The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

This book was a pick for the book club that I help coordinate at work. It was chosen by one of our members and I was looking forward to reading it because it sounds exactly like my kind of book! 

The story is about a female apothecary named Nella from 1790's London who dispenses poisons to women to use on the men in their lives that have hurt them. The apothecary only helps women to hurt men, and she keeps a register that she records the names of the women and their victims, along with what she gave them to do the job. 

We go along with Nella when she meets a 12 year old girl who's been sent on an errand to retrieve one of the remedies. The two form a friendship of sorts, but sets of a series of events that threatens the shop, and everyone who's listed in the register. 

The story also follows present day Caroline as she spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone in London. She comes across an old apothecary bottle on her trip and goes down the rabbit hole researching the shop and the "apothecary murders". 

I liked the premise of the story, of course. After all, I greatly enjoy murder mysteries and everything to do with them. I also enjoyed both of the timelines. I think they meshed well together and it was interesting to see the similarities between women in the 1790's and women today. Many of the same problems still exist, especially when it comes to men!

This book was shorter than I expected and I finished it all in one sitting. I read it so quickly because I wanted more from this story. I was so drawn in by the premise and the idea of a murderous apothecary that I was expecting a much more nuanced and deep book. 

Caroline was not my favourite character by far. She's in London alone on her 10th wedding anniversary because her husband cheated. The author did a good job of creating the husband as someone we all want to hate, but didn't do enough to give us a wife we could really sympathize with. Many of the reasons Caroline's marriage came to this was down to her choices.

I also felt while Caroline was researching the apothecary that in order to keep the story going, the author just made it super easy for her to complete her research. The additional characters the author threw in that help Caroline along, didn't feel like anything other than plot devices. They felt unreal. If you are going to write me a story that can happen today with actual people, then include things that could really happen. 

I am hesitant to go into any more details on the story because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I will say, there was a moment where I got really angry at the book but my anger was short lived in that instance, for which I am grateful. 

Had this book not beed a pick for my work's book club, I may have skimmed it instead of reading it fully because while I enjoyed parts, there were parts I could have done without. 

Recommendations: This isn't a wow book. It's okay. If you wanted to read this, please do. It's not one I would condemn into the depths of book jail but it's not one deserving of high praise either in my opinion. 

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez

This book was a binge read if I ever saw one! I finished this one sunny afternoon, totally drawn into the story. 

This novel is inspired by Bolivian politics and history (which is a topic I know nothing about). In reading this, we are transported to another world, one with two sides of peoples who are struggling for control of their country. There's a revolution brewing and it comes down to the main character Ximena and what choices she will make. 

Having said that, there's also magic in this story. Ximena is able to spin moonlight into thread. Other characters have gifts too that come into play throughout the book. 

Of course, what would a revolution story be without a little bit of romance. I adored that part of the story. It was just enough that it kept me on the edge of my seat rooting for them to overcome all the adversity and be together. As this is a young adult novel, the romance was not explicit or inappropriate which I greatly appreciated. 

I greatly enjoyed the world building, the mythology, the use of other languages interspersed in the story and the atmosphere the author created. The descriptions of the scenery, the colours, the food. It was a whole experience.

One of the other things I greatly enjoyed was the use of other languages in the story, sometimes without an immediate explanation of what the word meant. Some of the words are simple to figure out based on context and I liked how they were added in. I may be in the minority in this though!

This book stood out in my mind because it just felt different reading it. Sure, it has the same elements that a lot of books (especially young adult fantasy) all have, but I haven't read anything quite like it before.

While writing this review I went over to Goodreads to refresh my memory of the story. I found a lot of comments regarding the history and politics that this novel was inspired by and many of the comments were not good. While I admittedly know nothing about Bolivian politics and history, I want to note that those who are more familiar with them feel that this book draws on racial stereotypes. Some have also said the author included the mythology to fetishize the exotic qualities of the people. Many have explained that author also put the so called "good" people as the colonizers and the "bad" people were the indigenous people of Bolivia. If it was written instead about Canadians or Americans and the Indigenous people, it would have been obvious to everyone the problematic nature of the story.  

While there is a realization moment, a change of perspective, and move in the right direction in this story, for many it's not enough to cover up the damage done in the rest of the book. 

As readers, we sometimes forget that stories aren't just stories. Sometimes they are pure fiction, and other times they are inspired by pain and suffering of a race of people. I think instead of asking "was this a good story?" we might want to instead ask "was this something that should have been written?". The answer won't always be "no" but the conversation that comes with that question is an important one. 

Recommendations: I won't tell you to read this, but I won't tell you not to either. While I did enjoy the story before I was aware of problems, I urge anyone interested in this book to look into it a bit more before you decide. 

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah

This book is the fourth of the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries written by Sophie Hannah. I LOVED this one just as much as the other three. Any time I get to read more Poirot is a good time! 

I think Sophie Hannah does an incredible job writing in Agatha Christie's style. I feel that she brings Poirot back to life and lets us continue to experience one of the best detective characters to ever have been put down on paper. 

It's possible I'm not as critical as I could be with these novels, particularly this one. I know there has been mixed reviews, but the enjoyment I get reading a new Poirot mystery overshadows everything else and I end up having a fantastic time reading! 

This mystery did start off a bit different and I was a bit perplexed as to where it was going, but once the plot picked up, I found myself glued to the page. I guessed a bit of what was happening, but not everything. I was still surprised by the ending as usual, which I love.  

I will say that I knew I wasn't reading a story by Agatha Christie, as some of the additional characters felt a bit different, but Poirot was present and accounted for. 

Recommendations: For the lovers of a good, classic mystery. For those who love Poirot. For those who love a thrilling, twisty read. 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This book was totally not what I expected but completely something I needed.

I discovered Holly Black's writing with the book a while back when I picked up The Darkest Part for the Forest. At the end of that book was a preview of this one, and I actually ready the preview of this book before reading The Darkest Part of the Forest.

Right from the first few pages I was hooked. Holly Black's writing is something I've not experienced anywhere else. She gives you these regular characters with such real lives that when she introduces the fantasy elements, it's like an extra treat.

For some reason when I read the excerpt of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I didn't really grasp what it was about, so when I really got into this book, I was surprised. I had no idea what the monsters were in this book and it threw me for a loop at first. I don't even want to tell you in my review since finding out while reading was half the fun.

I adored this book and will continue to read Holly Black's other novels because they are exactly what I am looking for in monster urban fantasy twisted goodness.

Recommendations: For the lovers of urban fantasy and monsters. This is for you. Go in for the ride and you'll be happily impressed.

Into the Dim series by Janet B. Taylor

There are two books in this series and both have been out for a while. Book one is Into the Dim and book two is Sparks of Light. I did see there was mention of a third one on Goodreads (which I so hope is true) but I'm not sure if it's going to happen.

I came across this series by accident at the bookstore. I was looking for another author and the first book Into the Dim caught my eye, and I picked it up. 

The series starts with Hope Watson. She's a teenager who has lost her mother to an earth quake and goes to Scotland for the summer to stay with her mother's family. Turns out that her mother and her mother's family are time travellers and it's going to be up to Hope to go back in time to rescue her mother who isn't dead, just in another time. 

First off, the detail and the time traveling aspects of this series is fascinating! I loved the twists and turns in these books and I couldn't put them down! I was worried and excited about what was going to happen. 

The first book was my favourite of the two, but I still really enjoyed the second book. I really fell for all the characters and I thought the romance aspect of the books to be seen and lovely. 

I had to go back to the bookstore right after I finished the first book to get the second one because I needed to keep the story going. 

This series has villains, family, courage, love, time travel, history, and more all beyond my wildest dreams. This series felt new and interesting to me in ways I haven't seen often. 

What really surprised me was that I hadn't seen any of these books on bookstagram. No mention of them, no one really talking about them. For an awesome series about time travel and history, I would have thought otherwise. 

The second book was great, but I did find myself becoming a little confused in the middle. It looked like the story was going in one direction but then went in a total different direction which I felt was jarring, but I ended up enjoying the outcome. You do have to read the first one before this one though. I don't think it would have been easy to follow the tangent of the story without having read the first one before this one. 

Both of these books kept me glued to the page, and I really wish the third one would become reality. This really was a stellar series. 

Recommendation: Read this if you love time travel, historical fiction, the weak growing strong and kicking butt. 

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan

Okay, this book was partially a cover buy and partially because when it was released it was all over the internet and the storyline just begged to be read.

For those of you who don't know it's about a girl, a boy, and a prince. Together they have to work together to assassinate a king and stop a war. The girl can speak to the Gods, the boy has a pretty monstrous secret and the prince has a lot to learn about who to trust. It's got romance, gothic feels, and its the type of fantasy that I love with plenty of magical things going on.

Right off the bat you get thrown into the action. There's a war going on and don't you know it!

The magical element was really different too, and I totally loved it. Having a story about a girl (and culture) of people who, when chosen, can speak to the Gods and use their abilities was pretty seriously great. The other magical element of having people who use their blood to activate spells they tear out of books they wear on their waist was so neat!

This was fast read for me, partially because I was totally absorbed in the story, and partially because it's wasn't an overly complicated read.

The writing in this book was something really great. The way the author wrote the characters, it was like you knew them immediately and you developed feelings about them so fast that when something happened, you could really feel for the characters. This was especially apparent with the villains. One second you feel one way and then it's call different! I won't say more, you'll just have to read the book!

The story was so built up that I was in a hurry for the ending because I NEEDED to know what was going to happen. This meant that the ending didn't quite satisfy me. I've since learned this will be part of a trilogy, so it makes sense the ending I was after didn't quite happen yet.

It's also possible I'm missing something in the ending because I read it so quickly. I think I might need to revisit it, especially before I read the next one when it come out. I will admit that when it was over I felt like I was missing something.

Overall, I really liked this book! It was an interesting and different gothic fantasy young adult read and I enjoyed it! I will definitely read the rest of the series when it comes out.

Recommendations: For fantasy lovers who love a good magic system, gothic elements, and interesting villains!

Murder at the Grand Raj Palace by Vaseem Khan

This completely new to me book was one I stumbled across by sheer luck on my last bookstore trip. It's bright beautiful cover was facing out at me on the shelf as I walked by. As soon as I read the back, I was hooked.

It's the 4th in a series and it's about a retired Inspector turned private investigator in India. The best part? He is quite often accompanied on his investigations by his baby elephant Ganesha!

This book has never crossed my feed on bookstagram, and I'm seriously sorry for that because this book/series deserves all the attention!

As I intend to gush about each and every one of these on my blog when I finish reading them, I'll tell you a little bit more about the actual story: There has been a death at the Grand Raj Palace hotel. An American billionaire business man has been found dead, the day after buying India's most expensive painting. Officially, the police and officials want to label it a suicide, but the man in charge of the investigation doesn't believe it's suicide. Chopra is called in to investigate, and along with his baby elephant Ganesha, he gets down to work on the case.

The writing is so good! The characters are phenomenal! The story is just so much fun that you just can't put it down! This is a more intricate cozy mystery. Books like this one are exactly the kind of reads I so adore!

There are four books in the series, with another one coming out later this year in August. I believe there are also two short stories as eBooks too that go along with this series. All I know is I need to get shopping and put these on my shelf A.S.A.P for a binge reading weekend! I will say I was a little miffed because even at the bookstore, I could tell this wasn't the first in the series, but they didn't have any of the other books in stock. After going online and checking my other local bookstores, they don't have them either, which I think is totally nuts.

Honestly, I don't even want to tell you anything else about the book because its so good. If you're reading this, you need to just go read the book and see what I mean Really though, I don't remember being this excited about a book I've read in a really long time. It's that freaking amazing!

Recommendation: If you love mysteries, this is 100% for you. It's got amazing characters, intriguing mysteries, and wonderful writing. You need to read this book!

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

This was a cover buy from Book Outlet some months back and I finally picked it up last month.

I picked this up one evening and read it all in one sitting, I think around 3 or so hours. 

The main reason I got this book was because I thought it was a thriller of sorts. The cover shows what books like a breakfast with lovely plates and cups but if you look closer, there's food splattered on the wall and things aren't quite right. The blurb on the front mentions nail biting suspense.

The back cover talks about this man who's third wife has died under mysterious circumstances and there's underlying secrets around her death. Could it have been suicide? As the man digs into her death, more secrets arise. It appears like someone close to home could have had something to do with her death. The word "psychological" was written on the back.

All of this made me feel like it would be a mysterious, thrilling read that I typically really enjoy.

This wasn't that.

First off, let me tell you what I did like. The writing itself was great. Lisa Jewell is a wonderful writer. I was drawn in and I was glued to the page till about the last 30 pages of this book. I had to know what happened. I didn't like her characters, but I could immerse myself into the story enough that I was swept up by it like every well written book.

My problem? I didn't like the story.

There was no where near enough mystery and thrilling bits for me. It felt more like a permission slip to men who create families and leave families. That it's okay to keep jumping ship and marrying someone new. Everyone's fine, and even when they aren't you can make it better later.

I won't say anymore than that about the storyline, because even though I didn't love it, I don't want to accidentally spoil it.

The end was the worst part to me. The was the story resolved just fell flat and disappointed me. I was so into seeing what would happen next that the ending just made the journey feel cheap.


Recommendation: For the lovers of family stories, for the broken down parts of family life, for those who are into the drama of the perfect looking families. Not for those seeking mystery and thrilling suspense.

Slayer by Kiersten White

This book just came out recently and I am so happy its out in the world! I had requested this book on Netgalley and I was quite happy that I was able to read it last year!! I used to watch Buffy on TV as a teen, and since then I've renewed my interest in it.

This book is about The Watchers, the ones who are left, and the last Slayer to exist after Buffy. Basically things are in shambles due to what Buffy did (which since I haven't watched the whole show I have no real frame of reference for) and it follows the lives of Nina and her twin sister Artemis who grew up at the Watchers Academy. There are only a small number of Watchers left, and they are focused on being ready when needed for any future Slayers.

Nina gets quite a shock when she discovers she's the last Slayer. Ever.

There's demons, monsters, all the baddies from this world you could think of. There's betrayal, secrets, and anger. It's one heck of a journey.

I read this all at once and I liked it. There were moments where I was wondering why bits were necessary, but I think perhaps there's a larger story at work here and as the series goes, more will be known.

Slayer was well written. I was glued to the page and had to finish it in one sitting! It's just one of those engrossing reads that pulls you out of your everyday life and throws you into an adventure to the point where you forget your troubles. 

I'm happy to have read gotten the opportunity to read this before it was released. It wasn't what I was expecting but it was quite good!

Since I've only just begun to re-watch all of Buffy, I am looking forward to needing to re-read this novel again once I'm finished, and to follow along with the series!

Recommendation: For the lovers of Buffy and vampire/creature type stories. For the lovers of books about finding out who you are and those who just love one heck of an adventure

Midnight, Texas series by Charlaine Harris

Back in 2017 I reviewed the first book in this series called Midnight Crossroad (you can find that review here). Recently, my mom passed me the trilogy, and I immediately got to reading the second and third book in the series.

This series is such a different one from your typical vampires, beasties, and things that go bump in the night type of urban fantasy. There are types of characters I've never come across before, and the people in the book are real and flawed in such a way you feel like you know them, and you can totally feel for their separate struggles.

It's about this very small town of people who just want some peace and quiet without the rest of the world butting in. There's a telephone medium, a local witch, a vampire of sorts, and a couple of other equally interesting locals who are all just working to save their town and keep things the way they are.

Honestly, I don't think I'm doing things justice, but I really don't want to spoil anything for you. There's murder, danger, backstabbing, lies, and secrets all in this mysterious little town. Along with a healthy portion of the paranormal.

If you've read anything else by Charlaine Harris, or you like the show, please read these! I adored them! I can guarantee the books are different from the show, but seriously great!

Recommendations: If you love paranormal, witchy, vampire reads in the present day then you'll love these!

Wait With Me by Amy Daws

Okay, if you don't know who this author is, and you don't know the awesome story behind this book, then you are missing out on something awesome!

Amy Daws is a writer who found herself facing some writers block. She needed to take her vehicle in to get serviced, so she went to Tires Tires Tires and headed into the waiting room while she waited for her car to be finished. While there, she had an amazing burst of inspiration and felt that writing in the customer care centre of this repair shop was the trick. So she did what every writer does when they find the best writing spot. They keep going back.

She brought in her cars, her families cars, her friends cars, all so she could sit there and write while they were being serviced. Of course, she ran out of cars and started sneaking in to write. The manager found out of course, but they embraced her, and named her their writer in residence, telling her she can come and write there any time.

Obviously, I had to read this book for the backstory alone. Amy Daws is my hero. For real, when I think I need to be more adventurous as a writer, I've asked myself "What Would Amy Daws Do?"

This was the inspiration for this book. It's about a mechanic who finds this gorgeous writer in the waiting room of the shop has been sneaking in to write when her car isn't being serviced. The steamy, hotness that is naughty romance ensues.

Honestly, I don't usually read these kinds of books. I'm not one for the erotic, sexy, romance reads. I prefer mysteries and fantasy. However, this was so good!!

I was glued to the page! I finished this one in almost one go (life intervened). Still though, I loved it! It was perfection. Perhaps a little far over on the dirty side, but then again when it comes to these books, I'm basically a virgin. It was funny and sweet and I loved it!

There was humour, there was sex, there was two really interesting characters, and a story that really swept me away and made me ask for more. This was a good read!

Recommendation: For romance lovers, and those who are curious about romance, read this. You won't be disappointed!!

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

I am already one heck of a fan of Victoria Schwab, and I've got a pretty big collection of her books on my shelf. It didn't matter to me that this was a middle grade book. It was going to be mine and I knew I was going to love it.

This book is about a girl named Cassidy who can see ghosts. Her parents are ghost hunters of sorts, but they can't actually see ghosts like Cassidy can. Her best friend also happens to be a ghost. When Cassidy's parents take her to Scotland to film a television show about haunted places, she finds her self meeting some not so nice ghosts and ends up in a fight to save her life.

I was all for this book from the beginning. I love books about ghosts, people who see ghosts, just all things paranormal in general.

As usual, Victoria's writing was just perfect. She draws you in, sits you down, and tells you a story that you can't pull yourself away from.

I gobbled this one up in one sitting, very happily.

There might be some who say if it's middle grade than it's for kids but I assure you, this is a great book no matter your age. I was still able to connect with the characters, feel myself in the story, and be present in all the ways a good book makes you feel. It was lovely.

There will be more of these books and I cannot wait! The other really cool thing is this book might be made into a tv show! She did say it'll be aged up with Cassidy being in college instead of in school, but honestly, that's fine. Those are minor details. It's the rest of the story that matters!

Recommendation: Read this if you love ghosts, stories about self discovery, getting into trouble, and saving the day. Read this if you love a good story told by a remarkable story teller.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

This was a bit of a cover buy, but that the same time, it was more because of another book by the same author called Tess of the Road. That was the book that kept drawing my attention over and over again at the bookstore, but when I did a little research, I learned that Tess of the Road had to do with the world created in another series, with Seraphina as the first book.

This is a young adult fantasy book. I read this one pretty quickly, all in one sitting. It dragged me in and kept me reading, although I ended up with some mixed feelings at the end.

This book is about a girl who lives in a world with dragons who just so happen to be able to take on a human like form. There has been a treaty for 40 years, and right when she beings to work for royalty with her music, there is a murder and she gets drawn into the investigation.

The dragons in this book are pretty interesting. I really liked them. The idea they are a mathematically, thoughtful species was really cool. I loved them and the dynamic in this book.

It's very medieval fantasy, and it's pretty good. I liked so much about it, but there's another part to the story that I was very interested in, but I'm not sure how it stuck in the story. I think I do need to read the next one in the series because I'd like to know more, and see if those parts reoccur.

The only thing was, I was left feeling a little bit like something was missing. I'm not sure what, exactly, but the detailing and the world building was so interesting that perhaps it was over too soon. I've taken quite a while to write this review because I wanted to think about the book some more. So much about it was great. Truly. There was just something that didn't feel complete, or like I didn't get what I was looking for out of the story.

Honestly, though, I enjoyed this and I think if you like YA Fantasy, you'll like it too!

Recommendation: For the lovers of fantasy, dragons, YA reads, interesting stories, then this is a book for you.

Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris

This one was twisted. It was pretty clear going in what was going on in this book so I knew what to expect.

It's a thriller, one that tells you right off the bat about the crazy things happening, but still takes you along for an even crazier ride.

This book is about the perfect couple. His works, she stays at home. They throw perfect dinner parties, they are together all the time, and they look to have the absolutely perfect marriage that anyone can ask for! Their friends would like to get to know her better, but they can't. She doesn't come to the phone, and when they see her, she's always with her husband. True love. But why are there bars on the windows?

Of course, this is a thriller, so you know that things are not at all what they seem.


This book is so hard to review because I don't want to spoil anything, but I have feelings about things and I want to talk about them!

There was definitely intrigue and thrill in this one. A lot of what was going on I couldn't predict. After all, you find out very quickly a whole lot of the details, but you don't really know the extent of the story until you finish it.

Because you know so much, it's more of a thriller that keeps you reading and makes you want to know what happens next because you really don't understand how things could get worse or better. It's that kind of intense.

I will say I was hoping for more of a rescue in the end, but I did like the very, very end. That was well done in my opinion.

Recommendation: For those who enjoy twisted thrillers, this one is for you. It's not the typical one, but its still as messed up as can be!

Gazelle in the Shadows by Michelle Peach

This book was sent to me ever so kindly by Kelsey from Book Publicity Services so that I could enjoy it and share it with all of you wonderful people!

First of all, I love the cover. It's purple, which is my favourite colour and it's reminiscent of the imagery from Aladdin. 

Here's the synopsis:

In the mid 90s, Elizabeth Booth, a young British college student studying Arabic at Durham University, travels to Damascus to immerse herself in the Syrian language. Taken aback by the generosity and kindness of the people there, she easy slips into a life in the ancient city. She has friends, her studies, and even a handsome boyfriend. But things aren’t always as they seem. Soon, in a world where mistrust and disloyalty are commonplace, Elizabeth finds herself navigating a web of lies, betrayals, and a murder involving MI6, deadly terrorist factions, and the shadowy Syrian secret police.

Now, this book was largely based on the author's real life experiences, which I found to be so cool and so crazy all at the same time. Going to another country alone without any real concrete plans beyond attending a school while you are there fills me with crazy amounts of anxiety! I'm so glad others live exciting lives so I can sit at home and read all about them!

I'm not usually one to jump into a coming of age type of story like this one, but I enjoyed it. I was glued to the page, and I read it over two days. 

The growth that the main character Elizabeth experienced was very transformative. We follow Elizabeth as she just gets on a plane and goes to Syria to learn without anything else planned. She is just going to go out there and do the thing. We watch her face new experiences, meet new people, and fall into trouble. This book brings you back to a time when you might have thought you had everything all figured out, but later on you look back and realize you really didn't, but you lived through it. 

Before this book, I didn't know all that much about Syria. It was iwonderful to experience it through Michelle's eyes. I could almost see the landscape, the homes, the buildings, and the people. It was a descriptive journey that I won't soon forget.

As far as the intrigue, the secrets, the lies, and the betrayals... I was not disappointed! I had an idea of what was going to happen but how all the pieces fitted in together was a bit of a surprise, which is great! I'd say more, but I don't want to spoil anything!

Recommendation: For the lovers of coming of age stories, for those interested in Syria, for those who like stories about travel and peril in another country. This is the book for you!

Carmer and Grit by Sarah Jean Horwitz

I came across this book at the bookstore and it was partially a cover buy. How could you not, though?  This cover is gorgeous!

The story is about two different characters. One is an aspiring inventor and magician who goes by Carmer who is trying to help his mentor win a big competition. The other is a faerie princess who goes by Grit. She's been investigating the mysterious disappearances of faeries, and the two team up to help each other out. Grit uses her magic to help  Carmer and his mentor's act and Carmer helps Grit searching the city for the truth of the missing faeries. 

This fantasy story is in a steampunk world full of faerie magic. It's a middle grade novel, but it's not without the action and drama that you might often find in YA or even adult novels. 

Carmer and Grit was easy to read, and didn't really feel that much like a middle grade book. It felt longer and a little bit more detailed than I guess I expected a middle grade read to be. It's been a little while since I've read a middle grade book, so I was quite happy with this one. 

I do like the details in the story, especially details about the world of faerie that I've read about since childhood. There was intensity in the drama that I really appreciated as well.

Parts of this story felt a little on the slow side, but overall, it was a good read. There is a second book in this series that I might need to get my hands on too. I appreciate the fact it didn't end on a cliffhanger, but more of a nod to further adventures. 

Recommendations: For the readers of faerie, for the lovers of faerie, for the lovers of a good story with steampunk features: this is for you. 

We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean

This was a bargain book I grabbed off the teen sale table at the bookstore. It looked creepy and weird, something strange to spice up my writing life.

We'll Never Be Apart is a book about a girl named Alice who is locked away in a mental hospital after a fire that killed her boyfriend. She finds out that her twin sister, the one responsible for the fire, is there too, in another ward. To avenge his death, Alice tries to find her twin, with the help of a boy named Chase. Nothing is really what it seems though.

This was a pretty twisted read. I wasn't fully prepared for how it ended, because although I suspected things, I wasn't totally sure about them. It's definitely a book that keeps you on your toes.

I read this in one sitting, and I found it a fairly easy read. It was compelling and kind of hard to read at times, but I pressed on.

For another couple of days after reading this book I found myself thinking about it, which is always a sign of a good story.

I think when I rated it online I gave it two stars, but perhaps it's more of a three star read. It was so twisted and something that could possibly have happened that it kind of freaks me out, ya know? I think part of it felt like perhaps it was written that way to purposely cause shock and awe, which I didn't love, but still. It's an interesting book, just not my favourite.

Recommendation: If you love freaky, thrilling, and twisted reads than this is for you.

My Husband's Wife by Jane Corry

I found this book on the shelf probably last year. It looked interesting, but I didn't grab it because I wasn't feeling this kind of thriller type of story. At the time I think I was pretty deep into YA books so I opted instead to snap up more of those.

Flash forward to a couple months ago. I was looking for a thriller, one that was messed up and weird, that would glue me to the page. I was having a hard time finding something that would interest me. 

Side note: H
as anyone else noticed that so many thrillers have to do with missing kids? Why?

Any way, this book stuck with me. When I was looking for a thriller I might really love, I remembered this book and I searched it out. 

This book is about a young woman who marries a  normal man, determined to make things work. She's a lawyer and meets another man in prison who she finds herself drawn to. There's also the neighbour child who starts becoming involved in their lives. Everyone has secrets, and when the neighbour child shows up on her doorstep years later all grown up, things start to unravel. 

This was a twisted, thrilling story. It wasn't really a full blown thriller, it was more of a slow burning one, but it totally satisfied my craving. 

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect, and I wasn't disappointed. 

It's definitely a book that sticks with you. Everyone had secrets in this one, everyone doing things that no one would suspect. It was twisted and strange, but it totally sucked me in and I couldn't let go. 

I read this one in two days, not really wanting to put it down. I guessed a little bit of what was going to happen, but honestly, I was surprised and it was great. 

Recommendation: If you're looking for a good thrilling read, this is it. I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

The Burning Room by Michael Connelly

This was the first book of Michael Connelly's I read that featured Harry Bosch as a main character. Before this one, I'd only read his Lincoln Lawyer series.

This series follows a detective by the name of Harry Bosch. He's a bit of a rough and tough cop who does what he needs to solve crimes. In this book, he's got a new partner and they are working on a case of some who died from a bullet wound almost 10 years after being shot.

I found this one to be just as interesting and just as engaging as the Lincoln Lawyer series. It had the same writing style I had enjoyed with the other series and it was a fairly easy read.

I didn't start this series from the beginning and I kind of wish I had. There are quite a few of these books though, and I wasn't sure if I was going to love them so I just grabbed a few that interested me. This one was actually book #17 in the series!

On Goodreads, some of the reviews say this one isn't as great as some of the other ones in this series and I'm wondering if I should actually make an effort to go back to the beginning and start the series fresh.

By the end I had questions (mostly about the story arc details that follow a reoccurring character from book to book) and I had to read the excerpt in the back for the next book to answer some things for me.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Recommendation: Great hard boiled detective book. Perhaps start with the first one though? Might enjoy it even more.

Prudence by Gail Carriger

Hopefully you'll already be acquainted with Gail Carriger's other series The Parasol Protectorate series, but if you haven't been yet, that's okay though you should rectify that as soon as possible. I'll be posting my thoughts on that series very soon as I just realized I had not yet talked about it on here!

That series and this one are both set back in the day when women still wore bustles, sent out cards before going visiting, and when there were rules to appearing in society. This one also features a few supernatural creatures of the werewolf and vampire variety.

This book is about a young woman named Prudence. She is given a dirigible and is sent off to India in pursuit of a new, delicious kind of tea. She assembles a crew and off they go. She stumbles onto some very interesting events and ends up involving herself in dire situations to sort it all out.

The thing about this is Prudence is the daughter of the main character in The Parasol Protectorate series, but it's not fully required of you to read the other series first (thought I recommend that you do).

The author's writing was wonderful, as usual. I found myself laughing out loud at times, enjoying myself immensely. It's quite the steampunk, supernatural, polite society read.

Beyond that, though, I had some problems. First, there are reoccurring characters from the other series. However, they felt weird to me in this series. Like I couldn't really wrap my head around the fact that I was reading about the same characters at some points.

There was also so veiled allusion to happenings from the previous series that kind of passed over my head, like I should know to what she was referring, but I wasn't sure that I did.

Overall, this book was good, but it wasn't the wonderful, amazing thing for me that the first series was. For what it was, it was a great story. I almost wish the author created a totally new person in the same world without bringing back in the other characters and then wrote this story, because I think I could have fallen in love with it then.

Recommendation: If you've read the other series, still read this. You might love it more than I did. If you love steampunk supernatural stories with tea drinking society women in fancy dress, you'll enjoy this.