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Release date: August 1, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.

Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her.

Review:

God you guys, this was such a refreshing read, especially for a psychological thriller. There’s not an unreliable narrator in sight, there are not multiple perspectives and there are zero time jumps. If a book labeled as a psychological thriller doesn’t have all three of those is it even really a psychological thriller? Hahaha, I’m kidding, this definitely is and it consumed me, I freaking loved it.

Jane is unapologetically who she is, and she’s a sociopath on a mission. She wants revenge and Steven is her target and she won’t let anything get in her way. She had one of the best voices I’ve encountered in ages, highly unique, she’s funny in a super dry way, she’s cold, manipulative, calculating and cunning and I loved her. I couldn’t help it, I think it goes back to what I said earlier, she doesn’t apologize for who she is, she’s confident and smart and insightfully self aware. She knows she’s not normal, but she doesn’t care, she’s not trying to change and she only pretends to be someone she really isn’t if it serves a greater purpose.

I totally binge read this, I could not wait to see how things played out and if Jane would be successful in all of her plotting and planning. I had so much fun with this and was rooting for Jane so hard, who knew an emotionless sociopath could be so likable? The ending was also great, very strong, a little surprising and super satisfying.

Jane Doe in three words: Crafty, Interesting and Vengeful.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 10, 2018

Publisher: HQN

Blurb:

Life is meant to be savored, but that’s not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you’d rather not talk about. Still, Callie Smith doesn’t know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister–Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old.

Callie doesn’t love being alone, but at least it’s safe. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings and grandfather on the shores of Lake Washington, hoping just maybe this will be the start of a whole new life.

But starting over can be messy. Callie and Keira fit in with each other, but not with their posh new lifestyle, leaving Malcolm feeling like the odd man out in his own home. He was clever enough to turn a sleepy Seattle mail-order food catalog into an online gourmet powerhouse, yet he can’t figure out how to help his new sisters feel secure. Becoming a family will take patience, humor, a little bit of wine and a whole lot of love.

But love isn’t Malcolm’s strong suit… until a beautiful barista teaches him that an open heart, like the family table, can always make room for more.

Review:

I love the idea behind this story, I can’t imagine finding out I had not one, but two half siblings as an adult. How hard would it be to form a familial bond later in life? Difficult I’m quite sure, especially when every one of the siblings comes from a completely different background. Malcolm is the oldest and moved to his grandfathers home as a teenager, Keira was discovered when she was twelve and Callie as a woman in her twenties. Each age would present a new set of challenges and many are explored throughout this book.

The handful of Susan Mallery books that I’ve read in the past have leaned to the contemporary romance genre but this one definitely fits better under women’s fiction. There are bits and pieces of developing romances, even some spicy, sexy scenes, but the exploration of complex family dynamics is really the heart of this novel. Not only are the Carlesso family’s relationships with each other complex, their own individual personalities are also extremely complicated. I was invested in each of them right away and enjoyed watching them grow and blossom throughout the book.

This had the perfect blend of lightness and depth, plenty of heart and humor but also intrigue and even a light mystery too. It’s full of relatable and well drawn characters and written in an easy, fluid way. If you’re already a fan of Mallery you’ll love this and if you haven’t read her before this is the perfect place to start.

When We Found Home in three words: Heartwarming, Engaging and Relatable.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 10, 2018

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

In the thrilling sequel to The Fourth Monkey, a new serial killer stalks the streets of Chicago, while Detective Porter delves deeper into the dark past of the Four Monkey Killer.

Detective Porter and the team have been pulled from the hunt for Anson Bishop, the Four Monkey Killer, by the feds. When the body of a young girl is found beneath the frozen waters of Jackson Park Lagoon, she is quickly identified as Ella Reynolds, missing three weeks. But how did she get there? The lagoon froze months earlier. More baffling? She’s found wearing the clothes of another girl, missing less than two days. While the detectives of Chicago Metro try to make sense of the quickly developing case, Porter secretly continues his pursuit of 4MK, knowing the best way to find Bishop is to track down his mother. When the captain finds out about Porter’s activities, he’s suspended, leaving his partners Clair and Nash to continue the search for the new killer alone.

Obsessed with catching Bishop, Porter follows a single grainy photograph from Chicago to the streets of New Orleans and stumbles into a world darker than he could have possibly imagined, where he quickly realizes that the only place more frightening than the mind of a serial killer is the mind of the mother from which he came.

Review:

You may remember me raving about the first book in this series, The Fourth Monkey last summer, it was one of my favorite reads of the year, so I mentioned it several times. If you didn’t take my solid advice and snatch a copy for yourself last year then go grab one now and then come back to this review when you’re done!

This picks up shortly after the first book ends and while the bulk of the story is told from Porter’s perspective, there are also several other important points of view as well that provided a birds eye view that really enriched my reading experience. The pacing of this is once again fast and furious and never let up for a second. It’s one of those books that grabs ahold of you tightly from page one and just pulls you in tighter as the story progresses. Gripping is the first word that comes to mind but I’m not even sure that’s enough of an explanation as to just how very compelling Barker’s books are.

The style of this is daring, there’s an unflinching quality where Barker is not afraid to get nitty gritty, he holds absolutely nothing back and keeps you on the very edge of your seat wondering what in the hell will happen next. While many questions that were left unanswered in the first book are addressed, this did end on a pretty big cliffhanger, when can I get my hands on book three Mr. Barker?! I’m dying over here, SO AMAZING! Recommended for fans of serial killer thrillers written by an incredibly talented author who writes one hell of a messed up and thrilling story.

The Fifth to Die in three words: Bold, Dark and Engrossing.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: July 3, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

Award-winning photographer Ian Collins made only one mistake in life, but it cost his mother her freedom and destroyed their family, leaving Ian to practically raise himself. For years he’s been estranged from his father, and his mother has lived off the grid. For just as long, he has searched for her.

Now, Ian seemingly has it all—national recognition for his photographs; his loving wife, Aimee; and their adoring daughter, Caty. Only two things elude him: a feature in National Geographic and finding his mother. When the prized magazine offers him his dream project on the same day that Aimee’s ex-fiancé, James, returns bearing a message for Ian but putting a strain on his marriage, Ian must make a choice: chase after a coveted assignment or reconnect with a mysterious woman who might hold the key to putting his past to rest. But the stakes are high, because Ian could lose the one thing he holds most dear: his family.

Review:

Before I get into my thoughts I want to warn you guys that if you’re planning on reading this series and haven’t yet, don’t read any further because there will definitely be things that spoil the first two books. Everything We Keep is the first book and Everything We Left Behind is the second, Everything We Give is the third and final installment and I can highly recommend this series, it is such a blend of genres that it will appeal to a variety of readers. There’s a mystery, some romance and plenty of family drama all woven together in a seamless way.

This book is Ian’s story and I couldn’t be happier that we finally get to see his point of view. Of course you hear a little from Aimee which is always a treat, I’ve adored her since the first book, but this is truly Ian’s side of the story and it’s engrossing to say the least. Getting to hear about his past, especially his early childhood was fascinating and utterly heartbreaking, and it becomes clear that the devastating things he experienced as a young boy shaped him into the man he is now. As always, Lonsdale has crafted another complex character that I can root for and I was behind Ian one hundred percent, he had so many endearing qualities, I can’t say enough about how much I love his character.

This was a bittersweet ending to an amazing series, I’m so sad to say goodbye to these characters that I’ve grown to love over the past two years. I’m really satisfied with how things wrapped up though and I feel like things ended in the best possible way. A very solid end to one of my favorite women’s fiction series from an author I adore, I absolutely love Lonsdale’s writing style, she makes reading effortless and she’s so talented.

Everything We Give in three words: Emotional, Bittersweet and Surprising.

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.