If you are looking for sunshine and soothing fuzzy animals, this is not the book for you. Rape and murder are mentioned on the very first page of Atone and it just gets darker from there. I read a lot of gory mysteries and am not generally a squeamish person but this book got to me, and not in a good way. Trigger warnings: child rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking, child abuse, forced sterilization. The … Continue reading Atone by Beth Yarnall →
So I need to start this review with a whole host of content warnings. Rape mentions including: sexual abuse/rape of children and teens, sexual slavery of children and teens, and prison/revenge rape (i.e. the Heroine “hopes” one of the antagonists is repeatedly assaulted in prison as a punishment for him taking part in the enslavement/abuse) Emotional abuse/manipulation Alcoholism (with some emotional abuse attached to it) Dubious/lack of consent between the Hero and Heroine (their first … Continue reading Atone by Beth Yarnall →
I was actually THIS CLOSE to not finishing this book. Why, you ask? Because the first 50 pages or so were full of my number one pet peeve!! Front loading: when you describe everything about a character as soon as they appear without letting those details come out naturally. UGH. Not my favorite way to start a book at all. However, I gotta say the book redeemed itself quite nicely. I can’t point to exactly … Continue reading Killer Countdown by Amelia Autin →
I chose Killer Countdown because I was excited to read a book where the hero had a chronic illness. I also like political thrillers and this seemed more escapist than the current season of Scandal. Ultimately, I fell hard for a man in the book but it sadly wasn’t deadly boring Senator Shane Jones. From the moment reporter Carly sneaks into Shane’s hospital room seeking a scoop, the two of them fall into insta-lust. …she … Continue reading Killer Countdown by Amelia Autin →
I don’t read much M/M romance. However, when HelenKay Dimon announced this series, I knew that I trusted her enough as an author to give it a try. I wasn’t disappointed. The action is fast, often reading like an action adventure movie, men in suits with guns chasing after bad guys & girls. It should be noted I’m half-watching Skyfall as I write this review, so I’m channeling a Daniel Craig style Bond vibe for … Continue reading Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon →
This is the first book I’ve ever read by HelenKay Dimon, so I can’t tell you if it’s a typical book for her, or some new and exciting direction she’s taking her fiction in. A quick glance at Goodreads shows me that she has written quite a lot of books that all seem to be romantic suspense, some with a m/f and others with m/m focus. In this series, Tough Love, we are introduced to … Continue reading Mr. and Mr. Smith by HelenKay Dimon →
I was both excited and scared to death when it came time to sign up for the RITA Reader Challenge this year so I was more than relieved when I had the chance to choose a book from my favorite genre – romantic suspense. After I looked up the blurb for each offering in the category, I happily selected J.T. Ellison’s Field of Graves because it seemed to have so much catnip for me: a … Continue reading Field of Graves by J. T. Ellison →
All the Dead Girls is the third book in the Graveyard Falls series and the plot is centered on the town’s third serial killer (maybe fourth, but as I didn’t read the previous two books, the few references to previous events were a little confusing). The town of Graveyard Falls should really consider changing it’s name. It seems to be attracting some terrible people. But that aside, it makes for some really interesting crimes, criminal … Continue reading All the Dead Girls by Rita Herron →
TW for victim blaming and discussion of rape, kidnapping, suicide, and sexual assault. As someone who likes a good suspenseful story and is a fan of the My Favorite Murder podcast (hey, fellow Murderinos!), I was very on board for this story when I saw the summary. Women in law enforcement stopping serial killers? Yes, please! Maybe this will fill The Fall-shaped hole in my heart, I thought. When I found out that I’d gotten … Continue reading All the Dead Girls by Rita Herron →
Repressed is the first book in a new series, so it’s easy to jump into. Sam Parker is back in her Creepy Hometown to sell her late mother’s house. We know from the beginning that when Sam was a child, she witnessed a Horrific Event in the Creepy Shack behind the house. Now, she’s working a temp job as a teacher of Creepy Students while she repairs the house and counts the days until she can … Continue reading Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton →
Trigger warnings: there are flashbacks to children in peril and an attempted rape scene. Repressed was a re-read for me. I don’t re-read books, so it was interesting to revisit a book with a more critical eye. I’ve read most of Elizabeth Naughton’s Romantic Suspense books as they’re usually in Kindle Unlimited and for me, they are good quality reads. It was also fun to find myself going “ohhhhhhhhh yeahhh” when certain plot points came … Continue reading Repressed by Elisabeth Naughton →
