Suspense

Review: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender

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I love a good ghost story.  Sure, blood and gore are fine.  But the scariest stories take you right to the edge and no farther, leaving your imagination to conjure things far scarier than the author’s words alone could ever manage.  This one from Katie Alender does just that.

When Delia’s aunt passes away, it comes as a surprise that she’s left her home to Delia.  Sure, they wrote to each other from time to time.  But they weren’t especially close, or at least that’s how it seemed to Delia.  But apparently she was wrong.  So off she goes with her mom, dad, and sister to clean out the rambling estate and sell it off.

She wasn’t prepared, however, to be the owner of an abandoned insane asylum.  And not only that, but it’s haunted.  When the first odd happenings start, she brushes it off as just her imagination. But then things get too real too fast.  And then Delia’s dead.

Here’s where the real fun begins.  Now she’s one of them.  She can see, feel, and communicate with the other ghosts at Hysteria Hall.  And boy, are there plenty of them.  It seems that more than a few patients didn’t ever leave.  Now they’re stuck there forever.  Delia probably could have resigned herself to wandering the hallways for eternity.  Until her family comes back to the house.  She can’t just sit around and watch her sister suffer the same fate she did.

This was a fun book to read.  Lots of ghosts with great descriptions, high on the goosebumps factor, and high on the page-turning scale.  Also a great read for young adults!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall

Review: The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward

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01 aba Yep. This is going to be another fun series by Ms. Ward.

There is no better word, to describe this family, than to say it’s dysfunctional. I mean the stories and behaviors of these people are downright shocking! At one point I was cringing and then tearing up a bit. There are so many puzzle pieces that need to be found, it’s CRAZY!! I have so many ideas but when it comes down to it, I bet they’re all wrong. So I’m going to hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

I’ll admit I was a bit lost and confused with the first few chapters. I’m so used to the BDB, so learning new names and places was a bit daunting for me, but then I figured it out.

“I can’t change what happened and I know there’s no going back…all I ask is that you don’t fall for appearances, okay? You’ve had ten years around this family, but I’ve been with them and the people who surround them all my life. That’s why you’re the one I want. You’re real. You’re not capable of being what they are and that’s a very, very good thing.”

Watching the drama unfold was exactly like a soap opera would be. Intrigue, romance, lies, and above all, secrets. Lots and lots of secrets.

I can’t wait for the next book!!!

~Melpomene

Buy The Bourbon Kings

Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

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I love it when an author, especially in a debut novel, is able to write a story that’s so compelling, so suspenseful that you flip page after page to finally get to the ending.  For me, the best thrillers are the ones where it’s drawn out until almost the very end.  You think you know who dunnit but you’re never completely convinced until that last chapter. That’s what you get with this mesmerizing book from Fiona Barton.

We know from the get go that something bad has happened.  When Jean’s husband is killed, the media immediately are at her door.  They want her story.  But they don’t want the sympathetic story of a grieving widow devastated by the loss of her husband.  They want to know exactly what happened years ago.  That’s when Glen was accused of a crime so horrific that surely he’d be locked away forever.

Somehow, though, that didn’t happen.  And for reasons unknown to the reader until deep into the story, he and Jean have half-heartedly attempted to rebuild their lives.  But the past refuses to let them.  When Glen is no longer in the picture, surely Jean will finally get some peace and quiet.  Too many secrets left buried won’t let that happen, though.  Is Jean the one who can finally shed light on the tragedy that changed so many lives?

This was a classic thriller in all the best ways.  There are horrible crimes, secrets buried, and of course death.  Each chapter was rampant with an undertone of something big about to happen.  As I turned each page, I just knew that finally I’d find it all out.  But alas, it was not to be.  Not until almost the very end.  Yes, I guessed correctly on several things.  On others, not so much.  Grab this one and see if you can do better!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Widow

Review: The Silent Girls by Ann Troup

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Having never read anything by Ann Troup, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Sure, the description is intriguing.  But how many times have we started a book with high expectations only to experience disappointment when it doesn’t follow through?  Not the case with this one!

When Edie returns to her childhood home to clear up some loose ends after her aunt’s untimely death, she doesn’t expect to be there for long.  Clean out the house, sell off some belongings, settle the estate, and then she’ll be on her way.  But of course things don’t go as planned.

It’s known by all that Coronation Square was the scene of a series of grisly murders years ago. When the killer was caught and executed, justice surely was served.  But as Edie starts digging through the clutter and dankness that was her aunt’s life, she begins uncovering secrets. It quickly becomes apparent that there are people who want those secrets to remain hidden.  And they’ll stop at nothing to make that happen.

This is such a dark, dreary book.  And that’s exactly as it should be.  Anything else wouldn’t have worked.  The author paints a depressing, suspenseful scene that fits the story perfectly.  There are twists and turns galore to keep you guessing until the very end. An excellent, well-told mystery!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Silent Girls

Review: Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline

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Lisa Scottoline is well-known for her “could happen to me” stories.  She has a knack for writing about relevant topics that seem as if they were taken from the headlines of the local news.  Her newest is no exception.

Christine and her husband are desperate for a baby.  It’s the only thing she’s wanted for as long as she can remember.  So when it doesn’t come easily, they try other methods.  After exhausting almost every medical option available, they finally agree to use the help of a sperm donor.  And it works.  Christine finds herself happily pregnant and ready to settle in for the duration of her pregnancy. Until she sees something on the news that rocks her to the core.

Is it her imagination or does the recently apprehended serial killer bear a striking resemblance to the photo of their sperm donor that she carries with her?  Surely it’s just a coincidence.  It’s with this thought in mind that she and Marcus set out to clear things up. But every question they ask is left unanswered, leaving them with more questions.  Even as her marriage to Marcus becomes dangerously fractured due to the stress of the situation, Christine sets out on her own to find out once and for all if she is in fact carrying the child of a serial killer.  The question that’s always lurking in the background is, what will she do if it’s true?

This was a compelling story.  There’s suspense along with family drama along with moral dilemmas.  Another good one from this author!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Most Wanted

Review: The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton 

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Book-lover Delaney from Kansas answers a Help Wanted ad placed by a Scottish bookshop owner. When she arrives in Edinburgh, she realizes she’s getting more than she bargained for: Treasures, ghosts, and new friends keeping closely held secrets. 

When Delaney finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery, she does some amateur investigating… and there her adventures get real. 

I loved the bookshop setting, the streets of Edinburgh, and especially Delaney’s Pub across the street with the good-looking, kilt-wearing, half-smiling, full-on charming pub owner. 

I could’ve done without the dialogue being written in Scottish dialect and the contrivances trying to convince me that Delaney really loved books. Both were off-putting, and I almost didn’t read past chapter one. I think the story would have flowed a little better – especially in the beginning – had the author not tried quite so hard to prove her points. 

Once I accepted the Scottish dialogue and allowed myself to skip over anything repetitive, I started to love Delaney and her new friends. She left her home for a new experience — and she really dove into it head first. Gotta love that courage. 

Take a trip with Delaney in Edinburgh. You’ll get into her head and help her solve a mystery. And keep an eye out for the handsome Scot across the street. 

-calliope

Buy THE CRACKED SPINE

Review: The Children’s Home by Charles Lambert

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This was one weirdly confusing book. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It left me thinking for a bit, wondering exactly how I wanted to proceed with my review. Because it’s a story that’s not for everyone. Some will love it, some will not.

The story opens with the arrival of children. Nobody knows where they came from or how they got there. And that remains the case for the entirety of the story. But they arrive one after the other, some left on the doorstep and some simply wandering up to the door.

As owner of the sprawling estate, it falls on Morgan to decide what to do. As a hermit, he’s lonely from time to time and comes to enjoy the company of the children as does Engel, the caretaker. Who, by the way, also showed up mysteriously shortly before the children. Strange children are accompanied by strange happenings, of course.

So here is the overriding mystery of the story. But another equally compelling mystery concerns Morgan’s reclusiveness. What happened during his childhood to horribly scar him? Yet another intriguing tidbit the author drags out as long as possible.

I guess I’m not sure exactly how to describe this book. It’s good, but frustrating at the same time. I wanted more answers but in a way am glad they weren’t given to me. And if I’ve confused you even more, so goes The Children’s Home.

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Children’s Home

Review: Denial by Lisa Renee Jones

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01 den IT’S ELLA’S BOOK!!!!!!

Talk about adrenaline pumping!! I had a hunch that Ella wasn’t in for a simple trip overseas. And boy was I right!!

Ella wakes up in a hospital, in Italy, knowing nothing. She doesn’t even remember her own name! All she knows is that there’s a beautiful man watching her and wanting to help her. I can’t even imagine waking up and not knowing who I was or why I’m in a foreign country. But seeing as she’s all alone, Ella has no other choice but to trust him.

With Kayden’s help, bits and pieces of her memory slowly start to come back. But with these memories comes the realization that she has made some very bad choices and befriended some very evil people. The crazy thing is that she feels this insane attraction to Kayden and wants to trust him to help her, but what if he’s one of those people?

My word, just when you think you know what’s going to happen, the rug gets pulled out from under you. Every time Ella had a flashback I was hoping for a some answers, but all we got were more questions. This is a fantastic start to another thrilling and exciting series for Lisa Renee Jones.

Denial can be read without reading the Inside Out series, but I highly recommend you read that series as well. It was also get your blood pumping and your heart racing.

~Melpomene

Read Denial before Demand comes out, in May.

Review: Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

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25785334Oh dear….

I’ve read a few Gudenkauf novels and have absolutely loved them. This one? Ehh….not so much…

It read like a very bad Columbo drama episode on the telly.

Here we have Sarah and Jack going to back to Jack’s hometown after his absence of 20 years. As Sarah starts to learn more about Jack’s past, she becomes less sure of her future.

I suppose that I just had a problem with Sarah and Jack as characters. After 20 years of marriage they just didn’t seem to click at all. Even at the ending, the connection between them never seemed there…

I am also one that always has problems when a scared, inexperienced person walks away from a relatively safe situation and places themselves in grave danger, especially knowing that a police officer is closer and would be able to able to handle the situation and that they, themselves, wouldn’t be able to protect themselves, let alone any one else.

When authors do this exact thing it really puts me off the entire book. Saying that, I can honestly say it didn’t take just the ending to put me off this book. I was bored with my constant eye rolling with Sarah’s behaviour pretty early on. I don’t have to like a character to enjoy a book, but I do have to believe that a person would have acted in that way in real life. With this one I just felt, again, that it was an overreacted plot to create drama and suspense. A good novel doesn’t do that…No “overacting” is needed…

I’ll still read the next Gudenkauf novel that comes out…One bad book doesn’t put me off an author…especially one that I have enjoyed so much in the past…

I also hope Colombo does not take offense at me over this review 🙂 I loved Columbo when I was growing up….hahahaha

Until next time…

Urania

ARC provided by Edelweiss for an honest review

Buy it now Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf

Review: The Murderer’s Daughter by Jonathan Kellerman

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Way back when, I read several of Kellerman’s Alex Delaware stories. And I loved them. Still, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this one. I was not disappointed.

Grace Blades had about as hard of a childhood as one can have and live to tell the tale. Unwanted from the beginning, and pretty much unloved all along, she was left to fend for herself while her mom and dad partied away. Then the unthinkable happens when her mom and dad die. But in a way, this is her salvation. This is her opportunity to escape the life she’s had and maybe have a shot at a better one.

As she weaves her way through the foster care system, she encounters a different kind of nightmare. She survives, though, and comes out stronger than anyone could ever have predicted. A loner by choice, she’s a highly successful psychologist treating people who’ve experienced traumatic events.

She also harbors a naughty little secret side that nobody would ever guess exists. And it’s this naughty side that brings her in contact with someone from her childhood that she’d rather forget. And then he’s murdered. Being the strong person she is, of course she can’t just sit by and wait for the police to solve the crime.

This is a great thriller. There’s a nice little shoutout to Alex Delaware in the plot that will please fans of his series. Grace is a great leading character, even though she’s far from perfect. My only complaint is that the ending of the story was a bit too wordy and drawn-out. Not enough to to keep me from recommending it, though!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Murderer’s Daughter