Month: February 2022

Review: The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

1 Comment

Goodreads

Release date: April 5, 2022

Publisher: St. Martins

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Stephen Aston is getting married again. The only problem is, he’s still married to his first wife, even though she is in a care facility for dementia. But he’ll take care of that easily, by divorcing her–even if his adult daughters protest.

Tully and Rachel Aston look upon Heather as nothing but an interloper. Heather is the same age as Rachel and even younger than Tully. Clearly she’s a golddigger and after their father’s money. Heather has secrets that she’s keeping close, and reasons of her own for wanting to marry Stephen.

With their mother unable to speak for herself, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is. But will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses…in all of them?

Review:

I struggled with the authors last book but have absolutely loved many of her others so I went into this one with some very slight hesitation. I say slight because that description basically has all of my favorite things in a thriller so I was actually fairly confident that I would enjoy this one and I was right! It was just pure enjoyable entertainment for me, messy family dynamics never get old and these people has plenty of mess. You get to hear from sisters Tully and Rachel and also from the new wife, Heather and each of them were interesting. I enjoyed Rachel the most, she was very likable and while I didn’t necessarily like Heather or Tully all that much they were pretty damn intriguing to read about. Most of what ended up happening were things I saw coming, there’s nothing super surprising going on but the author has a style that is still compelling. And the ending really kinda made me go WHAT?? But it definitely won’t be for everyone, it’s gonna be polarizing for sure. I mostly liked it I think? I didn’t hate it that’s for sure, it’s one that will stay with you.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Audiobook Review: Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey

Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: Harper Audio

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

King crab fisherman Fox Thornton has a reputation as a sexy, carefree flirt. Everyone knows he’s a guaranteed good time–in bed and out–and that’s exactly how he prefers it. Until he meets Hannah Bellinger. She’s immune to his charm and looks, but she seems to enjoy his… personality? And wants to be friends? Bizarre. But he likes her too much to risk a fling, so platonic pals it is.

Now, Hannah’s in town for work, crashing in Fox’s spare bedroom. She knows he’s a notorious ladies’ man, but they’re definitely just friends. In fact, she’s nursing a hopeless crush on a colleague and Fox is just the person to help with her lackluster love life. Armed with a few tips from Westport’s resident Casanova, Hannah sets out to catch her coworker’s eye… yet the more time she spends with Fox, the more she wants him instead. As the line between friendship and flirtation begins to blur, Hannah can’t deny she loves everything about Fox, but she refuses to be another notch on his bedpost.

Living with his best friend should have been easy. Except now she’s walking around in a towel, sleeping right across the hall, and Fox is fantasizing about waking up next to her for the rest of his life and… and… man overboard! He’s fallen for her, hook, line, and sinker. Helping her flirt with another guy is pure torture, but maybe if Fox can tackle his inner demons and show Hannah he’s all in, she’ll choose him instead?

In the follow-up to It Happened One Summer, Tessa Bailey delivers another deliciously fun rom-com about a former player who accidentally falls for his best friend while trying to help her land a different man…

Review:

The first book in this series, It Happened One Summer was my new favorite Tessa Bailey book until this one and now they’re tied because they were both SO good!! As per usual when I adore a book this much I’ll leave you with a list of exactly what made me swoon.

💗The most adorable text message exchanges between Hannah and Fox that left me giddy

💗Forced proximity as Hannah temporarily moves in with Fox when she’s in town for work

💗Steamy sex and filthy talk from Fox 🥵

💗Friends to lovers that actually truly built upon the friends portion of the trope

💗So many amazing musical references 🎶

💗An equal balance between humor and heart and some tenderness that melted my cold black heart

💗An epilogue that almost brought me to my knees

I’ll stop here but I’ll say while the audio was fantastic and Lauren Sweet has the voice of an angel I’m sure this would be amazing in whatever format you choose because this book was just that good!

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: The Suite Spot by Trish Dollar

1 Comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 8, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Rachel Beck has hit a brick wall. She’s a single mom, still living at home and trying to keep a dying relationship alive. Aside from her daughter, the one bright light in Rachel’s life is her job as the night reservations manager at a luxury hotel in Miami Beach—until the night she is fired for something she didn’t do.

On impulse, Rachel inquires about a management position at a brewery hotel on an island in Lake Erie called Kelleys Island. When she’s offered the job, Rachel packs up her daughter and makes the cross country move.

What she finds on Kelleys Island is Mason, a handsome, moody man who knows everything about brewing beer and nothing about running a hotel. Especially one that’s barely more than foundation and studs. It’s not the job Rachel was looking for, but Mason offers her a chance to help build a hotel—and rebuild her own life—from the ground up.

Review:

Float Plan was one of my favorite reads last year so it’s safe to say I’ve been dying to read this follow up ever since. The author wrote such a beautiful and tender love story that really pulled on my heartstrings but also made me laugh too. A winning combination for me always and I’m so happy to say I loved this one just as much.

There’s a sunshine and grump trope here and I’m quickly realizing that it’s one of my latest faves. Rachel and Mason are both incredibly likable so you’re behind their pairing pretty fast and the addition of Rachel’s daughter, Maisie was just delightful. You do get to check in with Anna and Keane from the first book which is always a treat and it’s set in a cute little town which is another bonus. There is a grief element here once again but the author handles this really beautifully and delivers a really well rounded romance that I adored.

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Tell Me the Truth by Kiersten Modglin

Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 1, 2022

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

It’s not the first time Edith’s husband, Joe, has lied to her.
But it will be the last.

When she finds photos of a mysterious woman on her husband’s phone, the heartbreaking implications are all too familiar, and Edith sets out to discover her identity. What starts as a desperate search for answers quickly becomes a terrifying spiral of obsession and subterfuge.

With each new secret uncovered about her life, her marriage, and the man she loves, Edith is left with even more questions.

What exactly is Joe hiding?
Who is the woman in his photos?

Refusing to accept Joe’s lies any longer, Edith soon finds herself living a double life, telling lies and keeping secrets of her own. When she uncovers a final piece of the puzzle, something darker and more gut-wrenching than even she could’ve anticipated, Edith is forced to make a choice about the future of her marriage.

The truth always comes at a price.
Sometimes, that price is your life.

Review:

The other night I was in the mood for a super fast paced and twisty thriller and when I was browsing my shelves I remembered that this book had landed on my Kindle and I knew it would be exactly what I was in the mood for. I was right, I devoured this in just a few hours because I couldn’t put it down. It was full of the authors signature twists and turns, it took a well known trope of a cheating spouse but she put her own unique spin on it and if you’ve read a KMod book before you know that means things were unexpected. The ending was tense, satisfying and thrilling all at once, just overall a solid thriller read. The less you know the better here so just take my advice and add this one to your TBR for the day you’re in the mood for a binge read.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Audiobook Review: Would I Lie to You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal

2 Comments

Release date: February 22, 2022

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Genre:

Synopsis:

When money and lies come between Faiza and her husband, Faiza will do anything to fix it, even if it means taking risks that could ruin their lives forever–if she’s caught.

At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish white mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own. She’s learned to crack their subtle codes, speak their language of fashion and vacations and haircuts. You’d never guess, seeing her at the trendy kids’ parties and the leisurely coffee mornings, that her childhood was spent being bullied and being ashamed of her poor Pakistani immigrant parents. When her husband Tom loses his job in finance, he stays calm. Something will come along, and in the meantime, they can live off their savings. But Faiza starts to unravel. Creating the perfect life and raising the perfect family comes at a cost – and the money Tom put aside has gone. Faiza will have to tell him she spent it all.

Unless she doesn’t…

It only takes a second to lie to Tom. Now Faiza has mere weeks to find $100,000. If anyone can do it, Faiza can. She’s had to fight for what she has, and she’ll fight to keep it. But as the clock ticks down and Faiza desperately tries to put things right, she has to ask herself: how much more should she sacrifice to live someone else’s idea of the dream life?

Review:

This is a tricky one for me because there was plenty that I enjoyed and I was definitely entertained by this one, but there was also plenty that didn’t work so well for me either. The first half really held my attention, Faiza was digging herself a huge hole with all of her lies that I wondered how she would ever climb out of it and honestly, I was totally hooked. I think about halfway in is where I started to lose interest. I think it was too long, seriously one hundred pages could’ve been cut and it would’ve been fine, there were some side plots and characters that just didn’t add anything of value to the story, unnecessary for me personally. I did appreciate what the author was trying to say about money and class and I loved reading about the desi culture as well. But overall this one just ended up being a middle of the road read for me as so many of the plot points were silly and too over the top for me, they ventured into the unbelievable and absurd unfortunately. However the audio narration was top notch so if you’re gonna give this one a shot I can definitely recommend that version.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Audiobook Review: The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

2 Comments

Goodreads

Release date: February 22, 2022

Publisher: Harper Audio

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.

The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.

The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge

Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.

Review:

I really like how Lucy Foley manages to take a seemingly basic whodunnit story and put her own fresh spin on it. I don’t think that’s an easy thing to do, especially in such an over saturated market but whenever I finish one of her books I’m always left thinking that she is clever.

This one has several viewpoints and also a multi narrated cast and each narrator was so good. Listening to the audio made for such an immersive experience for me, it’s steeped in French culture and hearing the sometimes French accents of the characters was chefs kiss. The apartment complex itself was a character on it’s own and added such a great sense of place and atmosphere that I felt like I was there beside the characters. It was a bit of a slow burn and towards the middle lost some steam but the ending picked up the pace again and lead to a satisfying conclusion. Overall a solid thriller for me and definitely one I can recommend.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: The Heights by Louise Candlish

4 Comments

Goodreads

Release date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among warehouses in London. Its roof terrace is so discreet, you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren’t standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there—a man you’d recognize anywhere. He may be older now, but it’s definitely him.

But that can’t be because he’s been dead for over two years. You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

Review:

It’s been awhile since I’ve read one of the authors books, I usually find them ok for me but nothing totally memorable so I went into this one with some hesitation, yet I was hopeful still. I was also intrigued by the last few lines of the synopsis, I mean someone you killed is alive?! 🤯 Right away you can tell this will be a slow burn, there is a ton of backstory and details but the writing was strong so it did keep my interest. It’s also on the longer side at just over four hundred pages but I’m also the type of person who thinks three hundred pages is the ideal length for a thriller. But despite the slowness and the length I was still oddly captivated by this one and in the end I’m glad I stuck it out because there were several clever twists in the end that made me feel like the payoff was worth it. So this may take some patience, but if you like a super slow burn thriller that’s highly detailed this one may work for you!

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Audiobook Review: A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings

Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 1, 2022

Publisher: St. Martin’s

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable.

A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules.

So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can’t risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

Review:

Have you ever read a romance with dental students as the leads? I have not and I thought that was such a fun and interesting angle that provided something unique to the genre. There was so much to like about this one besides the career paths of Harper and Dan. I thought their meet cute was adorable and it showed just how lovably goofy Harper can be. The anxiety representation was also really great and I appreciated how Harper’s anxiety tied into her grief and felt the way she dealt with things was authentic. Dan has his own issues, the main one portrayed here was his struggle to live up to family expectations even though dental school is absolutely miserable for him. It was kinda nice to see a truly flawed hero. The audio was dual narrated just like the book and both narrators were enraging and showed emotional depth in their performance. My only minor complaint is the insta love aspect, I really hate that trope but that’s just a personal preference. Overall a really nice debut and I’m excited it’s the start of a series.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Review: Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot

Leave a comment

Goodreads

Release date: March 15, 2022

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

A chef’s journey to success leads to discovering the perfect recipe for love in this delicious romantic comedy.

Sadie is a rising star in the trendy Seattle restaurant scene. Her dream is to create unique, modern, and mouthwatering takes on traditional Jewish recipes. But after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef, she is sure her career is over–until she lands a coveted spot on the next season of her favorite TV show, Chef Supreme.

On the plane to New York, Sadie has sizzling chemistry with her seatmate, Luke, but tells him that she won’t be able to contact him for the next six weeks. They prolong their night with a spontaneous, magical dinner before parting ways. Or so she thinks. When she turns up to set the next day, she makes a shocking discovery about who Luke is….

If Sadie wants to save her career by winning Chef Supreme, she’s going to have to ignore the simmering heat between her and Luke. But how long can she do that before the pot boils over?

Review:

Ok if you are a Top Chef fan this one is a must, it felt exactly like binge watching an entire season of the show! I mean to a tee, you follow Sadie from beginning of the show all the way until the end and it’s just as exciting and tense as watching episodes, maybe even a bit more fun actually. The food descriptions alone were to die for so make sure you have plenty of snacks handy when you start this, you’ll definitely be hungry and the Jewish flair Sadie brought to each and every plate was so so fun! I’m no expert on Jewish cuisine at all but reading about Sadie’s modern takes on old classics made me drool and had me wishing she was a real life friend so she could cook for me. Despite my love of the food angle I also really liked Sadie as a character as well, she was funny and quirky and easy to root for. My small and tiny complaint is that I wanted more romance, I get Luke and Sadie had to hide their feelings for each other but I definitely was hoping for some more of that aspect. But overall a super fun read that was a love letter to Top Chef!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.