Happy Day after July 4th! Holidays are great, aren’t they? But not in the middle of the week? All holidays that fall on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday should AUTOMATICALLY be observed on a Monday or Friday. I mean, seriously--how can you truly enjoy a holiday that falls on a Wednesday? Other than not having to wake up early or drive in morning traffic, a Wednesday holiday cannot be enjoyed fully. Just sayin’....... I have recently rediscovered my love of romantic suspense and Continue Reading
Review: The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick
The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick Burning Cove, #2 Romance Suspense/Historical May 8, 2018 Berkley Reviewed by Tori Amanda Quick's second Burning Cove installment takes us back to the opulent world of Hollywood stars and roaring 30s when Adelaide Blake escapes a sanitarium only to discover a vast conspiracy of drugs, blackmail, and murder surrounding her false confinement. Unable to trust anyone for help in finding out the reasons behind her confinement, she finds herself relying Continue Reading
Review: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James Mystery Suspense/Supernatural March 20, 2018 Berkley Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: She’d always known the monsters were real. In the 1950’s there was a school for girls in Vermont called Idlewild Hall. It was a place for the troublesome, the illegitimate, the unwanted. Rumored to be haunted, four girls bond over shared fears and secrets, until one of them disappeared. Fiona Sheridan knows what it is to have lost. Having lost her sister to a Continue Reading
Mandi Actually Read a Book on Vacation! (and liked it)
Usually when I go on vacation, I maybe read one chapter. Just one lonely chapter. I find myself getting caught up with my kids or doing things like - not relaxing in a chair so I can read. But this most recent vacation lacked my children and had plenty of lounging by the pool time - so I read an entire book and a half! (I probably would have read more if I didn't have tequila in my other hand at all times). I win at life. (also lose at life after I discovered a humongous cockroach in my Continue Reading
Review: Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire Ghost Roads, #1 Mythology & Legend/Paranormal Mystery May 6, 2014 DAW Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: “Persephone’s blessing says hands off to creepy boys who bargain with the crossroads and want to hurt me.” Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, MI. On her way to look for her boyfriend after he stood her up for the prom, she is chased to her death on the infamous Sparrow Hill Road. A psychopomp of sorts but referred to a hitcher, Continue Reading
Review: The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz
The Lucky Ones by Tiffany Reisz Mystery Suspense/Gothic Horror February 13, 2018 Mira Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: “The girl in the tower is a romantic image to anybody but the girl in the tower.” They were called “The Lucky Ones; ” the foster children who were chosen to live with the wealthy Dr. Vincent Capello at his beach house, nicknamed the Dragon, in Clark Beach, OR. Allison Lamarque looks back on those idyllic days fondly, except for the part where she almost died and Continue Reading
Review: A Grave Search by Wendy Roberts
A Grave Search by Wendy Roberts Series: Bodies of Evidence, #2 Mystery Suspense January 29, 2018 Carina Press Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: “You don’t have to forgive the people who hurt you in order to make peace with your past.” Julie Hall is adjusting well to her new life She has purchased a new home, her new business is booming, and she is slowly building a relationship with FBI agent Garrett Pierce. When a grieving mother comes to Julie, begging her to find her daughter’s Continue Reading
Review: Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp
Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp General Fiction/Mystery/YA January 2, 2018 Sourcebooks Fire Reviewed by Tori Corey and Kyra grew up the best of friends in the small isolated town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey’s mom decides to the family to the mainland, Kyra and Corey promise to stay in touch and Corey assures Kyra she will come back for her. Only Kyra doesn’t wait and Corey is now headed back to Lost Creek for Kyra’s memorial. As Corey looks for answers while struggling to Continue Reading
Review: S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett
S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett Mystery Thriller/YA January 30, 2018 (Reprint from 2017) Delacorte Press Favorite Quote: “I think I might be a murderer.” Reviewed by Tori At St. Aidan the Great School, or STAGS, new things--and new people--are to be avoided. The grandeur of the boarding school and the prestige of the students' bloodlines seem surreal to Greer MacDonald. A scholarship student who recently transferred to STAGS, Greer is ignored at best and mocked at worst by the school's Continue Reading
Review: Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley
Death Below Stairs by Jennifer Ashley Kat Holloway Mysteries, #1 Historical Mystery/Romance January 2, 2018 Berkley Reviewed by Tori Favorite Quote: “I often pity the upper classes. I have the option to take a job to keep myself fed, no matter how menial the position. Lady Cynthia has no prospects unless she marries and no inheritance unless some benefactor provides it for her. She must beg for room and board from her friends and family, be the poor relation, the spinster no one Continue Reading