Comfort Reads: The Bride Wore White by Amanda Quick

Available now

Content Notes: a list of content notes can be found at The StoryGraph

Back in the summer of 2007, I was pregnant, off for the summer, and decided to take things very easy. After losing our first pregnancy just a few months previously, I wasn’t willing to take any risks and spent that summer reading as many books as I possibly could. I finally went to our closest library only to discover that wasn’t where I was supposed to get my library card and after successfully acquiring said library card from the correct library, discovered Amanda Quick. Quick, the historical romance pen name of Jayne Ann Krentz, became my obsession that summer. I read them all. Every single title the library, and the surrounding libraries, had. I read through the trilogies that spanned time and pen names. Books set in the 1800’s written by Amanda Quick. Contemporaries written by Jayne Ann Krentz. Futuristic paranormals written by Jayne Castle. These books all contain her core story: an independent and ambitious woman saves herself from danger with the help of a handsome and grumpy man who has a complicated and tragic past. Some are incredibly dated, pretty sexist, and, with a lot of love, formulaic. But, I still love them and will continue to read them.

I have shelves of signed books and preorder swag. Whenever I find a hardcover in one of those bargain bins at Menards, seriously the best part of the store, I always buy them. Sometimes you just need a book that is going to go exactly as you know it will. No surprises, no new and exciting ideas. Just a book that brings a smile when you realize that you hit that point in the book, just like you knew you would. The books where they always say the whole name of a town or hotel every single time it’s brought up. The books where the villain always spills their guts as they’re about to harm the main characters. The books where everyone is so concerned about High Society and it’s Expectations. The books that make you chuckle every time you realize you could play a bingo card off the tropes. I love it all.

When I was prepping everything for my hysterectomy last week, I knew I would need an audiobook that I would enjoy but also not really need to pay attention to. Something that would keep me entertained but also not one that required 100% of my focus because hello, pain and pain meds are kind of known to be distracting.

So what did I pick? Wow, it’s in the title folks.

Book 7 of the Burning Cover series, The Bride Wore White, brings us the story of Prudence Ryland, aka Madame Ariadne, a psychic dream consultant who is obsessed with tea. (They all are. Every single heroine.) When a client mysteriously dies after a consultation, Prudence packs her bags and heads to Burning Cove to start a new life away from the suspicions of the tightly knit psychic community and the high society clientele they serve. There, mysterious circumstances cause her to enlist the help of Luther Pell and his investigator Jack Wingate. Together, Prudence and Jack race against time to uncover the threat against her and of course, fall madly in love with each other.

It was everything I could have hoped for! It truly was. Prudence does have real psychic powers and once in Burning Cove, goes on to get a job as a Librarian in an academic library where she quickly discovers she has a great talent in working with psychic research and materials. So of course she becomes obsessed with Jack’s manuscript on criminal profiling. Jack had a disastrous ending to his previous case which left him scarred and with horrible nightmares. With so much love, of course the psychic dream consultant falls hard for the grumpy handsome guy with nightmares! Truly, this book was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. The perfect comfort read.

If you’re interested in checking out this series, know that people from previous books show up, but you can definitely read all of them as stand-alone novels. If you haven’t read her Arcane Society novels, I highly, highly recommend them. The way the characters are woven together across time always makes for fun cameos and were an absolute nightmare to shelve at the Library.

I hope this book brings you as many smiles as it did me.

If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. I listened to my copy through Libby from my library.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Flux by Jinwoo Chong

Available now

CW: an extensive list can be found at The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

Four days before Christmas, 8-year-old Bo loses his mother in a tragic accident, 28-year-old Brandon loses his job after a hostile takeover of his big-media employer, and 48-year-old Blue, a key witness in a criminal trial against an infamous now-defunct tech startup, struggles to reconnect with his family.

So begins Jinwoo Chong’s dazzling, time-bending debut that blends elements of neo-noir and speculative fiction as the lives of Bo, Brandon, and Blue begin to intersect, uncovering a vast network of secrets and an experimental technology that threatens to upend life itself. Intertwined with them is the saga of an iconic ’80s detective show, Raider, whose star actor has imploded spectacularly after revelations of long-term, concealed abuse.

I had the pleasure of spending a few days this winter doing nothing more than listening to audiobooks and putting together jigsaw puzzles. One of my favorite books from that time is this one. It’s one of those books that I absolutely loved and also have a really hard time describing why and what was even going on. It’s a highly emotional, compelling, and character driven story that explores grief, trauma, and regret. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn that is well worth the wait. Chong has an interesting take on time, space, and the science of reality and I honestly didn’t understand much of it but it was fascinating to listen to. The way the storylines of our three main characters weave together is both extraordinary and heartbreaking and is slowly revealed over the course of the book so be prepared for a bit of a slow burn.

I listened to the audio version of this book and David Lee Huynh gave an excellent performance so if you have that option, I highly recommend the experience.

If you’d like to add this incredible story to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information. You may have noticed, or not it’s cool, that I’ve started to use The StoryGraph for content warnings. As I understand it, the majority of the warnings are provided by readers but many books also have content provided by the author. This way, I know I’m not missing something that may impact someone’s reading experience. It’s also my new favorite way to track my books and they provide you with all sorts of fancy and colorful graphics that breakdown your books by genre, length, format, and many other topics.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The London Séance Society: A Novel by Sarah Penner

Available now

CW: a comprehensive list can be found on The StoryGraph

From the Publisher:

1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

Reader Friends, this book is absolutely captivating! It’s lushly written with interesting and engaging characters and the setting is well developed and richly described. Penner does a great job of keeping you guessing with both the mystery behind Evie’s death and an even broader mystery that encompasses nearly everyone in the story. It truly has a little bit of everything: a mystery, a love story, betrayal, the supernatural, and some good ol’ female rage. It’s a book that I wanted to make time to read and I still find myself, weeks later, thinking about the characters.

Once again, this is a Book of the Month pick that I held on to for way too long; although I’ve come to consider these my “Break in Case of Emergency” books. This was from Mach of 2023 and since I enjoyed The Lost Apothecary so much, I knew it was going to be a good one.

If you’d like to add this gorgeous book to your shelf, you can click on the cover above for more ordering information. If you’re interested in Book of the Month, that I use my own real money on, you can use my referral link to get a great deal for yourself, and a free book for me. As always, check your local library for these gems and recommend the title if they don’t carry it.

This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig

Available September, 26, 2023

He did it again! Chuck Wendig has gifted us all with another terrifying, enthralling, and completely irresistible novel. This time, instead of causing an irrational fear of groups of people walking down a street, Wendig has instilled in me an irrational fear of apples and their glorious homes, apple orchards. I currently have six apple trees on my property, just one tree shy of the notorious Ruby Slipper apple tree from Paxson Family Orchards, and after reading this book, I can’t look at them the same way. I just can’t.

From the Publisher:

It’s autumn in the town of Harrow, but something besides the season is changing there.

Because in that town there is an orchard, and in that orchard, seven most unusual trees. And from those trees grows a new sort of apple: strange, beautiful, with skin so red it’s nearly black.

Take a bite of one of these apples, and you will desire only to devour another. And another. You will become stronger. More vital. More yourself, you will believe. But then your appetite for the apples and their peculiar gifts will keep growing—and become darker.

This is what happens when the townsfolk discover the secret of the orchard. Soon it seems that everyone is consumed by an obsession with the magic of the apples . . . and what’s the harm, if it is making them all happier, more confident, more powerful?

Even if something else is buried in the orchard besides the seeds of these extraordinary trees: a bloody history whose roots reach back to the very origins of the town.

But now the leaves are falling. The days grow darker. It’s harvest time, and the town will soon reap what it has sown.

This book has everything. It has small town drama, teen angst, a mysterious magical element, creepy woods, diverse characters, and all set over a frighteningly realistic timeline. In our story, we follow Calla Paxson, high school senior who is willing to do anything to get her and her boyfriend Marco out of her small town. Her father, Dan Paxson, carries a grudge against all the townspeople who helped steal his father’s farm and push him towards an untimely death. Emily and her wife Meg have moved from the big city to start over in the small town of Doyle’s Tavern only to let the Unspoken Thing fester between them. Joanie Moreau grew up the tough chick from the wrong side of town, only to come back to a wealthy and confident businesswoman. Lastly, John Compass, military veteran turned apple hunter, who is on a mission to find his former best friend.

And what ties all of these characters together? The Ruby Slipper Apple. An apple so dark red it’s almost black. An apple that makes you feel like you can conquer anything. An apple with power. The paranormal elements are brilliantly interwoven with the real world, small town drama that our poor characters are caught up in. I found myself completely invested in their survival and was so stressed out, in a very good way, I read this in just two days. I HAD TO KNOW how this book ended.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the history of the apple was woven into the story. It added a richness to the setting and a real depth to the characters without feeling like you were in a history lesson.

Black River Orchard is a compelling and terrifying novel full of dark humor and enthralling horror. I can’t wait to see what Wendig brings us next!

If you would like to add this amazing novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover above or here for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, such as Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The St. Ambrose School for Girls by Jessica Ward

Available now

CW: mental illness, suicidal ideation, gaslighting, murder, child abuse, sexual abuse, self harm, homophobia, bullying. Read with care.

Reader Friends, my favorite author has released a new book that doesn’t include my all-time, hands down, favorite group of fictional people in Caldwell! It left me a little wary but a whole lot of intrigued.

And she left me emotionally wrecked. This book is going to twist you up in so many ways and take you right on back to the emotional roller coaster that is high school. This book tackles some extremely heavy topics like suicide and mental illness and Ward lays out her writing process in her Author’s Note and I felt the care and love she has for her characters. Definitely check the content warnings on this one and I realize how wild it is to love a book that is this dark and heavy.

Oh, and Jessica Ward is J.R. Ward, aka The Warden, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

From the Publisher:

When Sarah Taylor arrives at the exclusive St. Ambrose School, she’s carrying more baggage than just what fits in her suitcase. She knows she’s not like the other girls—if the shabby, all-black, non-designer clothes don’t give that away, the bottle of lithium hidden in her desk drawer sure does.

St. Ambrose’s queen bee, Greta Stanhope, picks Sarah as a target from day one and the most popular, powerful, horrible girl at school is relentless in making sure Sarah knows what the pecking order is. Thankfully, Sarah makes an ally out of her roommate Ellen “Strots” Strotsberry, a cigarette-huffing, devil-may-care athlete who takes no bullshit. Also down the hall is Nick Hollis, the devastatingly handsome RA, and the object of more than one St. Ambrose student’s fantasies. Between Strots and Nick, Sarah hopes she can make it through the semester, dealing with not only her schoolwork and a recent bipolar diagnosis, but Greta’s increasingly malicious pranks.

Sarah is determined not to give Greta the satisfaction of breaking her. But when scandal unfolds, and someone ends up dead, her world threatens to unravel in ways she could never have imagined. The St. Ambrose School for Girls is a dangerous, delicious, twisty coming-of-age tale that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

This book contains so many of my favorite tropes: boarding school, scandal, mean girls getting what they deserve (not that anyone really deserves murder,) dark secrets, and strong female friendships. All of the characters felt real and fully developed, especially Sarah. You could feel how desperately she wanted away from her home, but also how much she knew she didn’t fit in with the rich girls at the elite St. Ambrose. She was so aware of her mental illness and how tightly she had to keep it in control to guard her secret from everyone. When all of that stress, exacerbated by the horrible bullying from Greta and her girlfriends, leads to Sarah making some very dark and misguided decisions, my heart broke. You could feel how lonely and isolated she felt, even when she was constantly surrounded by her teachers, roommate, and advisors.

This is one of those novels where every character has a dark secret to hide. It seemed like every secret was darker and more disturbing than the last. (Like I said, it’s real doozy of a book!) All of those layers of secrets really added to the impact of the plot twist and made the ending one of the most explosive I’ve read. I absolutely loved it and flew through it in just one sitting.

If you want to add this dark and explosive thriller to your shelf, you can click on the cover above, or here, for ordering information.

This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions and mistakes are my own. Like those commas. I never get those right.

What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall

Available now

This book is amazing!

From the Publisher:

Colette “Coco” Weber has relocated to her Catalina Island home, where, twenty years before, she was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion. All Coco wants is to see her aunt Gwen, get as far away from her ex as possible, and get back to her craft—writing obituaries. Thankfully, her college best friend, Maddy, owns the local paper and has a job sure to keep Coco busy, considering the number of elderly folks who are dying on the island.

But as Coco learns more about these deaths, she quickly realizes that the circumstances surrounding them are remarkably similar…and not natural. Then Coco receives a sinister threat in the mail: her own obituary.

As Coco begins to draw connections between a serial killer’s crimes and her own family tragedy, she fears that the secrets on Catalina Island might be too deep to survive. Because whoever is watching her is hell-bent on finally putting her past to rest.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty, gothic thriller set on the exclusive and idyllic Catalina Island. There is a lot going on in this novel - lots of characters, lots of side plotlines, lots of back story - and it all weaves together seamlessly to create a dark and sinister story of racism, gentrification, entitlement, and greed.

This book made me realize that nearly every gothic thriller I have ever read was historical. There is something about the contemporary setting that makes it feel far more scary and terrifying. The writing is so descriptive that you feel like you are sitting alongside Coco, questioning your own sanity and jumping at every noise in your own home. I never would have thought that a golf cart could feel ominous or an important tool in a person’s survival…but that' is how good the writing is.

What Never Happened is a compelling, haunting, thriller that will stick with you long after you turn the last page.

If you’re interested in adding this amazing book to your collection, you can click on the cover image above, or here, for ordering information.

Thank you the author and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Available now

CW: homophobia, conversion therapy, religious trauma, emotional abuse, gaslighting, violence

Buckle up friends! Chuck has gifted us with a wild, horrifying nightmare inducing novel!

From the Publisher:

Welcome to Neverton, Montana: home to a God-fearing community with a heart of gold.

Nestled high up in the mountains is Camp Damascus, the self-proclaimed “most effective” gay conversion camp in the country. Here, a life free from sin awaits. But the secret behind that success is anything but holy.

And they’ll scare you straight to hell.

I really, really loved this book. I’ve read many a fun and quirky Chuck Tingle novella and if you have as well, please know that this is nothing like those zany erotic novellas. Camp Damascus is a terrifying and frank look at the ways the people closest to us can end up being the most dangerous to us. It’s fast paced, engrossing, and has complex characters.

At 20, Rose still lives at home with her extremely religious and god-fearing parents. Her religious beliefs guide her every thought, every decision, and every interaction with others. As she enters her final summer of high school, Rose begins to see terrifying images of a woman watching her from the woods. After the death of a dear friend, her memories become unreliable and Rose struggles to understand her parents’ motives and reactions to her grief and stress. It’s as Rose tries to find answers to the strange apparition haunting her that she discovers that there is a darker side to her church, her town, and her family.

If you would like to add this horror novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Pride Reads: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

There are numerous lists (yay!) of amazing books to read during Pride Month, and all year long! Here is one of my favorites!

Available Now

Set during the wonderous and enthralling Chicago World’s Fair, The City Beautiful is a beautifully written story of young love, self discovery, and the barriers of social class. Alter Rosen came to America to help his father build a business empire, but their hopes and dreams ended with his father’s unexpected death. Now, Alter works at the newspaper as a typesetter and barely earns enough to share a small apartment with four other men, let alone enough to bring his mother and sisters to America. When young men from the neighborhood go missing, the local police claim they are runaways but Alter believes there is more to the story. When his roommate Yakov is found dead on the fairgrounds, Alter is convinced it was more than an accident. While helping with Yakov’s burial ceremony, Alter becomes possessed by Yakov’s dybbuk and finds himself in the middle of a dark conspiracy.

Now Alter must race against the clock to find Yakov’s murderer while battling against horrific racism and threats against himself and his friends. When an old friend resurfaces and offers his help, Alter finds himself battling his own desires and attraction to the handsome and mysterious Frankie.

This is a fascinating story. As someone who is not Jewish, I learned so much about the history of the Jewish community in Chicago and appreciated such an intimate look at the religion and their way of life. Alter lived a complex yet simple life. He came to America on the belief that his father had created a successful business and was going to set his family up with wealth and standing. What he found instead was an incredibly ill father and mountains of debt. All he wants is to make enough money to bring his mother and sisters over from Romania and provide a comfortable life for them. But along with that familial duty, Alter is facing his own inner conflicts over his attraction to other men. Trying to reconcile his true feelings with societal expectations is incredibly difficult. What I really loved, were Frankie’s explanations of how their relationship was completely fine in the eyes of their religion and gave evidence from their religious text. I completely understand that is probably only new information to me, but I hope that it also helps provide comfort for anyone else who may find themselves in Alter’s position.

Polydoros provides such vivid detail of the fair and Alter’s neighborhood that it made you feel like you were walking through the exhibits with Alter. You could feel the wonder that everyone felt at the technical and engineering advancements being created, but that was also balanced against the racism and degradation of many of the exhibits. This is a wonderfully written and well-researched novel that will keep any reader completely engrossed from start to finish.

Highly, highly recommend.

If you would like to add this amazing story to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post also contains affiliate links and as an Amazon associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.

#BlogTour! The Revenge List: A Novel by Hannah Mary McKinnon

The Revenge List : A Novel 

Hannah Mary McKinnon

On Sale Date: May 23, 2023

9780778333463

Trade Paperback

$18.99 USD

368 pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As a therapy exercise, a woman writes a list of people she wants to forgive, and thinks nothing of it when she loses it in an Uber…until one by one the people on the list become victims of freak accidents. Set in Portland, Maine, Hannah Mary McKinnon’s breakout suspense novel THE REVENGE LIST will appeal to fans of Lisa Unger, Joshilyn Jackson, and Tarryn Fisher.

Following an epic run-in with a client who threatened to pull out of a contract at her father’s company if she doesn’t suffer some consequences, Frankie Morgan agrees to go to anger management. With the business struggling with cash-flow and her brother needing help with the medical bills for his sick daughter, she can’t risk harming the business further. But that doesn’t mean she’ll be happy about attending.

During the first session, the group is asked to spend some quiet time exploring their pasts and sitting with the emotions that generates, before making a start on a Forgiveness List—a list of people with whom they’re angry and might work on forgiving. She begrudgingly goes along with it and doesn’t worry too much when she forgets the list in an Uber on her way home. It shouldn’t matter—it was just a therapy exercise—except a few days later the first person on that list is injured in a freak accident. When the second person gets hurt, she hopes it’s coincidence. After the third is targeted, she knows it’s a pattern. And she’s in trouble. Because the next name on that list is…hers.

CHAPTER ONE

***

The sharp sound of a high-pitched scream filled the air. A noise so unrecognizable, at first I didn’t register it had come from deep within me, traveling up my throat in stealth mode before bursting from my mouth.

The remnants of the yell reverberated around the car, forcing their way into my ears and penetrating my skull, urging me to do something. Survival instincts kicked in, and I fumbled with the seatbelt, my other hand grasping for the door handle. The need for the relative safety that solid, stationary ground would bring was so intense it made my stomach heave. A loud click of the central locking system meant my captor had outsmarted me again, obliterating my immediate plan to throw myself from the moving vehicle.

When I looked out the windshield, I knew there was no time to find an alternate escape. The end of the road—the edge of the cliff—announced by signs and broken red-and-white-striped wooden barricades, had been far enough away seconds ago but now gleamed in the car’s headlights, a looming warning yards ahead. I couldn’t comprehend what was about to happen, couldn’t do anything as the vehicle kept going, splintering planks and racing out the other side with nothing but air below. I let out another scream, far louder than my first, the absolute terror exploding from my lungs.

For the briefest of moments, we were suspended, as if this was a magic trick or an elaborate roller coaster. Perhaps, if I were really lucky, this was all a dream. Except I already knew there were no smoke and mirrors, no swirling track leading us through loop-the-loops and to safety. It wasn’t a nightmare I’d wake from with bedsheets wrapped around my sweaty body. This was happening. It was all terrifyingly real.

As the car continued its trajectory, it tipped forward. The only thing to stop our momentum was whatever we were rushing toward, obscured by the cloudy night skies. Pushing my heels into the floor, I tried to flatten my shoulders against the seat. My hands scrambled for the ceiling to brace myself, but I flopped like a rag doll, my loosened seatbelt tearing into my shoulder.

They say your life flashes before you when you’re close to death. That didn’t happen to me. Instead, it was all my regrets. Choices I’d made. Not made. Things I’d said and done. Not said. Not done. It was far too late to make amends. There would be no opportunity to beg anyone for forgiveness. No possibility of offering some.

As the finality of the situation hit me full on, I turned my head. The features of the driver next to me were illuminated in a blueish glint from the dashboard lights. His face had set in a stony grimace; his jaw clenched so tight he had to have shattered teeth. But what frightened me the most were his eyes, filled with what could only be described as maniacal delight.

He’d said we were both going to die. As the car hurtled to the bottom of the cliff, I closed my eyes and accepted he was right.

***

Excerpted from The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon, Copyright © 2023 by Hannah McKinnon. Published by MIRA Books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute. Connect with her on Facebook, on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon, and on Instagram @HannahMaryMcKinnon. For more, visit her website, www.hannahmarymckinnon.com.

SOCIALS:

Website: www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon/ (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon (@hannahmmckinnon)

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/hannahmarymckinnon 

BUY LINKS:

Bookshop.org B&N IndieBound Amazon Books A Million

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Available now

If you are new to Rachel Hawkins as a thriller writer, I am so jealous! This is a true gift for those that seek their thrills between the pages. I read this nearly a year ago and I still think about how cleverly it comes together.

I love a book about a Book. One that requires the Other to become something magnificent. That book that lets you believe that you may own such a Book and the adventures that could be found both between the pages and by simply owning it. That’s The Villa. It’s about Emily and Chess, and their inseparable friendship, even into adulthood. It’s about the lengths we go to as adults to hang on to those friendships that shape us and define us humans.

Emily and Chess, have been friends for years. The type of friends that should transcend everything. When they find themselves renting a villa in Italy for a much needed vacation and chance at reconnection, they discover the villa is the home to a legacy far deeper than either woman believed. Found in the villa’s library is a journal from the time the villa was home to some of rock and roll’s most famous murders.

This one is so good! Hawkins is so skilled at amping up the tension until you can’t possibly believe it will all work out and then, deliver a twist so sharp you can’t but help to be humbled by her skill. I loved this book. It’s full of complicated, sympathetic characters; kind of? Or at least, not feel guilty for supporting. There are some very real reasons for Emily to do what she does. While Chess was who I thought she would be, I was still shocked by the ending and fully invested in the story and characters. This is also one of those magical books that gives you two compelling stories: we get the complicated relationship between Emily and Chess and the intriguing story or what actually happened at the villa all those years ago.

It’s so, so good!

If you’d like to add this incredible thriller to your collection, you can find ordering information here or click on the cover. As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Affiliate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The Nightmare Man by J. H. Markert

Available now

CW: child abuse, murder, torture, alcoholism, self harm, suicide

Buckle up! This is a dark one!

Ben Bookman is a successful thriller writer, crafting terrifying stories that have caused nightmares in readers across the world. His latest novel, The Scarecrow, was written in a frenzied haze in a single weekend at his grandfather’s home and its creation, and story, have caused a rift in his marriage. During a book signing at his local bookstore, a man claims that Ben has stolen his nightmare, destroying his life and driving him to take his own life right there in the store.

Not too far away, Detective Winchester Mills has been called to the scene of a horrifying murder. An entire family, minus the young daughter who was luckily found alive, have been found brutally murdered at their murder matches a murder found within Ben Bookman’s latest book.

As the police begin their investigation, it’s discovered that Ben’s books seem to inspire a copycat killer that has been terrorizing the area for years. As the investigation goes deeper into Ben’s life and childhood, dark and disturbing secrets about his family, their ties to a psychiatric hospital, and Ben’s own mental stability come to light. Detective Mills also has his own secrets to protect. His own nightmares and sleep troubles have plagued his life for years, causing a rift between himself and his only daughter, and now exacerbated by the latest string of killings.

As Ben looks more and more like the prime suspect, he tries to uncover what actually happened to him during that hazy weekend at his grandfather’s house. A house that contains a room off-limits to everyone; a room full of books with no words.

Whew this is a dark one! The murders are quite brutal and inventive in their cruelty, but the real horror comes from the town’s connections to the Oswald Asylum and how Bookman’s family was shaped by their time spent at Blackwood mansion. Ben Bookman grew up wealthy with a well-respected grandfather who specialized in treating sleep disorders. After Ben’s younger brother went missing as a child, his parents died tragically in a car crash, leaving him and his sister alone as young adults. Amanda, Ben’s wife, really dislikes Blackwood and is very vocal about how unsettling and disturbing she has always found the mansion. Within the mansion is The Atrium. The Atrium was off-limits to everyone and required explicit permission from Robert, the grandfather, to enter. Ben knows that he wrote his latest book in The Atrium, but has no memory of doing so, and, something happened in that room that caused their longtime nanny to abruptly quit. Located on Blackwood’s property is the Oswald Asylum. Robert built the asylum on his property and dedicated his life to treating those with sleep disorders and apparently worked a little too closely with local law enforcement to place patients there instead of jail. As the story unfolds, we discover that a startling amount of people connected to the murders received treatment for sleep disorders at Oswald as children. It also begins to feel like there is more to everyone’s dreams than anyone wants to fully admit.

This is a very dark, very compelling and complex thriller. There’s this incredible blend of supernatural elements and the very real brutality of humanity that keeps you guessing all the way until the end.

It has all my horror favorites: a creepy house, a disturbing hospital, mysterious books, and every single person having a secret to protect.

If you would to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can order it here or click on the cover above.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Drift by C.J. Tudor

Available January 31, 2023

CW: child death, fatphobia, viral pandemic, violence

Buckle up! This is a wild one! Told through multiple POVs, The Drift is a story of survival in a world overrun with a deadly, zombie-like virus. A charter bus carrying wealthy private school students crashes during a blizzard, and the passengers slowly begin to realize that it may have been intentional. A cable car full of passengers on their way to the Retreat is stuck halfway up the mountain, also with a blizzard raging outside. At the Retreat, the storm seems more of an inconvenience, as they have generators and food stores. But electrical issues are causing headaches and tensions between the various inhabitants are beginning to reach a breaking point.

As the three groups face the deadly challenges before them, dark secrets from their pasts are revealed and cause even more strife and pit people against each other. Every person has a secret to hide and is willing to kill to survive.

This is one doozy of a book! It’s incredibly tense and violent with graphic descriptions of gore and trauma. My only complaint is the amount to casual fatphobia found throughout the entire story; I found that far worse than the violence. There is A LOT of fatphobia, please read with care. I will admit, I began to wonder to when the twist was going to be revealed, as this is a thriller, and it’s worth the wait! This is one of those stories that there isn’t a single character that you have any reason to care for. Every single person is horrible. Every single person has something to hide: an evil agenda, a person to protect, a grudge to be avenged. Every. Single. Person, Absolutely sucks. And also, there is a viral pandemic going on that causes people to become zombie-like and I understand the desire to survive in a world that would be just fine with you not being in it anymore. But the payoff at the end is, begrudgingly, earned. I was very surprised for the twist in events and found it very deftly done.

If you would like to add this book to your shelf, or add it your Library Holds Lists, you can click on the book cover or here, for ordering information. I was fortunate enough to read this title early through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. If you stuck around this long, did your read it? Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment and start the conversation.

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

Available now

CW: murder, child abuse, child sexual abuse, parental death, suicide

This one is really, really good. It’s part horror, part thriller, and is my favorite type of story: one that feels incredibly true to life. Kari has always believed that her mother abandoned her at just two days old, and with her father suffering brain damage after an accident, hasn’t been able to be a traditional parent to her. When Debby, her best friend and cousin, finds a bracelet belonging to Kari’s mother in an attic, Kari is forced to confront the bitterness and anger she feels towards her mother. That is, until she touches the bracelet and begins to see visions of her mother and her mother’s past. Now convinced there is more to her mother’s disappearance than she was led to believe, Kari must use the bracelet and face her mother’s past.

I really love a story with complicated and realistic relationships. Kari and Debby are absolute best friends and have been through so much together and would go to the ends of the earth for each other. Debby’s husband Jack? He hates Kari with a passion. This really complicates Kari and Debby’s relationship, and Debby’s ability to help Kari on her quest to discover her mother’s real fate. Kari’s Aunt Squeaker doesn’t always give her straightforward answers about her mother and the power behind the bracelet, which frustrates Kari to no end. Her father isn’t able to answer questions about the past and Kari is still processing the grief of losing her best friend as a teenager. As if that isn’t enough, Kari’s favorite bar might possibly go up for sale and she wants to buy it but is terrified of the commitment. There is so much working against her at every turn, and it’s rarely the mystical that impedes her; it’s the people around her and their complicated relationships. How do you focus on following your mother’s ghost and having visions when your best friend won’t speak to you because you blew up at her husband again? How do you focus on bank loans and financial planning when you’re potentially hunting a killer? It’s the inclusion of all the normal that really made the book special. It draws you in and makes you root for Kari’s success, and closure about her mother’s disappearance, because you want Kari to buy the bar and live a happy life.

Kari is also a huge fan of Stephen King and there are some top-notch references to the author and his books. Truly a delight.

I absolutely loved this one. It was my November pick for Book of the Month and I’m really glad they included it as a selection because I haven’t seen this book get the love it greatly deserves.

If you’d like your own copy of this book, you can order it online here, click on the book cover above, or sign up for Book of the Month with my link.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Fantasy Quickie: Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

Available now

CW: homophobia, magical violence, aversion therapy

Even Though I Knew the End is a magically charged noir thriller that doesn’t hold any punches. Helen, a private investigator and warlock who sold her soul to save her brother’s life, is quietly putting her affairs in order so Edith, her longtime love, will be able to live out her dream of moving to California. When someone offers her one last job-a job that could get Helen her soul back, she can’t refuse.

Discovering the identity of the White City Vampire, a prolific and magical serial killer, places Helen and everyone she loves in danger. Helen and Edith race against time to save their lives, their souls, and their love.

Coming it at just 133 pages in the print version, Polk does a masterful job at creating an interesting and intricate alternate 1930’s Chicago. There’s romance, pain, magic, mystery, and a stark look at the hate and discrimination the queer community faced then, and now. It’s a brilliant story that I hope becomes the start of a new magical mystery series.

Grab our tissues, you’re going to need them.

If you’d like to add this magical sapphic mystery to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, this post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Sci-fi Quickie: Upgrade by Blake Crouch

Available now

Blake Crouch is back with another thrilling science fiction adventure. Logan Ramsey is a complicated and interesting character who works to find and convict people accused of genetic engineering, while also being the son of the most infamous genetic scientists to ever live. When he begins to notice changes to his physical and mental abilities, Logan finds himself on a dangerous and epic adventure to discover who is behind his transformation and what this could mean for the rest of the world.

In true Crouch fashion, it’s impossible to talk about this book without spoiling it. If you’ve enjoyed his other novels, you’ll definitely enjoy this one. To me, the stakes seem higher in this one and the interpersonal relationships more complex. Logan is put in one impossible situation after the other making for an incredibly tense and emotional book. The science is fascinating and the way it ties into the world building is really interesting.

Upgrade is a compulsive, action packed thriller that explores the meaning of humanity and how we are often our own worst enemy. If you would like a copy for yourself you can click on the cover for ordering information or click here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

#BlogTour! Out of Her Depth by Lizzie Barber

Available July 12, 2022

Out of Her Depth 

Author: Lizzy Barber

ISBN: 9780778386445

Publication Date: July 12, 2022

Publisher: MiRA

Rachel lands her dream summer job at a luxurious Tuscan villa. She’s quickly drawn into a new group of rich and beautiful sophisticates and their world of partying, toxic relationships, and even more toxic substances. They’ve never faced consequences, are used to getting everything. But then someone goes too far. Someone dies. And nothing will ever be the same.

Lizzy Barber’s debut A Girl Named Anna won the Daily Mail First Novel Competition. In her newest and even more unputdownable work, she weaves a clever and deadly web of manipulation and desire. A summer thriller rife with back-stabbing, bed-hopping, and murder, Out of Her Depth is a perfect escapist read for fans of Euphoria, J.T. Ellison’s Her Dark Lies, or Rachel Hawkins’s Reckless Girls.

Before you judge me, remember this: a girl died, but it wasn’t my fault.

I know that seems like a pathetic confessional. Even more pathetic because the confession itself has, until this point, never been uttered.

I’ve wanted to. Believe me, I’ve wanted to.

The words have formed themselves on the precipice of my tongue, palpitating with their ugly need to be heard, to make me part of the narrative. To declare to the A-level students when I see it coming up on their news feeds, languorously debating it, now, once more, as it has risen into public consciousness twenty-one years after the fact: I was there.

When they stumble in late to my lesson, less eager to talk of the trapassato prossimo than about who fucked whom at last night’s social, and whether crimped hair really is making a comeback.

I was there.

When they blink at me from faces still etched with yesterday’s makeup, reeking of the top-shelf vodka and menthol cigarettes that their house mistresses will studiously ignore.

I was there.

When they declare they “really struggled with this week’s essay” so they only have notes, and they say, “About that C on the mock exam… Did you know my parents funded the library?” and they don’t even bother to wait for the response as they pull out their laptops and glance at their watches, and they think to themselves, Boring bitch has never lived.

I was there.

I imagine each letter incubating in the saliva that pools in the side of my gums. I picture myself standing, drawing the blinds. An illicit eyebrow raise that will make them pause, look up at me anew, place their laptops on the floor as I edge toward them.

Screw Dante. Let me tell you a real story about Florence.

..….

Read on for an excerpt from Out of Her Depth

Now

I am just leaving for dinner when I hear.

People talk of remembering exactly where they were when great events happened: Princess Di, the Twin Towers, Trump. I know this isn’t quite on the same scale, but I’ll remember exactly where I was, all the same.

I’ve had back-to-back lessons all day, but now, at last, I have an hour to myself, the only person left in the languages office. I spend it working on my paper “Pirandello and the Search for Truth” for the Modern Language Review, barely coming up for air. This is the part of academia I enjoy the most: the research, the pulling together of an idea, the rearranging of words and thoughts on the page until they start to take on a life of their own, form arguments, cohesion. I’m hoping that this will be the one they’ll finally agree to publish.

I am the only French and Italian teacher at Graybridge Hall, 

have been for the last ten years. When they decided to introduce Italian for the younger years, as well as the older students, I did suggest that perhaps now it would be time to look at hiring someone else. But Ms. Graybridge, the eponymous head—and third of that name to have held the position—reminded me that the school’s ethos was “personal and continuous care for every girl.” Which didn’t really make sense as a rebuttal, but which I knew was shorthand for no, and which she knew—because of certain circumstances under which I assumed my position in the first place—I wouldn’t argue with.

Not that I don’t enjoy teaching. Sometimes. “shaping young minds” and all that seems like it should be a worthy cause. When I was younger, much younger, I imagined maybe I would do a PhD, become a professor. I also thought about diplomatic service, traveling the world as a translator, journalism, maybe, why not? Instead I sit through mock orals on topics as ground-breaking as Food and Eating Out, Cinema and TV, and My Family.

My rumbling stomach is the first signal I have that evening is approaching, and when I tear myself away from my laptop screen to look at the darkening sky, I decide to ditch my planned root around in the fridge, and be sociable instead. Wednesday is quiz night at the pub near school. A group of teachers go every week, the little thrill they get as their cerebral cortexes light up with a correct answer just about making up for a day spent asking the girls to kindly not look at their Apple Watches until break, and maybe not take their makeup out of their Marc Jacobs backpacks until class is over just this once.

I close down my laptop and do a brisk tidy of the room before slipping on my coat and scarf, and am just about to slide my phone into my rucksack when an alert catches my eye—specifically, a name, bouncing out of the BBC News push notification, one I have avoided all thought of for a long while, as much out of circumstance as necessity.

Sebastian Hale.

I freeze in the doorway—phone clutched in my hand as preciously as though it were the Rosetta stone—and look again, not quite believing I saw it right, presuming perhaps it was just wishful thinking, a long hour of screen-staring playing tricks on my eyes, that could have conjured his name before me.

But there it is. That name. Those five syllables. The six vowels and seven consonants that have held more significance for me than any word or sentence written in my entire attempted academic career.

And next to them, three words that throw my whole world off kilter, that see me reaching for the door handle and wrenching it shut, all thoughts of dinner gone from my mind:

Sebastian Hale Appeal Proceeds Tonight.

I sit at my desk, lights off, face illuminated by the white glow of my phone screen, and read someone else’s report of the story I know so well. The story I have lived. I place the phone facedown on the desk, snuffing out its light, and press my palms into the woodwork. The feel of my flesh rubbing against the desk’s smooth surface grounds me, helps me process the report—think.

I knew there had been requests for appeals over the years, all denied by the Corte d’Assise d’Appello. A change of lawyer, probably hoping that new eyes on the case could find something that was missed. But they’ve all come to nothing. How did I miss this?

If he is retried, if there is any possibility that he might be released…everything would change.

After the initial trial, after my part was done and I could finally go home and resume the life I had worked so hard to live. I tried—I really, truly tried—to put it behind me.

That was what she did, after all, and I wanted to follow her lead. I have always wanted to follow her lead. But that time has never truly left me. Sometimes, it will take the smallest thing—the light filtering through a window just so, a particular kind of humid heat, walking past a patisserie and being hit with a waft of baked vanilla sweetness—and it all comes back to me with cut-glass clarity. The sound of our laughter ricocheting off ocher-colored walls. The clink of glasses and the taste of hot weather, raw red wine. The touch of sweat-dewed skin. The scent of pine. The giddy, delightful feeling of being young and happy and having the rest of our lives spooling out in front of us.

These are the good things—the things I want to remember.

The bad things…those I have no choice but to remember.

And now, at the sight of his name alone, I am instantly transported: flying on the wings of a deep déjà vu, away from the cold late-autumn day and the dusty corners of my tired office and back, back, back to that time—that summer.

To those gold-tinged days and months that crescendoed so spectacularly into those final, onyx hours.

To the start.

Buy Links:

BookShop.org

Harlequin 

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Lizzy Barber studied English at Cambridge University. Having previously dabbled in acting and film development, she has spent the last ten years as head of marketing for a restaurant group. Her first novel, A Girl Named Anna, won the Daily Mail and Random House First Novel Prize. She lives in London with her family.

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @ByLizzyBarber

Facebook: @ByLizzyBarber

Instagram: @ByLizzyBarber

Goodreads

Sci-fi Quickie: Drunk on All Your Strange Words by Eddie Robson

Available now

Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a fascinating and compelling take on first contact. Lydia is a translator for Fitz, the cultural attaché to Earth. Her job requires her to translate mentally with Fitz and the effects of this work leave her feeling drunk by the end of the day. While her job can be incredibly stressful, it pays well and her client is pleasant enough to work with. After a long night of translating at a prestigious event, Lydia wakes up to find her client murdered. Racing against the clock, Lydia must help to solve the murder and declare her innocence. But Lydia is haunted by the voice of Fitz and finds herself unable to trust anyone around her, including herself.

Absolutely fascinating and thrilling, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is a compelling and well-written sci-fi mystery. I really liked how the author centered the way Lydia and Fitz communicate, as well as all humans and Logi, and the intimacy that this kind of communication can develop. Lydia had Fitz in her head all the time, essentially reading each other’s thoughts without any way to lie or deceive one another. I found the mystery was well crafted and I definitely didn’t solve it before the end. Overall, this was a delightfully weird and fascinating book that I was very happy to spend a few hours with.

If you’d like a copy for your shelf, you can click on the cover for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may also contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.