Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 8 days

Pages - 584

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.


My Review

This is book two in the book series "A Discovery of Witches" - I often read books out of sequence or as standalones but I would advise reading book one. This picks up where book one left off, it was a long gap between reading that and this one. Diana and Matthew have fled to the past to try and find the Ashmole 782 which may help solve all their problems. You know, he is a vamp, she is a witch, the two aren't allowed to "fraternise" and these two have fallen in love and causing all manners of threats and death to be brought upon them. Convinced the Ashmole 782 will end all their and their species issues and may finally bring peace.

I would say the majority of the book is set back in the past, we do have wee tiny trips back to the present but to be honest not a whole lot happens in those chapters it is all the stuff set in the past. Jumping from the danger of present day and going back in time to when witches are being hunted, burnt, persecuted, Diana has trouble in abundance. Whilst Diana navigates the very different life and times of the time period they are also trying to find someone who can help Diana with her magic or lack of it. She is experiencing little flutters and sparks but is it just the magic of travelling back in time or could it be her powers are finally starting to come to the fort?

The book looks at the difficulties of their relationship, the fact they haven't consummated, how their relationship is, the dangers just being together has brought and even how dangerous it is being themselves where they have landed.

Meeting Mathews family and friends brings its own trials and tribulations, the time period, the literal witch hunts, love, loss, betrayal, magic - it is a mixed bag, 3.5/5. I did like it and enjoyed seeing more of their story, I also have book three to read but I did find it a wee bit slow in places.

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Guilty by Martina Cole and Jacqui Rose

Guilty: the brand new novel by the legendary author by Martina Cole
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 432

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Amazon

It's time to confess their sins.

Steph Barker can't forget her past. A single mother, Steph runs a women's shelter for local prostitutes while coming to terms with a tragic loss. And it's people like Joseph Potter, battling with his own grief, who keep her going.

When Hennie, one of her friends from the shelter, goes missing, Steph's convinced Hennie's violent pimp Artie Rogers has something to do with it. Steph and Artie go way back, but his reign of terror throughout the Medway towns is out of control and even she can't do anything to stop him. Then another prostitute disappears and it's time to find out who's guilty.

Everyone has their secrets - but one of them is getting away with murder.



My Review

If you have read Martina Cole you know what you are getting, this one is particularly dark. Steph runs a shelter for prostitutes, she got out of that life and knows just how hard it can be. She has her ex who is just a piece of work but he is the father of her daughter so he will always be around. Her current partner is on support after a hit and run that left him unresponsive and killed her wee baby. His brother runs the girls and rules with an iron fist, drugs and his partner who is a complete deviant with muscles. As some of the girls disappear Steph realises that something much darker than their pimp may well be on the prowl and no one is safe.

The book has some really dark themes, issues, sa, child abuse, murder, coercion, dv, manipulation, absolute deviants they would give you the absolute boke. We see families pushed to the brink and having to make choices so they can survive, threats of violence, being put in unimaginable positions. Prostitution features heavily throughout the book and all the perils that come with it, shady punters, predators, substance issues and a stalker/murderer.

When I finished this I needed to genre switch, a lot of the worst sides of humanity feature in this one as well as strength, love, friendship and family. There is child endangerment and some hard scenes and threats featuring them so be warned, 3.5/5 for me this time.

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Cat Lady by Dawn O'Porter

Cat Lady by Dawn O'Porter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 400

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - RAK

Blurb from Goodreads

Single, independent, crazy, aloof, on-the-shelf, lives alone...

It’s safer for Mia to play the part that people expect. She’s a good wife to her husband Tristan, a doting stepmother, she slips on her suit for work each morning like a new skin.

But beneath the surface, there’s another woman just clawing to get out...

When a shocking event shatters the conventional life she’s been so careful to build, Mia is faced with a choice. Does she live for a society that’s all too quick to judge, or does she live for herself?

And if that’s as an independent woman with a cat, then the world better get ready...

Fresh, funny and for anyone who’s ever felt astray, Cat Lady will help you belong – because a woman always lands on her feet.


My Review

Meet Mia, happily married, step mom and her and hubby have separate bedrooms - purely because he doesn't like her cat in the bed/bedroom and she won't lock her out. They also have his annoying ex wife who spends a ridiculous amount of time at their house making snide comments about Mia and her wee cat Pigeon. Mia also secretly goes to a pet grief support group and makes friends but her cat is alive, older but alive. Pigeon was there for Mia in one of the worst times and she will make sure she is always first. When something happens and shakes Mia's carefully constructed life she goes a bit off the rails, buckle in.

So I LOVED the first 3 quarters of this book, she made me laugh and obviously the poor folk grieving their wee animals, we know how heartbreaking that can be. It is good, well rounded and has chaos and drama, the shady bitchy ex, the husband and the unique individuals she works with. Los of lols and dramas and then the book has something happen and it always impacts my enjoyment of any story. I didn't see it coming and normally friends give me a heads up so I can prepare but I was totally blind and upset and even raging lol.

The book covers a range of themes and humour is infused so I really did enjoy it. Relationship issues, horrible snakey ex partners, bitchy work colleague, animal loss, grief, grief support group, stress, reactions to stress and grief, friendship, family and processing past family traumas. Many people will love this one and I did really like it, laughed and oh my God at a few scenes but the thing that I wasn't expecting really impacted my enjoyment. I have read her before and will read her again but animal lovers go in prepared, 3.5/5 for me.

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One Rainy Night by Richard Laymon

One Rainy Night by Richard Laymon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 410

Publisher -

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

An unusual black precipitation is having a horrifying effect on the residents of Bixby, California, transforming ordinary people into deranged killers. Original.


My Review

So I apparently read this back in 2011 so before my reviewing I believe and one of the reasons I started reviewing. I would buy/read books and be like oh I have read this so this way I can keep track and I actually remembered none of this book at all. A young boy was brutally murdered, likely racially motivated. An officer is back at the scene, looking around when the heavens open and the rain comes pounding down. This is no ordinary rain, it is black and upon touching the skin of a person they become wild, dangerous, murderers even cannibalistic in some cases. It is only affecting the small town of Bixby California and before the night is over many lives will be gone and changed forever.

Right big warnings here guys, racism, racist language, murder, sa, sv, abuse, cannibalism like all the biggest and baddest things humans can do to each other is in this. The book follows a few main characters, a police officer (not the guy at the start), a young girl and her babysitting charge, the wee girls parents who are headed to a restaurant, three teenage boys who are vile even before a spot of rain touches them and a pizza delivery woman who unfortunately delivers to the teens.

It reminded me a little of the movie crazies but far far darker and shocking. Absolute horror, quite graphic in the abuse, murders, sexual violence and abuse so please prepare yourself, 3.5/5.

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Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas Most Notorious Female Killer by Glenn Puit

Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer by Glenn Puit
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 352

Publisher -

Source - Bought (in Vegas)

Blurb from Goodreads

Drawing on extensive interviews with the accused herself, here is the sordid, twisted, and surprising story of Brookey Lee West—a successful technical writer from Silicon Valley who became Las Vegas’ most notorious female serial killer.

In February, 2001, police uncovered the decomposed remains of Christine Smith bagged like garbage in a Las Vegas storage unit. She’d been dead for years. Next to the makeshift tomb were books on witchcraft and Satanism. It didn’t take long for authorities to discover that the owner of the foul Canyon Gate Unit #317 was Christine’s own daughter, Brookey Lee West. Further investigation revealed something even more shocking—a one-woman crime spree that spanned two decades, stretched from Nevada to California, and may have counted among its victims Brookey’s own husband and brother....



My Review

So I hadn't heard of this one, I have read/seen a lot of true crime but never heard of this case. We effectively open with the finding of a body in a storage unit, the police trying to find the owner of said storage unit. We then get a back history of the deceased person Christine Smith and her daughter and owner of the unit, Brookey Lee West. Christine's early life, upbringing, how she met her husband and their life. The beginning of Brookey Lee's life, the suspected murders and glimpses of who she was or presented to those who were in her life.

This book is different is that we get more of the victims past and lives than really we do of Brookey Lee West. I feel like I don't know a whole lot more of her than I did before I started the book, absolute I know more of her mum, dad, husband and some of the ways she interacted with them but otherwise I don't think we know her much at all. Most books on killers you get quite in depth of who they are/were but this leaves you, well it did me, with a lot more questions.

Interesting read and I would read other books on her, see what information and takes other authors manage to pull together, 3.5/5.

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Grumpy Darling by Alexandra Moody

Grumpy Darling by Alexandra Moody
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Electric Monkey

Source - Vine review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Alexandra Moody's BookTok sensation continues with Darling Devils #2: Grumpy Darling — perfect for fans of Hannah Grace, clean romance, and slow-burn fire on the ice!

She's never been kissed. He's never felt this way about anyone.

Paige has ticked off everything on her senior year bucket list except one tiny thing — she’s never kissed anyone. And her best friend, Grayson Darling, is to blame.

Grayson is the school hockey team’s notorious enforcer, and he’s been scaring away any eligible bachelors that so much as look in Paige’s direction. With time running out, she demands that Grayson stop defending her honor. Instead, he’ll become her dating coach, training her to win the guy of her dreams.

But Grayson has plans of his own. He’s been in love with Paige since they were kids, and his clock is running, too. Coaching Paige might be his last chance to show her how good they’d be together. After all, practice makes perfect.


My Review

So this is book two in the Darling Devils series, you however do not need to have read book one. So this, like the first, is young adult but this one feels very young adult. So this book concentrates on Grumpy, Reed's twin brother. He has been in love with his best friend Paige forever but Paige is completely oblivious. As they get ready to finish school and head towards university or whatever they choose, Paige has a list she is working through of things she wants to do before then. The last thing on her list and soon becomes the main focus is getting her first kiss. She ends up enlisting Grumpy's help to kiss the newest recruit to the ice hockey team, their old pal. The chapters jump between Grumpy and Paiges point of views.

I really liked book one and figured this would be similar vibes which it does but because it centres around this first kiss it was very young. And I know it is young adult so it is young as is the characters but book one they seemed older, like the dramas and behaviours. This time round it was very high school, the pursuit of the first kiss, the crushes and all the drama's surrounding the situations, party, drink, embarrassment etc.

The banter and ribbing of the boys to each other did make me laugh, Paige and Grumpy are cute but it just seemed to take forever, a bit of a slow burn and I did find my self exasperated at times. That being said it is a cute read, poolside for sure, 3.5/5 for me. I would read the next in the series and check out her other books!

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The Hospital by Leslie Wolfe

The Hospital by Leslie Wolfe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 322

Publisher - Bookouture

Source - Review copy & bought one

Blurb from Goodreads

I should feel safe here. I don’t.

I thought I had it all. The loving husband I married on a beach, sand between my toes. The career I fought for. The beautiful home tucked away between pines and mountains.

But my perfect life crumbled when my husband betrayed me. And then it started. Everywhere I went, someone was following me… But no one believed me. Were they right? Was I losing my mind?

Then, one day, I wake up with a searing pain in my head, and only the sound of sirens and distant conversations to pierce my confusion.

I’ve been attacked. I’m in the hospital.

It should be reassuring. But all I can think is: I’m trapped.

I must escape. But I know I can’t trust anyone, and I’ll do whatever it takes to save myself.

You will never see the twists coming in this jaw-on-the-floor gasp-out-loud rollercoaster from the no.1 bestselling author of The Surgeon. Fans of Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena won’t be able to put it down!



My Review

She is running, she is injured, she wakes in a hospital, unable to move, unable to see - she can talk but that is about it. She knows she was attacked and she knows she isn't safe, how can she protect herself when she doesn't know who hurt her and can't get her body to move.

So the book bounces between the main character Emma confined to a hospital bed, immobile and we hear from the bad guy, the person who committed the atrocity against Emma and they are OBSESSED! So we know Emma was assaulted and almost died and now is essentially locked in, cared for around the clock, frustrated with her lack of memory and her body's brokenness. We bounce around as she grasps for her memories, tries to get any kind of movement going and frantically find out who is after her.

I did take a bit to settle into the book as the narrator is so unreliable, she has a traumatic brain injury so we are finding out about her as she is. Things jump around a bit which I found a wee bit distracting but I think it adds strength to the character, you are meant to be unsettled and frustrated because she is and it is her story. I had suspicious/guesses galore, I was a bit like when watching an episode of Murder She Wrote lol, I have about twenty theories so one ought to stick!

Some shady characters, cheating, manipulation, frustration, health/recovery (or lack of) and processing her past as it is all coming back to her slowly as she is confined to body and bed. I would say the last quarter really came into its own so I was back and fourth on my rating. I am going for 3.5/5 (I added the .5 because the later part really was WOW, well for me anyway). This was my first by this author, it won't be my last.

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Close To Death by Anthony Horowitz

Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 3 days

Pages - 419

Publisher - Random House UK

Source - Review copy & bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In New York Times–bestselling author Anthony Horowitz’s ingenious fifth literary whodunit in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, Detective Hawthorne is once again called upon to solve an unsolvable case—a gruesome murder in an idyllic gated community in which suspects abound

Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.

It is the perfect idyll until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, a gaggle of shrieking children and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and they quickly offend every last one of their neighbours.

When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator that can be called on to solve the case.

Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?


My Review

So first thing to note, this is book five in the series, I didn't know this and as a result I had some questions. Once finished I did a bit of reading up and have since ordered book one, will read the previous books before this one and then re read this.

A small gated community, new neighbours move in, a family who are loud, not team players and things start to go wrong. Destruction of peoples property, heads butting, block peoples cars in, a missing dog ooft tensions galore. When the trouble makers are invited to a neighbours meet and they don't show tensions run higher and before we know what happens Giles Kentworthy (dad/new neighbour) is found brutally murdered. Everyone is a suspect, everyone has a motive and the police call in Detective Hawthorne for assistance. He is a unique guy who has some trouble and clouds following him but he is very very good at what he does.

So in between the murder and investigation the book then jumps to the author who is writing about the murder case (so the timeline also jumps) and is meeting some walls and resistance in collating information. At this point the reader knows Mr Kentworthy was killed and the method but not the who. It is clear the author is party to information we don't have and he wants to write the novel and see it through to completion but some people do not. The book then bounces between that and then back to the investigation, murder and everything that transpires.

I did find myself spinning a wee bit trying to keep up, Anthony the fictional author in the book is a bit clueless like us but Hawthorne is sharp as a tack. Anthony is writing the new book which is based on the gated community murder of Mr Kentworthy, Hawthorne is his partner but seems a tad reluctant on this one. They aren't together, Hawthorne is a bit elusive when Anthony is trying to get him and then we timeline jump too.

I think by going back and reading book 1-4 I will probably get a better feel for everything so I fully admit picking this up 5 books in wasn't the best move on my part. However I did love the sound of this and I am glad I picked it up as I think it will be a great series. Hawthorne is so sharp and perceptive, he also gets folks backs up but he is brilliant which is a good mix, 3.5/5 for me. I have ordered book one so will get to that when able.

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Fir by Sharon Gosling

Fir by Sharon Gosling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Stripes

Source - Gift from a friend

Blurb from Goodreads

We are the trees. We are the snow.

We are the winter.

We are the peace. We are the rage.

Cut off from civilization by the harsh winter of northern Sweden, the Stromberg family shelter in their old plantation house. There are figures lurking in the ancient pine forests and they’re closing in. With nothing but four walls between the Strombergs and the evil that’s outside, they watch and wait for the snows to melt.

But in the face of signs that there’s an even greater danger waiting to strike, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from illusion. All they’ve got to do is stay sane and survive the winter…


My Review


Teenage girl is our main character/protagonist, uprooted from her home/friends/school to a place that almost gives The Shining vibes, a plantation house surrounded by old old trees. When the snow comes you are hemmed in, surrounded by trees and something unsettling and threatening in the woods. The house comes with Dorothea, a house keeper who is neither friendly nor seemingly happy. She herself is quite a threatening force merely by her presence and hostile attitude.

We the reader learn quickly that there is more to the surrounded woods and trees and it isn't long before the family, certainly the daughter picks up on the creepy/eerie vibes. As teenagers are, actually to be fair I think most of us are, drawn to the things left behind by previous occupants the wean starts to explore and nosey about. Clearly the house and forest has secrets, there is dangerous, threats abound and the family are none the wiser.

I think the atmosphere was brilliantly done, creepy throughout and you knew the danger was pending but not overly sure why, when or how. I think a lot was implied and the reader picking up on things as the story developed. I would have loved to get more of and about the housekeeper as she certainly has seen a lot over the years and been central to some of the happenings.

The creepy forest passages/chat was different and I liked how a lot was show not tell so your imagination got to go a bit wild. I did feel I was left wanting a fair bit though too and so so many questions. I think this would be a perfect tale when you are surrounded by snow and or visiting somewhere a bit isolated, that would drive the creep factor right up. This was my first time reading this author, I would read her again, 3.5/5 from us.

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Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 2 days

Publisher - Tor Nightfire

Source - gifted

Blurb from Goodreads

The English language debut of the bestselling Dutch novel, Hex, from Thomas Olde Heuvelt--a Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch

Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.

Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.

The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.

This chilling novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in mainstream horror and dark fantasy.


My Review

A small town with a curse, a curse they keep from everyone not from the town. You can come and live here but you can never move. She is a witch, an actual physical entity and there are rules. The town is covered with surveillance and everyone knows, even the kids, they must abide.

The cast is made up of youngsters/families/the towns folk and of course madam witch, she can enter any home. Oooft guys she is a creepy scary biscuit and you don't know a whole lot about her, the story unfolds as you go along. We have some kids who, well, kids are kids and rebel and these handful are no different. However actions have consequences and these kids are way WAY over their heads.

The book has some great suspense, creepy, weird, small time stuff but also also slips in parts into some really dark and I felt unnecessary stuff. Like the animal dream stuff *vomits* - the abuse scenes and I get it is to show the mind slippage/depravity but it did make for uncomfortable reading. There are some really dark taboo bits and also self harm, death, loss, spiralling so just a heads up, it does get dark.

I really liked some of it and the darker threads yeah not so much. Small town, legends, haunting like, curse, witch, actions/consequences. It is a good/dark read but just a bit out there in parts that for me took away from the book a wee bit although am sure some horror fans will love it, 3.5/5 for me.

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The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes

The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 508

Publisher - Penguin books

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Helen Walsh doesn’t believe in fear – it’s just a thing invented by men to get all the money and good job – and yet she’s sinking. Her work as a Private Investigator has dried up, her flat has been repossessed and now some old demons have resurfaced.

Not least in the form of her charming but dodgy ex-boyfriend Jay Parker, who shows up with a missing persons case. Money is tight – so tight Helen’s had to move back in with her elderly parents – and Jay is awash with cash. The missing person is Wayne Diffney, the ‘Wacky One’ from boyband Laddz. He’s vanished from his house in Mercy Close and it’s vital that he’s found – Laddz have a sell-out comeback gig in five days’ time.

Things ended messily with Jay. And she’s never going back there. Besides she has a new boyfriend now, the very sexy detective Artie Devlin and it’s all going well, even though his ex-wife isn’t quite ‘ex’ enough and his teenage son hates her. But the reappearance of Jay is stirring up all kinds of stuff she thought she’d left behind.

Playing by her own rules, Helen is drawn into a dark and glamorous world, where her worst enemy is her own head and where increasingly the only person she feels connected to is Wayne, a man she’s never even met.



My Review

So I think the first thing I would say is this book is a bit darker in some of the themes than any of her others, well that I remember. Don't get me wrong there is still some laughs, hilarity, some oh no she/they didn't and jaw dropper moments. However the book centers around Helen Walsh and she is a very unique individual. She doesn't seem to have a filter, she struggles to gel with people, she is abrupt, brutally honest and has mental health issues. Now I don't often put trigger warnings, I do tend to highlight themes without spoilers but I am putting a trigger warning here so if you have issues with dark mental health/self harm - stop reading here.

Helen is a private detective, she is dealing with some personal problems and the work and focus is good for her. Her new assignment is helping track down a member of a previous very popular boyband member, the band is getting back together (minus the one who burst to great stardom) and now Wayne is missing. We follow Helen tracking him down, working with her ex boyfriend, awks much, looking for a famous dude and trying to keep the black dog (depression) at bay.

The investigation is interesting and how she manages to work the case and juggle so much in her personal life. The mental health stuff, her struggles with her depression, how her family reacts to it and how she herself deals with it. The book jumps around a wee bit and I think that helps to cement the way Helen is and how she gets through her day to day life. I think Keyes does great infusing humour with some really tough/harsh real life topics. Depression, self harm and all the darkness that can go with it is throughout the book along with infidelity, splashes of humour, regular and dark, family and obvs the missing celebrity. We get a peak into how the world of celebrity looks through Helen's eyes and the access she gets through her job.

I don't really know how I feel about this one, I liked parts of it, I think if you have had a history of depression or had any battles with mental health you will take something different. Understanding, empathy, maybe even just feeling "seen" because despite this being a fictional character/book the author has done due diligence with the topics, if you know you know. Overall 3.5/5 for me this time, I am missing gaps in the Walsh books I am sure so I need to catch up with them. Yes I have read them out of order *twitch* but they can pretty much be standalones.

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Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson

Alex Cross Must Die by James Patterson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Pages - 416

Publisher - Randomhouse UK

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

Detectives Cross and Sampson are tracking a serial killer who's fatally ambushing young men in the “Dead Hours” murders. They don't hear the machine gun fire. At first.

“Drop whatever you're doing, Dr. Cross, and head to Reagan Airport,” DC Metro Police dispatch says. “A plane just crashed and exploded on the runway. The chief and the FBI want you and John Sampson there pronto.”

The weapon that took down the plane is a remote-controlled Vietnam-War-era machine gun. The list of those who possess the training and expertise to operate the stolen, .50-caliber weapon is short. And time runs even shorter.

As Cross and Sampson race to prevent another mass murder, their fearsomely armed opponent once again looks skyward.


My Review

It has been a few years since I picked up a James Patterson and more so since I read an Alex Cross. I LOVE the Alex Cross series and going on the title I thought this would be a cat and mouse with Cross and a baddy/taunting him. Maybe that is why I liked but didn't love this one.

There are a fair few storylines, we have a terrorist attack on a commercial plane, a missing friend in the process of making a multimillion business launch, one of Alex's kids friends has gone missing, a killer targeting runners and if that isn't enough a teacher loved and trusted by all may not be all he seems to be.

I love a busy book and there is no denying there is plenty to keep you hooked by I think maybe there was so much we spread just a little thinly. I felt like we hardly seen a whole lot of Alex Cross because there were so many characters to visit/see/chase/action.

Page turner yeah, short chapters - we love but I think had we maybe had a wee bit less we may have had more if that makes sense. I liked it I just didn't love it so therefore 3.5/5 for us, terrorism, murder, families, dark web the book has loads to keep you occupied.

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Let Go Of What You Know by Amelia Hendrey

Let Go of What You Know by Amelia Hendrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 262

Publisher - Wrate's Publishing

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Following the publication of her acclaimed memoir What Nobody Knew back in 2017, Amelia Hendrey’s readers all wanted to know when her next book would be out.

Now the wait is finally over. While in her first book, Amelia bravely described her early years and surviving her brutal parents, in Part I of Letting Go of What You Know, she explains what happened next, humourously recounting her honeymoon in the Canaries, entering the workplace, caring for several quirky cats and becoming a first-time mum. In sharing the good times, Amelia proves how healing, growth and letting go are possible even after the worst start in life.

In Part II, Amelia reveals the meticulous diary she kept as the Covid-19 pandemic brought fear and uncertainty into her world once again. Chronicling moments from her day-to-day life that everyone will relate to, her strength in the face of adversity shines through once again.


My Review

This is the follow up book from "What Nobody Knew" a harrowing account of what Amelia endured/survived as a child. Whilst this book does reference a little about her past it is primarily the focus on the journey/recovery as an adult.

The book itself is split into two really, the first is all about Amelia, recovering, how she recovered and found her way through adulthood, work, friends and her family. The second half is diary entries covering the Covid 18 pandemic. What she was doing as the news broke out, updates, statistics, news and what her and her family did during these dates, sometimes just purely entries on the pandemic.

I preferred the first part as I feel the book read like two different books, the first Amelia's life and whilst the second did have snippets of what they did on X date it is hugely focused on the pandemic. I did like reading parts of it and its insane how much you forget you got through. And whilst it is interesting it took me away from her story. I would have liked to see them as separate books, one keeping to her life/experiences and the other her views on or just her diary itself with the pandemic.

I found it really interesting how she tried to get her book out there and she covers her publishing journey and the steps she took, I think sometimes you forget just how hard it can be for someone getting their book out there when they don't have a big publisher behind them.

Easy enough to read although it does have glimpses of distressing content (nothing like the first book which was raw, shocking and central focused on what she survived) she writes with an easy enough flow.

It is nothing short of miraculous that Hendrey has came out the other side and with such positivity after what survived. If you haven't read the first book you absolutely should and for this one, especially the Covid stats it is shocking how many deaths/numbers and how things panned out. 3.5/5 from us, we have read Hendrey before and would read her again.

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The Sinner by J R Ward

The Sinner by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days (in and out)

Pages - 512

Publisher - Piatkus

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

A sinner’s only hope is true love in this passionate new novel in J.R. Ward’s #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he not only crosses the path of the vampire race’s new enemy, but also that of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.

Fate anointed Butch O’Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male—or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?

With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against true evil. In the end, will love true prevail...or was the prophecy wrong all along?


My Review

I don't really remember Syn too much in previous books but I do remember Jo Early, the reporter who with another co worker where trying to cover the vampires/destruction when the Lessers and vamps battled. Turns out Jo is a half breed and on the cusp on transition and Syn is brought into her life as a job and Syn has no idea what lies ahead for him. So Syn is a bit rogue, whilst him and his fighters have taken oath to the king he is still a bit nomad, a loner, wild, a killer. He has had a horrific past and not the best of relations with the other sex. We hear a bit about his past and know he is a hitman, man, woman it doesn't matter he is happy to take folk out. So when Jo comes into his path he is not ready for the impact she has on him nor what it can mean for him.

We also get an unexpected pop up from Covet, book one in another series by this author, I think I need to read the rest of them for fear of spoilers in the next in this series, plus I did enjoy that one. Butch features a wee bit more and I feel we haven't seen a whole lot of the Lessers nor the Omega in the last few so it was nice to get a bit more of that side from the series.

As usual there is graphic adult scenes of an adult nature so not for the easy to blush or quick to be mortified, this is book 18 so you should know by now what you are getting. The book has a glossary at the start which I think is a fantastic idea to keep up with the terminology, no matter how long you have been reading the series it is good to have them. Murder, love, friendships, a wee bit almost gaslighting, certainly I was a bit annoyed at some of the behaviours of some but from the beginning you know he has a dark/dangerous/aggressive side. Always nice to see progression from the stories and I think with this one Ward has injected a new lease of life into the series and look forward to seeing where it goes, 3.5/5 from me.

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A Court of Thorn and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 419

Publisher - Bloomsbury

Source - Friend gave me her copy

Blurb from Goodreads

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.


My Review

So I have never read this author but heard/seen the books/series all over book clubs, book tok etc but I got my copy off a friend who struggled to get into it. First heads up and warning, the opening chapter has animal death, Feyre is a bit Katniss Everdeen style character. Poor, struggling, she has her bow and arrow and is hunting to keep her siblings and father from starving. It is the event there that changes her life and sees her forced to live with immortal faeries that she and her fellow humans hate.

The book covers so much, family, character, strength, romance, survival, treachery, different beings, humans and faeries. I got Beauty and the Beast vibes from it too, instead of books/library it is paintings and a love of art. Some of the characters really annoyed me, like the whole family let the youngest, Feyre, go out hunting, risking herself whilst they stayed safe at home, only coming out with the lure of money from a sale from Feyre's hard graft. This is a tiny part but it really enraged me, some of the stuff that happens over in Faerie Lands. Like I love a riddle (I suck at them though) and any type of quest especially so much at stake however the shady underhanded behaviours of X was like really, why? How is that an actual show of power but that is just a wee thing that irked me too. There is a lot to like to be fair, it has magic, romance, hierarchy, evil, murder, lots of elements and the series is hugely loved by many, for me 3/5.

For me it is a good foundation and book one of a series, I will be reading book two to see what is next in store

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Heartbeat by Danielle Steel

Heartbeat by Danielle Steel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Pages - 432

Publisher - Dell

Source - Mum bought me it

Blurb from Goodreads

Bill Thigpen, writer producer of the No.1 daytime TV drama was so busy watching his career soar that he never noticed his marriage collapse. Now, nine years later, living alone in Hollywood, even without his wife and kids, his life and success are still reasonably sweet. Top-of-the-chart ratings, good-natured casual affairs, and special vacations with his two young sons. His life is in perfect balance, he thinks.
Adrian Townshed thought she had everything: a job she liked as a TV production assistant and a handsome husband who was a rising star in his own field. In as enviable life they'd worked hard for--the American Dream. Until she got pregnant. Suddenly all she had was chaos. And Steven's ultimatum. Him or the baby. The question was: did he mean it? He did.
Bill Thigpen and Adrian Townshed collided in a supermarket. And the very sight of her suddenly makes him want more in his life.... a woman he really loves, a real family again. But does he need the heartache of another man's baby, another wife? Neither does. But they couldn't help it.
Danielle Steel touches the Heartbeat of two wonderful people as their friendship deepens into love, as they meet the obstacles that life presents with humor, humanity, and courage.



My Review

Bill Thigpen is the writer of a super popular tv show, his marriage ended due to his over commitment to the show but he still sees the kids, not as much as he would like and he is keeping commitment free so as not to get hurt. Adrian Townsend is beautiful, successful news reader & the perfect (for her) husband, Steven, although she is esentially estranged really from her family/friends because of Steven. Life with Stephen is great (according to them as the reader I can't say I agree) until Adrian falls pregnant and Stephen gives her the worst ultimatum, its him or the child.

I have to say I really struggled with Adrian's whole behaviour/attitude to Steven and I know a lot of it is being in that type of relationship. It just shows the long hold a person can have even when one escapes their clutches but I found it insanely frustrating. Bill is such a sweetie and so patient/understanding and rare to find someone like that.

There is a central theme when discussing Steven or when he appears for pressure/emotional blackmail, underhanded tactics to try and pressure Adrian to choose him over the pregnancy so I think a warning is needed here just because it can be a lot for someone to read depending on their background.

I went back and forth on Adrian and was invested in seeing where the story went, 3.5/5 for me.

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Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 10 days

Pages - 310

Publisher - Arrow

Source - bought or gift

Blurb from Goodreads

As a child, she was told to forget about the missing girl. But some memories don’t die….

The discovery of a skeleton in Acadia, Canada, reawakens a traumatic episode for forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan: Could the young girl’s remains be those of Évangéline Landry, Tempe’s friend who disappeared when Tempe was twelve? Exotic, free-spirited, and slightly older, Évangéline enlivened Tempe’s summer beach visits…then vanished amid whispers that she was “dangerous.” Now, faced with bones scarred with inexplicable lesions, Tempe is consumed with solving a decades-old mystery — while her lover, detective Andrew Ryan, urgently needs her attention on a wave of teenage abductions and murders. With both Ryan and her ex-husband making surprising future plans, Tempe may soon find that her world has painfully and irrevocably changed once again.


My review

When Tempe was younger her childhood friend and sister went missing & no matter how much Tempe asked questions she got no answers. Fast forward present day, bones of a young girl has been found, older bones with strange lesions, could this be Tempe's old friend, just coincidence? It certainly drags up memories and questions from Tempe's past.

This is book 10, I have gaps I think in the series as I would pick them up and read as I found them (sorry I know this makes people twitchy) but I find you can follow it fine. Tempe's relationship features in this one well her lover or ex lover, officer Andrew Ryan (he is a detective) well I suppose you can say it is complicated. So the two themes go along side, the bones investigation/Tempe's past and the ongoing issues with Andrew. They work together on a case so it is complicated, is it over, things are getting in the way, attraction - I suppose it I had read them more recently or in order I may be a bit more invested,

I always find these books interesting because of the anthropological aspect, I love when you learn things from books or spark interest to look into things more yourself. It isn't my fave of the series but still interesting read, 3.5/5 this time.

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Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Michael Joseph Books

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

We can't choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?

In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage, and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor's true history, and fulfill her final request to "share the black cake when the time is right"? Will their mother's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.


My Review

When Eleanor dies she leaves her children, Byron and Benny, a recording that plays about eight hours long. Her son and daughter haven't spoken in years but come together, as she knew they would, after she passes. Eleanor was a unique lady and her children are about to find out just how strong, resilient and secretive she was!

The book bounces around a fair bit, then and now, between different characters, not just Eleanor but many people who played or influenced largely in her life. It is a strong debut novel that examines how unfair life can be but how survival, strength, friendship and love can get you through.

The characters have their own woes and things that have happened or happening in their lives that shape who they are or their journeys. We learn about the Black Cake, culture, heritage and how important identity is and the cost some people face to survive and what they lose in the process.

There is a lot of hurt, love, loss, lies, secrets and large centering around decisions and the reach/impact they have not only on the person making them but those left behind. The book chews off a lot and I think the author does well dealing with many of them, I enjoyed a lot about this book but I got a bit lost in the shifts between people, places and time. I could follow it but it was a lot so it took a bit to get through as I had to keep checking xyz, 3.5/5 for me. I liked it though so will keep an eye out for the authors next offering!

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Dark Pines by Will Dean

Dark Pines by Will Dean
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 328

Publisher - Point Blank

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

An isolated Swedish town. A deaf reporter terrified of nature. A dense spruce forest overdue for harvest. A pair of eyeless hunters found murdered in the woods.

It’s week one of the Swedish elk hunt and the sound of gunfire is everywhere. When Tuva Moodyson investigates the story that could make her career she stumbles on a web of secrets that knit Gavrik town together. Are the latest murders connected to the Medusa killings twenty years ago? Is someone following her? Why take the eyes? Tuva must face her demons and venture deep into the woods to stop the killer and write the story. And then get the hell out of Gavrik.


My Review

This is my first dance with this author. Tuva Moodyson is our main character, a journalist in a small isolated Swedish town. Twenty years ago there were some grisly murders and then nothing. Now a body has been found in the woods with echoes of the killings years ago, is it coincidence, is it a copycat? Tuva needs to get to the bottom of it but will all small towns they all have their secrets and some secrets are worth killing over.

Tuva is a different character to any I have read before, she is deaf although with the use of hearing aids she can hear. Through her character portrayal we get a small insight into the way people treat others with hearing impairments, discrimination and downright rudeness/ignorance! It really opened my eyes and be more appreciative to issues a person with this particular impairment. Tuva is a really strong independent character and the way she uses her disability to her advantage at times, faces head on peoples ignorance and manages it all with grace and strength. She is a great read and I look forward to the next few books exploring more of her character.

It is hunting season in the book and a huge part and history to this small town and its residents, I struggled with some of the animals parts, I always do in books/movies. I loved the scene settings, when in the woods the writer creates such vivid descriptions you have no problems transporting to it.

Some of the characters are unsettling, not overly nice and some just a bit strange. The troll sculptures made me wonder if this is something the author has came across in real life, they are such weird creations as art often is. They unsettle Tuva and I did visuals how creepy it would be if someone bought, gifted or just left one for you, shudders.

I have the rest of the series on my tbrm and look forward to getting round to them. The book itself covers so many themes, murder, death, creepiness, relationships, bizarreness, friendships and a fair amount of suspense especially the scenes in the woods. The opening chapter, in the car with the elk, my heart was in my mouth, Dean certainly knows how to create tension! 3.5/5 for me this time!

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The Jodi Arias Story - Picture Perfect by Shanna Hogan

Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story by Shanna Hogan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 368

Publisher - St Martin's True Crime

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Mormon motivational speaker Travis Alexander, was involved in a relationship with a beautiful photographer, until it turned deadly...
In June 2008, in Mesa, Arizona, the body of 30-year-old Travis Alexander was discovered brutally murdered in his home. He had been shot in the face, slashed across the throat, and stabbed in the heart. Alexander had been a devout Mormon, handsome and hard-working, beloved by all, and his death came as an enormous shock.

Suspicion pointed to one woman: Jodi Arias. Travis had met Jodi at a conference 18 months prior, and he was instantly taken with the beautiful aspiring photographer. Separated by 400 miles, they began a long distance relationship. It became clear to Travis's friends, however, that Jodi was a lot more invested in the relationship than he was. Travis was seeing multiple women, and his relationship with Jodi eventually came to end. But rather than move on, Jodi moved from her home in Palm Desert, California to within just miles of Travis's home, where she continued to insert herself into his life.




My Review

I seen snippets of Jodi Arias interview with the police on one of those true life programs and I seen lots of folk chatting about it on true crime book groups. Jodi was arrested for the brutal murder of her ex boyfriend, this book looks at Travis's life before and after meeting Jodi.

The first chapter is Travis's body being found then chapter two and the first half of the book looks at Travis childhood all the way up to adulthood, his career path/choices and meeting Jodi. We also learn about Jodi growing up and her issues. Their meeting, relationship, breakup and staying in touch with a very toxic relationship. Then the body discovery, the damage to the body (not for the faint hearted) and the book (this version) includes 8 pages of photos, some of the crime scene, some from the camera. The interviews with Jodi, her arrest and thereafter.

I actually had to google to see what the final sentence was which you would think the book included. I imagine anyone who knew Travis would be devastated by this book, first half would be fine as it is just about him as a person and what he went through in life. However the details of the brutality of his murder and the details of his relationship and physical encounters with Jodi. Travis was a devout Mormon and Jodi held back on nothing when it came to their physical relations, the book briefly covers the horror those who knew him felt on discovering a different side to the religious devout guy they knew.

Even now Jodi continues to appeal and raise complaints against those involved in her case. The book also highlights she gave many interviews in her earlier detainment before she was charged and before she changed her story. I think true crime fans will find her an interesting study, 3.5/5 for me.

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