Goodreads

Release date: October 29, 2024

Publisher: Poisoned Pen

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

Meet Cordelia Black. Cordelia loves exactly three things: her chosen family composed of her best friend Diane and her goddaughter; her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip); and killing bad men.

By day she’s a successful pharmaceutical rep with a pristine reputation and a designer wardrobe. By night she’s culling South Louisiana of unscrupulous men—monsters who always seem to evade justice, until they meet her. It’s a complicated yet fulfilling life that requires complete and total control at all times. But when the evening news starts throwing around the words “serial killer,” pressure heightens for her in the South, and it’s only exacerbated when Diane starts dating a man Cordelia isn’t sure is a good person—someone who might unravel everything Cordelia has worked for. Soon Cordelia’s world spirals, and she loses her grip on those tightly held threads that keep her safe.

Review:

I loved the sound of this, a vigilante serial killer with plenty of female rage sounded too good to pass up for me. Cordelia was a fascinating character, sometimes you can understand why she is the way that she is and others you’re like ok this bitch is just unhinged but I thought that was fun. This is darkly comedic, Cordelia is acerbic and sharp but when she’s around her best friend Diane and Diane’s daughter there is a softer side to her. While I felt this was a little long and rambling at times the suspense was solid and the tension kept amping up as the book went along. The ending was a bit anticlimactic and there were some loose ends but overall I had fun with this one and think it will be popular once it’s released.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: September 24, 2024

Publisher: Macmillan

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Synopsis:

A feel-good novel as delightful and comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night, The Christmas Inn is bestselling author Pamela Kelley’s most heartwarming and magical book yet.Riley Sanders didn’t plan on losing her job as a content marketing manager right before Christmas. When she calls her sister Amy to vent, she learns that their mother has broken her leg and could really use some help at the inn. Riley decides to head home to the inn, nestled along the shores of Cape Cod, in time for the Christmas rush. She is happy to help and needs something to distract her as mistletoe is hung and snowflakes begin to fall.When she gets there, she not only finds delicious cookies and a crackling fire to lift her spirits, but also the sense of family she’s been missing all along. There’s Franny, a woman who has just lost her sister and has four unopened letters from her that she plans to use to open her up to new experiences on the Cape. And there’s Aidan, her high school sweetheart, now a widower, who is staying at the inn with his nine year-old son, Luke. What begins as a quick stay over the holidays to help her mom turns into something that means much more—a second chance at romance, a deeper sense of found family, and all the joy and wonder that comes with Christmastime on Cape Cod.

Review:

Give me all the holiday romance, yes even in September, I’m always a sucker for a Hallmark style read and this one delivered exactly that vibe. I loved the Cape Cod setting which was primarily at an inn and I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Riley and her mom interact with a sweet group of characters who are staying at the inn and I liked them all but Franny the most, she was such a sweet woman. There were lots of food descriptions, I feel like people either love or hate that and I enjoy it so heads up there but overall this was a delightful little holiday romance that was fantastic on audio and provided me with such a sweet escape. The narrator is a longtime favorite for me and she was so engaging and entertaining.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: September 17, 2024

Publisher: Mulholland Books

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Synopsis:

A new mom in need of help opens her door to her long-estranged mother—only to invite something much darker inside—in this “fast-paced and frightening debut” (Rachel Harrison) about the long shadows cast by family secrets, perfect for readers of Grady Hendrix or Ashley Audrain.

Flora is a new mom enamored of her baby girl, Iris, even if she arrived a few weeks early. With her husband still deployed, Flora navigates the newborn stage alone. But as the sleepless nights pass in the loneliness of their half-empty home, the edges of her reality begin to blur. 

Just as Flora becomes convinced she is losing her mind, a surprising guest shows up: Flora’s own mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken in years. Can they mend their fraught relationship? Or is there more Flora’s mother isn’t telling her about the events that led to their estrangement? 

As stranger and scarier events unfold, Flora begins to suspect the house is not as empty as she once thought. She must determine: is her hold on reality slipping dangerously away? Or is she, in fact, the only thing standing between a terrifying visitor and her baby? 

Review:

Wow this one was wild! I don’t read much horror but every year around this time I try to read a few and then the description of this one just sounded really good to me and it totally was. I loved that it was a balance between really strange and bizarre happenings and the regular occurrences of being a new mother, it made it all the more frightening to me because it seemed like the crazy shit that was happening to Flora may actually be possible. This was very creepy and pretty gory, think descriptions of gross stuff and you definitely get that here, but it is horror so I expected to be grossed out and I was. The author captured some of those unique experiences that new mothers face but she did it with a supernatural twist and I have to say, it was clever. If you don’t mind dark and disturbing this was pretty good!

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads

Release date: October 1, 2024

Publisher: Bantam

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

When a young woman is found dead on her college campus, her sister doesn’t believe it was an accident—and her search for answers leads her closer to home than she ever would have imagined in this thrilling debut novel from an exciting new talent.

Maya can’t wait to return to Princeton for Reunions—it’s been a decade since she graduated, but she is looking forward to seeing old faces and reminiscing about her college days. And this year is even more special because her little sister, Naomi, is graduating.

But what should have been a dream weekend becomes Maya’s worst nightmare when she gets a call no one ever wants—Naomi is dead. The police are saying it’s an accident, but Maya suspects there is more to the story than they are letting on.

As Maya pieces together the months leading up to her sister’s death, she starts to realize how much Naomi hid from her. Naomi had joined Sterling Club, the most exclusive social club on campus—the same one Maya belonged to—despite Maya’s warnings. And if she had to guess, she’d say Naomi was also tapped for the secret society within it. 

The more Maya uncovers, the more terrified she becomes that Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Because Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she always pretended it was—after all, her sister wasn’t the first young woman to turn up dead. Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past…and to the secrets she’s kept all these years.

Review:

If you like to read somewhat seasonally and tend to gravitate towards dark academia in the fall this would be an excellent choice for you! I love a campus novel and add in secret societies, sisters and some mysteries and I’m hooked. This flips between sisters Maya in the past and present and Naomi in the months leading up to her death and while the chapters were mostly short, the pacing was more steady. This isn’t a one sitting type of read, it’s the kind where you wanna sink your teeth into it and spend some time with it which is exactly how I read it. Though there is one core mystery there are several other threads making this such a multifaceted read and the author also explored race and privilege in this setting in such a smart and gripping way. It had a ton of depth and substance so if you like mysteries with layers try this.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.