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The Last Thing He Told Me
The Last Thing He Told Me
Laura Dave | 2021 | Contemporary, Mystery, Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A riveting mystery about a missing man
Hannah and Owen have not been married very long before he disappears without a trace. He leaves behind a brief note stating, "Protect her." Hannah knows the note refers to Owen's sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey lost her mother as a child, and Owen is all she has. Meanwhile, the company Owen works for is caught up in a swirl of scandal, while the FBI and U.S. Marshals show up on Hannah's doorstep. The more Hannah investigates, the more she realizes that Owen must have been hiding secrets about his past. And those secrets may be putting her and Bailey in grave danger.

"Owen's note is short. One line, its own puzzle. Protect her."

This was an excellent page-turner: a wonderful character-driven mystery that sucked me in from the very beginning. It keeps you wondering and guessing from the start. Why did Owen disappear? Is he a good guy or a bad one? We discover things as Hannah does, and the book is so engrossing. She and Bailey unravel Owen's past, becoming detectives themselves, and we get snippets from the past they do.

It's fascinating trying to piece everything together. I was frantically flipping the pages, and I read this one in only a couple of settings. The language is flowery but absorbing. In addition to the key disappearance, Dave reflects on Hannah's relationships with both Owen and Bailey. If you want to get lost in a good mystery for a couple of days (or hours), I highly recommend this one.
  
Heart of Trust (Hooves & Hearts #1)
Heart of Trust (Hooves & Hearts #1)
Hannah E. Carey | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
HEART OF TRUST is the first book in the Hooves & Hearts series that ISN'T just for horse lovers. I love horses but I've only just figured out which part is the mane and which is the tail. All the bits in-between? Yeah, I'm lost. The thing is though, I didn't need to understand everything as the MMC was just as clueless as me - and I mean that in a good way. I learnt alongside him and it made for one heckuva reading experience.

Carter and Meg are made for each other; they just don't realise it at first as they are both carrying past hurts with them. It takes a horse-shaped cupid by the name of D'Artagnan to bring them together as they both want what's best for him.

There is a whole lot going on in this book and it isn't all romance. You have a mother with her own agenda, betrayal, mystery, rehabilitation, a slightly-lost younger brother, and a rocking grandpa that I want to have lunch with!

I've only ever read this author's fantasy works, but I'm happy to say she knocks contemporary out of the park too. A real page-turner that had me enthralled. Highly 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 15, 2024
  
40x40

Merissa (13931 KP) rated Gobin Heart in Books

Mar 24, 2026  
Gobin Heart
Gobin Heart
Fae Loxley | 2026 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
GOBLIN HEART is a fantastic LGBTQ+ story that retells Cinderella, but not as the main story, rather the supporting one.

The human and goblin kingdoms were at war for a long time before peace finally became possible. As part of the peace process, Prince Luc of Brightwood was sent to the human court. His heart was taken from him, replaced by a magic one, and his will was no longer his own. This is how it stays for a long time, until Prince Ramon and Luc meet with Will, a smith who finds out he has magic too.

The world-building here is fantastic, giving clear details of Luc and his family, together with the human side of it. I loved Ella and was thankful when she and Will broke the family mould and actually formed a relationship.

The characters, whether main or supporting, are all well described and add to the story, which is itself well paced and flows smoothly. Steamy in places, but nothing over the top or out of place, this story was thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end. It was a page-turner for me, and I have no hesitation in recommending it. I look forward to reading more from this author.

** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 24, 2026
  
About time I started reading and finishing up this book. I feel like I've been avoiding a really good book because usually if I stop reading the book, it's a really bad one and I never want to see it again. ._. Therefore, the draft version of this post has been around for months sitting there. I feel sorry. Though if I wasn't a multitasker, I probably would've finished it in a couple of weeks instead of months. :( But I'm really glad I managed to find the time to finish it. :) (No, really. I did abandon it for a while.)

Imagine going to a private school (is it? It's been bouncing back and forth between a private school and a center for the extremely gifted) and there's no email, no internet, no text messaging, no, etc. allowed there. I would probably survive no cell phones though. As for email... happy go spam after spam. (And I get about 100+ a day already -_-). But maybe I would survive. At least I'm not forever alone ;)

I loved the action in the story from the very beginning, and it was an absolute page-turner with many detailed descriptions. Maybe double than what I expected. There were lots of unexpected twists and turns throughout the story. I thought one thing was happening and the next page it says otherwise. I really loved the narration of the story and the characters. They were full of humorous and witty comments on each page. Possibly my favorite character so far in the series (change that to book, considering the fact there's only one so far) is Nick, one of Will's roommates at The Center. He always tries to make every scene he is involved in hilarious.

I also loved the technology at The Center. It would be so cool (and as Will thought at first, creepy) to have a little gal that looks, sounds, acts like me :D Of course... the thingamajig boards (forgot what they're called Dx) are similar to the SmartBoards my school has... but different. :3 What I really hated were the "Ride Alongs" and the creatures of "The Other Team." They really creep me out. A lot. I guess it's what I said earlier... it was really descriptive. I don't think I ever want to meet a Ride Along in my lifetime.

I would compare it to Harry Potter since it's just as good, but what would fellow Potterheads do? I deserve a tomato, probably. But if it's as good as Harry Potter (now, hence I said "AS GOOD AS." In no way, shape or form did I say it was BETTER THAN) that's probably sending some sort of message. And a good one at that. Along with its agony cliff-hanger. (Yes, it means I'm probably skipping to the book store ASAP whenever the 2nd book comes out...)

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-paladin-prophecy-by-mark-frost/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>