C. J. Cooke: The Lighthouse Witches

C. J. Cooke shows how much of a beacon a lighthouse can be:

Liv Stay is always moving from job to job with her three daughters, and her latest commission is to repaint the inside of a lighthouse on a Northern Scottish Island, The Longing. What Liv did not know was this was going to change everything. The Lighthouse, used to be a place where witches were held below before their trial and it is believed that Dark Magic is still there. Liv, does not believe in any of that but within months of living there, only her daughter Luna is left. Twenty years later, Luna gets the strangest phone call which brings her back to the location where her family went missing and it is up to her to try and figure out what happened.

This is the first book that I have read by Cooke and it will not be the last, this book was beautifully written, very atmospheric and eerie feels throughout the book. I will say that it starts a bit slow as you try to figure out what is going on, but once the story really gets flowing you will not want to put it down. The book also gets darker near the end, and there is one scene where you just feel it (or at least I did).

This book has multiple time lines, so if that is not your thing then you will not enjoy this book. It does take a bit to wrap your head around the multiple timelines and characters for each one as the same character is in more than one timeline. I know that may sound a bit confusing but it’s not, Cooke does a good job of separating them and you know which timeline you are in.

I loved that this book was a mix of witch trials and the idea of wildlings taking the form of children who have gone missing. I think it was really smart how Cooke intertwined this pastime of witch trials as well as the folklore of wildlings. I was not able to figure out the connection, but it was a really interesting idea that Cooke has placed in the book.

With the multiple timelines and characters, one would think this would be a more character drive book but I actually think it was more plot based. We get snips of each character in their perspective timeline that it is hard to from a connection with them. I think that this becomes apparent why the farther you read into the book and you get more information. It did not take away from my enjoyment of the book, more just an observation.

Although, this is the first book I have read by Cooke, it will not be the last. I have noticed that she has a few more books that appear to be witch based and i will be checking them out. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to people who want an atmospheric read, that has a light witch fantast aspect to it.

Enjoy!!!!

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Michelle Chouinard: The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco

In her debut novel (under this name), Michelle Chouinard not only takes on a serial killer but San Francisco:

San Francisco is such a nice city, but boy is it one with a history and no one knows this better than Capri Sanzio who's grandfather was the serial killer known as OverKill Bill, and who now leads serial and crime themed tours around San Francisco. But when an OverKill Bill copycat surfaces, Capri wonders if this is the time to bring out her own family's history and reinvestigate the Overkill Bill murders, as her grandfather said he was innocent till the end. When a Overkill Bill murder happens close to home, Capri finds herself and family the targets of the investigation and now she has two generations of Overkill murders to solve.

I knew as soon as i saw the title of this book i was going to pick it up. Not only did i visit San Francisco for the first time this year, I also did a murder, mayhem and music walking tour while I was there. It was great to revisit San Fransico and actually know a bit of the area that Chouinard was talking about and there was even some cross over with the murder aspect. I mean if you want to talk a history of serial killers and crime you cannot go wrong with choosing San Francisco. I loved the little serial killer facts that Chouinard shares throughout the book and were one of the highlights for me.

Although Chouinard has written novels under a different pen name, I think for the most part this book reads like a debut novel, it was missing a bit of the polish of a more seasoned author by trying to take on a lot in this book. But at the same time, I really enjoyed the approach that Chouinard took with the past and present family drama. I think that Chouinard was able to keep the suspects alive in the book.

Capri is quite a lot in this book, her brain and life are going in so many different directions. She seems like lovely person but man her brain needs a break several times in the book and as a reader I wish I had a break from her every now and then. Do i know which character Chouinard could have given a chapter or two to, No, but I just think there needed to be a break from her.

I liked that Chouinard brought in the white-collar aspect in the book and the nuances of friendships and money with the upper elite. Money and appearance is everything to people in power or people who have money.

I enjoyed this book, Capri is a bit cooky at times, but I enjoyed the twists that Chouinard kept coming even if she tries to do a lot with this book. I would read another book by Chouinard.

Enjoy!!!

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Helen Scheuerer: Blood & Steel

In the first in a series, Helen Scheuerer, one women challenges for her right to be a protector of her realm:

Althea (Thea) has always known the age that she would die, so she has been determined to life her life to it's limit till that time. What Thea has always wanted to be was a warrior, a protector but women are forbidden to wield any blades. For years she has been practicing in secret honing her skills to perfection, until one day she is caught with a blade. The price for wielding a blade is steep but she is able to plead her case to the rulers of the 5 realms. Now Thea must find her place within warriors of Thezmarr as the veil is thinning and monsters are invading the land.

I'm always up for starting a new series, especially one that already has a few books established so I don’t have to wait forever for the next book to come out. I enjoyed this book, I like the medieval feel of the world, as well as Thea as a main character, but this was a bit slower than i thought it was going to be. With the medieval feel, I thought there would be more battles and fights but instead there was more character and relationship building. Even the times they are in lessons did not feel as fleshed out as they could have been.

I really enjoyed Thea as a character and her struggles of who she wants to be as well as her relationship with her sister Wren, who just thinks that she should just accept her position in life as a women. You cannot help but cheer for her in her want to be a warrior and show what she can do. I will say that Thea does come off younger with some of the choices that she makes, more late teens and someone in her 20s, but maybe that is due to the product of her upbringing. I also adored her friendship with Cal and Kipp, they are quite the Trio and it was great to see how much they supported each other.

If you like you a broody MMC then you will enjoy Wilder. Was a bit too broody? Maybe at times, I'm honestly more interested in his fighting ability and what he can do than the tension between him and Thea.

I will say that Scheuerer was able to shock me with one twist coming and wow some betrayal in there as well, was nicely places.

Medieval type world, with the veil coming down between the two worlds, which causes monsters to be released on the human side of the realm. This does lead to some monster fighting, but there is really only one big scene of it. I also do not 100% understand the magic system that is in place here but I feel like it will be explained in the next book (and this is just based upon the events of this one).

Although this as a bit slower than I expected, I was really invested in the characters and even the world that Scheuerer has placed them in. I look forward to continuing on in the series.

Enjoy!!!!

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Stephanie Archer: The Wingman

This is the third book in the series, and the people from previous books do make some appearances in this book (they are a Hockey Team after all) I do think that you could read this as a stand-alone.

Stephanie Archer is back with the next Vancouver Storm player and this time it's all about being a good Wingman, on and off the Ice:

Darcy is just getting out of a long-term relationship and engagement that had been failing for the past years. And what better way than to move on is to move in with her Best Friend Hayden and convince him to be her Wingman as she tries to navigate the dating (and hooking up world). But when out practice flirting and kissing sessions push the bounds of their friendship, Darcy and Hayden are not sure where the other stands. All Hayden knows is he hates seeing Men hit on Darcy and all Darcy knows is that Hayden has always been a playboy who doesn’t do relationships. But Maybe just Maybe this Wingman has been waiting for Darcy all along.

I have really enjoyed the first two installments in this series. I like that Archer writes about adults and more mature relationship but keeps me laughing at the same time and this book is no exception. Hayden and Darcy are so cute together in their interactions that you can’t help but wonder why they do not see it (many of the other Hockey guys do though). I personally do not I like the miscommunication trope, to me I just find to frustrating that people cannot just talk about things. I understand it going on for a bit as two people, who are best friends try to figure out a new dynamic, but I felt like it went on a bit too long in this book.

Honestly, how could you read this book and not love Hayden and Darcy by the end of this book. They are extremely cute together and i cannot get over how supportive they are as each other as well. How Hayden just supports Darcy to be who she wants to be and to be her true self is just swoon worthy. The thing that does set them apart is that they do have history together, one as Best Friends since College but still History. Plus, when Hayden finds out how Kit had been treating Darcy in their relationship, he knew he had to do everything to help her. 

I like how Archer throws out a social more series issue in her books and in this book, it is women in STEM. I love how Archer wove it into the plot so that it makes sense and isn’t just thrown in there to have it.

I did see a few similarities from the first two books in the series in regard to plot points or scenarios. Also, I think the book needed more Garden Gnomes (Yes, I am series about this).

If you enjoy the tropes of Friends to lovers and Roommates, then this book is for you. Throw in some witty banter and jokes and some spiciness later in the book, I'm sure you will enjoy this. 

This is a great addition to this series. I devoured this book and if it was not obvious above, I just adored Hayden and Darcy. Can't wait for the next book in this series. Can’t wait for the next book in this series that is teased quite a bit in this one.

Enjoy!!!

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Stephanie Wrobel: The Hitchcock Hotel

Stephanie Wrobel shows that anything Hitchcock inspired ends with a body: 

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan, he is a fanatic to the point that he decides to open his own Hitchcock inspired Hotel. And what better way to celebrate the hotel being open for 1 year than to invite his old college friends who were part of a Film Club. Never-mind that they have not seen each other since College, Never-mind there is some bad feelings and blood among the group. They will appreciate what he has created here, especially when Hitchcock like events start to happen, including a body.

This is the first book that I have read by Wrobel, so I was not sure what to expect going in. This was a slower pace than I thought it would be and then the ending seems to be a bit of a whirlwind with everything being revealed. I wish things would have progresses a bit faster with some of the backstory and what Zoe kept accussing Alfred of as we are the readers are left in the dark the majority of the book. It is this history that is key to a lot of what is going on in the Hotel and I wish Wrobel would have sprinkled a bit more of the juicy stuff throughout the book instead of having most of it come out in the last third. I think readers would still not see all the twists coming that Wrobel has in this last third but I think that it would ahve help the book's pacing and intrigue level.

If you are looking for and atmophere it book, this book is for you. Wrobel really catches the essence of Hitchcock with the tension and drama that plays out in this book. I could perfectly picture the hotel and the creepiness that it was designed with all in a balck and white scope to make it feel like a hitchcock movie.

You have to be okay with Multiple POV as each character in this books basically gets the same amoutn of page time as others do. I don’t really know if i actually liked any of the characters in this book, they all say some pretty horrible things to each other, especially towards Alfred and it seems to me a lot of them were still stuck in that College/high school frame of mind. Alfred is by far the most interesting character in the book and Wrobel writes him as such a way where you can’t help but think he is diabolical and manipulative in every way. The other characters got more interesting the book went on.

Alright, straightup this book and twists did now go how I thought it would at all. You know at the beginning there is going to be a body but you don’t know who or when in the story it is going to occur. I think that Wrobel did a great job of having basically everyone up for grabs of who was going to end up dead.

This was a good book, but I think the slowness in the beginning really hurts it and I will admit that I was not picking it up as much as I would have if it was a faster paced thriller. I still think that it is one that people will enjoy espically if they are Hitchcock fans and like a more atmosphereic read.

Enjoy!!!!

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