Review: Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly (audio)

Title: Little Lovely Things Author: Maureen Joyce Connolly Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers Published: April 2019, Recorded Books Length: 10 hours 14 minutes Source: Publicist Summary:  A mother’s chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent’s worst nightmare. Claire Rawlings, mother of two and medical resident, will not let the troubling signs of an allergic reaction prevent her from making it in for rounds. But when Claire’s symptoms…

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Review: Holding Strong by Lori Foster (audio/print)

Title: Holding Strong Author: Lori Foster Series: Ultimate, #2 Narrator: Jim Frangione Published: March 2015, Recorded Books / HQN Books Length: 13 hours 45 minutes / 475 pages Source: Audio – Personal copy via Audible / Print – ARC e-copy via Netgalley Summary:  Heavyweight fighter Denver Lewis plays real nice, but he doesn’t share. That’s why he’s been avoiding top-notch flirt Cherry Peyton. But a man can only resist those…

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Book Review: Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr

Title: Sunrise on Half Moon Bay Author: Robyn Carr Published: April 2020, MIRA Format: ARC E-copy, 336 pages Source: Netgalley via Little Bird Publicity Summary:  Sometimes the happiness we’re looking for has been there all along… Adele and Justine have never been close. Born twenty years apart, Justine was already an adult when Addie was born. The sisters love each other but they don’t really know each other. When Addie…

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Review: The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

Title: The New Husband Author: D.J. Palmer Published: April 2020, St. Martin’s Press Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  What makes Simon Fitch so perfect? -He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies. -Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most. -He anticipates her every need. -He would never betray her like her first husband. The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes.…

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Review: In Plain Sight by Laurie Holbrook

Title: In Plain Sight Author: Laurie Holbrook Series: Mabel Peters, #2 Published: April 2020, Frisson Publishing Format: ARC E-book, 314 pages Source: Author Summary:  Across Colorado, girls are disappearing. Mabel Peters and her partner, Frankie Dowdy, have dedicated their lives to bring them home before they are gone for good. Thirteen-year-old Isabel Dumel is no longer a child, but not yet an adult. Her mom is dead and her dad…

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Review: The Secret Admirer by Carol Wyer

Title: The Secret Admirer Author: Carol Wyer Series: Detective Natalie Ward, #6 Published: April 2020, Bookouture Format: ARC E-copy, 413 pages Source: Netgalley Summary:  ‘I tried to talk to you today but you snubbed me and walked away. It wasn’t wise to give me the brush-off, Gemma. I can be a truly good friend but I also make the perfect enemy.’ Sasha’s eighteen-year-old daughter Gemma was all she had in…

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Review: The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel (print/audio)

Title: The Astronaut Wives Club Author: Lily Koppel Narrator: Orlagh Cassidy Published: June 2013, Hachette Audio / Grand Central Publishing Length: 7 hours 46 minutes / 302 pages Source: Audio via Library / Print via Publisher Summary: As America’s Mercury Seven astronauts were launched on death-defying missions, television cameras focused on the brave smiles of their young wives. Overnight, these women were transformed from military spouses into American royalty. They…

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Review: The Shadows by Alex North

Title: The Shadows Author: Alex North Published: July 2020, Celadon Books Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile–always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years…

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Review: Watching From the Dark by Gytha Lodge

Title: Watching From the Dark Author: Gytha Lodge Series: DCI Jonah Sheens, #2 Published: February 2020, Random House Format: Hardcover, 352 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  One crime. One witness. One question . . . Why didn’t he call the police? When a vibrant young woman is murdered while on a video chat, a small-town detective wades into a circle of friends and lovers with dangerous secrets—in the new novel from…

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Review: A Mother’s Lie by Sarah Zettel — With link to #BookGiveaway!!!

Title: A Mother’s Lie Author: Sarah Zettel Published: April 2020, Grand Central Publishing Format: Paperback, 416 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  Beth Fraiser finally has her life together. She’s built a successful career in the tech sector, has a bright fifteen-year-old daughter, and she’s completely put all evidence of her troubled past behind her. At least that’s what she thought. Dana Fraiser loves her mom. But the backup phones, emergency drills,…

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Review: The Third Sister by Sara Blaedel — with link to #BookGiveaway!!!

Title: The Third Sister Author: Sara Blaedel Series: Ilka/Family Secrets series, #3 Published: April 2020, Grand Central Publishing Format: Hardcover, 304 pages Source: Publisher   Summary:  Family drama, deadly secrets, and deception come to a head in the explosive conclusion of #1 internationally bestselling author Sara Blaedel’s Family Secrets trilogy. Ilka Jensen’s life is in chaos following the tumultuous events of Her Father’s Secret. The funeral home she inherited after…

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Review: The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry (audio)

Title: The Roxy Letters Author: Mary Pauline Lowry Narrator: Jayme Mattler Published: April 2020, Simon & Schuster Audio Length: 9 hours 39 minues Source: ALC via Libro.fm Summary: Meet Roxy. She’s a sometimes vegan, always broke artist with a heart the size of Texas and an ex living in her spare bedroom. Her life is messy, but with the help of a few good friends and by the grace of…

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Review: The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan

Title: The Last Bathing Beauty Author: Amy Sue Nathan Published: April 2020, Lake Union Publishing Format: Paperback, 304 pages Source: Author Summary:  A former beauty queen faces the secrets of her past—for herself and the sake of her family’s future—in a heartfelt novel about fate, choices, and second chances.   Everything seemed possible in the summer of 1951. Back then Betty Stern was an eighteen-year-old knockout working at her grandparents’…

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Month in Review: March 2020

So…anyone else still struggling to find a new normal? I think what is most frustrating is the not knowing how long this is going to last. I normally work from home, so that wasn’t an adjustment, but what is an adjustment is being able to head out when I want to – head to a bookstore to just wander aimlessly or head out to Starbucks just to grab a drink…

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Blog Tour & Review: The Eighth Girl by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung

Title: The Eighth Girl Author: Maxine Mei-Fung Chung Published: March 2020, William Morrow Format: ARC Paperback, 480 pages Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours Summary:  Optioned by Netflix and a most anticipated book of 2020 from Bustle, The Rumpus, Electric Literature, and LitHub. “The Eighth Girl is an exquisite exploration of childhood trauma and its impact on the psyche. Part thriller, part character study, I devoured this novel in one sitting, reflecting…

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Review: Summer of ’79: A Summer of ’69 Story

Title: Summer of ’79: A Summer of ’69 Story Author: Elin Hilderbrand Published: February 2020, Little, Brown & Company Format: E-book, 61 pages Source: Personal copy Summary:  AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! Elin Hilderbrand’s brief, irresistible postscript to her #1 New York Times bestselling novel Summer of ’69.   Catch up with Blair, Jessie, and Kirby ten years after the summer everything changed. This “Summer of ’69 story” by…

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Review: The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

Title: The Familiar Dark Author: Amy Engel Published: March 2020, Dutton Books Format: ARC Paperback, 256 pages Source: Publisher   Summary:  A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground. Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it’s better not to know. Set in the poorest part of…

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Review: Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Title: Darling Rose Gold Author: Stephanie Wrobel Published: March 2020, Berkley Format: ARC E-copy, 320 pages Source: Netgalley Summary:  Sharp Objects meets My Lovely Wife in this tightly drawn debut that peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships… For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at…

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Review: Miss Austen by Gill Hornby

Title: Miss Austen Author: Gill Hornby Published: April 2020, Flatiron Books Format: ARC E-copy, 288 pages Source: Netgalley via Publisher Summary:  Whoever looked at an elderly lady and saw the young heroine she once was? England, 1840. For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation.…

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Book Spotlight: Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan — with link to #BookGiveaway

Yesterday, Patti Callahan’s latest book, Becoming Mrs. Lewis, was released in paperback. I am really looking forward to read this – it sounds like the perfect book to get lost in right now.  I am also thrilled to be able to share this book with one lucky reader!  This expanded paperback edition is the perfect book to read while quarantined with your family and friends. It includes: A map of…

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Review: Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen

Title: Please See Us Author: Caitlin Mullen Published: March 2020, Gallery Books Format: ARC E-copy, 352 pages Source: Netgalley Summary:  In this sophisticated, suspenseful debut reminiscent of Laura Lippman and Chloe Benjamin, two young women become unlikely friends during one fateful summer in Atlantic City as mysterious disappearances hit dangerously close to home. Summer has come to Atlantic City but the boardwalk is empty of tourists, the casino lights have…

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Review: The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy by Jean Kennedy Smith

Title: The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy Author: Jean Kennedy Smith Published: December 2018, Harper Perennial Format: Paperback, 272 pages Source: Personal copy Summary:  In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal…

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Review: Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone

Title: Problem Child Author: Victoria Helen Stone Series: Jane Doe, #2 Published: March 2020, Lake Union Publishing Format: ARC Paperback, 266 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  She’s cold, calculating, and can deceive with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling series—and this time she’s met her match. After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now, looking next…

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Blog Tour & Review: Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Title: Eight Perfect Murders Author: Peter Swanson Published: March 2020, William Morrow Format: Hardcover, 270 pages Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours Summary:  From the hugely talented author of Before She Knew Him comes a chilling tale of psychological suspense and an homage to the thriller genre tailor-made for fans: the story of a bookseller who finds himself at the center of an FBI investigation because a very clever killer has…

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Review: Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent

Title: Lying in Wait Author: Liz Nugent Published: February 2019, Gallery/Scout Press Format: Paperback, 336 pages Source: Personal copy Summary:  From the author of the international bestseller Unraveling Oliver comes a “truly outstanding” (Crime by the Book), brilliantly plotted, utterly immersive novel lauded by A.J. Finn—#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window—as “extraordinary…crackles and snaps like a bonfire on a winter’s night.” My husband did…

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Review: No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez

Title: No Bad Deed Author: Heather Chavez Published: February 2020, William Morrow Format: ARC Paperback, 312 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  Packed with the electrifying pacing and pulse-pounding suspense of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner, a thrilling debut about a mother desperate to find the connections between her missing husband and a deadly stalker who knows too much about her own dark family history. Driving home one rainy night, Cassie Larkin…

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Review: In Five Years by Rebecca Serle (audio)

Title: In Five Years Author: Rebecca Serle Narrator: Megan Hilty Published: March 2020, Simon & Schuster Audio / Atria Books Length: 6 hours 44 minutes / 272 pages Source: Audio – ALC via Libro.fm / Print – ARC E-copy via Netgalley   Summary: Where do you see yourself in five years?  When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Cohan is asked this question at the most important interview of her career, she…

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Review: The Operator by Gretchen Berg

Title: The Operator Author: Gretchen Berg Published: March 2020, William Morrow Format: Hardcover, 352 pages Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours Summary:  A clever, surprising, and ultimately moving debut novel, set in a small Midwestern town in the early 1950s, about a nosy switchboard operator who overhears gossip involving her own family, and the unraveling that discovery sets into motion. In a small town, everyone knows everyone else’s business . .…

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Author Q&A: Emily Bleeker

Emily Bleeker is quickly becoming a favorite author for me  – I’ve read some of her more recent books and really enjoyed them.  Her latest book, What It Seems, will be published next week. Earlier today I shared my review of the book – you can read that here. Today I have a conversation that Emily has prepared that I found to be quite interesting.  Do let me know if…

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Review: What It Seems by Emily Bleeker

Title: What It Seems Author: Emily Bleeker Published: March 2020, Lake Union Publishing Format: ARC Paperback, 284 pages Source: Publisher via BooksForward PR Summary:  A page-turning novel of suspense about the perfect family, and the perfect lies, by the bestselling author of When I’m Gone and The Waiting Room.   Adopted by her controlling foster mother at the age of eight, twenty-year-old Tara has seen little of the outside world.…

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Review: The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant by Kayte Nunn

Title: The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant Author: Kayte Nunn Published: March 2020, William Morrow Paperbacks Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours Summary:  A cache of unsent love letters from the 1950s is found in a suitcase on a remote island in this mysterious love story in the tradition of the novels by Kate Morton and Elizabeth Gilbert . 1951. Esther Durrant, a young mother, is committed…

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Book Spotlight: The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth — with link to #Giveaway!!!

Yesterday, Sally Hepworth’s latest book, The Mother-in-Law, was released in paperback. Since I already have a copy of this book,  I am going to give it away to one lucky reader!!! I read this book last year and loved it…I loved that I went into the book expecting one story and got a totally different one! But just take note…the Giveaway it happening on my Instagram page!!! You can find…

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Review: Girl Can’t Help It by Max Allan Collins (audio)

Title: Girl Can’t Help It Author: Max Allan Collins Series: Krista Larson, #2 Narrator: Dan John Miller Published: March 2020, Brilliance Audio Length: 7 hours 21 minutes Source: Author/Publisher Summary: A rock band’s reunion is looking more like a farewell tour in a captivating mystery by New York Times bestselling and award-winning crime master Max Allan Collins. No sooner do Hot Rod and the Pistons reunite for their induction into…

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Blog Tour & Review: The Sea of Lost Girls by Carol Goodman

Title: The Sea of Lost Girls Author: Carol Goodman Published: March 2020, William Morrow Paperbacks Format: Paperback, 320 pages Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours Summary: In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Shari Lapena, and Michelle Richmond comes a new thriller from the bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages—a twisty, harrowing story set at a prestigious prep school in which one woman’s carefully hidden past might destroy her future.…

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Review: Hide Away by Jason Pinter (audio)

Title: Hide Away Author: Jason Pinter Series: Rachel Marin Thriller, #1 Narrator: Angela Dawe Published: March 2020, Brilliance Audio / Thomas & Mercer Length: 11 hours 7 minutes / 368 pages Source: Audio – Brilliance Audio / Print – ARC Paperback via Thomas & Mercer Summary: From the bestselling author of the Henry Parker series comes a page-turning thriller about a vigilante who’s desperate to protect her secrets—and bring a…

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Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Hide Away by Jason Pinter

Last week, March 1st, Jason Pinter’s latest novel, Hide Away, came out, and because I ended up with an extra copy, I’m going to give that copy away! I’ve just finished this book – it’s so good!!! – and will be posting my review later on today. It’s the first in a new series and you all know how much I love my series! You can see what others have…

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Review: Grace is Gone by Emily Elgar

Title: Grace is Gone Author: Emily Elgar Published: January 2020, Harper Paperbacks Format: ARC Paperback, 336 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  From the bestselling author of If You Knew Her comes this harrowing tale of suspense—a story ripped from today’s headlines—of a tight-knit English community, who’s rocked by the murder of a mother and the mysterious disappearance of her daughter, and the secrets that lie concealed beneath a carefully constructed facade.…

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Review: Black Out by Ragnar Jonasson

Title: Black Out Author: Ragnar Jonasson Series: Dark Iceland, #3 Published: July 2016, Orenda Books Format: Paperback, 247 pages Source: Personal copy Summary:  On the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer’s night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves…

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Book Spotlight: Woman on the Edge by Samantha Bailey

Today, Samantha Bailey’s debut novel, Woman on the Edge, is being released in the U.S. I read this book back in November and loved it. And I am thrilled to be able to offer two readers a copy of this book…But – the giveaway is over on my Instagram page.  You can find my review of Woman on the Edgehere. Read on to see what others have to say and…

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Short & Sweet Review: The People vs. Alex Cross by James Patterson

Title: The People vs. Alex Cross Author: James Patterson Series: Alex Cross, 25 Published: November 2017, Little, Brown & Company Format: Hardcover, 413 pages Source: Personal copy Summary:  This time it’s Alex Cross on trial.  Alex Cross is on the wrong side of the law. Serving a suspension from the force while he awaits trial for murder, Cross has been branded as a trigger-happy cop, another bad apple walking the…

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Review: You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (audio)

Title: You Are Not Alone Author: Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen Narrator: Barrie Kreinik, Dylan Moore Published: March 2020, Macmillan Audio / St. Martin’s Press Length: 11 hours 1 minute / ARC Paperback, 352 pages Source: Audio – ALC via Libro.fm / Print – ARC Paperback via Publisher Summary: You probably know someone like Shay Miller.  She wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but…

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Review: In An Instant by Suzanne Redfearn (audio)

Title: In An Instant Author: Suzanne Redfearn Narrator: Jesse Vilinsky Published: March 2020, Brilliance Audio / Lake Union Publishing Length: 10 hours 43 minutes / 332 pages Source: Audio via Publisher / Print – Paperback via Author Summary: A deeply moving story of carrying on even when it seems impossible.  Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others…

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Month in Review: February 2020

Somehow, even though this is the shortest month, I managed to read more books than last month…and I am not one bit mad about it. I read some great books and I hope this trend continues throughout the year. I also attended some fantastic author events and this is another thing I hope continues throughout the year. I am so lucky that I live close to NYC – my favorite…

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Review: Follow Me by Kathleen Barber

Title: Follow Me Author: Kathleen Barber Published: February 2020, Gallery Books Format: ARC E-copy, 352 pages Source: Netgalley via Publisher Summary:  From the author of Are You Sleeping—soon to be an Apple TV series—comes a cautionary tale of oversharing in the social media age for fans of Jessica Knoll and Caroline Kepnes’s You. Everyone wants new followers…until they follow you home. Audrey Miller has an enviable new job at the…

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Review: Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald

Title: Behind Every Lie Author: Christina McDonald Published: February 2020, Gallery Books Format: ARC E-book, 336 pages Source: Netgalley Summary:  From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell—an “emotionally charged mystery” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author)—comes a thrilling new suspense novel about the insidious nature of family secrets…and their deadly potential. If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it? Eva…

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Review: Don’t Look Down by Hilary Davidson

Title: Don’t Look Down Author: Hilary Davidson Series: Shadows of New York, #2 Published: February 2020, Thomas & Mercer Format: ARC Paperback, 368 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice, a gripping mystery about a sinister murder that everyone wants to stay buried—except one dogged NYPD detective. Jo Greaver is a model of success. Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business…

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Review: Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore (audio)

Title: Oona Out of Order Author: Margarita Montimore Narrator: Brittany Pressley Published: February 2020, Macmillan Audio Length: 11 hours 30 minutes Source: ALC via Libro.fm Summary: “Reminiscent of Liane Moriarty’s What Alice Forgot and Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, Oona Out of Order is a delightfully freewheeling romp.” —Booklist (starred review) Just because life may be out of order, doesn’t mean it’s broken.   It’s New Year’s Eve 1982, and…

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Blog Tour & Review: The Lucky One by Lori Rader-Day

Title: The Lucky One Author: Lori Rader-Day Published: February 2020, William Morrow Paperbacks Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages Source: Publisher Summary:  “This might well be my favorite Rader-Day so far: a brilliant premise intriguingly developed, totally believable characters and a climax that took my breath away.”  — Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of The Shetland and Vera Series   From the acclaimed author of Under A Dark Sky comes an unforgettable, chilling…

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Review: The Blossom Twins by Carol Wyer

Title: The Blossom Twins Author: Carol Wyer Series: Detective Natalie Ward, #5 Published: December 2019, Bookouture Format: ARC E-copy, 386 pages Source: Netgalley Summary:  Their parents thought they were hiding… One beautiful summer’s evening, thirteen-year-old twins Ivy and Erin Westmore snuggle down in a tent in their back garden, giggling and sharing secrets. When their mother goes to wake the girls the next morning, their tent is empty. The alarm…

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Review: Truth Be Told by Kathleen Barber

Title: Truth Be Told Author: Kathleen Barber Published: November 2019, Gallery Books Format: Paperback, 368 pages Source: Publisher * This was first published in August 2017 under the title, Are You Sleeping Summary:  Soon to be a major TV series from Apple TV+ and produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine! Serial meets Ruth Ware’s In A Dark, Dark Wood in this inventive and twisty psychological thriller—formerly titled Are You Sleeping—about…

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