“The Exes’ Revenge”–Review

Good evening, bloggers! Happy Pub Day to Jo Jakeman’s The Exes’ Revenge. Here’s a quick description and my review.

There’s only so far a woman can bend before she breaks…

He made their lives a living hell. Now three women will get their revenge in this gripping and darkly satisfying debut thriller.

The story revolves around Imogen Rochester’s point-of-view and her marriage to Phillip. A marriage that’s been difficult for a long time. Phillip is manipulative, abusive, and he’s cheated on Imogen enough times. After years of a failed marriage, they both want out. All that’s needed to move on is for Phillip to sign the divorce papers; however, he’s making it a mission to make the divorce as difficult as possible.

To make matters worse, Phillip demands that Imogen and their son move out of the house by the end of the month. If she doesn’t, Phillip will sue her for sole custody. Imogen is furious, yet terrified. For years, Phillip has always been one step ahead of her. He’s always had power over her. She always had to be careful to not make him angry. But, now, she’s had enough. And that’s when she does the unthinkable.

While plotting to take Phillip down, Imogen never expected to come together with Phillip’s first wife, including his current live-in girlfriend—two women who’ve also been hurt by the same man. Despite their differences, the three women plot to make sure Phillip gets what is coming to him.

This book had a pretty good storyline. I do enjoy a domestic thriller every so often. Even in some scenes, Phillip nearly had me fooled, even though I was practically saying, “Don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it.” Although I didn’t really love the book, I still think it was pretty decent. I suppose I expected a little more toward the end, but I’ll still recommend this one, anyhow. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this early copy from Berkley Publishing Group, in exchange for an honest review.

About the author: Jo is a writer based in Derbyshire. Her debut psychological thriller will be published in the UK as Sticks and Stones, by Harvill Secker (Penguin Random House) on 12 July 2018, and as The Exes’ Revenge, by Berkley in the USA on 11 September. For more info, click here. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Advertisements

“When The Lights Go Out”–Review

Insomnia has taken her sleep. Now it’s taking her mind.

There are scarier things than the dark…

After years of taking care of her sick mother, 19-year-old Jessie Sloane wants to start over. After moving into her new apartment, she applies for college. But then she receives an unusual call from the college. Apparently, her social security number has raised a red flag. According the the information she’d given, Jessie doesn’t exist. Now that her mother is gone—the only family she’s ever had—Jessie has to rely on herself to know why she has no identification.

While she tries to figure everything out, Jessie is suddenly suffering from insomnia. The insomnia gets worse as time passes and Jessie can’t tell what’s real and what’s imaginary. No matter, she’s not giving up on finding herself.

Each chapter also alternates from Jessie’s story to Eden’s, a woman who’d made a bad decision 20 years ago that all leads up to answers for which Jessie is searching. Has Jessie’s life been a lie? Was there something her mother had kept from her? As the insomnia slowly kills her, will Jessie get to the truth in time?

This is my first read by Mary Kubica. Although I liked the storyline, I’m not sure how I felt about the whole twist toward the end, but I enjoyed reading Eden’s story, so I’ll recommend the book because of that. I won’t spoil a thing, but it was so sad; the very ending actually surprised me. The author did a great job with Eden’s story. I’ll have to check out her previous books, now. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this early copy from the author in a giveaway. The opinions are my own.

*When the Lights Go Out will be available on September 4, 2018.

About the author: Mary Kubica is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Good Girl, which has sold over a million copies. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and American literature from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children. Follow the author on Twitter. For more info, click here.

“Lies”–Review

What if you have the perfect life, the perfect wife, and the perfect child—then, in one moment, you discover nothing is as it seems? What if your whole life was based on lies?

Joe Lynch is driving home with his four-year-old son, William, when he suddenly spots his wife, Mel, driving on the same route for a work meeting. Then Joe has an idea for his son: why not surprise her at her destination? But what comes next changes everything for Joe when he sees Mel meeting with another man.

What makes the meeting all the more suspicious is that Joe recognizes the man. With a meeting that threatens to tear apart his family, Joe is willing to do what it takes to protect them. But his life is soon in danger when he is threatened by a more clever, cunning opponent who is out to destroy him. While Joe tries to get his life back, the enemy always seems to be one step ahead of him. As one lie and threat after another accumulates, Joe has to ask himself: can we ever really trust those closest to us?

I started reading this book a week ago. And, today, I was halfway into the book and just spent the day reading it til the end. That’s how good the book was. The ending shocked me and I enjoyed the suspense. The way it all happened, I definitely didn’t expect. If you’re looking for a good thriller, I recommend this one. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this copy from St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

*Lies will be available on September 11, 2018.

About the author: T.M. Logan was born in Berkshire to an English father and a German mother. He studied at Queen Mary and Cardiff universities before becoming a national newspaper journalist. He currently works in communications and lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children. Lies is his first novel. Check him out on Facebook, as well as Twitter.

“Sadie”–Review

If she dies, she takes the truth with her.

“I’m going to kill a man. I’m going to steal the light from his eyes. I want to watch it go out. You aren’t supposed to answer violence with more violence, but sometimes I think violence is the only answer.”

The story begins with a public radio personality, West McCray, who’s taken an assignment regarding a missing person case in a small town in Colorado. Although McCray is hesitant about the job—especially because young girls disappear all the time—he can’t fight his curiosity. He has to know what happened to 19-year-old Sadie Hunter, so the investigation begins.

Ever since they were kids, Sadie has practically raised her younger sister, Mattie. With one hardship after another, including their mother eventually dropping out of their lives, the sisters were inseparable. Sadie had felt almost like a parent to the sister she loved more than anything.

But, then, Mattie’s dead body is discovered and Sadie’s world is shattered. Feeling she has nothing left to lose, Sadie leaves home and vows to avenge her sister’s death. She drives from one small town to the next, in hopes of speaking to anyone who may have connections to the murderer. When or if she confronts him, Sadie will be ready to kill him, to avenge her sister—or die trying.

Rarely do I read YA novels, but this one did an amazing job. I won’t give anything away, but I liked the story’s realistic ending. It was such a sad story and, at the same time, it amazed me that such a young girl was willing to risk her own life after the only family she’s ever had had been taken from her. It makes me wonder: would you have done the same? Again, I won’t say any more, so I’ll just encourage you to read this book. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this copy from St. Martins Press, in exchange for an honest review.

*Sadie will be available on September 4, 2018.

About the author: Courtney Summers was born in Belleville, Ontario, Canada in 1986 and currently resides in a small town not far from there. At age 14, and with her parents’ blessing, Courtney dropped out of high school to pursue her education independently. At age 18, she wrote her first novel and never looked back. Her first book, Cracked Up to Be, was published in 2008, when she was 22. To date, she has authored five novels and is best known for her unapologetic, difficult female protagonists. In 2016, Courtney was named one of Flare Magazine’s 60 under 30. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

“Goodbye, Paris”–Review

Hello, bloggers! I hope this month is treating you well and that you’re reading some great books. Also, it’s pub day for Goodbye, Paris, by Anstey Harris. It was actually around 2 a.m., last night, when I finished reading the book, so here’s my review.

Sometimes you have to break your heart to make it whole.

Grace Atherton once had a promising career as a cellist; however, a traumatic incident at her music college years ago discouraged her from ever playing in front of an audience again. Now she owns a violin ship in the U.K., repairing instruments, all the while holding on to a long-distance affair with David, who is living in Paris. After nine years of their affair, Grace is positive that she and David will be together indefinitely. But David’s reason for staying in his loveless marriage is for the sake of his children, so Grace remains patient. But then she learns that David has kept more secrets from her, which leads her to nearly hit rock-bottom.

While Grace wallows in her misery, her closest friends—Mr. Williams, an elegant, elderly violinist, and Nadia, Grace’s teenage store clerk—try to help her realize her potential, that she deserves more out of life. As she works hard to get her life back on track, Grace learns that there’s more than one way to find happiness.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I was up until 2 a.m. because I was dying to know how it was going to end. And it didn’t disappoint. I’ve told myself that, one day, I’ll get to visit Paris. In the meantime, I encourage you to check out this book. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this copy from Simon & Schuster, in exchange for an honest review.

About the author: For more info, click on the author’s site. You can also find her on Twitter.

“She Was the Quiet One”–Review

Two sisters. One murder. The guilty person is never who you think…

After the loss of their mother, Rose and Bel Enright move in with their wealthy grandmother, who then enrolls the girls in Odell Academy, a prestigious boarding school in New Hampshire. Although it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for Rose—who has never really fit in at her previous school—it is Bel who feels out of place once she’s there. It isn’t long before Bel falls in with a group of wild rich kids who come between the sisters. To make matters worse, Bel is talked into participating in an attack on Rose and her roommate, which only ends up shattering their relationship.

Because things have gone from bad to worse, Rose turns to her advisor, Sarah Donovan, who has been more like a close friend to her. Meanwhile, Bel turns to Sarah’s husband, Heath, a charismatic teacher at Odell. Not only is Heath ambitious, he’s also attractive, and he knows others have only seen the best in him. The man is practically worshiped. Heath claims to care about his students’ interests, especially Bel’s. But is he telling the truth, or just taking advantage to further his ambitions?

As more secrets come out, along with manipulation, seduction, and scandals, only one Enright sister will live to tell the truth.

This was quite an enjoyable thriller and I liked how the suspense kept building up. Also, this is the first book I’ve read by Michele Campbell. I’ll have to look into her previous book. I encourage you to check out this new thriller. Feel free to post your comments. Happy reading!

*I received this copy from St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. She Was the Quiet One will be available on July 31, 2018.

About the author: Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard University and Stanford Law School. She worked at a prestigious Manhattan law firm before spending eight years fighting crime as a federal prosecutor in New York City. For more info, click here. You can also follow the author on Twitter and Facebook.

“The Other Woman”–Review

Good evening, bloggers! How’s your reading going? Looking for some new recommendations? Here’s my review for my latest read.

He loves you. But she loves you not. And she’ll stop at nothing.

Emily’s had her fair share of bad involvements. But, then, she met Adam. It wasn’t long before they’d really clicked. Then their relationship became serious. Perhaps it was moving a bit fast, yet Emily and Adam couldn’t be happier.

Then it came time to meet Adam’s dear old mother, Pammie. Pammie appears sweet and welcoming—at least, when her sons are around. With Emily, however, she’s a completely different person. She’s conniving, manipulative, a liar. She does everything in her power to make Emily’s life miserable and to drive her away forever. Anything to make her look like the bad guy in front of Adam. But Emily’s not backing out. Despite the future mother-in-law from hell, Emily can’t reason with Adam, who refuses to see his mother for who she is.

The longer the relationship continues, the worse Pammie gets. What does Pammie have against Emily? And how can Emily convince Adam that his mother is out to destroy their relationship?

I definitely give this book five stars. The author has created quite the convincing antagonist. I’ve heard quite a few stories about unhealthy in-law relationships, but this novel takes the cake. It definitely has a pretty good twist, so I recommend you check out this one.

*I received this copy from St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. The Other Woman will be available on August 21, 2018.

About the author: Sandie Jones has worked for more than 20 years as a freelance journalist and has written for The Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly, and the Daily Mail, among other publications. She lives in London with her husband and three children. The Other Woman is her debut novel. For more info, click here. You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.