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Dead Set (Aspen Falls #2)
Dead Set (Aspen Falls #2)
Melissa Pearl, Anna Cruise | 2018 | Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dead Set is the second book in the Aspen Falls series, and we reunite with Lucas, Blaine's friend who is no longer on the Police Force that we met in book one. I like Lucas, but he is a slob where paperwork is concerned. His office makes me cringe, so I was thankful when Alaina got stuck in. They come to an agreement that she will help Lucas if he helps her. Her brother has died, and it has been ruled a suicide. Alaina can't accept that, although that may be her guilt speaking. It seems straightforward to begin with, but it does become apparent that not all is as it seems. And I really did feel for Noah!

It was nice to see the connection between Lucas and Alaina grow as they worked together to find out the mystery behind Noah's death. It is a slow-burn romance, rather than insta-lust, but I think it works here. After all, if someone is working through the grief of a deceased family member, it would be rather strange to fall straight into bed with the P.I. involved.

This book had no editing or grammatical errors that spoilt my reading, and the storyline was easy to follow, even with all the mystery. We have Blaine and Rosie having small cameos in here, so it was nice to see that things are still going well for them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I hope we will see them in future books so we know how they get along. I would recommend this book.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 20, 2018
  
TL
The Last Cabin Girl
Tom Swyers | 2023
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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 🙈
  
Hope to Die (DI Adam Fawley #6)
Hope to Die (DI Adam Fawley #6)
Cara Hunter | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have just finished the previous book in this series, The Whole Truth, and dived into this the 6th outing for DI Fawley and his team and, let me tell you, what a treat it is.

I have said it before and I will say it again, what an absolute cracker of a book this is and, once again, an excellent addition to this excellent series. Please be reassured that you don't have to have read the others as this works well as a standalone however, I recommend you do ... you won't be disappointed.

DI Fawley and his team are called after the violent death of an unidentified young man shot dead in an isolated farmhouse in an apparent burglary but things just don't add up and so begins a complex, challenging and thrilling investigation which uncovers secrets and lies and so, so much more.

Cara Hunter uses, very cleverly, other media to provide different perspectives to the story including Netflix and voicemail transcripts. This helps the story to flow and provides another element and makes it feel current and relevant. The only thing that I have a small quibble about is that some of this didn't work very well on my Kindle as it's quite small writing and I found myself constantly adjusting the font size but that may have been because I received an advance copy so I felt it was a small price to pay for what is an excellent addition to the way of telling the story.

Highly recommended to lovers of police procedurals with twists and turns that keep you guessing ... roll on number 7!

Many thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for enabling me to read Hope to Die and share my thoughts.
  
Christmas Cocoa Murder
Christmas Cocoa Murder
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
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.
  
The One
The One
John Marrs | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
202 of 235
Kindle
The One
By John Marrs
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

How far would you go to find The One?

A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner—the one you’re genetically made for.

That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.

Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…


Brilliant the only word for it! We follow a group of people that have put faith in a DNA test that matches you with that one true love that biological match that makes you perfect for each other. We see different lives and how they are affected. We even follow a serial killer who finds his match with a police woman in the middle of a 30 women killing spree! Yea victim 27 is heartbreaking. I couldn’t put this down I even spent 20mins talking about it to my husband. So would you? Would you give up everything to have that One person? Do you believe there is one person for everyone? Do you think science should pick our mates?
  
Alex (Alex #1)
Alex (Alex #1)
Dianne Hartsock | 2024 | Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ALEX is the first book in the same-titled series and we stay with him as we learn about how his life was, how it is now, and what he is going through.

Alex is a complex character - at times appearing like a small boy - which is no real surprise considering what he has been through. Jane is seven years older than him and has been by his side since he first came to her house, rescued by her dad. He is also a divisive character - some people like him, but a lot don't. Creg, Brad, and Dr Bennett, to name some. Alex also has friends in Angie, Justin, Becca, and Ben, the local police chief. It's a good job too, as he gets into situations that look bad for him.

If anything could go wrong for Alex, it did. He is kidnapped multiple times, gets attacked, tortured (again), assaulted, knifed, and shot at! I would be a nervous wreck. There was so much going on in this story, I sometimes forgot what the main storyline actually was, especially with so many characters, including some who just appear and seem to have no real purpose to the story.

On the whole, this was a gripping book with brilliant (albeit horrible) descriptions, but I was left wanting more that I hope will be covered in future books in the series - more about Alex, his past, and how he deals with his visions and migraines in the future.

** 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!
Feb 22, 2024