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The House on Crow Mountain
The House on Crow Mountain
Rebecca Lee Smith | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mystery Thriller, Cozy Rules
The House on Crow Mountain is probably the most uncozy-like cozy I have ever read. Don’t get me wrong it totally adheres to all the cozy rules; no graphic language, sex, or violence. It also follows the popular cozy tropes; a small town, a broken-hearted woman who returns home to make a new start, clever pets, etc. It is just I consider cozy to be a light afternoon read. More fluff than serious. I mean no disrespect to the books and authors I have read to date, some are among my all-time favorites.

This book from the first sentence to the last pulled me into a hard mystery thriller that just happened to follow cozy rules. It has everything; gripping suspense, a leading lady wracked with grief and guilt, and a possible love interest trying to redeem himself from a tragic mistake, or was it? There are far-reaching family secrets, menacing red herrings, and a sinister plot. There was no guessing whodunnit before the reveal. I really (I mean really) did not like the person, but there were so many other people to not like, to suspect, to think about that it barely registered. I could not put this book down as the story unfolded and the floating, maybe relevant plotlines merged bringing the story to its climax.

I seriously hope for this to be a series as there are characters that I would love to learn more about, but I tell you, I would be okay with this being a one-off. The story as it stands has mostly been told and it is that good.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
  
Jenelyn's Journey: The Werewolf of Wittlich
Jenelyn's Journey: The Werewolf of Wittlich
E.E. Byrnes | 2021 | Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very different story is being told here and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
JENELYN'S JOURNEY: THE WEREWOLF OF WITTLICH is the first book in the Jenelyn's Journey series and we start off in L.A. with Jenelyn and her parents. Because she is now eighteen, she must start her Journey, following where the Spirits lead. She will start her Journey in Germany, the starting point changing for each person but following as tradition dictates. Luckily for Jenelyn, a German couple who helped her mother on her own Journey, have agreed to let Jenelyn stay with them.

I loved the changes in German and American cultures and traditions, as seen through Jenelyn's eyes. She had a wide-eyed wonder about the architecture, places, and people that I thoroughly enjoyed. She was both naive and street-smart which worked for her. She makes friends and has great relationships with various people in her life, which just makes the goodbyes so much harder! Gretchen and Laszlo were brilliant characters with their own secrets but always supportive of Jenelyn.

I would say this book was a bit heavier on the mystery side than the Spirits. There wasn't as much on the supernatural side as I was expecting, but I still found it interesting, especially with how it all tied together. The book is immersive in Germany, so I expect the same will happen in the next book - I won't say where she's off to next so I don't spoil it for anyone.

A very different story is being told here and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 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!
  
FW
Flirting with fate
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
To start off I love the cover it's very pretty. Ava's Nana dying was very sad and how she was late to recieve her blessing and it sent out to someone else. How Ava's mom left her when she was younger was sad. I don't understand how people can do this to their own kid.

Quote "Nana spoke your blessing at exactly 8:51." Ava not knowing her blessing is sad.
Quote "Meteors, Stars, 8:51. Collision. And hummingbird." Her grandma said this when Ava was in the accident making her late for her blessing which lead me to think something was up when this happened. I'm including this because it's important part of this story. It had me hooked hooked at this part.

The day following her grandmas death especially her funeral must have been hard. It gave me flash backs to my grandmas funeral. When her sister said she's the family serial dater though it lightened up the mood.

Ava seeing her Nana's ghost was scary at first and what her fate might be if they don't get Ava's blessing back. Her loosing her memory over this mistake is just not ok.

In the story they go after the person who accidentally got the blessing and have to get it back by August 16th on the evening of a meteor shower or Nana looses her memories and the girls can no longer pass blessings onto their daughters. I personally think the guy who she got into accident with is the one. But you'll need to read to find out.

This book was very intense, interesting and emotional. I loved the pace of it. I definitely recommend this one I give it a 4.5/5 stars and I'd definitely reread.

Do I reccomend? 100% yes
  
Lying Beside You
Lying Beside You
Michael Robotham | 2022 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.