In Time with You
Second Chances – if you could go back and change one thing, would you do it? Nieve Monroe is heartbroken when her boyfriend Carter dies while saving her life. She feels survivor’s guilt, loss, grief, and heartbroken. She can’t help but feel that his death is her fault. Carter’s best friend, Max, was there the day Carter saved Nieve from drowning, and he blamed her as well. Lost in grief, Nieve goes to stay with her eccentric grandmother who talks about magic and unusual happenings. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on her first day of her first year of college. A year before Carter dies, saving her. Can she change the future? What and how will this affect those in her life? This was an enjoyable book that goes back and forth in time as Nieve meets Carter and Max once again. She has the knowledge of the future and strives to make different choices. This was an interesting concept and I enjoyed the characters. This is a YA book and most of the characters are college aged. This book also has magical realism and time travel. One must be open to both concepts to enjoy this book. While I did enjoy this book, I’m not sure if I will remember this book in months to come. Other than that, if you are looking for a cute, contemporary romance book which involves time travel/loops/lapses and magical realism, this might be the book for you. I enjoyed the author’s writing, the well thought out plot, and the focus on grief, second chances, first love, perception, loss, hope, and a bit of magic! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Shippers
I always get excited when I see a new Katherine Center book coming out! When I saw The Shippers I was over the moon! Diving in with high expectations, I found that the first half of the book was a bit of a letdown. The female main character, while certainly book smart, felt very immature and more like a YA character to me. Whereas the other characters felt their age. This made me shake my head but not enough to make me want to stop reading. After calling off her own wedding after her childhood best friend, Cooper Watts, arrives and tells her not to get married. Cooper declined to attend her wedding but showed up unannounced, and JoJo followed his advice. Months later it is her sister’s turn to get married – a destination marriage on a ship! JoJo is determined to woo the man who gave her an amazing first kiss. A kiss she has been fixated on since that time. Once again, Cooper shows up. Katherine Center pulls out all the troupes for The Shippers. While their first half of the book had me worried, I did enjoy the second half of the book much more. I enjoyed the banter, the miscommunication, the missed chances, the family secrets, and the the journey the characters went on along the way. Cooper was my favorite character, and I rooted for him the entire time. I found that JoJo grew on me as the book progressed and as more was revealed about her childhood and her parent’s issues, some things began to make sense, but I still felt she had some growing up to do. Plus, I didn’t think she could see the forest for the trees! Come on already, a man flies all the way from London to tell you not to get married and you don’t explore that more?????? But again, she was a little immature at the beginning of the book. Despite my rocky start with this book, I did enjoy it and was happy with the resolution. I am happy that I didn’t abandon ship and stuck with The Shippers. It did become a delightful read by the end. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Beneath a Broken Sky
Tornados are scary enough, but when you throw murder into the mix, things become downright terrifying. Detective Ben Packard is investigating the murder of a woman in her home who was upset that the local school was doing nothing to protect her gay son from being bullied. On top of the investigation hitting too close to home for Packard, a blast from his past arrives in the form of the sister of Marcus, a man he used to date. I have enjoyed the Ben Packard series since the very beginning. I enjoy the author’s take on a small-town life paired with Ben Packard being a gay detective trying to make a name for himself while protecting his new community. Beneath a Broken Sky was atmospheric, tense, and brimming with dread. As storm chasers’ descent upon the town, so do those looking to fix roofs. This makes for a book full of many characters and more than one murder. Who is taking advantage of the damage done by the storm to do their own damage? How many will come to harm before the case(s) is solved. I always like to try and figure out whodunit, while reading a mystery and could not come up with a viable suspect while reading. Joshua Moehling provides readers with a bigger look into Packard’s personal life while also having him investigate the murders in town. I always enjoyed his banter with Thielen and was happy to see her in this book. This investigation is not an easy one, and readers watch as Packard investigates clues after clues. There were some twists, turns, and reveals in this book. There were also, as I mentioned, quite a few characters. I believe I would have enjoyed this book a bit more if there were less characters to keep track of. While this was not my favorite book in the series, I still found it to be enjoyable and look forward to reading more books in the series. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line
Don’t cross the line until you read the Finlay Donovan series! Seriously, this series is a hoot. Finlay Donovan is a single mom and author who with her trusted nanny, Vero, get into some crazy and tense situations as they get in hot water trying to solve crimes. In Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, Vero is facing charges for a crime she claims she did not commit! Throw in some threatening messages and you have yourself a find mess! Finlay is committed to getting to the bottom of things. She is not going to let Vero go down for a crime she did not commit! As with the other books in this series, this snippet of a book (I did not get to read the entire book- just the first chapters) was engaging, delightful, and fun. I love how this book focuses on motherhood, friendship, loyalty, romance, and mysteries. This series is a fun one and I can’t wait to read the rest of the book! This snippet of a book has me salivating for more! I look forward to reading what comes next! I had both the e-book and the audiobook. The narration of the audiobook was fantastic and brought the characters and story to life! Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur books, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Weekend
What would you do?????? Six friends (3 couples) go away to celebrate the new year. On a walk through the countyside, a water bottle gets lost in a cave/mine and they find a leather bag filled with cash!!!! What to do?????? It’s a HUGE amount of money. They could all use some, but will they take the moral high ground and turn it in to the police or will they keep the money????? What would you do? It’s a slippery slope and soon the group has made their decision. But is it a decision that they can live with? Tensions rise and soon, the group of friends will find out that there are consequences for the decisions they have made. This was a fast and gripping read. I love how the friends begin to unravel as they grapple with the decision they have made. Secrets, lies, and decisions will soon see the light of day. Tension and dread ooze from the pages. I enjoyed the suspense and tense feel of this book. Thank you to Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dollface
Why would a plastic faced serial killer want to off PTA moms? Dollface is a suburban slasher where no one is safe! Jill is a horror author who is new in town and hoping to make some friends. Her obnoxious new neighbor, did I say obnoxious? I meant to say assertively friendly new neighbor, invites her to join the school’s PTA. All the PTA moms are picture perfect with their fully made-up faces and perfect outfits. The blood begins to fly before the first bake sale! Someone is killing the moms, but who and why???? If horror and gore are not for you, this book is not too scary or gory. Yes, there are some death scenes but if you close one eye while reading, I promise who will get through it unscathed. Lindy Ryan loves her horror, and this book was on the horrific side. Again, more light horror, but heavy on the creepy and bizzarro characters. Fans of Lindy Ryan may enjoy this one. Bless Your Heart remains my favorite book by this author. Having said that, Dollface was a bloody enjoyable book with an original premise which delivered an eerie vibe, creepy scenes, and dread. Side note – Am I the only one who thought Jill’s overly friendly next-door neighbor might look like Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? That is the image I had of her for the entire book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
In Time with You
Second Chances – if you could go back and change one thing, would you do it? Nieve Monroe is heartbroken when her boyfriend Carter dies while saving her life. She feels survivor’s guilt, loss, grief, and heartbroken. She can’t help but feel that his death is her fault. Carter’s best friend, Max, was there the day Carter saved Nieve from drowning, and he blamed her as well. Lost in grief, Nieve goes to stay with her eccentric grandmother who talks about magic and unusual happenings. The next morning, Nieve wakes up on her first day of her first year of college. A year before Carter dies, saving her. Can she change the future? What and how will this affect those in her life? This was an enjoyable book that goes back and forth in time as Nieve meets Carter and Max once again. She has the knowledge of the future and strives to make different choices. This was an interesting concept and I enjoyed the characters. This is a YA book and most of the characters are college aged. This book also has magical realism and time travel. One must be open to both concepts to enjoy this book. While I did enjoy this book, I’m not sure if I will remember this book in months to come. Other than that, if you are looking for a cute, contemporary romance book which involves time travel/loops/lapses and magical realism, this might be the book for you. I enjoyed the author’s writing, the well thought out plot, and the focus on grief, second chances, first love, perception, loss, hope, and a bit of magic! Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Shippers
I always get excited when I see a new Katherine Center book coming out! When I saw The Shippers I was over the moon! Diving in with high expectations, I found that the first half of the book was a bit of a letdown. The female main character, while certainly book smart, felt very immature and more like a YA character to me. Whereas the other characters felt their age. This made me shake my head but not enough to make me want to stop reading. After calling off her own wedding after her childhood best friend, Cooper Watts, arrives and tells her not to get married. Cooper declined to attend her wedding but showed up unannounced, and JoJo followed his advice. Months later it is her sister’s turn to get married – a destination marriage on a ship! JoJo is determined to woo the man who gave her an amazing first kiss. A kiss she has been fixated on since that time. Once again, Cooper shows up. Katherine Center pulls out all the troupes for The Shippers. While their first half of the book had me worried, I did enjoy the second half of the book much more. I enjoyed the banter, the miscommunication, the missed chances, the family secrets, and the the journey the characters went on along the way. Cooper was my favorite character, and I rooted for him the entire time. I found that JoJo grew on me as the book progressed and as more was revealed about her childhood and her parent’s issues, some things began to make sense, but I still felt she had some growing up to do. Plus, I didn’t think she could see the forest for the trees! Come on already, a man flies all the way from London to tell you not to get married and you don’t explore that more?????? But again, she was a little immature at the beginning of the book. Despite my rocky start with this book, I did enjoy it and was happy with the resolution. I am happy that I didn’t abandon ship and stuck with The Shippers. It did become a delightful read by the end. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Beneath a Broken Sky
Tornados are scary enough, but when you throw murder into the mix, things become downright terrifying. Detective Ben Packard is investigating the murder of a woman in her home who was upset that the local school was doing nothing to protect her gay son from being bullied. On top of the investigation hitting too close to home for Packard, a blast from his past arrives in the form of the sister of Marcus, a man he used to date. I have enjoyed the Ben Packard series since the very beginning. I enjoy the author’s take on a small-town life paired with Ben Packard being a gay detective trying to make a name for himself while protecting his new community. Beneath a Broken Sky was atmospheric, tense, and brimming with dread. As storm chasers’ descent upon the town, so do those looking to fix roofs. This makes for a book full of many characters and more than one murder. Who is taking advantage of the damage done by the storm to do their own damage? How many will come to harm before the case(s) is solved. I always like to try and figure out whodunit, while reading a mystery and could not come up with a viable suspect while reading. Joshua Moehling provides readers with a bigger look into Packard’s personal life while also having him investigate the murders in town. I always enjoyed his banter with Thielen and was happy to see her in this book. This investigation is not an easy one, and readers watch as Packard investigates clues after clues. There were some twists, turns, and reveals in this book. There were also, as I mentioned, quite a few characters. I believe I would have enjoyed this book a bit more if there were less characters to keep track of. While this was not my favorite book in the series, I still found it to be enjoyable and look forward to reading more books in the series. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line
Don’t cross the line until you read the Finlay Donovan series! Seriously, this series is a hoot. Finlay Donovan is a single mom and author who with her trusted nanny, Vero, get into some crazy and tense situations as they get in hot water trying to solve crimes. In Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, Vero is facing charges for a crime she claims she did not commit! Throw in some threatening messages and you have yourself a find mess! Finlay is committed to getting to the bottom of things. She is not going to let Vero go down for a crime she did not commit! As with the other books in this series, this snippet of a book (I did not get to read the entire book- just the first chapters) was engaging, delightful, and fun. I love how this book focuses on motherhood, friendship, loyalty, romance, and mysteries. This series is a fun one and I can’t wait to read the rest of the book! This snippet of a book has me salivating for more! I look forward to reading what comes next! I had both the e-book and the audiobook. The narration of the audiobook was fantastic and brought the characters and story to life! Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur books, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Weekend
What would you do?????? Six friends (3 couples) go away to celebrate the new year. On a walk through the countyside, a water bottle gets lost in a cave/mine and they find a leather bag filled with cash!!!! What to do?????? It’s a HUGE amount of money. They could all use some, but will they take the moral high ground and turn it in to the police or will they keep the money????? What would you do? It’s a slippery slope and soon the group has made their decision. But is it a decision that they can live with? Tensions rise and soon, the group of friends will find out that there are consequences for the decisions they have made. This was a fast and gripping read. I love how the friends begin to unravel as they grapple with the decision they have made. Secrets, lies, and decisions will soon see the light of day. Tension and dread ooze from the pages. I enjoyed the suspense and tense feel of this book. Thank you to Bonnier Books UK | Zaffre and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dollface
Why would a plastic faced serial killer want to off PTA moms? Dollface is a suburban slasher where no one is safe! Jill is a horror author who is new in town and hoping to make some friends. Her obnoxious new neighbor, did I say obnoxious? I meant to say assertively friendly new neighbor, invites her to join the school’s PTA. All the PTA moms are picture perfect with their fully made-up faces and perfect outfits. The blood begins to fly before the first bake sale! Someone is killing the moms, but who and why???? If horror and gore are not for you, this book is not too scary or gory. Yes, there are some death scenes but if you close one eye while reading, I promise who will get through it unscathed. Lindy Ryan loves her horror, and this book was on the horrific side. Again, more light horror, but heavy on the creepy and bizzarro characters. Fans of Lindy Ryan may enjoy this one. Bless Your Heart remains my favorite book by this author. Having said that, Dollface was a bloody enjoyable book with an original premise which delivered an eerie vibe, creepy scenes, and dread. Side note – Am I the only one who thought Jill’s overly friendly next-door neighbor might look like Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? That is the image I had of her for the entire book. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
