Murder Road by Simone St. James
Genre: Thriller
Simone St. James has mastered creepy supernatural thrillers. Murder Road is just another of her works filled with plenty of tension and mystery. Eddie and April pick up a woman whom they assume is a hitchhiker on the side of the road. When they discovered she is injured and bleeding, they rush her to the hospital, only to have her die. They discover that she is only one among several victims in Coldlake Falls and the highway. As the saying goes, no good dead goes unpunished. Eddie and April suddenly find themselves suspects in her murder. With the help of Rose, the B&B proprietor, and two teenage sisters, Beatrice and Gracie, the two work to clear their name and find the real reason behind the murders. They find that the answer is more nefarious than they realized.
I really enjoyed this book. It's full of plenty of nostalgia, intrigue, thrills, and just the right amount of creepy supernatural to excite me. I love writing and how the author navigates through a plot of turns and surprises. St. James does a wonderful of creating atmosphere. Murder Road is a chilling read and unsettling at times. It had me engaged from the very beginning. Fans of St. James will not want to miss this one!
Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum Series) by Janet Evanovich
Genre: Mystery
Fans of the Stephanie Plum series, make sure you grab and imerse yourself in this latest novel in the series. If you haven't read the series, I strongly suggest you give it a try. Each book is filled with mystery, romance and rowdy laugh out loud moments. The characters are quirky, interseting, and engaging. It's really a fun series to read and each book follows one case from beginning to end mixed in with another piece of the overarching romance and story.
In this latest addition, Stephanie Plum is back in a new adventure. Expect a few explosions, misadventure moment, and Lulu in all her wonderfulness. I love the direction the books have taken recently. The story shifts from the ever frustrating love triangle to more mystery and mayhem. This allows some of the other characters to step forward and shine like Lulu.
For fans of the series, you will finally see some movement in the whole Ranger, Morelli, Stephanie love triangle which all cumulates in one big romantic cliff hanger. Looks like it's time for Stephanie to get her life in order and make some real choices.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's like candy for me. I fast read that I know will have me laughing, rolling my eyes, and looking forward to the next one.
Fourth Wing (Empyrean book #1) and Iron Flame (Empyrean book #2) by Rebecca Yarros
Genre: Fantasy
I read both of these books back to back, so for that reason I feel it's only fair to review them together. This series falls into what has been coined the 'romantasy' genre. The books are fantasy in nature but are very much adult romance as well. In the first book, readers are introduced to Violet. She has trained to be a scribe her entire life. Her mother, also a commander in the military, pushes her into the war college to become a dragon rider like her siblings. Once there, she is faced with the very real dangers and potential death that comes with trying to become a rider. She's also faced with people who want her dead, seeing her as competition and as an enemy thanks to her mother's position and actions against the rebellion. On top of that, she has to navigate her feelings for Xaden, someone who rightfully should hate her.
A little disclaimer, this book is very violent and certainly an adult read. It can be triggering at times for certain readers. For those who love fantasy, there is plenty of world building, conflict, and dragons. For romance lovers, there is plenty of tension, heat and spicy scenes. Fourth Wing burst on the scene and quickly gained a strong following, including this reader. The book is very well written with plenty of intersting characters, intrigue, and rereadable moments. Iron Flame is much of the same. I will admit I did not like it as much as the first book. There is a lot of angsty conflict that overshadows a good portion of the first half of the book. For me, it bogged down my reading experience. Once you get past that, there is a ton of action and conflict. There is also a lot to cheer for. Originally, this was to be a duology. After the popularity of the first book, Yarros was approached to write more in the series. Some of Iron Flame seems to reflect that change. While the ending isn't exactly seemless, it does create a cliffhanger that will create more obstacles in the overall story and romance. Despite my dislike for the romance angst in book 2, I believe that this is a series I will continue to read and currently anticipate the publication of book 3 in 2024.
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Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Oh my goodness, this book! It reads like a WWII romance with a little bit of a fantasy twist. I went into the book with no expectations Normally, I would have passed it over based on the premise, but I'm so glad I didn't.
The story navigates between written letters and narrative. Iris and Roman's interactions and letters had me hanging on the cusp of anticipation for their budding romance and fearful understanding that things would go drastically wrong somewhere along the way. What really made the book for me is Ross' writing. It carried me like a wave through the story. I was all in. I may have hugged the book at certain times and threw my hands in the air angry ugly crying at others.
It's a hugely character driven book. Though the story is sprinkled with moments of action and magical elements, it doesnt exactly take front seat in the story. In addition, while there is a fantasy element, it actually feels very much like a historical fiction book. At times I even forgot there was a whole fantasy twist with the war being between gods. I honestly think the god element could have been missing from this book entirely and easily fallen into magical realism. Granted, I think that is one or the reasons I liked the book. Its pretty accessible and something I think readers who don't gravitate to fantasy would enjoy. The cliff hanger at the end will have me desperately waiting for book two. Overall, this is definitely one of my favorite reads this year.
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Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Genre: Romance
I loved this book! It was a one day read for me.
Elsie is a adjunct professor with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. She's overworked and underpaid making extra cash through FAUX, an app that hires out fake girlfriends. When the opportunity of a lifetime arises, she quickly is thrown into the interview game for a professor position at MIT. The problem? One of the interviewers is Jack, the brother of one of her favorite clients. He is also the publisher of a paper that singlehandedly destroyed part of her mentor's career and caused a major rift between theoretical and experimental physicists.
The chemistry between Elsie and Jack is amazing. The banter back and forth is a lot of fun. The characters also show a lot of growth through the book. Elsie and Jack aren't the only ones that shine through this book, there are also a lot of amazing side characters that hold their own in the story. I honestly would love to take a glimpse into some of their side stories.
Like her other STEM-centric romances, Ali Hazelwood successfully balances science and romance. On the romance side, there is plenty of spice if you like your romance to have some heat. Hazelwood has a wonderful way of creating these moments with intimacy and combining it with additional insight into the characters.
I also liked Hazelwood's nod to the struggles of women in STEM. Like her previous novels, she points out the difficulties and sexism met by women in the STEM fields and academe. Some of this is pretty on the nose and predictable, but is worth mentioning. There is also a nod to the need for women to support other women in the field.
Overall, Love, Theoretically is a smart, fun, and swoon worthy romantic read. Elsie's disappointment and self actualization brought me to tears while the conversations and banter made me laugh. So far it's one of my top romantic reads of 2023.
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