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A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan
My foray into Fantasy Romance is rather new thanks to the craze of Tik Tok. However, I am obsessed. I didn’t know that a whole different sub-genre of fantasy awaited me. It’s fun, exciting, and definitely brings something new to the genre. The Curse of Blood and Wolves had me entranced from start to finish and I read cover to cover in about a day and a half. I usually take a lot longer with my fantasy reads. I am a huge fan of the darker side of fiction (regular readers of the blog will know this) and I love a deeper, darker retelling of those famous fairy tales. This…
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The Wife in the Photo by Emily Shiner
The Wife in the Photo is a deliciously dark story about loss and vengeance. Next level domestic suspense! I was really taken aback at The Wife in the Photo. I don’t really know what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. Honestly, I was hovering around the 3-star mark for a lot of the book but the last third of the book made me change my mind and quite frankly shocked me. I had a slight inclination of how it was going to end but the ending that was delivered made me laugh – I love it when someone nasty is outdone, it cracked me up. Being an avid reader…
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The Marriage Retreat by Laura Elliot
The Marriage Retreat is a story about grief, pain, and a tangled web of deceit. I usually love a domestic thriller especially from Bookouture, but this failed to hit the mark for me. I had a few problems with it mainly the believability of the story. Now, as a reader I know that you need to suspend a fair bit of disbelief in reading, but I did feel that certain aspects just weren’t the actions of a rational human even during the fog of grief. The story follows Lorraine and Victor, the owners of the well renowned marriage retreat, Serenity Falls. It’s a roaring success with only a few failures…
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None of This is True by Lisa Jewell
None of This is True is a twisty tale that moves along at breakneck speed. Absolutely binge worthy! Lisa Jewell is the queen of domestic thrillers! Lisa Jewell’s None of This is True was an epic clusterfuck. Although I haven’t read any of her other books, this one captivated me. It was a wild ride, full of plot twists and turns. There’s something about the author’s writing that makes you incredulous about their skill that you can’t help but listen. You’ve got snacks, blankets, and wine, so snuggle up and read one of the best thrillers of the year. I am addicted to reading psychological thrillers. These suspenseful stories delve…
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Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Okay, so I really don’t understand Gillian Flynn’s hype train. I stayed away from Gone Girl because of the hype. Sharp Objects missed the mark. The narrative, the characterisation, the connotations. I just disliked the writing style. There’s something about the writing that doesn’t click for me. I appreciate the talent of the author, but it wasn’t something I’d scream about. Oh man, so many things failed to hit the mark in Sharp Objects. The connection between self-harming and being a promiscuous loner, both bothered me. It just seemed disrespectful to me. Her mental illness seemed to be the primary focus of the story right away, it shouldn’t of…
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The Collector by Anne Mette Hancock
The Collector is typical of the Nordic noir genre – chilling, intelligent and wholly captivating. Perfect dialogue, haunting imagery, and difficult topics. A mysterious blurb. It ticks all the crime junky boxes. It makes my heartbeat and my nerves jangle. The cover makes me imagine scenes from some of my favourite scandi dramas. All of this combines to make The Collector a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Plus, the writing is sharp and engaging. One sentence is all it took to fall into the pages of the story. The characters are so down to earth, so relatable, people…
