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Release date: February 6, 2018

Publisher: Dutton

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

The home of a family of five is now a crime scene: four of them savagely murdered, one—a sixteen-year-old girl—missing. Was she lucky to have escaped? Or is her absence evidence of something sinister? Detective D. D. Warren is on the case—but so is survivor-turned-avenger Flora Dane. Seeking different types of justice, they must make sense of the clues left behind by a young woman who, whether as victim or suspect, is silently pleading, Look for me.

Review:

As you can tell even from the short to the point description of this book this has a dark plot, the brutal murder of an entire family (minus one) does not make for light reading but I wouldn’t expect, nor would I want, anything less when I’m diving into a new LG book. She has a knack for writing about tough subjects while showcasing human emotion and behavior that isn’t seen very often in crime fiction all the while coming up with fresh plot lines that never fail to engage me.

Anytime I’m able to catch up with D.D. Warren I’m a happy camper and since she’s teaming up with Flora Dane who made her first appearance in Find Her I was even more excited. These two are quite the pair and since they don’t exactly see eye to eye it adds an additional layer of friction and tension to an already highly intense, emotional plot. Since D.D. became a parent we’ve seen a softer, gentler side to her and this case hits close to home, at times it’s almost too much for her to bear. I’m a fan of seeing this side of D.D. and I think long time fans of this series will agree. She’s not totally mushy by any means, she’s still that fast talking, snarky woman we all love, but she does have a sweet side, who knew?!

Per usual I won’t be discussing the plot, Gardner’s books are too well executed and I wouldn’t be able to describe much without spoilers and that’s not my thing, it’s best to discover this on your own. I will say that sometimes she uses flashbacks in her novels and this time it switches between Flora and D.D. in the present day to a collection of personal essays from Roxy, the teenager who was the only member of her family left when someone murdered the rest. This structure worked incredibly well for me and as much as Roxy’s essays were a difficult read, they were just SO well written that I couldn’t get enough. Her story was utterly heartbreaking, this poor kid has had a rough time and there are mentions of abuse towards children, so heads up on that. Gritty, entertaining and a police procedural with depth and heart, if you haven’t read this series I can highly recommend each book, they’re all fantastic!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

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Release date: January 30, 2018

Publisher: Kensington

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb:

Laura Cavendish can’t wait to meet the woman who’s won her son’s affection. Despite a successful career in television and a long, prosperous marriage, Laura’s world revolves around kind, talented Daniel. She pictures his new girlfriend, Cherry, becoming a close friend and confidante . . . one day, even a daughter-in-law.

But although Cherry is beautiful and amiable, Laura can’t warm to her. There’s something about the possessive way she touches Daniel, the little lies Laura detects. Cherry seems to resent Laura, driving a wedge between mother and son—until one day Daniel is injured in a terrible accident. Six months later, with Daniel still in a coma and facing death, Laura makes a fateful decision—and carries out an astonishing deceit.

A handsome doctor for a husband, with a trust fund and a family villa in St. Tropez—it was all supposed to be Cherry’s. Now, instead of living with Daniel in his impeccable home, she’s jobless and broke. And then Cherry discovers Laura’s stunning deception. But Cherry is too clever, too ambitious to let her get away with it. She’s already transformed herself into Daniel’s dream woman. Now she’ll become Laura’s worst nightmare.

Review:

This book was not was I was expecting but I don’t mean that in a negative way, I guess I was thinking it would be fast paced, intense and twisty and instead it was slower, with a subtle intensity and while it definitely had some surprises it wasn’t as twisty as I had imagined it would be. I do think it’s best to go into this knowing as little as possible about the plot so I won’t be delving into that too much, you really need to discover things on your own to fully appreciate this book.

This is a slow burn, it opens with an intriguing beginning and then it flips back in time. You hear from Laura, her son Daniel and his new girlfriend Cherry and there sections sometimes overlap and aren’t clearly labeled which is usually a popular choice. This wasn’t an issue for me, I actually found myself appreciating this structure and found the switches in narratives to be smooth and uncomplicated. I didn’t find either woman to be likable but they were very entertaining, there was a real feeling of cat and mouse and I was always wondering who would do what next, that aspect was unpredictable though there were some minor plot points that I saw coming. I wasn’t bothered by this though as the writing was so strong and there was a powerful, palpable sense of anticipation and apprehension that steadily increased as the story unfolded.

Read this if you’re looking for a character driven drama about manipulation with chilling moments and are able to be patient enough to wait awhile before the story really heats up. There was something intoxicating about being drawn in slowly instead of hit in the face with a crazy, action packed plot that worked well for me. As strong as things were by the last quarter of the book I do have to admit that I was a tiny bit disappointed by the ending, it was a little weak. But I can overlook it this time because I was addicted and throughly entertained by most of it.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: January 23, 2018

Publisher: Atria

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Blurb:

Noah Marshall has had a privileged life thanks to his mother, the highly decorated chief of the Austin Police Department. But all that changes the night she reveals a skeleton that’s been rattling in her closet for years: she doesn’t deserve her commendations or her medals—in fact, she deserves to be locked behind bars for what she did to a fellow officer to save her own reputation. When she finally succumbs to the guilt of destroying an innocent family’s life, she leaves Noah alone to carry the burden of this shocking secret, which she makes him vow never to share.

Gracie Reynolds wasn’t born into trailer park life, but after ten years of learning how to survive in The Hollow, it’s all she knows anymore. At least here people don’t care that she is a byproduct of a white mother and a black father. And they certainly don’t care that her dad was a corrupt Austin cop. Here, she and her mother can almost forget the shame he brought upon them…until a man who clearly doesn’t belong shows up on her doorstep one night, asking questions.

Together, Noah and Gracie set out to uncover the truth about the Austin police department’s dark and messy past­—but the scandal they uncover is bigger than they bargained for, and goes far higher up than they ever imagined.

Complex, gritty, sexy, and suspenseful, We Sold Our Souls solidifies K.A. Tucker’s reputation as one of today’s most talented new writers of romantic suspense.

Review:

I didn’t pick up on the fact that this one is labeled as a romantic suspense novel before I read it and that’s completely my fault, somehow when I first read the description I assumed it was a mystery police procedural type of read even though it says romantic suspense in the blurb! All of that to say, my expectations were not correct when I started this and I think it had an impact on my overall feelings about this one so keep that in mind when reading this review.

This is told using various timelines and several viewpoints and that portion of the book was very well done. The switches back and forth were seamless and the writing was fluid and engaging. The core of the plot was interesting and I always love a cold case type of mystery with an unsolved crime being unearthed years later. Noah and Grace were both well drawn and the secondary characters were as well and there were quite a few here, this was a well though out plot but I think veteran mystery readers will have a fairly easy time sussing things out.

Now for how my expectations effected my enjoyment and overall feelings about this. It really felt like I was reading a new adult romance and I totally wasn’t in the mood for that when I started this. It wasn’t too over the top but there is definitely romance and I could’ve done with less of the kissy stuff and more action and intensity. Again, totally my fault but I do want to make sure anyone eyeing this knows romance plays a pretty big role and the suspense takes a backseat. I also felt like parts of this were drawn out, maybe it’s because I could see where things were heading early on but I had a few moments where I was thinking, come ON already!

If you’re into RS this is a solid read, if you’re looking for a mystery without gore and graphic details, this is a good one. If you’re like me and prefer gritty, dark thrillers with tense moments and surprising twists this is probably not the book for you, however I can see it working for many people as long as they know what to expect.

Overall rating: 3/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: January 9, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

From New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch comes an honest, touching, and funny exploration of falling in and out of love, told from two perspectives—one rewinding history, one moving it forward—and each with bias and regret.

When their paths first cross, Ben Livingston is a fledgling scriptwriter on the brink of success; Tatum Connelly is a struggling actress tending bar in a New York City dive. They fall in love, they marry, they become parents, and they think only of the future. But as the years go by, Tatum’s stardom rises while Ben’s fades. In a marriage that bears the fallout of ambition and fame, Ben and Tatum are at a crossroads. Now all they can do is think back…

A life of passion, joy, tragedy, and loss—once shared—becomes one as shifting and unpredictable as a memory. As the pieces of their past come together, as they explore the ways love can bend and break, Ben and Tatum come to see how it all went wrong—and wonder what they can do now to make it all right.

Review:

The structure of this is ambitious and at first glance you may think it sounds confusing but I didn’t find it to be too hard to follow. It alternates with one chapter told from Ben beginning in 2016 and working it’s way backwards to 1999 when him and Tatum first meet then her chapters are told in chronological order. There are no big surprises since you know from the very start that where they are today is nowhere near that young, happy go lucky couple from their early days, but there was something bittersweet about reading one chapter full of resentment and bickering and then the next one is a sweet little anecdote from the past. It was unique and put a fresh spin on a love story and I admire the risk the author took, I can imagine it wasn’t easy to write.

I’ve read a couple of Scotch’s books now and I what I really like about her style is that she can show relationships that appear real, they’re flawed, imperfect and wholly relatable. Getting to see a marriage from both sides was interesting, sometimes their individual perception of an event was so completely different from each other it was crazy but I think that’s an honest observation and true for any relationship. I liked the way the format played into the plot in the end, it was a little AHA moment that I appreciated. If you’re looking for a relationship drama/love story with a clever spin give this a try.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my copy.