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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dirty Game (Annie Carter #1) in Books
Oct 27, 2021
178 of 250
Book
Dirty Game (Annie Carter book 1)
By Jessie Keane
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Adultery, murder and dangerous love collide in Jessie Keane's gritty debut novel. For longer than she cares to remember Annie Bailey has lived in the shadow of her older sister Ruthie. Now Ruthie has her hands on Max Carter, the much feared head of the Carter family and a top class villain. Seducing Max wasn't a problem, but the guilt, shame and anger of rejection afterwards was. Thrown onto the streets Annie finds herself living with Celia, a wayward aunt with a shocking secret. As the months pass Annie's resourceful nature sees her mature and carve out a life for herself, albeit not legal. But if you play with fire, you can expect to get burned and her lavish new lifestyle and connections may be about to come crashing down around her. Annie has unwittingly placed herself between two rival gangs and upset too many people, and these kind of people don't forget. But as everyone knows, Annie Bailey is no ordinary woman.
Growing up I was always fascinated with London gangs especially the Krays so this was right up my street. Jessie writes brilliantly about a hard ,fast paced and violent lifestyle. I love Annie’s journey in this book and can’t wait to read more. It’s brilliantly written and so similar to Martina Cole (I’m not sure who came first I just found Martina first!) the whole work surrounding these characters is violent and intricate, what I love in this one is the slight twist at the end! Highly recommend to those who love this style of writing.
Book
Dirty Game (Annie Carter book 1)
By Jessie Keane
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
Adultery, murder and dangerous love collide in Jessie Keane's gritty debut novel. For longer than she cares to remember Annie Bailey has lived in the shadow of her older sister Ruthie. Now Ruthie has her hands on Max Carter, the much feared head of the Carter family and a top class villain. Seducing Max wasn't a problem, but the guilt, shame and anger of rejection afterwards was. Thrown onto the streets Annie finds herself living with Celia, a wayward aunt with a shocking secret. As the months pass Annie's resourceful nature sees her mature and carve out a life for herself, albeit not legal. But if you play with fire, you can expect to get burned and her lavish new lifestyle and connections may be about to come crashing down around her. Annie has unwittingly placed herself between two rival gangs and upset too many people, and these kind of people don't forget. But as everyone knows, Annie Bailey is no ordinary woman.
Growing up I was always fascinated with London gangs especially the Krays so this was right up my street. Jessie writes brilliantly about a hard ,fast paced and violent lifestyle. I love Annie’s journey in this book and can’t wait to read more. It’s brilliantly written and so similar to Martina Cole (I’m not sure who came first I just found Martina first!) the whole work surrounding these characters is violent and intricate, what I love in this one is the slight twist at the end! Highly recommend to those who love this style of writing.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Christmas Escape in Books
Nov 18, 2021
Christy Sullivan and her best friend Alix have spent Christmas together since they were children. This year they are planning to go to Lapland, a snowy wonderland. The trip will include Christy's husband and their young daughter, Holly. But when Christy faces trouble with her marriage, she asks Alix to take Holly to Lapland without her. She'll be joined by their family friend, Zac--whom Alix has been avoiding ever since Christy's wedding. But as Alix, Zac, and Holly enjoy their time in Lapland, Alix realizes she may have made a mistake in avoiding him. Meanwhile, Christy starts to wonder if her friendship with Alix and marriage will survive the holidays.
I hate rating books low, but this just did not work for me. It was a sweet enough story and I liked the fun, snowy Arctic setting, but, oh, this book could have been so much shorter and enjoyable. The repetition is intense, to the point I found myself skimming sections. We are constantly bombarded by everyone's thoughts and issues. Did you know Alix has commitment issues? Oh you will. Christy struggles with perfection? The overwhelming focus on the characters' tropes and the rehashing and pontificating on thoughts and feelings was incredibly frustrating. It was very slow moving with far more telling than showing. I was not that invested in Alix and Zac's relationship.
There's a sweet storyline involving Christy's aunt, who lives at Lapland, which I enjoyed, and others have enjoyed the overall story more, so take my review with a grain of salt, but most of this book was just too repetitive and trite for me. 2.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Harlequin and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
I hate rating books low, but this just did not work for me. It was a sweet enough story and I liked the fun, snowy Arctic setting, but, oh, this book could have been so much shorter and enjoyable. The repetition is intense, to the point I found myself skimming sections. We are constantly bombarded by everyone's thoughts and issues. Did you know Alix has commitment issues? Oh you will. Christy struggles with perfection? The overwhelming focus on the characters' tropes and the rehashing and pontificating on thoughts and feelings was incredibly frustrating. It was very slow moving with far more telling than showing. I was not that invested in Alix and Zac's relationship.
There's a sweet storyline involving Christy's aunt, who lives at Lapland, which I enjoyed, and others have enjoyed the overall story more, so take my review with a grain of salt, but most of this book was just too repetitive and trite for me. 2.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Harlequin and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Lying Beside You in Books
Oct 2, 2022
Lying Beside You is the third book in the Cyrus Haven series - and I’ll admit now that I haven’t read the first two. It didn’t affect my enjoyment though. There are enough hints at the background that I could understand what was going on and who was who.
Cyrus is a busy forensic psychologist and criminal profiler, and to add more to his load, he has a lodger with a distressing background (which is only hinted at, but that’s all you’ll need), and his brother is due to be released from a secure institution. His brother has lived and been treated there since he murdered the rest of his and Cyrus’ family.
I found it fascinating how Cyrus seemed to be able to forgive his brother for his actions - particularly as he’d learnt from his job how his brother wasn’t in control of himself at the time. On the other hand, he seemed hesitant to have him back out in society and in his house. But he’s designed to it. I liked how it showed how complex his feelings towards his brother were.
And what a nice person Cyrus is generally. His lodger has had a very bad experience (which we don’t find out about in this book). He’s patient and tries to help her, and understands that she needs time and space. He’s a great character actually.
You might get from this that I specifically like the characters in books, and that I just see plot as a nice aside. Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. But this has enough exciting plot to keep the crime fiction fans very happy. It all gets quite frenetic towards the end, and I had no idea who the perpetrator was up to the big reveal.
It’s a great book - many thanks to the Pigeonhole and Michael Robotham.
Cyrus is a busy forensic psychologist and criminal profiler, and to add more to his load, he has a lodger with a distressing background (which is only hinted at, but that’s all you’ll need), and his brother is due to be released from a secure institution. His brother has lived and been treated there since he murdered the rest of his and Cyrus’ family.
I found it fascinating how Cyrus seemed to be able to forgive his brother for his actions - particularly as he’d learnt from his job how his brother wasn’t in control of himself at the time. On the other hand, he seemed hesitant to have him back out in society and in his house. But he’s designed to it. I liked how it showed how complex his feelings towards his brother were.
And what a nice person Cyrus is generally. His lodger has had a very bad experience (which we don’t find out about in this book). He’s patient and tries to help her, and understands that she needs time and space. He’s a great character actually.
You might get from this that I specifically like the characters in books, and that I just see plot as a nice aside. Well, you wouldn’t be wrong. But this has enough exciting plot to keep the crime fiction fans very happy. It all gets quite frenetic towards the end, and I had no idea who the perpetrator was up to the big reveal.
It’s a great book - many thanks to the Pigeonhole and Michael Robotham.
Merissa (13840 KP) rated The Remembering Tree in Books
Oct 3, 2022
THE REMEMBERING TREE tells a story of magical healing and a belief in God, although it is not overly religious. When Gemma's husband dies, she is left alone, with just her fifteen-year-old daughter. Shortly after, her grandma dies and she is left a home, plus money for renovations, so they move there. Once at Moonstone House, things fall into place and Gemma realises things are not always as they seem.
Although this is listed as supernatural suspense, I would also add romance to that. Whilst not the main part, it does help and support the story move along.
I found this to be a quick and easy read, with the story pretty much going in the direction I thought it would. There are a few coincidences that raised my eyebrows as it seemed rather too easy, but that may just be me.
I was also left with a couple of questions - the main one being why wasn't Gemma named after a jewel? She named her daughter one, and it's what her family was known for, but she wasn't and it never explained why. I wanted to know!
I am probably in the minority here but the last part - the final ending, if you like - didn't do anything for me. In fact, for me, it actually took away from the story. I had enjoyed it up to that point but then felt a little let down.
All in all, this was a great read that I enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending if you like cosy mysteries with a romantic element.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Although this is listed as supernatural suspense, I would also add romance to that. Whilst not the main part, it does help and support the story move along.
I found this to be a quick and easy read, with the story pretty much going in the direction I thought it would. There are a few coincidences that raised my eyebrows as it seemed rather too easy, but that may just be me.
I was also left with a couple of questions - the main one being why wasn't Gemma named after a jewel? She named her daughter one, and it's what her family was known for, but she wasn't and it never explained why. I wanted to know!
I am probably in the minority here but the last part - the final ending, if you like - didn't do anything for me. In fact, for me, it actually took away from the story. I had enjoyed it up to that point but then felt a little let down.
All in all, this was a great read that I enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending if you like cosy mysteries with a romantic element.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
A Matcha Made in Hell (Boyfriend Café #1)
8.0
Rate It
Book
Who would have guessed my high school bully could be such a good boy? Rhett The worst day of my...
Contemporary MM Enemies to Lovers Romance
Signs and Wonders (Witchbane #7)
Book
When a coven of dark warlocks killed Seth Tanner’s brother, Seth became a man driven by vengeance,...
Paranormal MM Romantic Suspense
I listened to this frankly stunning novel on audiobook via NetGalley. I think that this will be a book that people will want to read in one sitting - I couldn’t put it down (which makes work really inconvenient!).
Three friends reunite after many years. Mush has stayed in Kinlough, Joe has become a famous singer, and Helen has been working as a journalist in Canada. As teenagers, they hung around in a group of six, until one of its most popular members (Kala) goes missing. It seems that her disappearance has had a huge effect on all of her friends since then. Helen comes home for a wedding and during this time, remains are found in a hold-all. And they’re Kala.
Mush helps his mother run a coffee shop and is, I think, the most likeable character. He wants to pick up friendships where they were left off after Joe and Helen had left. I can’t help but think that Helen uses this as a way to get him to help her look into the disappearance of Kala.
This isn’t just about Kala though. It’s a book that looks at all of these characters and their lives. They all have issues of one kind or another, whether these issues are caused by Kala’s disappearance, their family lives or something more - the town itself has a violent undercurrent.
It’s beautifully written: the snatches of scenes from childhood are idyllic, the interactions of the characters range from funny to sad to menacing. Do these characters really know one another, and who can they trust? There are a lot of lies to uncover!
I will be very keen to read whatever Colin Walsh writes next - he’s definitely one to watch!
Three friends reunite after many years. Mush has stayed in Kinlough, Joe has become a famous singer, and Helen has been working as a journalist in Canada. As teenagers, they hung around in a group of six, until one of its most popular members (Kala) goes missing. It seems that her disappearance has had a huge effect on all of her friends since then. Helen comes home for a wedding and during this time, remains are found in a hold-all. And they’re Kala.
Mush helps his mother run a coffee shop and is, I think, the most likeable character. He wants to pick up friendships where they were left off after Joe and Helen had left. I can’t help but think that Helen uses this as a way to get him to help her look into the disappearance of Kala.
This isn’t just about Kala though. It’s a book that looks at all of these characters and their lives. They all have issues of one kind or another, whether these issues are caused by Kala’s disappearance, their family lives or something more - the town itself has a violent undercurrent.
It’s beautifully written: the snatches of scenes from childhood are idyllic, the interactions of the characters range from funny to sad to menacing. Do these characters really know one another, and who can they trust? There are a lot of lies to uncover!
I will be very keen to read whatever Colin Walsh writes next - he’s definitely one to watch!
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Last Cabin Girl in Books
Aug 28, 2023
114 of 235
Kindle
The Last Cabin Girl
By
Tom Swyers
⭐️⭐️
As the pandemic begins, Josie Thompson is a struggling waitress, mom of two great kids. She wants a fresh start far from her abusive husband, the confining small town she calls home, and a long-held secret her family refuses to disclose.
But Josie isn’t going anywhere. After murder victims turn up floating in the river near her isolated cabin, the FBI quickly charges her in one of the killings. Thankfully, she’s freed on bond, but charges for the other deaths loom. The FBI thinks she’s a serial killer.
If convicted, she faces life in prison and a future forever apart from her children. Josie can’t let that happen. She must venture out of her comfort zone to prove her innocence, even if it means confronting her issues, including a growing fear of COVID-19.
Can she trust anyone to help? A friendly detective and former police officer? Her estranged lawyer-brother, David Thompson? Her cryptic parents? A wealthy bachelor who has eyes for her?
In a town where things are not what they seem and not everyone can be trusted, can Josie clear her name, or will her own dark secrets be her undoing?
I honestly don’t know what I just read. I hate giving 2 star reviews but I just don’t know what I feel about this book. It started well but I think there were to many ideas thrown into it I found it became completely bizarre towards the end I mean I can see what the author wanted to to do was twist , turn and shock but all it did for me was twist, turn and confuse. We have the covid 19 virus, conspiracy, incest and espionage that didn’t gel well in my opinion. So sorry 🙈
Kindle
The Last Cabin Girl
By
Tom Swyers
⭐️⭐️
As the pandemic begins, Josie Thompson is a struggling waitress, mom of two great kids. She wants a fresh start far from her abusive husband, the confining small town she calls home, and a long-held secret her family refuses to disclose.
But Josie isn’t going anywhere. After murder victims turn up floating in the river near her isolated cabin, the FBI quickly charges her in one of the killings. Thankfully, she’s freed on bond, but charges for the other deaths loom. The FBI thinks she’s a serial killer.
If convicted, she faces life in prison and a future forever apart from her children. Josie can’t let that happen. She must venture out of her comfort zone to prove her innocence, even if it means confronting her issues, including a growing fear of COVID-19.
Can she trust anyone to help? A friendly detective and former police officer? Her estranged lawyer-brother, David Thompson? Her cryptic parents? A wealthy bachelor who has eyes for her?
In a town where things are not what they seem and not everyone can be trusted, can Josie clear her name, or will her own dark secrets be her undoing?
I honestly don’t know what I just read. I hate giving 2 star reviews but I just don’t know what I feel about this book. It started well but I think there were to many ideas thrown into it I found it became completely bizarre towards the end I mean I can see what the author wanted to to do was twist , turn and shock but all it did for me was twist, turn and confuse. We have the covid 19 virus, conspiracy, incest and espionage that didn’t gel well in my opinion. So sorry 🙈
Merissa (13840 KP) rated Reservations (Reservations #1) in Books
Dec 15, 2021
RESERVATIONS is the first in a new series of the same name. In this one, we are introduced to a host of characters, some of whom have found their partners, some haven't. Thane is one that hasn't. He is happy to use escort services to give him what he needs without any messy emotions or complications getting in the way. When he sees Levi, he immediately wants him and makes the mistake of thinking that everyone can be bought. Levi is struggling to hold his family together but has a strong moral character with ethics that put Thane to shame.
I enjoyed the story of these two getting together. I LOVED that Thane was shot down in flames by Levi and the grovelling he did to try and put things right. The fact he learnt an important lesson during that made it all the more special. The sparks fly between these two and it is HOT! Be prepared for steam to come off your Kindle.
This novel is smoothly-paced and gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters. There is a LOT of miscommunication here, but then, love never runs smoothly.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Julien as this didn't give me the information I wanted on him. Being as this isn't his book, that's not really surprising though! He is next so we'll see what happens.
A great start to a new series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I enjoyed the story of these two getting together. I LOVED that Thane was shot down in flames by Levi and the grovelling he did to try and put things right. The fact he learnt an important lesson during that made it all the more special. The sparks fly between these two and it is HOT! Be prepared for steam to come off your Kindle.
This novel is smoothly-paced and gives you plenty of time to get to know the characters. There is a LOT of miscommunication here, but then, love never runs smoothly.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Julien as this didn't give me the information I wanted on him. Being as this isn't his book, that's not really surprising though! He is next so we'll see what happens.
A great start to a new series and definitely recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2504 KP) rated Christmas Cocoa Murder in Books
Nov 8, 2022
Drowning in Hot Chocolate
This story finds Siobhan O’Sullivan, the main character in the popular Irish Village Mysteries, a few weeks from joining the local police department in her small Irish village. Even though she’s not supposed to officially join until after the first of the year, she finds herself getting involved in a case just before Christmas. First, her family’s dog goes missing. Then the intermission entertainment at the holiday panto goes horribly wrong. Paddy O’Shea, the village Santa, has been obsessed over how to top the Santa from the neighboring village, and he’s come up with what he thinks is the perfect way. He’s had a custom-built dunk tank made, and he’s going to challenge people to dunk him in hot chocolate. However, before the show is over, Paddy is found floating face down in the hot chocolate. Who killed Santa?
This was my introduction to the characters, and I did struggle a bit keeping Siobhan’s family straight, and there are some references to things going on in her personal life that I didn’t get. However, these were very minor issues in an overall fun story and easy enough to ignore. As you might have guessed from the description of the story, there is some humor involved in the events, but it does have plenty of serious moments as well. These were balanced perfectly. I really enjoyed getting to know Siobhan and the suspects were all strong enough to be believable as the killer. The plot kept me engaged until we reached the great climax.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.
This was my introduction to the characters, and I did struggle a bit keeping Siobhan’s family straight, and there are some references to things going on in her personal life that I didn’t get. However, these were very minor issues in an overall fun story and easy enough to ignore. As you might have guessed from the description of the story, there is some humor involved in the events, but it does have plenty of serious moments as well. These were balanced perfectly. I really enjoyed getting to know Siobhan and the suspects were all strong enough to be believable as the killer. The plot kept me engaged until we reached the great climax.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Christmas Cocoa Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas mystery.