is different. In this first installment she has to rein herself back, as she's on probation: if she doesn't manage to work with her new partner, she can get kicked out.
Her new partner is a war veteran with many problems of his own. He gives the appearance of being prudish and restrained, but he's altogether different.

War breaks between the gangs in the Fens. They are all hidden behind horrible masks and causing havoc. And then 2 young girls are abducted. When one is found dead, they have to untangle all the events that are happening in the Fens, in order to find the other one alive.

One of the clues she finds leads to a girl that is responsible for DI Galena's daughter being in a coma, so she is even more involved in solving the case.

I already have the nest 4 book lined up!


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Gone

Gone by T.J. Brearton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm sorry I can't write a good review about this book. I just couldn't "get into it".

The plot is interesting: a family of 4 suddenly disappears. How can people just vanish?

All I can say is it was not the book for me. There were too many things going on and I'm not one for conspiracy theories.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Dark Houses

Dark Houses by Helen H. Durrant
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 2 in the DI Greco series (but can be read as a stand alone without problem)

We meet Stephen Greco again, slightly compulsive, OCD and not very likable. His marriage is in trouble and he is still trying to have a good working relationship with his team. He's not a very empathic character, but we get to know and understand him better.

When 2 women are found dead in empty houses, victims of rape and torture, the team must rise to the challenge, and find the killer before he strikes again. There are no clues, but soon we find out that a young man, who suffers from schizophrenia, is one of the killers. But he couldn't have done it alone. So who is the other killer?
Things get even more hectic when DI Greco's wife goes missing.

As much as I liked the plot and how it develops, I felt the dialogues a bit stilted. That's the reason for only 3 stars.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Play Dead

Play Dead by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another winner by Angela Marsons, featuring DI Kim Stone.

Classic crime-mystery-thriller. An extra body is discovered in a body farm. Then another one pops up... These are gruesome crimes, but it doesn't end there.
DI Stone's nemesis, reporter Tracy Frost, disappears. Much as we love to hate her, she has an important role in the series, so I'd like her around for a while.

I love that the book features strong women (even if their character is flawed at times, but that's human nature, of course). And I love that we get more insight into Kim, and also into Tracy.

This is a book that you can't put down. I started reading it and just read on and on and on. It's not short (almost 400 pages), but time flows by.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Girl from Venice

The Girl from Venice by Martin Cruz Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a long time since I read a book by author Martin Cruz Smith, and I remember mostly the Gorki Park kind. Fast paced violent thrillers, so this book was a complete surprise.

It's a war story, and a love story.
The end of WWII, the Germans are slowly retreating and the Allies are slowly entering Europe.

In Venice, a young Jewish girl escapes a raid where her parents are betrayed and killed. She swims across the lagoon and is rescued by Cenzo, a fisherman. He takes her to Pellestrina, the small island where he lives. In order to keep her safe he asks a friend, a partisan, to take her away so she can escape Italy, but they both disappear. So he goes to Salò, where the Fascist government is barely surviving, to search for her.

There's the dominant mother, the actor brother, a South American diplomat, many traitors, and some very unwholesome characters.
The language is beautiful, the dialogues almost surreal in parts.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Night Stalker

The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A serial killer has DCI Erika Foster and her team, as well as half the city, in panic.

This killer attacks men who don't seem to have anything in common, and the murders are extremely well planned.

Book 2 in the Erika Foster series, and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one, I still thinks it's an amazing book. I think the characters are very well defined, we get an insight into Erika's past life and also discover more about her colleagues. What I didn't enjoy is that, as in Book 1, she seems to annoy all of her superiors and keeps getting pulled off the case.

The plot is well constructed, and though we can start to figure out who the killer is, the why is completely unexpected.

Looking forward to next book in the series

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Sister

The Sister by Louise Jensen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK, so I enjoyed this book but didn't love it as most people have. I didn't like the characters, which is not essential, as I've read books in which I just couldn't relate to the main characters. But here, I was just annoyed.

The plot centers around Grace. She works as a pre-school teacher and lives with her boyfriend, Dan. But in reality her whole life revolves around missing her best friend, Charlie, who is dead.

Charlie had an alcoholic mother and never knew her father, so Grace decides to find him. While that doesn't happen, a sister appears, and Grace "adopts" her, much to the frustration and anger of Dan.

I really couldn't understand Grace's fixation with Charlie, or her "friendship" with Anna, the so-called sister.
And while the book was easy to read, it had me thinking: "really?" half of the time

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: See How They Run

See How They Run by Tom Bale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A couple wake up in the middle of the night to find strange men in their bedroom. They are looking for package that has been sent to their house and for the man that sent it. Even worse they threaten them and their baby.

The package has indeed arrived there, but Harry doesn't know it. His wife Alice received it and the next day tries to find the man involved in this mess.
Soon Harry and Alice are separated, each fearing for their lives.

They embark, much against their will, on a series of adventures a nice middle class couple would never think of.

I, like many other readers, enjoyed the plot of this book, but unlike them I got weary at some point. For some reason, I felt it dragged on and at more than 400 pages found it too long.

However, I have to say the plot is very good, the characters are well described and the baby is adorable!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Three Deaths of Magdalene Lynton

The Three Deaths of Magdalene Lynton by Katherine Hayton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

New series! New female detective!

Like, like, like!

As in many of the books I've read lately, we have a strong female main character: Inspector Ngaire Blakes. But she's different: she's kind of a mess at the moment as she's been on sick leave due to an "incident" at a party, where she was attacked. Back at work, she has many issues regarding her colleagues, and feels judged by her peers.

She's also insubordinate and stubborn, and will get in trouble due to it.

The plot centers around Paul, a very sick man who arrives at the police station and confesses to a crime that happened 40 years before.
As Ngaire investigates, she will find that there are many holes in his story, and consequently sets out to investigate Magdalene's family and friends.

Looking forward to reading Book 2 of the series.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Last Time She Saw Him

The Last Time She Saw Him by Jane Haseldine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hard to believe this is Jane Haseldine's first book!

The plot is one that always makes me nervous. Missing children is -I believe- the worst thing that can happen to a parent or a family. And in this book, it happens twice.

Julia Gooden's brother went missing when she was a young girl. Now, many years later, she tries to lead a normal life. She's a crime reporter and writer, she's married and the mother of two boys. But she lives in fear of something happening to her sons.

After dealing with these feelings all her life, her husband is so fed up he leaves her. And then everything fells apart when her baby is abducted.

Fast paced, well written, great plot!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Out of Bounds

Out of Bounds by Val McDermid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Val McDermid is the best! I have read other books by her and seen numerous TV series based on her books, but this is my first Inspector Pirie.

I'm happy to say that even if it is number 4 in the series, you can just jump in and read it. That's how good a writer she is, as you have a view into the main characters past lives, and can read the book as a stand alone. Which of course I won't do, as I already have the previous 3 book on my TBR list.

The plot in this book turns around 2 stories, both cold cases. One is a murder rape that gets revived when the victim of an accident gives a coincidence with DNA related to the case. The other one is an apparent suicide. But Inspector Pirie takes an interest in it as the victim's mother died many years ago in a suspected terrorist attack.

Inspector Pirie is a strong female character, but at the same time she is grieving the death of her partner, so we see her as a very human and likable person. Although this can seem a bit cliché (I have other books with the same premise), Karen Pirie is one of the best built characters.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Siracusa

Siracusa by Delia Ephron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two couples (who don't really like one another much) travel from the States for a holiday in Italy. There's Finn and Taylor and Lizzie and Michael. With them is the extremely strange and annoying ten year old daughter of Finn and Taylor (we later find out she has extreme shyness syndrome, or so her mother says). Also, Finn and Lizzie were a couple long before they married their new partners. And sometime during the vacation, the mistress of one of them appears.

All this is a recipe for disaster. They are all extremely dysfunctional, and after a few days together, all they do is get on each others nerves and complain about the others. The book is narrated by the four main characters and I have to say they are each more obnoxious than the next.

I mostly have to like the characters to get involved with a book, but in this case I didn't care how unlikeable or childish they were, or how they messed up their lives, careers or marriages. With a book so well written as Siracusa, you just read on.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Woman Next Door

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is about so many things! Race, age, marriage, careers...

Marion and Hortensia have been neighbors for a long time, and have never liked each other. One is black and the other one white. One has been a widow for a very long time and the other for a short time. Both had successful careers and are in their eighties. But they never have seen eye to eye.

Marion is uptight and envious. Hortense is a complete nag. You don't get to like them, but as human beings go, I thought it was easy to understand them. So many things are instilled on us since we are children that you could see where all the misery came from.

But one event makes them get closer, and even if they are constantly on each others nerves, they manage to find some kind of peace and company. This is done in a way that you feel is natural, not cheesy or contrived, and it is a good ending that they finally agree on something!

Loved the book and hope to read more by this author.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Daisy in Chains

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have read very few of Sharon Bolton's books, but that is something that's going to change for sure, as she is such a good writer.

I love thrillers! And this book was not the exception.

Maggie Rose is a lawyer and a writer, an advocate of lost causes (and she has blue hair!) When she is approached by the mother of a convicted killer , a serial murderer, who wants her to look into her son's case, as he has always maintained he is innocent, she declines at first.
But she slowly changes her mind, as she meets Hamish Wolfe. Is he really innocent? Or has he killed all the women he has been accused of?

Enter Pete Weston, the local policeman who had a major jump in his career when he arrested Hamish Wolfe. Now that Maggie Rose is in the scene, did he conduct his investigation by the book?

But... I'm only giving the book 4 stars, and not 5 as I wish I could as the end was completely unexpected. And I do love unexpected endings and twists and turns in the plot, but I think this went too far.
Anyway, a great, fast read.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Crow Girl

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very difficult book to read, the themes of sexual abuse, children and incest are something that will give you the shivers. Add a component of mental disease and an unreliable narrator and you are set for a very dark book, even if it is a very good book.

On one side we have a police investigation looking into the deaths of very young boys, led by Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg; an explanation into the mind of the killer by psychologist Sophia Zetterlund; and a dive into the world of Victoria Bergman, a main character in the story.

This is an omnibus of 3 books, and it has been published separately in other languages. And it is probably better to read them one by one. The plot is so gruesome you might want to take a break between books.

Nevertheless, it's a very good book, full of plots and subplots, with well defined characters.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Invitation

The Invitation by Lucy Foley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ohhhh! That amazing feeling when you read a book that's absolutely wonderful, marvelous, just for you!

Picture Rome in 1953. Hal, a British journalist has a nothing job writing for an Italian newspaper. He's left the UK after the war and as we later find out, he has something that seems like PTSD. One night, he crashes a party and meets an aging Contessa, who is also a film producer. That same night, he meets a mysterious woman, of whom he knows nothing.

More than a year later, the Contessa invites him on a boat trip. They're headed to Cannes to present the film. Who? The Contessa, a photographer, the film director, the two main actors and the man who financed it with his wife. The wife turns out to be the mysterious woman.

Stella -the wife- may seem like a NY socialite, but she is Spanish and had a very bad time during the Civil War. But her life is not as golden as it seems, as he is a dominant and cruel man.
Behind him, the love affair between Stella and Hal goes on.

The atmosphere in this book is spot on. I felt like I was in an Italian movie of that time. The characters are extremely well described, as well as the different situations and turns of the plot. This is a book I absolutely recommend, and I'm running to the bookstore to buy Lucy Foley's first book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: All These Perfect Strangers

All These Perfect Strangers by Aoife Clifford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bad luck seems to follow Pen Sheppard. People are dying around her, and she's a suspect. But is it just bad luck or does she have something to do with these deaths? Or is she in danger?
Is she a victim? Or something far worse?

Told by Pen, we find out little by little why she left her home town to study far away, why she has so many secrets, why she is seeing a psychiatrist. It's not the first time she's been around a murder.
We seldom know if Pen is telling the truth or twisting it in her own benefit.

This story has many twists to it, and I felt overwhelmed at times, the ambiance is dark and heavy, and you don't get to like the characters much, but it's quite a good book. The end is very good, not at all what I expected

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to start reading this book, and it was a big mistake!

Sometimes (most of the times) you need books like this in your life: light, fun, charming, with delightful characters and full of hope.

Arthur Pepper is a widower, and his life seems to have lost interest (and direction) since his wife died. His 2 grown children are not close to him and he only interacts with a fern.
He does have a nosy and good intentioned neighbor who insists on feeding him and also asks for help regarding her young son.

One day, when Arthur finally decides to give his wife's things away, he finds a charm bracelet he'e never seen. Curious he embarks on a mission to find the story behind each and every one of the charms, and discovers much that he did nor know about his wife and also about himself.

This is such a lovely book! highly recommended

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Only Daughter

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the kind of book that keeps you awake until 3 am... the just one more chapter, one more page kind...

A young girl profits of a strange situation and in the spur of the moment tries to pass herself as someone else. The someone else is a girl that disappeared 11 years before, and little does she know that even if she's getting a warm bed and the affection of her "new" family, she's into more trouble than she can imagine.

I can't say much more, as I shouldn't give away the plot, but I was surprised chapter after chapter with all the twists of the plot.

This is a very visual book, and I can well imagine a TV series or a movie of it.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Lie

The Lie by C.L. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book I read by author C. L. Taylor, and I'm delighted with this discovery.

This is a book written in 2 time lines. In one, we have Jane Hughes in the present: she works in a animal shelter, has a boyfriend, and lives in a cottage in Wales. Her life is calm and she is happy.

In the other time line, we have Jane and her best friends, living in London, travelling to Nepal, and having a holiday that will slowly go from bad to worse.

After she returns from this trip, Jane will reinvent herself, even changing her name, but there's something or someone, that can't let go and won't let her forget.

It's something like "I know what you did last summer", but written in a very smart and interesting way.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: As Black as Ebony

As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the 3rd. book in the Lumikki Andersson series. It's tagged as young adult, which happens to be my guilty pleasure, but I think book 2 is the best in the series.

It's a good idea to read this books in order, as part of the plot is related from one book to the other, even if the main events are different in each book.

Lumikki is a serious young girl, who was terribly bullied as a child. She lives alone in a small studio, has a distant relationship with her parents and is always getting into trouble with serious criminals.
The third book reveals much about Lumikki's past, she's a more mature character, but the plot is rushed, and too many situations are rushed in less than 200 pages.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Darkness Knows

The Darkness Knows by Cheryl Honigford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Set in 1938 Chicago, this is a fun, cozy mystery about Vivian, a young woman who is starting to rise in the ranks of radio stardom. Having started as a secretary in a radio station, she now plays bit parts and some major ones in famous radio programs.

Viv is a very ambitious woman, and by working, and even more by wanting to be a radio actress, she has gone against the wishes of her rich and well bred mother, who considers that a woman should better find a husband and settle down.

When a famous actress is found murdered, and letters left by the killer point to Vivian being the next victim, the radio owner hires a private investigator who falls for Vivian.

I loved the setting of the book, the description of the cars, the clothes, the places. I didn't like Vivian much, and the romance is quite predictable, but this is a light, fun read, and I'll gladly read the next books in the series.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The White Cottage Mystery

The White Cottage Mystery by Margery Allingham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to confess I'm a sucker for cozy British mysteries, and this book wasn't the exception.

It's perfect in plot, characters, description, etc. It's also Margery Allingham's first detective story. first published as a newspaper series.

The plot is simple: Jerry finds a lovely girl and drives her home. Just as they arrive, a shot is heard.
There's a dead man, a neighbor, who happens to be hated by everyone around him.
It so happens that Jerry's father is the famous Detective Chief Inspector Challenor, and aided by his son, he will do everything in his power to solve the mystery. Add a few red herrings, a little romance, as Jerry falls in love with the girl and you have a lovely read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The House of Secrets

The House of Secrets by Brad Meltzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I seem to be in a minority here, as this book was just ok for me.
Don't misunderstand me, it's well written, full of action and fast paced, but confusing.

The House of Secrets is a TV show, mainly about conspiracy theories. The host is Jack Nash, and his son Skip is a regular part of it. Heather, his daughter, on the contrary never wanted to have anything to do with it.

The three of them are involved in a car accident where Jack dies and Heather is injured and has memory loss. To this you can add bodies that have bibles in their chests, the FBI and many baddies trying to updo one another
It's not that it is far fetched, I'm ok with that, it's that it's just too complicated.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The House Between Tides

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A young woman inherits a dilapidated -more than that, ruined- old house in a remote island. When she visits, with the idea of turning the house into a hotel/resort, she finds a skeleton in the remains of the house.
This was the family house of a famous painter, who lived there with his young wife 100 years before.

The story narrates both the events of 1910 as well as the situation in 2010.
As the story goes back and forth, we find out more about Theo Blake, the painter, and his family and of Hetty Deveraux, his sister's great grand-daughter, who inherits the house.

I have to say this book is very well written, but there's much description of the natural beauties and wildlife of the island... maybe too much? and for me, it was completely predictable and at 400 pages, way too long for me.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Burying the Honeysuckle Girls

Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazing debut book by author Emily Carpenter. Southern gothic at it's best.

This is one of the books that you start to read wondering how everything will go and end ub very pleasantly surprised.

Althea Bell returns home after a stint in rehab to find her father almost gone to sickness, both physical and mental, and her wannabe politician brother and perfectly square sister in law, living in the family home. The last thing they want is to have her return and embarrass the family

Althea's been a mess ever since her mother died when she was young. Also, the women in her family have a breakdown just before they turn 30 and are committed to a psychiatric clinic. Now she wants both to avoid being locked up and to find out what drives the women in the family to the mental asylum.

The book is written in Althea's perspective, but it is also the story of Jinn, her great grandmother, the original honeysuckle girl

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: A House for Happy Mothers: A Novel

A House for Happy Mothers: A Novel by Amulya Malladi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The surrogacy market is thriving in India, or at least was before the government started talking about shutting it down as they deemed it was an exploitation of Indian women.
I've watched quite a few documentaries on the subject and it's heart breaking, even if it can be a win-win situation for both the couples that can't have children, and for the mothers, who can improve their normal lives due to the money they get as surrogates. And I say it "can" be, as how can we know if we're not in that situation?

Priya and Madhu are a well-off Indian American couple who have gone through several miscarriages. Asha and Pratap have 2 children and live in poverty. They've seen how having another couple's baby can improve lives, as their sister in law has been a surrogate. Their son is almost a genius, and Asha wants him to go to the best school he can.

Although both couples have misgivings about surrogacy, they will do it, as it's the means to an end they all want.

This is a well writtenbook, but I felt it lacked depth. It's more a description of what happens than the feelings that go with it. And, here appears my feminist side, there's the situation of Manoj, who seems to be a brilliant boy, and sending him to school, but never of finding out if the little girl is as intelligent as her brother (she seems to be very young) and sending herto school too.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Everything We Keep

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

For me, the problem with romance books that have a thriller component is that they are just too pat. What I mean is that mostly they are just soft. There's not much mystery and not much action, and if you just have the romance, it falls flat.

Although this book was better then most of the kind I described, and I enjoyed reading it at first, when I finished I was quite annoyed.

Aimee is burying her fiancé on the day they were supposed to be married, but she just has the feeling that he is not dead. And then, a psychic tells her she should not lose hope. Really, a psychic!!!
So now we have a distressed woman, a mystery, and then romance appears in the form of Ian, a photographer cum barista.

I don't know what else to write... The ending is as far fetched as the rest of the book, and it seems there will be a second part.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Fatal Headwind

Fatal Headwind by Leena Lehtolainen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 6 in the Maria Kallio series, but it works great as a stand alone. What's more, I'm looking forward to reading all the books in the series and ale¡ready have book 1 stored on my kindle.

Maria Kallio is head of the violent crime unit in Espoo, Finland. She is about to return to work after maternity leave, but just before she takes a small family trip to an island, when she finds out an ex-boyfriend died there the year before.
A year after his death, the owner of the island, an industrial tycoon, dies there too.

Were these deaths accidents? Murder?

A long list of suspects has Maria and her unit working overtime. The situation, as usually happens in thrillers, changes swiftly and the end is unexpected.

This is a classic mystery-thriller book, in the best tradition of Nordic-Noir, which happens to be one of my favorite genres

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Devil's Cubs

The Devil's Cubs by Leena Lehtolainen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm sorry I can't give this book more than 3 stars, as it's very well written: characters, places, etc.
However, it's the third installment in "The Bodyguard Trilogy", and it keeps referring to events and people that have appeared/happened in the first two books.

Some books you can read as stand alones, independently of the others, but this one is almost impossible to understand without reading the first 2 books. I really wish someone had bothered to let readers know this.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Life of the World to Come: A Novel

The Life of the World to Come: A Novel by Dan Cluchey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Leo Brice is seriously depressed. His girlfriend has left him and he thinks life has no meaning without her. But there are few more unlikely couples than Leo, an introspective lawyer and Fiona, and up and coming actress.
But Leo has 2 things going for him: his best friends, who are an amazing support group and his job. Leo works for an institute that "provides legal support to death row inmates that maintain their innocence".

So Leo and a colleague are sent to Atlanta to represent a man accused of murder. Problem is, he has made peace with the idea of dying and he doesn't need new lawyers. But Leo is insistent on saving him, maybe as a way to save himself.

This book is both literary and philosophical, beautiful in all aspects. I hope Mr. Cluchey continues to write more books as amazing as this one.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Life of the World to Come: A Novel

The Life of the World to Come: A Novel by Dan Cluchey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Leo Brice is seriously depressed. His girlfriend has left him and he thinks life has no meaning without her. But there are few more unlikely couples than Leo, an introspective lawyer and Fiona, and up and coming actress.
But Leo has 2 things going for him: his best friends, who are an amazing support group and his job. Leo works for an institute that "provides legal support to death row inmates that maintain their innocence".

So Leo and a colleague are sent to Atlanta to represent a man accused of murder. Problem is, he has made peace with the idea of dying and he doesn't need new lawyers. But Leo is insistent on saving him, maybe as a way to save himself.

This book is both literary and philosophical, beautiful in all aspects. I hope Mr. Cluchey continues to write more books as amazing as this one.


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: All Is Not Forgotten

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rape is a difficult subject, always. You go from the obvious to the gory, and it's almost never good. In this case, the story is very well written.

A young girl from an affluent town is raped the night of a party, and as happens with small communities, almost everyone can be a suspect. After the rape, her parents and doctors decide to give her a new drug that will erase her memories of what happened.
But this does not go well, as she knows she was raped, and this is one thing she can't forget.
The story is told by her therapist, who also happens to be her parents therapist. But he is more involved than he should in this matter, he even suspects his son!

The only reason I can't give this book 5 stars is because, for me, the end was somewhat contrived. Things we didn't know about suddenly happened and were resolved. But all in all, a very good book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: Before the Fall

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eleven people are on a private plane that will crash just a few minutes after takeoff. Only 2 will survive: a painter (who has seen better times) and a small boy. Their lives will be forever changed.

What caused the plane to fall? Noah Hawley takes us on a tour of the 9 people that were killed: A media tycoon, his wife and daughter (their little s0n/brother survives), a hedge fund investor and his wife, a bodyguard, the pilot, co-pilot and the flight attendant.

Are they related or the cause of the fall? Was it an accident? Was it not?

The ending was definitely not what I was waiting for. While all the time I was thinking about conspiracy theories, terrorism and all things going in that direction, the answer is much more simpler, but non the less unexpected. A brilliant page turner.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Progeny

The Progeny by Tosca Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never read books tagged paranormal/fantasy... they're just not my thing. But I thought the descripton of this book was interesting, and Elizabeth Bathory is a very interesting (and sinister) character.

Big surprise! I just couldn't put this book down.
Emily Jacobs has had her memory erased. Something big, or bad or both must have happened for her to take this decision. The only thing she wants is to start a new life. But someone is following her, and in trying to escape she finds out, little by little, who she is and why she has to run.

There's mystery, action, romance, many interesting characters and some very shady ones. I need book 2 of these series published asap, please!


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Beat the Rain

Beat the Rain by Nigel Jay Cooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tom and Louise are a couple. Tom dies. Louise is devastated. Tom's twin brother, Adam, is devastated too.
And then Adam and Louise fall in love, marry, have children. Sounds complicated? It is...
Not only because of the social pressure (it's almost like incest, marrying your late lover's brother), but because Adam and Louise seem like star crossed lovers.

Adam is a writer who works from home and takes care of the children, Louise has a café and is at work all day long. Her kids barely know her, she is bored, Adam drinks too much.
Enter Jarvis, who just moved to town and is befriended by the couple. And then it all goes downhill...

Nigel Jay Cooper's debut book is excellent!


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Girls

The Girls by Emma Cline
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

California, the 60's.
A time when a 14 year old girl went out of her house in the morning and came back at night and nobody wondered where she was, or if she was alright.

Evie is 14 years old, her parents are divorced, her father has a new girlfriend, her mother has many boyfriends. No wonder she feels left out and lonely. Her best friend decides she'd rather be with other girls and turns into a bully, so Evie is left by herself all day long.

One day she sees 3 amazing girls in the park. They leave in an old black school bus. So when Evie finds them again, and is befriended by them, she follows the everywhere. What she doesn't know is that they belong to a cult, which will have disastrous consequences in Evie's life.

This is an amazing book. The atmosphere and description are perfect, characters are very well described, great plot!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Gilded Years

The Gilded Years by Karin Tanabe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very complex story: Anita Hemmings, although African-American, can pass as white. Her lifelong dream has been to study at Vassar, and she will do all she can to fulfill it.
A bright student, she is accepted, and rooms with Lottie, one of the richest girls not only at school, but of New York.

Her brother, Frederick, almost as light skinned as she is, goes to a college that accepts black students and disagrees with Anita for passing as white.
To complicate events even more, Anita falls in love with a white, rich student.

But, although the story is well written, I felt the characters lacked depth. I don't think we get to know Anita, or sympathize with her. This is one of the first women to attend college, and on top of this she is not white! It would make for so many interesting and tense situations, which were missing.
Lottie, the roommate is just spoilt and nasty, and when she finds out Anita's secret, she just turns against her in a horrible way.

I enjoyed the book, but I felt some of the situations were somewhat superficial.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: All the Missing Girls

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nic Farrell managed to leave her home town of Cooley Ridge, in small-town USA, many years ago.
She left not only because all she had ever wanted was to get away, but also because her best friend disappeared without a trace.

Ten years later, she returns to take care of her sick father and arrange family matters with her brother. But then another girls goes missing, the same girl who alibied Nic and her friends when Corinne disappeared. And suspicion falls again on their little group, for both cases.

What is brilliant about this book is taht it is told backwards, starting with the day the second girl goes missing. Suspense gets higher and higher with each chapter, and I just couldn't put the book down. The ending is a big surprise, but it fits in perfectly!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an hones review

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Review: The Last One

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've read quit a few books about epidemics and the end of the world (or at least about the end of half the human race), but this is one of the best.

The setting is a reality show, maybe something like Survivor? And we have a complete cast/set of characters, each one of whom has entered the competition for a different reason. We don't have names for all of them, only nick-names: Tracker, Zoo, Rancher, Waitress, Exorcist

Told from Zoo's point of view and also from a narrator, we follow the group in the TV show, with all the lies and the editing that will make it a hit; but we also have Zoo, who in the days after the group separates, does everything she can to win the competition, without imagining that the outside world has collapsed.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Course of Love

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A story about falling in love and also about falling out of love. The story of Kirsten and Rabih: how they meet, fall in love, marry, have children, have problems, get bored with each other and try to make something out of their marriage.

Inserted through the book, in between the story of the marriage, are the author's reflections on love, life, marriage. Though we are urged to identify deeply with these characters, and to reflect on his and her own experiences in love (as the book description reads), I found Kirsten and Rabih quite boring, so it was not the easiest of tasks.

I know love has many stages, and boredom can certainly be one of them, but I just couldn't relate to this couple. I did find the authors' reflections on love and marriage very interesting, and this is what makes it a good book, in my opinion. Who hasn't been in a great-good-bad-mediocre relationship?


I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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