The Children on the Hill

When I heard this was based on Mary Shelly’s classic Frankenstein and being compared to the show American Horror Story, I knew I needed to read this book immediately. This was my first Jennifer McMahon book, though I do have others on my shelf, and it will certainly not be my last.  The story jumps…

My Darling Girl

Children’s book author Alison O’Conner is a loving wife and mother of two. She’s put together a picture-perfect life all to distance herself from her abusive mother, Mavis. That is until her mother is diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has requested to come live with Alison and her family. But with the arrival…

Playing the Witch Card

I love Tarot and books filled with magic. I also completely enjoyed KJ Dell’Antonia’s previous books In Her Boots and The Chicken Sisters. Add in that Playing the Witch Card is being touted as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls, of course I was excited for Dell’Antonia to be putting out a witchy book this month!…

The River We Remember

A police procedural and a slow burn mystery rolled into one. Krueger has excellently portrayed the impact war has on one small community, years later. Set in the small farming town of Jewel, Minnesota, The River We Remember is a story of how life continues on and how our pasts impact our future. Told from…

After That Night

Ah Karin Slaughter, one of my all-time favorite authors. I can’t tell you how and long I tried to get an early copy of the newest Will Trent installment. I almost didn’t manage it but I ended up with an audiobook, and I am not mad about it because Kathleen Early, who narrates the series,…

Shark Heart

What a weird and absolutely lovely story. Based on the description alone, I had my doubts I would enjoy this book. But a few other readers I trust said they loved this story, so I decided to give it a chance. Shark Heart follows Lewis and his wife, Wren, as they navigate Lewis’ transformation into…

The Wishing Game

Lucy is struggling. Her only wish is to foster and adopt one of her students, Christopher. But as a teacher’s aide, she’s barely making ends meet and with no permanent home she has to face giving up her dream of adopting him.  When award winning and Lucy’s favorite childhood author, Jack Masterson puts on a…

The Adventures of Amina

This was my first book by Chakraborty. While I’ve had her Daevabad series on my list to read, I just haven’t made it to them yet. But now I’m moving them up because I adored this pirate story! Amina Al-Sirafi is coming out of retirement. As one of the most infamous and notorious pirates of…

Dark Corners

A note before I get into my review: while this is technically the second in a series, this can absolutely be read as a standalone. There are a few references to The Night Swim, and both stories feature Rachel Krall, but the stories themselves are separate. Honestly, I didn’t even realize this was technically a…

Business or Pleasure

The only thing to make life worse for Chandler Cohen after a disaster of a one-night stand, is finding out her one-night stand (Finn) is her newest client. Even more awkward, after confronting Finn about how horrible he was in bed, he approaches her with a second arrangement. When she decides to take him up…