Always With a Book

k2reader February 18, 2024

The Turtle House by Amanda Churchill #bookreview

Thank you Harper Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Turtle House in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Harper Published: February 20, 2024 Summary: Minnie and her granddaughter Lia are unforgettable protagonists, whose grit and grace will inspire you. Together, they find a way through in this gripping debut.”—Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an…

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k2reader February 18, 2024

The Woman Inside by M.T. Edvardsson #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Celadon Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Woman Insider in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Celadon Books / Macmillan Audio Published: June 13, 2023 Summary: A wealthy couple ends up murdered in the nicest part of town in this compulsively readable, page-turning thriller from M. T. Edvardsson, The Woman Inside. Bill Olsson, recently widowed, is desperate to provide…

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k2reader February 15, 2024

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita #bookreview #blogtour #bookseries

Thank you Berkley Books, #partner, for the finished copy of Village in the Dark in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Books Pub date: February 13, 2023 Summary: Detective Cara Kennedy thought she’d lost her husband and son in an accident, but harrowing evidence has emerged that points to murder–and she will stop at nothing to find the truth in this riveting mystery from the author of City Under One…

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k2reader February 13, 2024

The Mountain King by Anders de la Motte #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Mountain King in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 30, 2024 Summary: This atmospheric and sinister mystery, perfect for fans of the Nordic thrillers of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, follows an overachieving female inspector investigating the darkest side of humanity.…

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k2reader February 12, 2024

Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites & Simon & Schuster #partner, for the finished copy of Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 16, 2024 Summary: An Arctic expedition. A mysterious death. And the lengths to which one woman will go to avenge her sister When Maude Horton receives a letter…

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k2reader February 11, 2024

The Amish Wife by Gregg Olsen #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Jennifer Musico, PR / Thomas Mercer #partner, for the finished copy of The Amish Wife in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer / Brilliance Audio Published: January 1, 2024 Summary: The #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen solves a murder among the Amish and reveals the conspiracy to keep it a secret in…

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k2reader February 11, 2024

The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Riverhead Books Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: In The End of the World is a Cul de Sac the political is intertwined with the personal, as Louise Kennedy reveals how ordinary lives can get caught up in a wider, national drama. Sarah, abandoned by her partner, sits alone in their brand new house. Orla, facing the strange revenge of her husband, is…

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k2reader February 8, 2024

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett #bookreview

Thank you Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books Published: January 23, 2024 Summary: Everyone knows the story of the Alperton Angels: the cult who brainwashed a teenage girl into believing her baby was the anti-Christ. When the girl came to her senses and called the police, the Angels committed suicide and mother…

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k2reader February 7, 2024

A Soul for a Soul by Carol Wyer #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC of A Soul for a Soul in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Brilliance Audio Published: February 20, 2024 Summary: The syndicate have taken everything from her. It’s time to take them down—or die trying. DCI Kate Young never meant to shoot Superintendent John Dickson at the reservoir that night—even if, as a scheming corrupt cop and head of the shady syndicate, he…

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k2reader February 7, 2024

When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff #bookreview #audiobook #backlistreview

Thank you Libro.fm / Harper Audio, for the ALC and Harper, #partner, for an advanced copy of When We Were Bright and Beautiful in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Harper / Harper Audio Published: August 2, 2022 Summary: The acclaimed, bestselling author of This Could Hurt returns with her biggest, boldest novel yet–an electrifying, twisty, and deeply emotional family drama, set on Manhattan’s glittering Upper East Side, that explores the…

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k2reader February 6, 2024

Month in Review: January 2024

Once again, January felt like both it lasted forever and flew by! While I got off to a great start with reading and was doing pretty good with keeping up with my reviews, a family emergency derailed everything. I’m now playing catch-up, but fortunately everything is ok. This is looking to be another year of really good reads and I am excited to share them all with you. I…

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k2reader January 23, 2024

The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Riverhead Books Published: March 28, 2023 Summary: Set against a changing Singapore, a sweeping novel about one boy’s unique gifts and the childhood love that will complicate the fate of his community and country Ah Boon is born into a fishing village amid the heat and beauty of twentieth-century coastal Singapore in the waning years of British rule. He…

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k2reader January 22, 2024

Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Pegasus Crime Published: September 6, 2022 Summary: A new, fascinating account of the life of Agatha Christie from celebrated literary and cultural historian Lucy Worsley. “Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was.” Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was “just” an ordinary housewife,…

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k2reader January 20, 2024

Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and SimonBooksBuddies / Simon and Schuster / Netgalley, #partner, for the advanced copy of Here in Avalon in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: January 2, 2024 Summary: A New York City fairy tale about two sisters that fall under the spell of an underworld cabaret troupe that might be a…

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k2reader January 19, 2024

Never Trust the Husband by Jessica Payne #bookreview

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Bookouture, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Never Trust the Husband in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Bookouture Published: March 5, 2024 Summary: You look so happy in your wedding photo, gazing at your perfect new husband, glass of champagne held high in a toast. You chose to ignore the warning signs, but he hid more than one secret from you. And…

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k2reader January 15, 2024

The Silence in Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and @BookClubFavorites / Atria Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Silence in Her Eyes in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: January 16, 2024 Summary: This fresh take on classic psychological suspense centers on a young woman with a rare neurological condition who is convinced her neighbor is going to…

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k2reader January 15, 2024

One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall #bookreview

Thank you Zando Projects / Gillian Flynn Books / Netgalley, #partner for the advanced e-copy of One of the Good Guys in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Gillian Flynn Books Published: January 9, 2024 Summary: If most men claim to be good, why are most women still afraid to walk home alone at night? Desperate to escape the ghosts of his failed marriage, Cole upends his life. He…

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k2reader January 14, 2024

You Will Never Be Found by Tove Alsterdal #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Harper Published: January 10, 2023 Summary: Detective Eira Sjodin, introduced in the electrifying Swedish crime thriller We Know You Remember, races to solve a disappearance that hits chillingly close to home in the second book in the High Coast series, hailed by People as “Nordic noir at its best.” In the small mining town of Malmberget, north of the Arctic…

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k2reader January 13, 2024

Coming to Find You by Jane Corry #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Doubleday Canada for the ALC and Penguin Random House Canada / Netgalley #partner, for the advanced e-copy of Coming to Find you in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Penguin Random House Canada / Doubleday Canada Published: December 19, 2023 Summary: A heart-stopping psychological thriller about a woman running from the aftermath of a gruesome family tragedy–and also from the truth about her part in…

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k2reader January 10, 2024

Northwoods by Amy Pease #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books #partner, for the advanced copy of Northwoods in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: January 9, 2024 Summary: The dark underbelly of an idyllic Midwestern resort town is revealed in the aftermath of a murder with ties to America’s opioid epidemic in this unputdownable and thrilling debut that…

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k2reader January 9, 2024

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press/Netgalley, #partner for the advanced e-copy of The Heiress in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: January 9, 2024 Summary: When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and…

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k2reader January 8, 2024

The Palace by Gareth Russell #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Palace in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: The popular and “scrupulous historian” (Daily Mail, London) Gareth Russell presents five hundred years of British history—from King Henry VIII to Queen Elizabeth II—as seen through the doorways of the…

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k2reader January 3, 2024

Us Against You by Fredrick Backman #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Washington Square Press Published: March 5, 2019 Summary: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Beartown returns with an unforgettable novel. Have you ever seen a town fall? Ours did. Have you ever seen a town rise? Ours did that, too. A small community tucked deep in the forest, Beartown is home to tough, hardworking people who don’t expect life…

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k2reader December 31, 2023

Month in Review: December 2023

We made it to the end of another year! I don’t know about you, but it seems like these last few months have just flown by…but that’s ok. I’m ready for the new year to start. I had an ok reading month. I had hoped to get to a few more books, but I still enjoyed the ones I read. Looking ahead, there are some really good books coming…

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k2reader December 31, 2023

Top Debuts of 2023

Thank you to the following publishers for the gifted copies – Soho Press, St. Martin’s Press, Celadon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, Henry Holt Books, Atria Books. ⁣ ⁣ As I start putting my list of top reads together for 2023, I wanted to highlight some of the amazing debuts I read this year. These are authors that I will for sure be reading again. ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ The books are…

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k2reader December 29, 2023

Lost Hours by Paige Shelton #bookreview #bookseries

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Lost Hours in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: The fifth installment in the gripping, atmospheric Alaska Wild series. A year after arriving in Benedict, Beth Rivers is feeling very at home in Alaska, even as outsiders are starting to return to enjoy the brief summer perfection. Beth feels like she’s finally…

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k2reader December 28, 2023

Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols #bookreview

Thank you Celadon Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Granite Harbor in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Celadon Books Published: April 30, 2024 Summary: A small town in coastal Maine is under threat from a serial killer in this crime novel from Peter Nichols – bestselling author of The Rocks In scenic Granite Harbor on the coast of Maine, life has continued on–quiet and serene–for decades. That…

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k2reader December 28, 2023

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby #bookreview

Thank you Flatiron Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of All the Sinners Bleed in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Flatiron Books Published: June 6, 2023 Summary: A Black sheriff. A serial killer. A small town ready to combust. Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County, Virginia. In recent decades, Charon has had only two murders. After years of working as an…

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k2reader December 22, 2023

Since She’s Been Gone by Sagit Schwartz #bookreview

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Crooked Lane Books, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Since She’s Been Gone in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Crooked Lane Books Published: February 6, 2024 Summary: An emotionally charged, dual-timeline suspense set between L. A. and NYC, this debut novel is perfect for fans of The Last Thing He Told Me and Luckiest Girl Alive. A clinical psychologist is thrown into her dark past as…

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k2reader December 20, 2023

Under the Palms by Kaira Rouda #bookreview #series

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Thomas & Mercer, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Under the Palms in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Thomas & Mercer Published: May 21, 2024 Summary: During a weekend retreat, a powerful family plays a dangerous game of dark secrets and cold-blooded ambition in a novel by Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Beneath the Surface. Under the direction of the Kingsleys’…

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k2reader December 19, 2023

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books / Macmillan Audio Published: April 16, 2019 Summary: A literary courtroom thriller about an immigrant family and a young single mother accused of killing her autistic son, Miracle Creek is a powerhouse debut about how far we’ll go to protect our families, and our deepest secrets. In rural Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young…

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k2reader December 19, 2023

Little Monsters by Adrienne Brodeur #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Simon & Schuster Audio, for the ALC of Little Monsters in exchange for my honest review. I purchased the print book for my own collection. Publisher: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster Audio Published: June 27, 2023 Summary: From the author of the bestselling memoir Wild Game comes a riveting novel about Cape Cod, complicated families, and long-buried secrets—for fans of the New York…

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k2reader December 19, 2023

Shiver by Allie Reynolds #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Published: January 19, 2021 Summary: In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm. When Milla accepts an off-season invitation to Le Rocher, a cozy ski resort in the French Alps, she’s expecting…

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k2reader December 19, 2023

It Ends at Midnight by Harriet Tyce #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. I borrowed the audiobook from the library. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark / Highbridge Audio Published: February 21, 2023 Summary: It’s New Year’s Eve, and the stage is set for a lavish party in one of Edinburgh’s best postcodes. It’s a moment for old friends to set the past to rights – and move on. And yet, the celebration fails to materialize. Because…

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k2reader December 18, 2023

Devils at the Door by Tessa Wegert #bookreview #series

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy of Devils at the Door in exchange for my honest opinion. Publisher: Severn House Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: A suspicious drowning throws New York State senior investigator Shana Merchant’s life into turmoil in this taut, thrilling small-town mystery – perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware. Sixteen-year-old Henrietta used to be happy. But that was before her family…

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k2reader December 16, 2023

Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear #bookreview

Thank you Harper Perennial, #partner, for the finished copy of Five Bad Deeds in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Harper Perennial Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: A gripping tale of revenge, loyalty, and the secrets hidden between the walls of the most beautiful home in town. Ellen Walsh has done something very, very bad. If only she knew what it was… Teacher, mother, wife, and all-around good citizen…

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k2reader December 16, 2023

The Beautiful and the Wild by Peggy Townsend #bookreview

Thank you Berkley, #partner, for the finished copy of The Beautiful and the Wild in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Berkley Published: November 7, 2023 Summary: The dangers of Alaska aren’t limited to storms, starvation, and grizzly bears. Sometimes the most dangerous thing is the person you love. It’s summer in Alaska and the light surrounding the shipping-container-turned-storage shed where Liv Russo is being held prisoner is fuzzy…

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k2reader December 15, 2023

The Fury by Alex Michaelides #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fom / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Celadon Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Fury in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Celadon Books / Macmillan Audio Published: January 16, 2024 Summary: A masterfully paced thriller about a reclusive ex–movie star and her famous friends whose spontaneous trip to a private Greek island is upended by a murder ― from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

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k2reader December 14, 2023

One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan #bookreview

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Forge Books, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of One Wrong Word in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Forge Books Published: February 6, 2024 Summary: A heart-racing new psychological thriller from USA Today bestselling and multiple award-winning author, Hank Phillippi Ryan. One wrong word can ruin your life. And no one knows that better than savvy crisis management expert Arden Ward. Problem is, she’s now forced…

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k2reader December 14, 2023

This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Libro.fm / Highbridge Audio, for the ALC of This Is How We End Things in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Highbridge Audio Published: September 12, 2023 Summary: Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by RJ Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group…

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k2reader December 13, 2023

A Stolen Child by Sarah Stewart Taylor #bookreview #series

Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of A Stolen Child in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Minotaur Books Published: June 20, 2023 Summary: Sarah Stewart Taylor is known for her atmospheric portrayal of an American detective in Ireland, and her critically acclaimed series returns with A Stolen Child. After months of training, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy is now officially a Garda. She’s finally settling…

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k2reader December 12, 2023

The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer #bookreview

Thank you to Thoughts from a Page, Sourcebooks Landmark, #partner, for an advanced e-copy of The Lost Van Gogh in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark Published: January 2, 2024 Summary: From the author of the much-praised The Last Mona Lisa comes another thrilling story of masterpieces, masterminds, and mystery. For years, there have been whispers that, before his death, Van Gogh completed a final self-portrait. Curators…

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k2reader December 12, 2023

Fear No Evil by James Patterson #bookreview #series

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Published: November 22, 2021 Summary: Alex Cross enters the final showdown with the relentless killer who has stalked him and his family for years. Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness—where they will be the prey. They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they’re attacked by two rival…

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k2reader December 11, 2023

The Wonder of It All by Barbara Taylor Bradford #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Netgalley / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and St. Martin’s Press, #partner for the finished copy of The Wonders of It All in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford comes the long-anticipated final novel in the House of Falconer trilogy. James Falconer–a tycoon and a self-made man–seems to…

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k2reader December 11, 2023

Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Hachette Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Trail of the Lost in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Hachette Books / Hachette Audio Published: August 22, 2023 Summary: From an award-winning former law enforcement park ranger and investigator, this female-driven true crime adventure follows the author’s quest to find missing hikers along the Pacific Crest Trail by pairing up…

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k2reader December 10, 2023

Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC and @NovelSuspects & Mulholland Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Before She Finds Me in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Mulholland Books / Hachette Audio Published: June 27, 2023 Summary: In this shocking thriller, two unlikely mothers race to uncover the truth behind a horrific attack—even after it becomes clear that the truth will destroy one of their families. Julia…

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k2reader December 9, 2023

#CrimeTime by Jeneva Rose and Drew Pyne #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC of #CrimeTime in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio Published: December 12, 2023 Summary: The first audio original from Jeneva Rose, the author of blockbuster bestseller The Perfect Marriage, #CrimeTime is a full-cast mystery written with her husband, Drew Pyne, perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building and Finley Donovan Is Killing It. Going viral has never been so dangerous. Nadiya loves…

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k2reader December 9, 2023

The Anatomy of Desire by L.R. Dorn #bookreview #audiobook #backlistreview

Thank you Libro.fm / Harper Audio, for the ALC and Bibliolifestyle, William Morrow, #partner, for a finished copy of The Anatomy of Desire in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio Published: May 11, 2021 Summary: A modern tale of American striving, social media stardom, a fatal love triangle, and a young woman on trial for murder—a mesmerizing reimagining of Theodore Dreiser’s classic novel of…

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k2reader December 4, 2023

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you PRH Audio for the ALC and Doubleday #partner, for the advanced copy of The Frozen River in exchange for my honest review. Publisher: Doubleday / Random House Audio Published: December 5, 2023 Summary: From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote…

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k2reader December 4, 2023

The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton #bookreview

I purchased this book for my own personal collection. Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Published: September 19, 2023 Summary: It’s been more than a decade since the world has come undone, and Sasha Severn has returned to her childhood home with one goal in mind―find the mythic research her father, the infamous Last Beekeeper, hid before he was incarcerated. There, Sasha is confronted with a group of squatters who have claimed the…

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