In Case of Emergency by E. G. Scott

August 21, 2020 By Leave a Comment


In Case of Emergency by E. G. Scott
Publisher: Dutton Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Charlotte, a midthirties Long Island woman, has felt so alone since her promising career in neuroscience imploded. But she has an online support group for trauma survivors; she has Rachel, a friend who has seen her through the worst of it; and now she also has Peter, a mysterious new boyfriend who has asked that their budding romance remain a total secret.

That is why she is too scared to report his disappearance to the authorities when he vanishes without a word.

Weeks later, police contact her to make an ID on a body and she fears the worst for her missing beau. Instead, she arrives at the morgue and feels a terrible relief when she sees a woman she has never met before on the table in front of her. But relief is replaced by confusion, then terror, when Charlotte realizes she has become a person of interest.

Why did Jane Doe have Charlotte listed as her emergency contact? Was it revenge or a warning? And where exactly does Peter factor into all this? As Charlotte becomes the prime murder suspect, she enters into a race against the clock to find truth about the dead woman and the connections they shared. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Starting over is hard, but Charlotte thinks she’s finally settled into her new life. She has a home, a struggling business, a small group of friends, and even a boyfriend. It’s starting to come together for her, finally. That is, until she gets a call that will not just change her life but shatter everything she’s come to rebuild.

Charlotte was an interesting woman. I enjoy complex characters with some kind of tragedy or hardship in their past. Her struggle to regain her sense of self was a hard one, and it’s easy to see and understand why she did some of the things she did. It was hard to see her realize her mistakes later on, however, because you know she was coming from a place of honesty.

The duo of detectives – Wolcott and Silvestri – were great. You can tell they’re pals as well as co-workers, even if they do annoy each other once in a while. They had to make tough choices and did everything they could to find the truth. Also, I both loved and hated the way one of them would discover something and then their POV would end so you didn’t know what they’d found until later. It was both evil and genius at the same time.

From the very beginning, the premise of this novel had me hooked. I’m not sure how I’d cope if some random person had me listed as their emergency contact. In Case of Emergency was a surprising thriller that caught me off guard with who the real bad guy was in the end. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I discovered how wrong I am. I really hope that we get to see more of Detectives Wolcott and Silvestri in the future, I thought they were a great team.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Narrator Marin Ireland

August 6, 2020 By 1 Comment


Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Narrator Marin Ireland
Publisher: HarperAudio
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.

Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they’ve barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

Madison’s twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there’s a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it’s the truth.

Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other—and stay cool—while also staying out of the way of Madison’s buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her—urgently and fiercely. Couldn’t this be the start of the amazing life she’d always hoped for?

With white-hot wit and a big, tender heart, Kevin Wilson has written his best book yet—a most unusual story of parental love.

Ever since she took the fall for her friend back in high school, Lillian’s life has gone nowhere. Stuck living with her mother and working dead-end jobs, she’s in a rut she can’t find her way out of. Worse yet, the friend she’d protected has gone on to a life of luxury as the wife of a particularly important politician. When Madison contacts her out of the blue, Lillian thinks it’s a joke. She’s prepared for failure again, but she’s not prepared for what she actually gets.

Our narrator, Lillian, is a potty-mouthed take-no-prisoners sort of gal and I loved her tough, ‘bring it on’ attitude. Even though she wasn’t excited about this job, she embraced it and promised to do her best to see it through. Watching her come to not just like the twins, but love being with them, was amazing. Probably the best characters in the book though were the twins. They knew they were weird, they knew that they’d not had a good life, but they kept on moving forward every chance they got. The way the author handled the twins’ spontaneous combustion was great, too. He made it seem like all kids burst into flames the second they got agitated and I stopped thinking it was weird after the first couple times. I think that the way Lillian downplayed the spectacle helped a lot in that regard.

The version I picked up was the audiobook and the narrator nailed it. She has this smooth, soothing voice that lulls you into a comfortable place. She tricks you into thinking that there really is nothing to see here, despite the fact she’s talking about two ten-year-olds currently burning – literally – with rage. The deadpan and mellow way that the narrator delivered such crazy scenarios really made the experience for me.

Everything about this book drew me in. From the crazy cover with a cartoon child in flames to the idea of kids that spontaneously combusted, it was right up my alley. I’d gone in expecting a humorous look at parenting and left with what was not just one of the funniest books I’d read all year, but one of the most heartwarming as well. Lillian’s transformation from ‘I’m just here because I’m getting paid’ to honestly, earnestly wanting to help these kids, made my motherly heart ache in the best way possible.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

You Can Go Home Now by Michael Elias

July 7, 2020 By Leave a Comment


You Can Go Home Now by Michael Elias
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

In this smart, relevant, unputdownable psychological thriller, a woman cop is on the hunt for a killer while battling violent secrets of her own.

“My name is Nina Karim. I am a single thirty-one-year-old woman who likes cats, Ryan Reynolds movies, beautiful sunsets, walking on a wintry beach holding hands with a tall, caring, lightly bearded third-wave feminist. Yeah, right.”

Nina is a tough Queens detective with a series of cold case homicides on her desk – men whose widows had the same alibi: they were living in Artemis, a battered women’s shelter, when their husbands were killed.

Nina goes undercover into Artemis. Though she is playing the victim, she’s anything but. Nina knows about violence and the bullies who rely on it because she’s experienced it in her own life.

In this heart-pounding thriller Nina confronts the violence of her own past in Artemis where she finds solidarity with a community of women who deal with abusive and lethal men in their own way.

For the women living in Artemis there is no absolute moral compass, there is the law and there is survival. And, for Nina, who became a cop so she could find the man who murdered her father, there is only revenge.

While reviewing cold case files, Homicide Detective Nina Karim discovers an intriguing parallel to a current case she’s trying to solve. Intent on solving her current case, as well as those collecting dust as cold cases, Nina dives deep in an effort to get them cleared so she can get back to her real focus – finding the identity of the man who killed her father when she was a kid.

Nina Karim is a complicated and interesting character. I had moments of loving her and others where I wanted to give her a good shake and ask her what the heck she was thinking. In a weird sort of way, her often conflicting thoughts and behaviors work well and show the complexities of an adult still traumatized from acts in their childhood. Her loan shark boyfriend, Bobby B, seemed to have a better handle on things than she did and I liked him a lot.

The story itself is told in an almost stream of consciousness type format, from Nina narrating her current actions to flashbacks to the past. At times, this gives the story a bit of a disjointed feeling, however, about halfway through, it all starts to come together and you’re not as afloat as you were before. You Can Go Home Now is an intense and gritty novel that deals with some of the harshest realities that women and children face today: domestic violence. A warning to anyone who might be sensitive to this topic, there are some vivid descriptions of abuse from the women in the Artemis shelter, however, they are generally brief, although still disturbing. Despite that, the characters and their sometimes questionable actions pulled me in and held me captive right up until the end. Although You Can Go Home Now was a difficult and harrowing read at times, it was well worth it for me.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , ,

You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie

June 4, 2020 By Leave a Comment


You Can’t Catch Me by Catherine McKenzie
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, Thriller
Length: Full length (335 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Do you want to play a game?

Twelve years ago Jessica Williams escaped a cult. Thanks to the private detective who rescued her, she reintegrated into society, endured an uncomfortable notoriety, and tried to put it all behind her. Then, at an airport bar, Jessica meets a woman with an identical name and birth date. It appears to be just an odd coincidence—until a week later, when Jessica finds her bank account drained and her personal information stolen.

Following a trail of the grifter’s victims, each with the same name, Jessica gathers players—one by one—for her own game. According to her plan, they’ll set a trap and wait for the impostor to strike again. But plans can go awry, and trust can fray, and as Jessica tries to escape the shadows of her childhood, the risks are greater than she imagined. Now, confronting the casualties of her past, Jessica can’t help but wonder…

Who will pay the price?

Jessica Williams has come far from the days in the Land of Todd – the cult she was raised in. However, one bad decision unravels everything for her in a moment. Just when she thinks that she’s about to get back on her feet and move forward, her entire world explodes. Will Jessica be able to find the grifter who stole her money before she does it to someone else? She’d better move fast if she wants to get ahead of the game.

In the beginning, it’s hard to know whether Jessica Williams is a good person or not. She’s done something unethical as far as her job goes, even though she knew from the beginning it would end her career if she was found out. However, as her past is revealed and I began to understand the person underneath, she became more likable. I wanted to root for her, despite her mistakes and dumb choices. Sometimes, she made it really hard, too. But in the end, I really do think she was as good of a person as she was able to be, faults and all.

From the beginning, I didn’t think trying to trap Jessica Two was a good idea. However, there wouldn’t be much of a story if she didn’t try, right? The lengths she goes to in order to track down other Jessica Williams’ is a bit much at times, but in the age of technology, I can believe that this kind of thing happens more than we want to admit. What happens once they set their trap for the grifter is something else altogether. All I can say is buckle up because it’s going to be a bumpy ride from here on out.

You Can’t Catch Me was a wild ride of a story. So many twists and turns and the end completely caught me off guard. Also, the letters at the very end surprised the heck out of me. The information revealed in the letters at the end really took me by surprise. Excellent way to end a crazy, twisted novel. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves twisty thrillers with gritty female leads.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hex Life by Various Authors

June 3, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery by Various Authors, edited by Christopher Golden and Rachel Autumn Deering
Publisher: Titan Books
Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal
Length: Full length (384 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

These are tales of wickedness… stories of evil and cunning, written by today’s women you should fear. Includes tales from Kelley Armstong, Rachel Caine and Sherrilyn Kenyon, writing in their own bestselling universes.

Hex Life: Wicked New Tales of Witchery will take the classic tropes of tales of witchcraft and infuse them with fresh, feminist perspective and present-day concerns–even if they’re set in the past. These witches might be monstrous, or they might be heroes, depending on their own definitions. Even the kind hostess with the candy cottage thought of herself as the hero of her own story. After all, a woman’s gotta eat.

Bring out your dread.

We’re fed the idea of the wicked witch, all dressed in black, her haggard face glaring evilly back at you, from a very young age. But what if all witches weren’t evil? What if they did what they did for a good reason? Of course, not all witches are altruistic, but what if some of them were? That’s where Hex Life comes into play. Within the collection, you’ll find all kinds of witches with all kinds of motives. Are you brave enough to take a chance?

Witches have been a favorite subject of mine for a long time. Despite the Wicked Witch of the West and all of the evil witches Disney has given us over the years, I was still drawn to them. So, when I stumbled across this anthology, I knew it was something I needed to read. I’m happy I did because it did not disappoint me in any way. The witches in Hex Life are as varied and unique as the authors writing them.

An Invitation to a Burning by Kat Howard. You go into this thinking one thing and discover it’s quite something else. An excellent way to kick off the anthology.

Widow’s Walk by Angela Slatter. This was probably my favorite of the group because it focuses around three older women, all witches, and the community they live in. It’s sort of like what would happen if Sleeping Beauty’s fairy godmothers grew to be old and bitter, but still cared for the innocent.

Black Magic Momma by Kelley Armstrong. I love her Women of the Otherworld series and getting a bit of Eve’s origin story was a nice surprise.

The Night Nurse by Sarah Langan. This was one heck of a creepy story, but I loved it. As an overwhelmed mother, I could relate to it on a personal level. However, the ending was a bit of a surprise.

The Memory of Trees by Mary SanGiovanni. An odd and, for me, a confusing, story about nature battling back against technology.

Home by Rachel Caine. I’ve always wanted to read her Morganville Vampires series so this was a nice little introduction to her writing style and some of the characters. Definitely makes me want to delve into the series more now. A bit of humor and a lot of fun.

The Deer Wife by Jennifer McMahaon. The only romantic story in the bunch, very sweet and different from your usual fare. There is a heart-stopping moment near the end that nearly made me cry, too.

The Dancer by Kristen Dearborn. I love a story with supernatural powers. I think this was less witchy and more Firestarter, but one of the best stories in the collection in my opinion. I really felt for the young girl in this as her family was creepy and abusive.

Bless Your Heart by Hillary Monahan. Nothing makes me happier than a good revenge story. Especially when the revenge is so well deserved. Bonus points for mom going to such great lengths to defend her son who is being buillied for no other reason than because he’s gay. A bit of a warning though because this one gets rather gross rather fast.

The Debt by Ania Ahlborn. This was an odd, yet intriguing story. It was very fairy tale-like in its structure, but dark and foreboding as well. The end caught me off guard, to be honest.

Toil & Trouble by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Madaug Kenyon. This one started strong and lost me about halfway through. I generally enjoy the Dark-Hunters books so I’m not sure what went wrong with this story. I’ll blame it on me though.

Last Stop on Route Nine by Tananarive Due. This wavered between alternate universes and ghost story but was wholly frightening as well. The heavy overtones of racism only added to the oppressive and scary atmosphere. One of the best in the collection.

Where Relics Go to Dream and Die by Rachel Autumn Deering. I finished this story and was left utterly confused. I’m not sure what really happened in the end, but still somehow enjoyed it. Weird, I know, but that happens to me sometimes.

This Skin by Amber Benson. What a creepy, frightening story! It’s tough being a teenager, but it has to be even tougher to be one who’s homicidal. Really enjoyed this one a lot, despite the creep factor.

Haint Me Too by Chesya Burke. Historical fiction is a huge draw for me, so finding a witchy story sed during the times of sharecroppers intrigued me. It also enraged me because of the way Shae and her family are treated by the white people in the story.

The Nekrolog by Helen Marshall. I went back and forth on this story. It was long and interesting, but I also got confused a time or two. There are a couple of point-of-view and time period changes that threw me off. But overall, it was a decent story.

Gold Among the Black by Alma Katsu. I’m a sucker for a poor waif living in a castle as staff kind of story. Every girl deserves her prince (or princess), right? Jesper was the best part of the story and I’m glad that Greta got what she deserved in the end.

How to Become a Witch-Queen by Theodora Goss. Tied with Widow’s Walk for the number one position, honestly. A unique and fun spin on Snow White that left me smiling at the end. There were so many little things about this story that made me happy. It was the perfect story to end the collection with because it left me feeling good.

Overall, the authors came together to create an exciting and varied collection of stories. They hit many time periods and genres that there’s sure to be something for everyone in this anthology. While there were a few names that drew me to this collection – Kelley Armstrong and Sherrilyn Kenyon for example – I also discovered many new-to-me authors that I’m excited to explore.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Hide Away by Jason Pinter

February 11, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Hide Away by Jason Pinter
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (365 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

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 killer to justice.

On the surface, Rachel Marin is an ordinary single mother; on the inside, she’s a fierce, brilliant vigilante. After an unspeakable crime shatters her life, she changes her identity and moves to a small town in Illinois, hoping to spare her children from further trauma…or worse. But crime follows her everywhere.

When the former mayor winds up dead, Rachel can’t help but get involved. Where local detectives see suicide, she sees murder. They resent her for butting in—especially since she’s always one step ahead. But her investigative genius may be her undoing: the deeper she digs, the harder it is to keep her own secrets buried.

Her persistence makes her the target of both the cops and a killer. Meanwhile, the terrifying truth about her past threatens to come to light, and Rachel learns the hard way that she can’t trust anyone. Surrounded by danger, she must keep her steely resolve, protect her family, and stay one step ahead, or else she may become the next victim.

One night, Rachel Marin’s life is unexpectedly turned upside down. Left alone with her young son and infant daughter, she changes their names and moves to Illinois, hoping to escape her past and the darkness that is searching for her. Until her life is yet again rattled and she begins to believe all she’s created is about to cave in on top of her.

Rachel Marin is an intense and complicated character. Since her husband’s murder, she’s forced to completely reinvent herself. She becomes both physically and emotionally strong and resilient, being the best mom and protector she can be to her kids. That said, she has difficulty allowing people to help her, which is understandable considering her past. However, if she trusted those trying to help her a little more, things might be a little less stressful for her. All in all, I was impressed with the lengths she went to in order to keep her past secret and her family secure.

Detective John Serrano I liked from the very beginning. It might have been his obsession with the Lord of the Rings series that did it, but there was something very homey about him. He became even more engaging as his own history came out little by little. His partner, Leslie Tally, was an interesting character as well, but I don’t feel like I got to know her as well as I did John. I do hope that we get more of her backstory in the next book, I’d love to know more about her wife and kids. They work well together though, despite being such polar opposites. These two are the kind of detectives that make me want to read police procedurals, honestly, and I would have enjoyed this just as much if it was focused on them and not Rachel.

From the very first pages, Hide Away grabbed my attention and held it. Chock full of intense, crazy action, I was never bored and eager to get to the next page. It seemed like every time I had it somewhat figured out, some new bit of information was added that changed my whole perspective. My only complaint was that it took so long to get to the meat of Rachel’s backstory. Although necessary, to a point, I was anxious to find out what happened to make her take such drastic steps. I’m excited to see what the next installment in this series brings us.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Followers by Megan Angelo

December 19, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Followers by Megan Angelo
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (384 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Orla Cadden is a budding novelist stuck in a dead-end job, writing clickbait about movie-star hookups and influencer yoga moves. Then Orla meets Floss—a striving, wannabe A-lister—who comes up with a plan for launching them both into the high-profile lives they dream about. So what if Orla and Floss’s methods are a little shady—and sometimes people get hurt? Their legions of followers can’t be wrong.

Thirty-five years later, in a closed California village where government-appointed celebrities live every moment of the day on camera, a woman named Marlow discovers a shattering secret about her past. Despite her massive popularity—twelve million loyal followers—Marlow dreams of fleeing the corporate sponsors who would do anything to keep her on-screen. When she learns that her whole family history is based on a lie, Marlow finally summons the courage to run in search of the truth, no matter the risks.

Followers traces the paths of Orla, Floss and Marlow as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection.

This is the story of three women: Orla, Floss, and Marlow. One wants fame more than anything else, one already has more fame than she can handle, and a third who wants nothing but to be left alone. However, their lives are forever entangled in a way none of them expected. As social media grows, explodes, and reinvents itself, all three are intent on achieving what they most want. But will they discover how or will they forever be a slave to their followers?

Floss, Orla, and Marlow are nothing alike. Floss is an attention seeker of the highest order. Orla, while wanting fame – as a writer, not an internet sensation – doesn’t necessarily want to be in the spotlight either. Marlow, on the other hand, has all the fame a person could want and more. The path that brings Floss and Orla together is pretty ordinary, but that’s where the usual stops and the crazy begins.

Orla was my favorite of the three women. Although she has a toxic crush on her high school pal, Danny, she mostly does what she can to survive. Once Floss enters her life, she finds a way to help her friend gain the notoriety she craves, even if it nearly leads to their destruction. I could relate to Orla in the way that she constantly gave things up for Floss, even when she didn’t want to or felt like Floss wasn’t deserving. In a lot of ways, most of Orla’s relationships were a bit toxic.

Floss annoyed me in so many ways. She was abrasive, unrepentant, and walked over anyone who stood in the way of her gaining followers – Twitter, Instagram, whatever. Her downfall was caused by a careless mistake, one that had dire consequences, but even then, she strove to rebuild her brand and become famous again. She mellowed out a bit by the end, but I never really warmed up to her.

Marlow was probably the most interesting of the three, however. Her role plays out in the near future, thirty-five years after Floss and Orla’s role, but it isn’t as crazy a future as you might think. As a well-loved reality star, Marlow’s situation was unlike any other I’ve read about. I thought that she was a bit spoiled and whiny at first, but as her story unfolded, I really began to empathize with her.

For me, the most interesting part of the book was the idea of The Spill – an incident that occurred online that caused a complete upheaval of the world as Floss, Orla, and everyone of their generation knew it. The Spill made way for a new and more intrusive form of internet, one that was government controlled. As far-fetched as this might have sounded ten years ago, today, it is frighteningly possible. Although Marlow’s timeline is set in 2051, it seems like it could be 2021 in so many ways.

Followers is one of the most interesting and in-your-face books I’ve read all year. The author realistically portrays influencer culture and its effect on the internet and the real world. Even Marlow’s futuristic life isn’t all that unimaginable in today’s world. It’s partly a social commentary and partly a warning, wrapped snugly in a wonderfully written and addictive narrative.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , ,

The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner

October 25, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Poison Garden by A. J. Banner
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (208 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Elise Watters seems to have it all—a blissful marriage, a gorgeous Victorian home surrounded by lush gardens, and a dream job running her late mother’s herbal boutique.

But on the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise makes a shocking discovery that turns her life upside down and casts doubt on everything she thought she knew—about her marriage, her friends, and even herself. As she treads into dangerous territory, Elise is forced to wonder: Is her whole future at stake? Or is paranoia getting the best of her?

If she is to believe what she sees, Elise has every reason to fear for her life…

On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Elise Watters is on cloud nine. She has a wonderful home, an amazing husband, and everything she could ever hope for. However, soon enough, she learns that it’s all a lie. What’s real and what’s not? Can she truly trust anyone? It’s hard to know what to do when nothing is as it seems to be.

Elise is an interesting character with quite a backstory. I loved learning about her mother, the apothecary, and herbal lore that was woven throughout the story. After discovering her husband is involved in something he shouldn’t have been, she starts to spiral out of control. This leads to her becoming more than a little paranoid but, at times, it’s a well warranted paranoia. It seems like everyone is lying to her, so how can she trust anyone? At every turn, she’s finding more evidence that her husband is plotting against her and she has no idea who to turn to for help. Honestly, I probably would have found myself feeling the same way she did during most of the book.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, some that I saw coming and others that took me completely by surprise. The Poison Garden is a fast-paced, thrill ride of a novel, that left me wondering what was lurking around the next corner. Although at times, the plot is over the top and unbelievable, I didn’t find it to be a detraction. Rather, that kind of insanity feeds my need for drama and made me enjoy this all the more.

Having enjoyed a previous book by the author, After Nightfall, I was excited to be able to read The Poison Garden as well. I now consider myself a full-fledged fan and can’t wait to get my hands on her other two novels. Will be interested to see what her next novel brings as well.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

October 23, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Wives by Tarryn Fisher
Publisher: Graydon House
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (256 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Imagine that your husband has two other wives.

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.

You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

She’s wife number two and she’s more than happy in her role in the marriage. Yeah, there are times when she’s lonely, or needing her husband, but she knew what she was in for when she signed up. But did she really? Is there something that her husband is hiding from her and his other wives? There’s only one way for her to find out.

Thursday – yes, that’s actually her name, not just her day of the week – is wife number two in a polygamous arrangement with her husband, Seth. The problem is, she’s not allowed to know so much as the names of the other wives. So, after discovering what she believes is a clue to the third wife’s identity, Thursday engages in a bit of cyber-stalking until she finds her. This is where it all starts to get a little crazy.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but I can honestly say that it was not what I wound up getting. The ending completely took me by surprise, I had not even entertained it as a possibility. Now, I can be a rather gullible reader, so that might have something to do with it, but I was completely stunned when I read the final pages.

The Wives was one of the most insane, engrossing books I’ve read all year. I have this weird fascination with polygamy and I’m not even sure where it came from. However, the idea of plural marriage is alluring and therefore, this book was a must read. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves a great psychological thriller packed with twists and turns you weren’t expecting. Although I don’t often re-read books, I’d love to read this one again, knowing the things that I know now, and wonder if it would change anything. I will definitely have to pick up more of the author’s books now.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

September 6, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (307 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

Lila Bennett’s day starts out amazingly well. She won a big case and, despite the anger from the prosecution’s side, she’s flying high on that victory. That is, until her boss convinces her to meet him for a drink before going home. It is her biggest mistake in more ways than she’ll ever know.

This was one of the more unusual books I’ve read this year. At the moment of the attempted kidnapping, Lila’s world splits into two realities. In one, she narrowly escapes her captor and goes on to try and right all the wrongs she’s committed in the past, trying for a better life. In the other, she’s taken hostage and held captive. And right up until the very end, you’re not sure which reality is the real one. Even then, you’re still left wondering if maybe you were duped. I know I put the book down after I finished and wondered whether either reality had been real.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about Lila, but the more you get to know her and her past deeds, you realize she wasn’t a very good person. However, she really does strive for redemption though both realities, accepting her faults and wanting to make amends. Captured Lila has no other choice, but Free Lila is making amends as a thank you for avoiding the fate of Captured Lila.

I was very proud of myself with this novel, however. It’s very, very rare for me to figure out who the bad guy is when I’m reading this kind of book. I’m not sure if I’m not paying close enough attention or if I’m too absorbed in the story itself to care, but for the first time in recent memory, I figured it out. That said, every time I thought, “Oh, her captor is…” the next chapter had me doubting myself all over again. After all, Lila had no shortage of enemies. Even though I’d figured it out, the reasons for their behavior hadn’t ever occurred to me, so that was still a surprise in the end.

The Two Lila Bennetts is one of the most unusual and engaging novels I’ve read all year. Each reality grabbed my attention and held it. And those rare moments when the two came together made my nerdy little heart shout with joy. The writing duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have done it again. Every book gets better and better, leaving me eager for the next. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the next novel.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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