Kit Rocha: Deal with the Devil

In the first in a series, Kit Rocha shows what women will go through in order to protect their community:

Nina is an information broker, and she uses the knowledge she finds and the information and objects she procures for other to help support the community that she lives in. Without her and her librarian friends the community would not be able to Survive. Knox is a solider who has convinced his team to go AWOL, there is just a catch, the kill switch within them needs to be turned off. In order to achieve this Knox is given the job of capturing Nina and delivering her to his broker. Only catch is that he doesn’t think she will come quietly. But Knox has information that she needs, the location of a federal storage unit full of old literature, only its in dangerous lands and they need to team up in order to get it.

This is the first book I have read by Kocha and based upon some of her other works (going by the covers/premise of a few I saw, I judged I’m not afraid to admit that) I was not sure what I was getting myself into. This is the first book in the series, and I really enjoyed this book and it was not what I expected it to be. It was a fun mix of action, suspense and romance and who doesn’t love a story where more than one of the Female main characters who can kickass. I think that Rocha did a great job of mixing all the elements together to give the reader a rollercoaster ride of a book that was pretty fast pace.

I loved the idea of Library mercenaries but this is not totally explained or expanded in the book. I mean I know that Nina and her friends are trying to help the community and by getting the books for their community there is a preservation of history, but at the same time, I don’t really know why the world is this way. How did the world get here? I think there needs to be slightly more world building for me.

Knox and Nina are the main characters and this is their story so they have the most POV though I appreciate Kocha having a few of the other members have chapters from their POV, made the story feel more rounded and not one (two) dimensional. I loved how analytical Nina is. always calculating, always the strategist trying to figure the way out of situations and figuring out the odds. Knox will do anything for him men, even sacrificing himself that you have to admire as a character trait, the same can be said for Nina too and her friends. Nina is scary but i actually think that Dani is scarier. and i look forward to that in future books. 

There are some twists and turns along the way and I was able to figure out the main twist but not exactly how it was going to play out, it was a bit lack luster but at the same time really smart of Rocha.

The ending though will make you want to pick up the next book in the series and I know I cannot wait to pick it up, I have some questions about all the main characters.

Enjoy!!!

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Sally Hepworth: Darling Girls

Sally Hepworth shows that although the outside of the house made look Idyllic, it is anything but on the inside:

Jessica, Norah and Alicia are often told how lucky they are. How lucky they are to have been taken in by Miss Fairchild, to save them from some horrible situations in life. How lucky they are to live in such a beautiful home on a beautiful estate. But living with Miss Fairchild did not feel very lucky at all. Miss Fairchild had rules, Miss Fairchild was unpredictable, and Miss Fairchild was never to be crossed or there would be consequences. The girls were able to handle it till one faithful day where they needed to get away. Now 25 years later the home is being destroyed but in the process a body is discovered under the house, and now there are more questions about what happened in that house.

This is the first book by Hepworth and I now need to check out all of her backlist as once you start this book the mystery hits you full force and does not let you go till the end. Hepworth does a great job of keeping this high till the end as you question what is happening in both timelines and what each timeline is going to reveal, this is what makes this book a great domestic suspense book. I think that people need to realize that this is a domestic suspense book and not a straight-out mystery or thriller. For me a domestic suspense book has different parameters than the other two genres, often in domestic suspense things unfold a bit slower and I could see that not being appealing to everyone.

I'm a big fan of books that have the multiple timelines and POV, when i realized that this book was going to have those aspects to it, I knew I was going to love this book. I think that this created a well rounded book and no one was left out. Plus it gave insight as to some of the reason why the girls grew up into the women that they are today and the way that they cope in their everyday lives.

I think Norah (I made sure to have the h there, lol) was my favourite character, i just loved her don’t care attitude about things but made sure that all the girls and women had a voice. She did seem to be the one that was least affected by their time with Miss Fairchild and was often used as the comic relief in the book. In both timelines I could not help but feel sorry for Jessica and what she had endured. But i loved the aspect that the girls became sisters in this book and stuck up for one another and have stuck together even into adulthood, though that is probably a coping mechanism in itself.

The Manipulation factor is on point in this book and the methods that all the characters use in one way or another from subtle to blatant but I was here for both. And the manipulation stems all the way to the end of this book, and the ending is one of my favourites that I have read this year.

Excellent book and one to pick up if you are looking for a domestic suspense book, if you like manipulation as a main aspect in a book and man that ending was on point. Really can’t wait to check out other books that Hepworth has written, which do you recommend?

Enjoy!!!!

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L. M. Chilton: Swiped

In his debut novel, L.M. Chilton shows that one of the Cons to a dating app is murder:

Online Dating is never really fun. It's nerve racking, stressful and you never really know what you're going to get. At least that has been Gwen's experience. After a breakup with a long-term boyfriend, Gwen decides to give online dating a try, with some not so great results. The results become even worse when her date from the previous night turns up dead, and then another then another. Now the police think that Gwen is killing off her bad dates and she is forced to do some of her own detective work in order to prove her innocence and hope she can stop a killer before all her pervious dates are killed.

When I first read the concept of this book, I thought it was a pretty smart idea and very Now concept for it. I really wanted to like this book, but I fee like it's a case of "it's not you, it's me" as I was really feeling the first half of the book. Sure, it was a bit farfetched but I felt invested to see who would get murdered and the dates that Gwen went on.

I like that there was separate chapters for the dates that Gwen went on and was probably my favorite part of the book as it highlights the vast difference in dates that the men decide to meet Gwen on. It also shows the trouble with going on a date where who you have met online you get some preconceived notions of who they are and what they look like as it highlights how fake someone can be online and what they choose to show and what they choose not to show.

I don’t think I ever really liked Gwen as a character, the more I think back about her in the book, I struggle to find a redeeming quality or something that stood out in her character, other than her constantly saying that she is Funny? (I question this statement). I personally wished there would have been a second POV in the book, I just felt there was something lacking by only having Gwen's POV.

I got bored in this book like halfway through and i'm not sure why. It took me way longer to read this book than it should have. I just didn’t feel the need to pick this book up and felt like i was forcing myself to from the middle till neat the end. The book did pick back up near the end for the book, but i did struggle to get there.

Well, this book was not for me. I applaud Chilton in the plot ideas for this book but i just failed to really get into it, even though it had many elements I normally enjoy. 

Cheers!!!!

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Alex Finlay: If Something Happens to Me

Alex Finlay is back and this time not all is what it seems:

Ryan thought he had found the love of his life, Ali, and her piercing screams still haunt him at night. The only thing that Ryan saw was a man missing his pinky fingers before he receives a crushing blow to the head. No on believes his story, even though there is no evidence but with a good lawyer he is not charged. 5 years later while in Italy, Ryan swears he sees the same man again, back home Ali’s vehicle is recovered in a lake and there are two dead men inside and a very cryptic message. This prompts the police department to reopen Ali’s case and it is assigned to a young detective and what she finds out is truly shocking.

I have read most of Finlay's books so far and what I appreciate is that he has not repeated himself in content or formula, that is a great author make. This book had me hooked from the beginning, there is something about the start of this book that just drew me in and I needed to know what had happened.

You will have to be okay with multiple POV and locations to enjoy reading this thriller, for me I enjoy this type of format so I was able to sink into it. I was able to figure out some of the twists but not all. You may think that a few POV are way out there, but do not fret, Finlay is able to bring it all together.

I think the characters I enjoyed the most were Poppy and Sophia. I think that either could have their own spin off series in a way, especially with the skills that Poppy picked up in the military and the one that Sophia has had to acquire over time, just by what has happened in their life. I think there will be times when one is confused about how all of the POV are related to each other, keep going it will all makes sense and I think n that Finlay does a good job bringing it all together.

Online bullying is no joke, and you always hope that things will change, but i think that the incidents that Finlay has occur in this book are true of now and it is sad that after everything they are still occurring.

Another great novel from Finlay, and I think one of my favourites by him. I love how all his books are different but have some similar threads. If you are looking for a high paced thriller, then make sure to pick this one up.

Enjoy!!!!

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Kristen Ciccarelli: Heartless Hunter

In the first in a new series Kristen Ciccarelli shows the length a woman will go to, to protect witches:

When the revolution hit against witches, Rune's grandmother knew she had to do everything in power to protect Rune. This is why she sacrificed herself, and ever since that day Rune has made it her mission to save as many witches as she can, so she has become the Crimson Moth. Gideon loathes witches, no only for the harm that was done to humans but to his family as well. He will do everything in his power to catch them and put away the Crimson Moth who foils him over and over again. When evidence shows a connection to Rune, he decides that he must get close to her to figure out her connection, this works to Rune's advantage as well as she needs the information Gideon holds as witch hunter. Let the cat and mouse games begin.

This is the first book that i have read by Ciccarelli and i thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect that Ciccarelli uses throughout the book and it goes to the bitter end. Was the cat and mouse game original or the enemies to loves trope original, No, but I enjoyed the twist that Cicarelli took along the way as well as how she laid out the plot. I did not expect some things that happened at the end, total cliffhanger and you’ll feel the need to pick up the next book.

I loved that this book was a dual POV of both Rune and Gideon. I feel like it gave both sides of the story for the witch and the human and how they perceive and want to use each other. You get the sense at times that they are both right and are doing what they believe is right not only for themselves but everyone in the kingdom as well. I feel like you can feel the relationship between Rune and Gideon and the struggles they have internally about liking each other. And this is could only be achieved with a dual POV.

Some reviewers are getting mad about Rune using period blood to cast her spells need to get over themselves. Yeah, it may be gross, but I see it more as resourceful and doing what she needs to do not only to survive but to help other witches. Especially as blood is needed for any type of magic that witches use and that by using the magic it causes a sliver scar to occur so there is no may to hide what has been done. Additionally, I like that there was a price for how the blood is not only affects the magic but the magic user as well.

I know that this book deals with witches and blood magic but at the same time the world building is lacking in places, and it takes a bit to realize how Gideon and other people without powers have gotten to this place in the world. I just wish there was a little more at the beginning to explain other than witches are bad and need to be hunted down and killer. 

Personally, I loved this book and cannot wait for the next one. Highly recommend this book for people who love witch books as well as an enemies to lovers trope.

Enjoy!!!

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