Reading Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone was the spark to my powder keg. The inferno it produced could only be fed with books that featured that same kind of enigmatic female protagonists. As an ardent fan of Killing Eve, I thought it was the protagonist’s psychopathy in Stone’s book which made Jane so compelling, but reading Maestra by L. S. Hilton showed me how wrong I was on that count. Then began a – … Continue reading A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow →
I absolutely loved A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards. It’s a beautifully executed mystery with a lovely second-chance romance subplot. It also offers a depiction of what living with chronic pain can look like, and as someone who has Fibromyalgia, that was really meaningful to me. I do want to caution potential readers that this book does contain child abuse, specifically and some violence, so if that’s a trigger for you, you’ll want to … Continue reading Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards →
I love creepy shit–the creepier the better. The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent promised to deliver some of that creep, but as far as psychological thrillers go, it wasn’t that dark. This book was a little too tame for me, but I think it would be an excellent novel for readers who want to dip their toe into the psychological thriller genre without getting too scared. There is no on-page violence and… The Stillwater Girls … Continue reading The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent →
This guest review is by Claudia. A bit about Claudia: “At sixteen, I found my older cousin’s stash of Barbara Cartlands and assorted Harlequin-type romance housed in an old sewing cabinet and life was never the same! I love history, so I mostly read historical romance. Favorite authors include Meredith Duran, Mary Balogh, Miranda Neville, Elizabeth Kingston, and Rose Lerner.” (An earlier bio mis-attributed, and is totally the fault my non-caffeinated, mixed-up brain. Sorry! – Sarah) … Continue reading Guest Review: At Your Service by Sandra Antonelli →
This guest review is from Aarya Marsden. Aarya Marsden is a pseudonym for an Indian-American college student and long-time romance reader. Her favorite authors include Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Lucy Parker, Kresley Cole, Alisha Rai, Lisa Kleypas, Alyssa Cole, Tessa Dare, Meredith Duran, Mina V. Esguerra, Kate Clayborn, and many more. You can follow @Aarya_Marsden on Twitter, where she gushes about romance novels and is a firm advocate for a happily-ever-after. … Back in November … Continue reading Guest Review: Proper English by K. J. Charles →
CW/TW in this review: discussion of domestic abuse, domestic violence, gaslighting, suicide and murder. The Woman in the Dark by Vanessa Savage looked to be the kind of creepy psychological thriller that is normally right up my alley. It has a family moving into a place called the “Murder House,” for heaven’s sake. That’s some Elyse-nip right there. Unfortunately this book was much less a psychological thriller and more a story of a woman escaping … Continue reading The Woman in the Dark by Vanessa Savage →
She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge is the first book in a new British procedural series, and I think it will be a great match for fans of Tana French. In 1983, seven teenage friends go camping, and the youngest among them, Aurora Jackson, disappears in the middle of the night. At the time, Jonah Sheens is a young police officer. Jump forward thirty-five years, and Jonah is a Detective Chief Inspector when Aurora’s … Continue reading She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge →
I’m a fan of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad books, so I was excited to see she was releasing a standalone mystery. To my disappointment, The Witch Elm has a great premise, but shaky execution. The book opens with our narrator, Toby, going home after a night out with the lads. Toby is described as one of those guys who manages to navigate the stickiest of situations without suffering any consequences–case in point, he’s recently massively screwed … Continue reading The Witch Elm by Tana French →
I am always looking for new female voices in crime fiction, and I picked up Leona: The Die is Cast with every expectation of being thrilled. It’s a Scandinavian mystery about a series of baffling bank robberies and it features a diverse heroine. It turns out that this book was not at all what I was expecting, and in order to articulate that, I’m going to need to spoil some things. If you want to … Continue reading Leona: The Die is Cast by Jenny Rogneby →
Ah, Sacramento. My hometown. We are the home of lovely trees and rivers. We have also been the home of Dorothea Puente, the “Death House Landlady,” The Vampire of Sacramento, The Golden State Killer, and the headline, “Woman With Skull on Stick Leads Police to Body.” So I guess it makes sense that Karen Rose’s new romantic suspense series is set in Sacramento. I don’t normally read romantic suspense, but since the first book is … Continue reading Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose →
Having raved about the first book in the Kopp Sisters series, Girl Waits With Gun, I found the sequels (Lady Cop Makes Trouble, Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions) to be disappointing. I’m pleased to say that the series returns to form with the most recent book, Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit. As always, most of the story is either completely true or inspired by real events, and the title was the headline of a real news article. … Continue reading Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit by Amy Stewart →
