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The House Guest
The House Guest
Hank Phillippi Ryan | 2023 | Mystery
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Will Helping a House Guest Hurt Alyssa?
Alyssa Macallan’s life is turned upside down when her husband walks out of their house one day. Facing a divorce she never expected, she finds herself drinking at a bar one Friday night, where she meets Bree Lorrance, who is also down on her luck. The two hit it off, and Alyssa invites Bree to move into her guest house. Helping Bree lets Alyssa forget her own problems, until her own problems heat back up. Will the two be able to help each other? Or do they have secret agendas?

I was hooked early on, although the book does take a little while to build up to the full plot. Once it does, I couldn’t wait to see how things would resolve for the characters. I appreciated the fact that no one seemed overly whiney here, although they could have repeated things less, giving the book more time to flesh out some of the late breaking twists. While knowing I couldn’t fully trust Alyssa and Bree, I really did like them both and hoped things would work out well for them. We get the book completely from Alyssa’s third person point of view which makes us question just what anyone else was thinking. Even with the pacing issues with the plot, I enjoyed this book overall.
  
TT
The Teacher (DS Imogen Grey, #1)
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
85 of 235
Book
The Teacher ( DS Imogen Grey 1)
By Katerina Diamond
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil? You’re wrong …

The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.

Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.

As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.

But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.

And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?

I couldn’t put it down! I’ve never rooted for a killer or killers in any book as much as I have with this one! I was totally glued and so glad the ending did it justice. My only issue was the start I was totally confused at first but of course it all started making sense and it’s clear as soon as you hit a certain chapter who this killer is. But still a brilliant read!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2652 KP) rated City of Promises in Books

Aug 26, 2026 (Updated Aug 26, 2026)  
City of Promises
City of Promises
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This Crossover Delivers
Frank and Sarah Malloy approach Gideon Bates in his job as an estate attorney. Their daughter, Catherine, has recently gotten engaged, and they fear her fiancé is just out to swindle her out of her trust fund, which she has recently gotten access to. While there is nothing that Gideon can do legally to help protect the young woman, his wife, reformed conwoman Elizabeth, is quite willing to see what she can do. Is Catherine under the sway of a conman? Will the combined cast of characters be able to protect her?

Anyone familiar with the late Victoria Thompson’s mysteries will recognize this as a crossover between her two series. And they will love every page. The Gaslight characters don’t just have cameos but play a major part in the story. Most importantly, everyone feels like themselves, and I loved seeing where those characters are in twenty years. I also enjoy seeing the Counterfeit Lady characters again. I do wish the plot were a little better, but that’s been an overall complaint with this series. I need more cat and mouse. But I did still find the story fun. If you are a fan of Victoria’s books, you’ll be as happy as I am that her daughter has picked up the mantel.