This was originally published back in 1993 and titled Bitter Almonds.
How scary to think that medicine you rely on for headaches or a 'caffeine b3⭐
This was originally published back in 1993 and titled Bitter Almonds.
How scary to think that medicine you rely on for headaches or a 'caffeine boost' has been tampered with and could have fatal consequences.
Featuring ~ true crime murder story from the 1980's, cyanide poisoning, 2 main families ~ with MULTIPLE side characters, dual timeline, references to molestation & child abuse & child neglect & infidelity, court proceedings
Sometimes books are slow going for me, but then pick up ~ vice versa for this one. I enjoyed the beginning, but then it got super draggy and too informative and I was just ready to be done, so I bumped er up to 2.5x. The excessive amount of information makes for a longer read/listen, which I suppose might be common with non-fiction. It was narrated by Karen Peakes for 14 hours and 17 minutes. Her male voices were okay.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, Gregg Olsen and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
3.5⭐ Genre ~ historical fiction Series ~ Doyle & Braham, #1 Publication date ~ October 1, 2022 Page Count ~ 206 POV ~ multiple 1st Featuring ~ 3 part story3.5⭐ Genre ~ historical fiction Series ~ Doyle & Braham, #1 Publication date ~ October 1, 2022 Page Count ~ 206 POV ~ multiple 1st Featuring ~ 3 part story, 1889 timeline, mystery, slow burn, supernatural elements, cliffhanger
Our main characters are John Doyle and Thomas Braham. Opposites in personality and housekeeping skills, but both share an interest in investigations. They seem to have a great rapport. Scarlett, Thomas's 18 year old niece, excitedly assists in the background. It was interestingly told in diary form with some letters, police reports and newspaper clippings sprinkled in. We, also, have an anonymous character that keeps us wondering who they are throughout.
I bet a lot of research must go into writing a book set in previous centuries since things were obviously very different back in the 1800's, so I applaud the author's job in doing that skillfully. In one instance a character had to rewrite a letter he received in order to share it with a friend ~ bet he wished he had access to a copy machine.
Overall, this was a fine novel, but based on the cover I was expecting much more horror throughout the entire book. Horror aspects were discussed, but it was really only in the last 3rd that there was some action and it was not overly scary in my opinion.
*Thanks to Chad Miller and Novel Cause for sending me a paperback copy to read. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, meddling mothers, fake relationship, best friend's brother, sisters best friend, forced proximity, op4.5⭐ rounded up.
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, meddling mothers, fake relationship, best friend's brother, sisters best friend, forced proximity, opposites attract, steamage, references to an abusive relationship, second chance at love
Heath & Alicia Heath and his 3 siblings own a bar together. There is no rivalry between these 4 and their relationship is great. Alicia is a romance author who is fun, confident and independent. She's an only child and her relationship with her mother is strained and she can be down right mean to her daughter.
One thing Heath and Alicia have in common, besides being workaholics ~ meddling mothers who want them to settle down (this bugs me!), so they begin fake dating in hopes of getting their mothers off their back. Both have a sad and emotional past that make them reluctant to love again, but I'm so happy they found each other because I really liked them together.
One bit bugged me about Alicia and how instead of just talking things out she just shut down and pushed Heath away at one point. I have mixed feelings about how she fixed things ~ didn't love it, it was just alright.
All of the characters were pretty great, but there's always one pill and this time it's Tiffany, and her mother too ~ they were awful. Trent on the other hand was a delight! I really liked his friendship with Alicia and Emily and I would totally be down with reading a story just about him.
I enjoy series that follow siblings and look forward to reading about the next sibling, Emily. I LOVED the bonus scene that sets us up for Let Me Stay.
*Thanks to Aria Bliss and Booksirens for my copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, college, football ~ tight end, coach's daughter, theater, virgins, insta~love, minimal steamage, 30 pages
Blaze & Me4⭐
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, college, football ~ tight end, coach's daughter, theater, virgins, insta~love, minimal steamage, 30 pages
Blaze & Melissa Blaze is recovering from a football injury when his coach asks him to help his daughter, Melissa, get the set ready for her play. After only spending 4 days working together they feel an instant connection. These both were so sweet and had great personalities. Cute, lunch break read.
*Thanks to Gigi Love and Booksprout for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Since it's my MIL's birthday today I figured I'd re-share this review.
4.5⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Publication date ~ November 4, 2022 Page CountSince it's my MIL's birthday today I figured I'd re-share this review.
4.5⭐ Genre ~ psychological thriller Publication date ~ November 4, 2022 Page Count ~ 274 Audio length ~ 7 hours and 42 minutes Narrator ~ Katie Villa POV ~ multiple 3rd Featuring ~ whirlwind marriage, secrets, betrayal, family drama, family owned pub, infidelity references
Caroline is the daughter~in~law Lilian is the mother~in~law Amy and Michelle are sisters
I, myself, have been a delightful DIL for many years, but I'm not sure if my loveliness would last long if we had to live in the same quarters together. You can just feel the tension between the MIL and DIL from the moment they were introduced. There were a bunch of twistaroos I didn't see coming and the ending was excellent ~ whoop whoop. Although it took a bit for the Amy and Michelle connection to come out in the story I was quite pleased with their involvement in the plot and how it all played out.
My 4th Shalini book and favorite by far.
Narration notes ~ while I do not have any complaints with her narrating skills, I wouldn't have minded at least 2 narrators for two different aged women.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, Shalini Boland and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
4.5⭐ Publication date ~ book ~ October 20, 2022, audio ~ November 1, 2022 Page Count ~ 232 Audio length ~ 6 hours 45 minutes Narrators ~ Eilidh Beaton, M4.5⭐ Publication date ~ book ~ October 20, 2022, audio ~ November 1, 2022 Page Count ~ 232 Audio length ~ 6 hours 45 minutes Narrators ~ Eilidh Beaton, Matt Bates ~ both enjoyable POV ~ dual 1st Featuring ~ dual timeline, childhood storyline, infidelity, locked room, revenge
Grace & Dominic have been happily married for years, or so Grace thought, until she walked in on Dominic and his mistress in a compromising position. She does what any sane wife would do and locks them in the cabin they are caught in.
I really liked this plot, but not the characters so much. It's fast paced with twists and turns, and secrets coming back around to bite ya in the rear.
I think this is my second book by this author and I'm not really sure why I haven't read more, so I'll have to rectify that asap.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, Daniel Hurst and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, co~workers, office romance, fake relationship, secret crush, slow burn4⭐
Book 1 in the Spanish Love Deception series
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, co~workers, office romance, fake relationship, secret crush, slow burn, some steamage
Catalina & Aaron Catalina needs a date for her sister's wedding in Spain. In steps co~worker Aaron offering to be her fake date. I hate how Catalina was not comfortable in her body and felt like she had to starve herself. I love how Aaron took a crash course in Spanish before their trip to Spain ~ that makes him libro novio en mis ojos.
SUPER long coming in at 14 hours and 32 minutes, easy to follow at 2-2.5x though. I was pleased with the narration done by Scarlette Hayes.
Side note ~ I really like that the author chose the word deception instead of the usual word fake we always hear with this trope.
I was delighted that Cyra King reached out and asked me to read her debut horror book. This is not my normal genre and my first zombie apocalypse bookI was delighted that Cyra King reached out and asked me to read her debut horror book. This is not my normal genre and my first zombie apocalypse book ever.
Cyra describes her book as follows: Co-Exist: Rise of the Zombies is an apocalyptic/dystopian/zombie book that combines action, dark comedy, horror, romance, and suspense with lots of drama and heart.
Book 1 in a planned trilogy, so there are tiny cliffhangers that make the story not fully wrapped up in this installment.
Featuring ~ single 1st & multiple 3rd person POV’s, zombies, gore, violence, graphic, human death, animal death, vulgar language, over 500 pages
Narrators Megan is our 1st person narrator and her live in boyfriend is Michael. Don, Ethel & Caleb are a family. Don is our scientist working on a cure. Ethel is wheelchair bound and has to rely on 9 year old son, Caleb, when Don is working around the clock in the lab. Linda works with Don at the lab.
Boy oh boy was this a disgustingly gore filled action adventure, which is what one would fully expect from this type of book. I think having multiple POV's was a good choice for this story so we could slowly see how all the characters would intertwine together. We have a mix of good and bad characters. Megan and Rachel's friendship was an interesting one ~ hey, I'm going to eat your leg off and then we'll live together and be best friends. I like how protective Megan was with Caleb. Michael and Megan were great together and I wonder what's in store for them next. Overall, this was well written and I feel like this would definitely appeal to apocalypse loving readers.
Side note ~ totally gross, but I might not be opposed to snacking on a psychics pineal gland to see what happens ~ only if it's a sure thing though.
3.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Bossy Single Dad #1 Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ October 21, 2022 Page Count ~ 390 (15 chapters +e) (Got th3.5⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Series ~ Bossy Single Dad #1 Setting ~ NYC Publication date ~ October 21, 2022 Page Count ~ 390 (15 chapters +e) (Got the PC from Amazon, but it seems high to me...more
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, Hinduism culture, insta-love, some erotica scenes
Raj is off to America to interview for a job and to meet Bella2.5⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, Hinduism culture, insta-love, some erotica scenes
Raj is off to America to interview for a job and to meet Bella, the lady he's been communicating with via Facebook messenger. Raj is young and naive and makes quite a few mistakes along the way. Is their insta-love strong enough to get past his mistakes and their cultural differences?
Okay so I don't know if I have received an unedited copy or if it's due to a language barrier, but the writing was hard to understand at times, which took some of my interest out of the story. With that said, this is a quick read that touches on Hinduism culture. The "lesson learnt" at the end of each chapter was a funny and nice addition to the story. I'm happy to say I did not see the ending coming either.
*Thanks to the author for sending me a copy to read. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*...more
I must preface by saying I am not a poetry reader, but I am delighted to provide my honest review for Jazalyn who asked me to do so.
This is a collectiI must preface by saying I am not a poetry reader, but I am delighted to provide my honest review for Jazalyn who asked me to do so.
This is a collection of 98 short, titled, non-rhyming poems that focus on virus's and the pandemic, and love.
Some parts are relatable as we're all living in the same world right now, but I can't say I really understood much of what I was reading. This could probably be due to my lack of familiarity of the poetry world. However, I do think the author was trying to get across her frustration of hate and mental illness, and how we'd live in a better world if there was less hate and more love, peace, kindness and happiness. I can't disagree with her thought process in that aspect.
My favorite quote is from the passage I sympathize with this joker "First we must stop bullying; We must stop hate; We must stop everything That causes pain Because everyone must be happy To be able to function properly And Joker's story should pave the way" ...more
Featuring ~ multiple 3rd person POV, death of parents, drugs, police procedural, references to (I'm hiding these because although I feel they need a wFeaturing ~ multiple 3rd person POV, death of parents, drugs, police procedural, references to (I'm hiding these because although I feel they need a warning, they do give a little bit of the story away, so read at your own risk (view spoiler)[pedophilia, infidelity, adoption, gay character (hide spoiler)]
Yuvi is the only survivor in the crash that took his parents lives. It was ruled an accident, but once the investigators start questioning Yuvi, his grandfather, Mohan, and Jennifer, they learn there is way more to the story of how and why the accident happened. Every family has its secrets and the ones in this family are dark, which lead to a shocking ending.
Overall, a lot of information is jam packed into this 53 page book, in a good way. It's a great start to a series introducing characters of the Bombay Crime Bureau ~ Dev, Priya, Aaron and Salim.
Side note ~ Amazon says the reading age is 16-18. I don't agree, I think it has adult themes.
*Thanks to Krishnaraj HK for asking me to read his book. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, 2 parts, betrayal, unplanned pregnancy, one night stand, married man, friendship, baby with l4.25⭐ for the audiobook.
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, 2 parts, betrayal, unplanned pregnancy, one night stand, married man, friendship, baby with life threatening illness
Charlotte is mad when she finds out her long time boyfriend has not been honest with her month after month when she hasn't been able to conceive. She gives him the boot because she can't forgive his betrayal. When on vacation with her bff, Annabelle, she has a drunken one night stand with a fellow guest that she'll never see again, or will she?
The Dilemma is the perfect title for this one since making a choice to save her baby could cost her one of her best friends. I think all mothers would agree that you would do anything for your children, so the answer is a no brainer. I hated Zach's secret, but I really liked all of the characters and the way Tiffany handled things. All 3 women have a solid friendship and that shows as the secrets unfold. Overall, I enjoyed it and I'd be happy to read Julia's work again.
Narrated by Daphne Kouma for 8 hours and 1 minute, easy to follow at 2x. I have no complaints about her narration skills as a whole, but wouldn't have minded a little distinction between the 3 female characters voices.
*Thanks to Bookouture Audio, Julia Roberts and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, dual timeline (1970's & 2019), childhood model/actress, jealous/neglectful/manipulative stage mother, suicide,3.25⭐
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, dual timeline (1970's & 2019), childhood model/actress, jealous/neglectful/manipulative stage mother, suicide, sexual assault on a minor, pedophilia and references to pornography
Ryan was a child model and actress that looked much older than she was. She was put into predicaments that children her age should not be put into.
I really liked Ryan and Gilly's friendship and how they remained best friends for decades. Gilly's family were great too. Ryan and Sasha, her 18 year old daughter, were #motherdaughtergoals. But she probably felt like she had to work extra hard to be nothing like the mother she had.
I am not new to reading this authors work and she writes about some heavy topics. I'm usually all for it, but this one was slow going for me. I kept picking it up and putting it back down, which I hardly ever do. I usually like a dual timeline, but I wasn't loving it for this one because I felt like I was forgetting what happened at the end of the last chapter with the same time period. Also, she was reminiscing while in the present, so that was messing me up too. The pace eventually picked up and I was ready to see how it would all play out. I was about to be really mad at the end there, but it didn't go how I initially thought it was going to so phew.
About the picture ~ am I the only one that see's a problem with the fact that Henri took this picture and that was somehow okay? Gives him a creepy vibe if you ask me and nobody batted an eye at that.
So overall, not my favorite, but I'll still read more of her books.
*Thanks to Kensington Books, the author and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, single mom, domestic abuse
Atlas & Lily I am happy that these two finally got their happily ever after, but I am wondering if I would've preferred to read and not listen. The narration by Colin Donnell & Olivia Song for 8 hours and 41 minutes was alright and easy to follow at 2~2.5x, so I don't know and I'll never know because I am not a re-reader. Their opposite sex voices were a little iffy too.
Atlas is a pretty good letter writer and Lily is a good, protective mom. Ryle is still a douche. That's all I have to offer for now.
Deven thinks she's at the morgue to identify her sisters body, but it turns out not to be her. But where is Kennedy then, if this dead girl is not her. As she investigates her sister's disappearance she slowly starts to realize that maybe she doesn't know her as well as she thought she did. There's the added fact that they're step-siblings, with the same mom and different father's, that causes some drama.
We have the before and present timeline, and childhood diary entries, that keep the story flowing along nicely. I felt invested and wanted to know what was up with Kennedy. I wasn't overly in love with Deven, or many of the characters, but the epilogue was great!
Narrated by Diana Blue for 9 hours and 28 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. She did a nice job.
*Thanks to Tantor Audio, the author and NetGalley for the advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
4.25⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Setting ~ Pacific Northwest Publication date ~ February 22, 2022 Est page Count ~ 429 Audio length ~ 12 hours 18 minutes4.25⭐ Genre ~ contemporary romance Setting ~ Pacific Northwest Publication date ~ February 22, 2022 Est page Count ~ 429 Audio length ~ 12 hours 18 minutes Narrators ~ Lidia Dornet, Teddy Hamilton, Laurie West, Rock Engle, CJ Bloom, Stephen Borne POV ~ multiple (6) 1st person Featuring ~ sibling rivalry, office romance, boss/assistant, friends to lovers, small town, slow burn, minimal steamage
Ford & Larkin Boss and assistant relationship for these two. Ford is work driven and Larkin is the sweetest.
Cooper & Nora Cooper is misunderstood and I like the strides he took to be happier. I really like Nora's tell it like it is and take a chance attitude on life.
Palmer & Dr. Beau These two are so cute with their secret crushes on each other!
Martin and Peggy were absolutely delightful parents! They were fun loving and quite the jokers. I was rolling with some of the things they'd say, and Martin's coloring was good stuff.
I thought it was going to be tough to follow 6 different POV's, but it wasn't at all. Each character brought their own uniqueness to the pages. I am an only child, so I can't relate, but there was a bit too much bickering for my liking. It took a while for them to get their act together, but once they did it resulted in a wonderful conclusion. I really enjoy Meghan's writing style and look forward to when I can get my hands on another one of her books.
Narration notes: I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference. But I'll add that I'm happy there were 6!
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, present and past timeline, death of parent, kidnapping, suspense, psychological 3.5⭐ rounded up for a solid part 1.
Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, present and past timeline, death of parent, kidnapping, suspense, psychological thriller, 2 part story ~ The Kidnap & The Reckoning
16 year old Amelie is on her own after her father's death. She leaves the country and meets Carolyn. Carolyn offers her a live in job and they become fast friends. Some years later she begins working for Ned and they head to Vegas together for a work trip. Just a few days later Amelie and Ned are married and Amelie soon realizes she's made a big mistake and the deal they made could cost her everything.
When I read books like this I wonder how I would handle being held prisoner ~ would I fight, follow orders, reverse psychology or develop Stockholm syndrome ~ lets hope I never have to find out. I feel like Amelie did all the right things. The present and past timeline in part 1 was more exciting than part 2. I can't really say I was in love with the ending.
Side note ~ The main characters name is Ned, but the blurb says Jed ~ am I crazy?
I was fortunate enough to receive a kindle copy and the audiobook to review. I started out reading it, then switched to audio and finished it up that way. Either way was fine. Narrated by Georgia Maguire for 8 hours and 41 minutes, easy to follow at 2x. She did a fine job, her males voices were okay.
*Thanks to St Martins Press, Macmillan Audio, the author and NetGalley for the ARC and advance audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Book 2 in the Blazers Hockey series ~ yes it's a stand-alone, but more enjoyable if read in order as Hope and Beck make frequent appe3.75⭐ rounded up.
Book 2 in the Blazers Hockey series ~ yes it's a stand-alone, but more enjoyable if read in order as Hope and Beck make frequent appearances in this installment.
Featuring ~ dual 1st person POV, sports romance, hockey ~ NHL, fake relationship, second chance, infertility, under 200 pages
Emily & Chase They were meant to be, or so Chase thought, until Emily broke his heart when she broke up with him instead of moving to Pittsburgh together. Flash forward 8 years and they're back in each others lives. Chase needs a date for his brother's wedding and Emily needs an in to meet one of his friends, so they decide to fake date for a few months. We know how fake dating always turns out if you've read this trope before.
Emily starts to feel like part of the Reid family again as they welcome her with open arms. I really enjoyed everyone in Chase's family. Chase was so sweet and you could just feel his love for Emily through the pages. Their chemistry was on point.
Overall, I really, really liked this one, but I am very upset about the lack of communication that resulted in 8 years wasted. 8 years!! I wish there was a little more information on the infertility too. All ends well 5 years later, but that's an awfully long time to waste.
Next book will be about Derek and hopefully him getting his life together.
*Thanks to Lisa Linwood and Booksprout for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*
Heather Adores Books
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2022
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