Lisa Edmonds: Heart Of Malice

In the first of a series, Lisa Edmonds shows that darkness follows no matter how hard one tries to run:

The first time that Alice killed, she was six years old and she was ordered to do it by her grandfather. Alice was not always her name, but it is the one that she possessed now and she will do anything to keep from being discovered. She escaped from her grandfather's crime syndicate after being a prisoner there for 20 year and there is no looking back. Alice now tries to make her living as a private investigator that specializes in the supernatural. Hired to determine what objects are missing from a young girl's grandma's library, Alice soon discovers that the object missing is one of immense power that could slaughter the entire city.

I don’t know why I have not heard of Edmonds before but I am extremely happy that I have discovered her. Heart of Malice is what I want from the UF series that I read. It was dark, gritty, the FMC didn’t know who she could trust, has quite a horrible background, faced paced read where you don’t really know where the author was going to take everything. As well there are side stories/plots that need to be explored in future books. There is enough there to keep you wanting more after the book is finished.

Loved that it had witches with different types of Magic each for the elements but also blood Magic and of course Blood Magic is the most dangerous/powerful one and the on that Alice has along with some others. Alice is extremely powerful but she goes to great lengths to not let anyone around her know the power that she has as if she does she will be discovered.

Alice is pretty badass when it comes to magic, she also has the grit, determination and survival instinct that sometimes you don’t often see in FMC. I mean she will lay her life on the line to protect innocent people (for the most part) but at the same sense she wants to survive and live. When you get glimpses of her past you cannot question her will/need to live.

I love that Alice has a ghost side kick Malcom, he provided some of the comic relief in the book and who wouldn’t want a ghost sidekick. I also liked that Malcom had his own powers and knowledge as well that he could share with Alice.

Could have done without the instant lust, yes, as this is not always my thing, especially in series, I do like more of a slow burn but at the same time it made sense in context of the story and what having sex can help with.

Loved loved loved how Dark this book was. There is torture that occurs (mainly off screen) but enough detail is given to know what occurs. There are also deaths that occur onscreen that some may find disturbing.

I'm extremely happy that I found this series, and I cannot wait to continue on in this series, to see how some unresolved aspects within this book play out. Plus cant wait to find out more about Alice and what she is able to do. Just a fantastic start to a UF series.

Enjoy!!!!

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Katherine Center: The Rom-Comers

Katherine Center show what is truly takes to write a good Rom-Com movie:

When Emma’s father got sick she knew she had to step up to take care of him and her younger sister. She put her dream of being a screenwriter on hold. For 10 years she has put others before herself until an old friend wants to bring her back in. A well known screenwriter needs help writing a Rom-Com and it just so happens that Charlie Yates is Emma’s favourite screen writer. When she reads the screenplay it is horrible and she cannot believe he wrote it. When Emma meets Charlie, well maybe one shouldn’t meet their hero. Worst Charlie doesn’t want to fix the screenplay and Emma knows rom com and know she can help him fix it, but it will take all of her to get it done and maybe just maybe she can find her own happy ending.

Center is the author that reintroduced me to Contemporary Romance, and is still a go to author for me when I need a change of Pace. I find that she has the ability to suck me in to her characters and stories right from the start and I need to know how this relationship is going to play out. The Rom-Commers is no different. When we meet Emma I already feel like I know her and the hardship she has gone through with giving up ehr dream so her younger sister can achieve her's. 

When I saw that this book gave me all the emotions and feelings, I am not lying. It made me laugh, cry, feel dispare and hoepful, and sometimes all of these at the same time. I will say that I felt that this was a bit lighter in topic than some of the other books that I have read by Centre but I was okay with it and it was what I needed at the time I was reading it. The concept is really cute and I was here for it

Emma is a pretty loveable character, she is very happy and very much no self-centred at all. She wants to do what is best for everyone around her even if it is detrimental to herself. There are times when i wanted to slap her for not thinking of herself first, but that is just who Emma is and she does go on a bit of the journey in the book to discover that it is okay to put herself first every once in awhile

Charlie (I am not writing his last name) on the other hand is basically an ass for most of the book. He puts Emma down (A LOT) and critisces her even more. I think Charlie has a hard time being around someone like Emma and he lashes out even more. When you first start reading Charlie he does not really have any redeeming qualities even though Emma searches for them. He has his moments and did I like Charlie by the end, Yes?

Grumpy Sunshine trope which was played perfectly, and honestly one of my favourite troupes when it comes to romance novels. I will say the third act I was not a fan of and it seemed a bit rushed towards the end, but this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. One thing that did was the use of the MMC's full name every single time that Emma talks about him she uses his full name. We know by the tenth time who is it. I mean it's cute to begin with but then it was just annoying.

This is going to be one of my favourite by Centreprobably in my top two now (my favourite is still Things You Save in a Fire) but this is a close second. You'll want to pick this one up if you are looking for a lighter read and if you are a fab of the grumpy Sunshine Trope.

Enjoy!!!

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Marcus Kliewer: We Used to Live Here

In his debut novel Marcus Kliewer shows why you should never have strangers in your home:

Charlie and Eve cannot believe the killer deal they got on an old house on a great piece of land, its like a piece of country in the city. Only problem is one road in one road out. Eve is working on the house alone when a stranger knocks on her door. It turns out not just one person but a whole family with a father who used to live there and wants to show them where he grew up. Eve is apprehensive but ends up letting them in. As soon as they are inside unexplained things start happening, starting with the youngest child going missing in the basement. New sounds, creaks and moans start to enter the house and the family cannot take the hint to leave and Eve now knows, she never should have let them in.

I love reading debut novels, I like discovering up and coming authors and when I saw this book was Kliewer's debut plus it was a horror book i was really excited to read it. I will say that Kliewer crafted a story that kept me guessing as what was occurring and I think that he was on point with the creepy atmosphere that he created in this book. You can tell there is something wrong with the house and family pretty quickly. The family just gives off those vibes of trying to appear normal, but they are not. I suggest reading this one in the dark if you are looking for a scare, or maybe a house/cabin far away from other people just to heighten it a bit.

But OMG, what the actual F happened here? Like I honestly have so many questions after finishing this book that I don’t know if that was Kliewer's intention or not. But i am so confused and I feel dissatisfied with that ending, I wanted a little more, maybe a little less of a cliff hanger as I do not know if this is going to have a sequel or not.

There are a few aspect in this book that caused me to struggle as I was reading it. I found that many of the chapters were overly long and I wish that Kliewer could have found a way to break them up a bit. Also, while reading it I felt like there were too many extra documents that were not part of the story. As to why they are there makes sense at the end but while reading them I felt it took away from the story quite a bit and made me feel less invested at times.

I will say that the book is much more of a slow burn book and it really picks up in many aspects around the 75% area. I was okay with the slow burn in the actual chapters of the story but man those extra documents really hindered it.

I don’t know whether to recommend this book or not. I mean when I was in it I was in it, but that ending, I just don’t know. I guess read this one if you are okay with something that feels incomplete and will have questions in the end. Best parallel example i can come up with is the ending to inception with the quarter at the end.

Enjoy!!!! (I think, I honestly dont know)

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Hannah Mary Mckinnon: Only One Survives

Hannah Mary McKinnon is back and questions how well do you know your friends:

All Vienna Taylor wanted was to make music as a drummer, it was part of her, her escape and when all the hard work pays off, along with her best friend Madison, they form an all female group, The Bittersweet. They are just starting to find a following, getting recognition when the unforeseeable happens, an icy road sends them on the fight for their lives. They take shelter in an abandoned cabin hoping to outlast the winter storm. But one by one Vienna's friends and bandmates meet a gruesome end and her best friend Madison disappeared into the night and Vienna struggles to come to terms with it and the end of the Bittersweet. What happened to the Bittersweet? Is Madison still out there? But do guilty people run?

Wow, this book really surprised me. I have read a few books by McKinnon and I have learned that she does not always take the road most traveled with her books and the twists that she employs along the way are amazing. Only One Survives is no exception. I really enjoyed this book and it kept me really entertained in wanting to know what happened to the band that night as well as what is going to happen to Vienna in the present.

I loved that McKinnon had two timelines in this book, I felt that it help keep the reader on their toes as we go back and forth to discover how the band came together but also what happened the night of the tragic accident.

With two timelines, I was surprised that we only got Vienna's POV, I thought that McKinnon would have more than one band member have a POV but it really worked in McKinnon's favour. The reader is really able to see the progression of Vienna through her story, of being a girl who loved drumming for the escape it provided her to the (almost) rockstar she wanted to be and the changes in her personality along the way and the way she interacts with the people around her. There were many times when I wanted Vienna to say something and stick up for herself, but it was just who she was. You will feel sorry for Vienna in both timelines with her different struggles.

I will say that the book felt a little long winded by the end as I knew how it was going to play out, but everything up to that point was really well done. Plus that ending was everything I wanted it to be.

I think this is now my favourite book by McKinnon so far. I was glued to my seat in both timelines to see how everything was going to unfold, highly recommended book if you are looking for one with suspense (I would say domestic suspense type book) or a music related book of the coming of age of a band.

Enjoy!!!!

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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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