Book Reviews

Review Roundup Fall/Late 2022

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in late 2022. Beware of spoilers! Title: A Sinister Revenge Author: Deanna Raybourn Series: Veronica Speedwell #8 Great thanks to Deanna Raybourn, Berkley, and Edelweiss for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Overall this was a good addition to the series. Not exceptional, but good. I love that Veronica and Tiberious have developed a deep fraternal bond, and I loved the interesting dinosaur …

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Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger

Title: Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six Author: Lisa Unger Series: n/a Slow, too much head-hopping Much thanks to Lisa Unger, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Park Row, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Boo to Harper Audio for denying me the audio edition. *raspberry* This book is a slow burn for sure; the only thing intriguing in the beginning was the DNA tests from Santa in the prologue. Scratch that, the book’s just slow …

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The Winter Garden by Nicola Cornick

Title: The Winter Garden Author: Nicola Cornick Series: n/a Needs an urgent pace and relevant past POV Much thanks to Nicola Cornick, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, but there were aspects to it that made it easy to put down. I loved the ghost and paranormal and mystery aspects, and I loved the archaeological aspects. There was plenty of the former (though …

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The Twisted Dead by Darcy Coates

Title: The Twisted Dead Author: Darcy Coates Series: Gravekeeper #3 Much thanks to Darcy Coates, Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I ADORE this series. So far I like each book better than the last. I listened to the first two before reading Twisted just to refresh my memory. While Coates does an excellent job recapping and briefly explaining anything you need to know from previous books, …

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A Counterfeit Wife by Paullett Golden

Title: A Counterfeit Wife Author: Paullett Golden Series: Sirens #1 Bloated and rather unbelievable, but still charming Much thanks to the author, who provided a free copy (and excellent conversation) in exchange for an honest review. Good news: I enjoyed Trevor and J’non’s romance!* Bad news: the narrative’s middle was incredibly bloated, and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending. *And unfortunately, the good news has a caveat—I don’t mean for “I enjoyed Trevor and J’non’s romance” to refer to …

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Emily’s List by Sean Platt and David W. Wright

Title: Emily’s List Authors: Sean Platt and David W. Wright Series: n/a Weak protagonist, slow pace, confusing at times I would like to thank Sean Platt and David W. Wright, Sterling & Stone, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Per Jen Turrell of Sterling & Stone, this ebook is free across all retail platforms, at least at the time I’m writing this review, so if you’re interested, grab a copy! …

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Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Amanda Flower

Title: Because I Could Not Stop for Death Author: Amanda Flower Series: Emily Dickinson Mystery #1 Slow, weak lead, but well researched Thank you to Amanda Flower, Berkley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review, and thank you as well to Yasmine Hassan for inviting me on the tour and being the messenger. Apologies for reviewing late! This was my first exposure to Amanda Flower, though I’ve seen her work around; …

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A Hard Day for a Hangover by Darynda Jones

Title: A Hard Day for a Hangover Author: Darynda Jones Series: Sunshine Vicram #3 Not the conclusion I expected—or wanted Thank you to Darynda Jones and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Kejana Alaya for providing the ARC. It’s about goddamn time. We could have had this book a year ago, but the publisher wanted to let us stew for a while. Marketing, scheduling, I …

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Murder in Westminster by Vanessa Riley

Title: Murder in Westminster Author: Vanessa Riley Series: Lady Worthing Mystery #1 Poorly written and confusing Thank you to Vanessa Riley, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I feel meh about this book. My biggest issue with it was that, bizarrely, it often felt like I was missing information—it felt like the fourth or fifth book in the series, always referring to things that happened in the …

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The Graveside Bar and Grill by Darynda Jones

Title: The Graveside Bar and Grill Author: Darynda Jones Series: Charley Davidson #13.7 Just happy to return to Charley’s world I would like to thank Darynda Jones and Dark Nights Press/Evil Eye Concepts, Inc. for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to Tanaka Kangara at Social Butterfly PR for being the go-between and providing assets. I did my best to avoid spoilers, but if you want absolutely none whatsoever . …

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