House of Silence by Sarah Barthel

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review House of Silence by Sarah Barthel! Isabelle is happily engaged to Gregory after spending the required year of mourning after her father’s death. Then she witnesses Gregory committing a fatal act, but he creates a believable story that makes him look like a hero, so no one believes Isabelle when she tries to convince them that Gregory is a murderer. Out of desperation and for her own safety, she is sent to Bellevue Sanitarium where she befriends Abraham Lincoln’s widow and gains allies in her fight against Gregory. A historical fiction mystery that takes place in the late 1800’s. I enjoyed the characterization and the deception of the antagonist along with the suspense – 4 stars!

First Contact by Kat Green

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Thanks to YABoundBookTours for the opportunity to read and review First Contact by Kat de Falla and Rachel Green (Kat Green)!
First Contact marks the beginning of the Haunts for Sale series. Sloane is a paranormal real estate agent that searches for haunted houses that her customers want to purchase. She’s using this guise to search for her fiance, Michael, who was killed by a drunk driver just weeks before their wedding. He had a motto for being patient and now Sloane is following it to search for him: “…be patient and if things weren’t working out, give it a year and a day.” This is now Sloane’s mantra to keep her going. The haunting mystery holds suspense and creepiness throughout the whole story. The romance factor adds a nice, warm touch to the spooky tale. Lovable protagonists and horrible antagonists kept me on my toes! I give this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone wanting a macabre, spooky adult read!

The Amateurs by Sara Shepard

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review The Amateurs by Sara Shepard! This new series by the well-known author of Pretty Little Liars impressed me. The mysterious disappearance and murder of a teenage girl goes unsolved for five years and then a group of online detective teenagers, that are part of the website known as the Case Not Closed group, decides they want to solve the mystery. Brett, Aerin (the victim’s sister), Maddox and Seneca each have their own tragedy that they are dealing with. They are a team full of teen angst and have to struggle and come to terms with each other to work well together. Dangerous events threatening their lives make them wonder if they should stop investigating and if they are getting closer to solving the mystery. The twists are fun and unpredictable and include a cliffhanger ending that left me anxious for the sequel. It’s nice to have a modern mystery fiction series for young adults to enjoy-5 stars!

I See You by Clare Mackintosh

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review I See You by Clare Mackintosh! This mystery thriller has three points of view that switch on and off throughout the book. Kelly (a police officer), Zoe ( a nervous citizen) and the person behind the stalking and other awful acts that are occurring to random women that have somehow had their photos secretly taken without their knowledge or permission and posted onto a dating chatline. I was interested in the mystery and tried to figure out the guilty party, but it is very unpredictable and every time I thought I had it, I found out I was wrong. The twists and turns, the unpredictability and the ending that is creepy to the core make this murder-mystery a must read for suspense lovers; 4 stars!

The Invisible Crown by Charlie Cottrell

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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I was invited to join the blog tour of Charlie Cottrell’s first full length novel, which will be published December 19, 2016!

“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to Royal James Publishing for the invitation to read and review The Invisible Crown by Charlie Cottrell. The Invisible Crown is the first full length novel about Eddie Hazzard, “the hard-boiled detective” in the Hazzard Pay series that Charlie Cottrell has written.

The Invisible Crown is a detective story involving a wife looking for her missing husband. Science fiction and humor add to this quick read detective story, 3.5 stars! The sci-fi in this novel includes interesting genetically modified characters and the humor is all Eddie Hazzard’s personality. These details make the book fun to read and leave you wanting more from the city of Arcadia!

Synopsis:

About The Invisible Crown:

The city of Arcadia is a craphole, but it’s my craphole. I’ve walked its streets my entire life, always searching for something: a purpose, a suspect, or a stiff drink. My name’s Eddie Hazzard, and I’m a hard-boiled detective. Yeah, laugh it up. It’s a ridiculous job description, but this is a ridiculous town. It’s full of every cliché you can imagine: corrupt city officials, police officers on the take, greedy businessmen, and crime so organized it has an accounting department, a health plan, and retirement benefits. Which is more than I can say for myself.”

Meet Eddie Hazzard: he’s tenacious, a certain kind of clever, and usually drunk. When a beautiful woman comes into his office and asks him to find her husband, Eddie takes the case because the alternative is having his creditors show up at his door and do terrible things to his limbs. But the case takes a series of bizarre turns, getting Eddie caught up in a tangled web of reluctant cops, sketchy businessmen, and shadowy crime bosses. The deeper he gets, the worse things look. Will Eddie solve the case? Will he save the day? Most importantly, will he get paid?

The Invisible Crown is the first full-length novel of a series featuring Detective Hazzard and the bizarre, bewildering array of tough mobsters, genetically-modified creeps, and ruthless scumbags who inhabit the city of Arcadia.

The Lost Property Office

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal! This book is interesting from the dedication and onward. Steampunk genre with the iridescent clockwork beetles add to the fantasy feel. The main character, thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles, lives with his mom and eight-year-old sister, Sadie. Sadie believes she sees their dad and when Jack looks down to talk to her, she has disappeared. Jack catches up with Sadie and they both end up in The Lost Property Office. They discover that their dad belongs to the Ministry of Trackers. A clerk, Gwen, becomes Jack’s guide and they follow clues to the man in black (the Clockmaker) who seems to know what happened to Jack’s father and Gwen’s uncle, who worked with Jack’s father. He tells them to find the Ember and meet him at the Great Clock Tower at midnight to find Jack’s father. I enjoy the mix of English and American characters, cultures and humor! Steampunk and fantasy combine for a fun tale of mysterious secrets, intrigue and surprises – 4 stars!

When All the Girls Have Gone

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz!

The story opens with the murder of Gordon Greenslade, which of course would pull any mystery fan into the book! Charlotte and her innocuous life are introduced and she meets Max Cutler, an investigator, who takes on Louise Flint’s homicide case. Louise supposedly overdosed and her laptop and cellphone are completely missing. Suspiciously, Trey Greenslade has her missing items and is searching for a hidden package. Twists and turns kept me reading and the book has a good story line and plot, but it was too drawn out for my taste. 3.5 stars!

Overdrive by Dawn Ius

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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“Received an advance reader copy for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read and review Overdrive by Dawn Ius! Julia, a teenage car thief living in a foster home with her ten year-old little sister, is busted during a car grab. Julia has been trying to become independent enough to raise her sister, Emma, on her own. She does not want to be separated from Emma and will do whatever it takes for them to stay together. I admire Julia because she loves her sister tremendously and by choice, wants to take care of her. Roger Montgomery wants to give Julia and Emma a place to live. Julia is suspicious, but feels like she has run out of options. A “Gone in Sixty Seconds” young adult story involving teenage foster kids and all the thrills and car chases as the movie. Eleanor, the amazing Mustang from the “Gone in Sixty Seconds” movie, even has a cameo appearance! Since I am a fan of the movie, I thoroughly enjoyed this! It takes a while for the foster teenagers to mesh and get along, but after Roger tells them his secret, they get to know each other better and work well together. Roger seems a bit strange and the teenagers are cautious around him and unsure of his intentions. The teenagers figure out Roger’s secret and things change dramatically after that. Overdrive gets a 4 star rating because of its complex emotions, teamwork and the thrill of the chase!

Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter is the final book in the Shadow Falls series, which I have thoroughly enjoyed because of the clever wit, dynamic characters, in-depth world building and the suspense that each book carries along with its own story.  I am sad that this series is ending and I hope to see more works from C.C. Hunter.  I give Midnight Hour a 5 star rating!

“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter! The instant I began reading Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter, I was drawn back into the supernatural world of Shadow Falls. I am sad that this book marks the end of the Shadow Falls series, but I am glad the author chose to write about Miranda as the main character. Miranda and her half-sister, Tabitha, visit an old witch that can supposedly tell anyone their future love story. As soon as she gets started with Miranda and her love story, things become chaotic.

C.C. Hunter is a wonderful storyteller and brings the reader up to speed flawlessly. Miranda and Tabitha are witches and are struggling to come to grips with the fact of their father having two families because he chose to cheat on his first wife (Tabitha’s mother). Miranda and Tabitha unwittingly discover an age-old cult that uses young witches to reproduce their progeny, so they can rule the world with witchcraft.

Midnight Hour fits perfectly in the supernatural genre and has mystery, suspense, romance and conflict added into the mix. I give it 5 stars for an indulging read!

Here is the link to the Midnight Hour booktrailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdCkKyDDjVw

Here is the link for a Midnight Hour giveaway:

http://us.macmillan.com/smp/promo/midnighthoursweepstakes

How to Hang a Witch

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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The instant I began reading How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather, I felt pulled into the story. What’s not to love? The history of the Salem Witch Trials, clever characters and an interesting synopsis immediately piqued my curiosity! Told in Sam Mather’s point of view as she moves to Salem, Massachusetts with her stepmother. The two of them reside in Sam’s grandmother’s house while Sam’s father suffers in a coma that has lasted over three months already. Sam is a descendant of Cotton Mather, one of the men who hanged witches during the Salem Witch Trials. A group of students, known as the Descendants, because they are actual descendants of the victims of the Salem Witch Trials hangings, immediately dislike Sam because of her last name. Her neighbors, Jaxon and his mother, are friendly and they knew Sam’s grandmother well and took care of her and her home when she couldn’t anymore. Jaxon seems to be the only friendly person in the entire school, including the teachers. The relationship and banter between Jaxon and Sam makes me smile and when they find a hidden room in her house, the mystery begins.

The author’s beautiful descriptions bring the historical homes to life and portray the magnificence of a Massachusetts autumn. The mystery, suspense and the curse all grow in intensity and I am never quite sure who Sam can trust. Wonderful and creative writing, dynamic and complex characters and a plot that everyone can relate to make this an amazing book. The author’s notes share what is historically accurate and what’s fiction and her personal genealogy makes me think that she needs to write more historical fiction! 5 stars – perfect from beginning to end!