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Renovations (By Design #6)

J.A. Armstrong

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Governor Candace Reid has been in office for just over a month and things have only begun to get...

Lesbian Politics

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Dead and the Dark in Books

Aug 19, 2021

The Dead and the Dark

Courtney Gould | 2021 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Captivating look at the supernatural and the pull of family

In Snakebite, Oregon, teenagers keep disappearing or turning up dead. Things just seem off. The locals blame Brandon and Alejo Ortiz-Woodley, two former Snakebite residents who are back in town. They now host a popular ghost hunting show and travel the country with their daughter Logan. Wanting to clear the family name, Logan winds up joining forces with Ashley Barton, whose boyfriend was the first to go missing. Ashley is sure she can feel his presence guiding her around Snakebite. But as the two team up, they discover some pretty terrifying and dangerous things about Snakebite.

I loved this book so much. Sometimes it feels like I read similar books over and over. Not this time. Gould’s book is original and spellbinding. This is such a dark and ominous read. Gould truly brings you into Snakebite, the supernatural, creepy, and quite unwelcoming small town. It’s atmospheric and spooky. I could not put this book down!

DARK is filled with LGBTQIA representation, between Logan’s dads, the fact that she’s an out lesbian, and her own burgeoning friendship (and more) with Ashley. I loved everything about all of it.

This book is part horror story, part exploration of the meaning and depths of darkness, and part look at family dynamics. It’s an extremely well written ghost story with a sapphic love interest. It really doesn’t get much better than that! (It’s so good, read it—and it’s a debut!)

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press / Wednesday Books and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

Kudos

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears

Laura Van den Berg

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I Hold a Wolf by the Ears, Laura van den Berg's first story collection since her prizewinning book...

Merissa (12351 KP) rated A Paradox of Fates (Prevent the Past #1) in Books

Apr 26, 2023

A Paradox of Fates (Prevent the Past #1)

Rebecca Hefner | 2020 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A PARADOX OF FATES is the first book in the Prevent the Past series and if you're looking for a science fiction/time travel with hot romance, then you've definitely got the right book.

Now, I'll be honest here, I love science and respect the hell out of anyone who can understand it. Me? Not so much. It's too much for my head to get around and when we start talking about paradoxes and how many times this has looped before? My eyes start glazing over. This is in no way caused by the author's writing. That was gripping stuff, full of humour, betrayal, loss, you name it.

This is absolutely character-led and I am invested in each and every one of them. I'd only read about a quarter of the book and I was looking to see who came next and how the trilogy finished. I was already that invested!

Did anyone mention plot twists? Cause there's more than a couple here! Honestly, I loved how it kept me on my toes. And can I just say - I've never cried so hard over a cat!

This isn't a genre I normally read but after reading Etherya's Earth series and loving Ms Hefner's style of writing, I thought I'd give it a go. And I'm so very glad I did! I am hooked on this series and can definitely recommend it.

** 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 26, 2023

Kudos

The Last Truehart

Darry Fraser

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1898, Geelong, Victoria. Stella Truehart is all alone in the world. Her good-for-nothing husband has...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2271 KP) rated Death in the Aegean in Books

Sep 10, 2022 (Updated Sep 10, 2022)

Travel to Greece for this Fun Caper

Stefanie Adams is finally returning to Greece on vacation. Her trip is timed with the debut of the gold statue of the Akrotiri Snake Goddess, a new archeological find. She is on hand for its first viewing, but that event might turn out to be its last viewing since someone steals it that night. The next day, Stefanie finds the dead body of a woman she’d met the day before. With her reputation, not to mention her freedom, on the line as the police think she is tied into both of these events, Stefanie begins investigating to find out what is really happening. The only person she might be able to trust is, Thomas, a German traveler she met along the way, but a man with secrets of his own. Will she clear her name of not one but two crimes?

This is a fun debut. It’s more of a caper than a traditional mystery. The action is fast and never lets up. Capers can seem a bit chaotic to me as a genre, and that’s the case here, but all our questions are answered by the time we get to the climax. Stefanie and Thomas are wonderful main characters we can’t help but root for. The rest of the cast isn’t quite as well developed, but they work for their place in the story. The action takes place mostly on Crete, and the book does a good job of letting us play armchair tourist without slowing the action down. I’m already booking my next trip with Stefanie.