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Of All Things Sacred
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
36 of 220
Book sirens review
Of All Things Sacred
By Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.

Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board.

Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet's stature—and his control over the souls in his care —grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.

Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.

This was so so good I didn’t want to put it down. An interesting story of faith, life and false prophets. I was completely hooked from start to finish. Definitely be reading more from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
  
46 of 220
Kindle
Plague of the Shattered ( The Gateway Trackers 2)
By E.E. Holmes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When a spirit Shatters, no one is safe...
Once every five years, the Northern Clans of the Durupinen gather at Fairhaven Hall. There at the ancient castle, surrounded by the very spirits they are bound to protect and serve, the clans settle disputes and shape the laws that govern the Gateways to the spirit world. For the first time, Jess and Hannah Ballard have to represent their clan. It is an awesome responsibility—a great honor… and they are sure it’s going to be the most boring week of their lives.
Oh, how very wrong they are.
For something dangerous is stalking the halls of Fairhaven. It lies in wait, striking down victim after victim, undetectable and inescapable. No one knows what it is, or what it wants, but one thing is clear: no one is safe until it is captured.
As their fellow Durupinen fall victim one by one, it will be up to Jess and Hannah, the newest members of the Trackers, to solve the mystery before the entirety of the castle is possessed.

I’m so happy she decided to write this follow on series. I really enjoyed this one. Was great catching up with characters even those I grew to hate. Looking forward to more. Jess and Hannah are set to prove those that doubt them wrong again.
  
One Wrong Word
One Wrong Word
Hank Phillippi Ryan | 2024 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Rehabbing the Innocent. But Is He Innocent?
Ned Bannister, on trial for hitting and killing a man with his car, has been found innocent. But the public isn’t so ready to forgive, which means life is still difficult for him and his family. That’s why his wife, Cordelia, hires PR expert Arden Ward to help. But Arden is having a crisis of her own, with her job on the line after being accused of an affair. When the Bannister’s case takes an unexpected turn, Arden is left wondering who she can trust. Can she figure out a way to help her client and find her future?

This book has an interesting premise, and I was quickly hooked. But then we hit the middle, where we had questions asked multiple times with very few answers of any kind. I would have been happy with lies, even, to advance the story and set up some twists. We do reach a satisfying climax, but the pacing could have been better. One character was whiney, but I found the rest of the characters likeable, and enjoyed spending time with them. Most of the story is told from Arden’s third person point-of-view, which helps us get to know her better, but we get some chapters from other’s view points. I’m wondering if I’m just not having realistic expectations for phycological thrillers. If you like the genre and this premise sounds interesting, definitely give this book a chance.
  
Moonbound Bonds (Wild Divide #1)
Moonbound Bonds (Wild Divide #1)
Annie Anderson | 2026 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MOONBOUND BONDS is the first book in the Wild Divide series, BUT it is preceded by A Silence of Shadows (Whisperbound #1) and Moonbound Lies (Wild Divide #0.5). I didn't know and haven't read either of them, so I did feel as though I'd dropped into a story already half written.

It begins with Sable plotting her escape from Varro, the bond now broken due to Harken's bite. It's not necessarily that she doesn't want to be bonded to Harken, but more so that she's just spent the last thirteen years bonded against her will to Varro. So she tries to run, Sable and her little fox familiar, Trouble. They don't make it very far, but Harken is there to save the day.

Although their story starts partway through, I was gripped by the ongoing crisis and the characters that move it along so perfectly. Sable and Harken are perfect for each other. Sassy and overprotective - and I'll let you figure out which half is which!

I am loving this story and the characters, and can't wait to see more of them as Sable and Harken's story continues. A great read that I definitely recommend, but I do wish I'd read the others first.

** 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!
Apr 16, 2026
  
The Lost Ones (Detective Jackie Cooke #1)
The Lost Ones (Detective Jackie Cooke #1)
Marnie Riches | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Oh my goodness ... what a cracker of an opener to a new series!

There is so much to like about this book - the characters, the plot, the pace, the twists, the back-stories, the inventiveness of the murders, the writing style - pretty much all of it to be honest which made this a particularly hard book to put down. Luckily, I was on holiday so didn't have the usual work and life distractions so was able to devour the pages at my leisure.

Jackie is a strong, female character; she might be heavily pregnant, the mother of twin boys, with a musician for a husband, her mother living in her basement and a boss that clearly doesn't like her but she doesn't let these hold her back or prevent her and her team from investigating what is a horrific set of murders.

The book is packed full of tension, secrets, lies and the twists and turns and the scenes of peril just keep coming. A warning here though, the descriptions of the murders are quite graphic so if you don't like to read that sort of thing, you might want to skip over those bits.

My verdict - an excellent new series to get my teeth into and I can't wait to see what happens next with Jackie and her team and I must give my thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Lost Ones and to share my thoughts.
  
Those People Next Door [Audiobook]
Those People Next Door [Audiobook]
Kia Abdullah | 2023 | Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a tense story of how one seemingly innocuous action can spiral out of control resulting in tragedy and heartache.

Salma, Bill and Zain move into their new home in the hopes of making a fresh start. The move has stretched them financially but they are determined to make the best of things and when they are invited to a barbecue in order to get to know their neighbours, things appear to be going well. However, when Zain's banner is removed from their front garden and dumped on their lawn by their neighbour, Tom, things quickly start to escalate culminating in a horrendous incident which leaves on of the characters in a coma and another standing trial for attempted murder.

This a really tense and, sadly, believable story of how misunderstandings, intolerance and lies can ruin lives. The characters aren't particularly likeable and this did mean that I actually didn't care what the outcome was for any of them but I did enjoy getting there and the twists and turns along the way!

The narrator, Tania Rodrigues, was excellent and really brought the story to life.

I have never read or listened to anything by Kia Abdullah before but I will certainly be keeping my beady eyes and ears open in the future and I must thank HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Those People Next Door.