Crota - Owl Goingback

 

 

 "Sheriff Skip Harding is investigating a double murder that has shaken the quiet town of Logan, Missouri. A slaughter that seems too brutal for a human perpetrator. A bear, maybe? But there are no bears in the area…Bodies begin to pile up, and Skip soon discovers that bullets are useless against this foe. Only with the help of Cherokee game warden Jay Little Hawk, and the wisdom of Lakota medicine man George Strong Eagle, can Skip hope to stop the monster before it’s too late."

This book was originally published in 1996 but I first heard about it a few years ago on a book recommendation list of creature horror by Native American authors when The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones was making the rounds on bookish social media.  I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis and it 1000% does not disappoint. This is a fantastic creature slasher with a ton of kills, fast pacing, and world building.  It does not read like an almost 30 year old story and will be one I recommend over and over again going forward.

The horror aspects of this story are fantastic.  I think calling it a creature-slasher is the most accurate because we have a lot of on-page kills from the creature and the small town local police force are trying to catch up as the bodies keep dropping.  There is a good amount of gore - of both the people and animal variety - and Goingback does such a good job of giving us fantastic descriptions without this feeling overly gruesome.  We also get some great suspense and stalking moments with the creature that had me holding my breath.  We get some supernatural/otherworldly elements in regards to the Crota legend as well as the Native American characters working to find a way to defeat the creature.  These elements weren't horrific, in the typical horror book sense, but they were unsettling and atmospheric and really helped build the overall tension and vibe of the read.

The characters were typical slasher characters where we know just enough about them to make them feel real, but never really have a whole lot of time to see much character development.  This is also a multi-POV read so we are jumping between multiple characters.  This is a small town so everyone knows everyone which again limits the sort of more natural character exposition that we might get in other reads.  Given all of that, I still had a really good sense for the three main characters we end up following and they all had very distinct voices from each other so I didn't get confused over which character we were following.  

The pacing for this was fast, but in the best way.  The whole story takes place over about a week or so and it is really non-stop.  We get multiple deaths, revelations, and action scenes during the 320 pages. Goingback manages to put in a few quieter moments in the book to give the reader a little bit of a rest, but other than that it is pretty much go-time.  The pacing really made this a great page-turner read and once I got to the halfway point, I didn't want to put it down until I was finished.  The pacing along with the multiple POV switches helped to build the tension by not letting the reader really relax or forget about the constant threat of the Crota and when it will strike next.

Overall, this was a fantastic creature-slasher horror with great pacing and tension.  Highly recommend!

The Lying Game - Ruth Ware

 

 "On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister... The next morning, three women in and around London—Fatima, Thea, and Isabel—receive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, “I need you.” The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each other—ever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school’s eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate’s father)."

This was one of those reads that had a mix of elements that I liked and ones that I was disappointed by so it ends up overall as a bit underwhelming and just a 'fine' read.  I would absolutely recommend this as a travel or vacation read because it does have an interesting enough plot, but it isn't so intriguing as to make you want to skip other plans to keep reading. A lot of my gripes with this read end up in the 'not for me' column instead of more substantial issues like plot holes so I could see someone else liking this. Also, a lot of my issues were with some plot reveals and character choices which I would consider spoilers if talked about in detail, so this review may seem a bit vague.

The one part of the read I didn't have any issue with is the friend group and the dynamic between these four women.  We only get Isabel's POV, but the characterization is so strong with all 4 women that I still got a good feel for their personalities and opinions.  The current plot takes place over a decade after these women met as girls at school but there are plot reasons why these women haven't kept in frequent contact in the recent years.  I think Ware was able to capture the odd dynamic of having been friends through such formative experiences while also growing apart during the recent years.  There was such a good mix of love and familiarity between all 4 women while we also got some great tension at times. I personally love a multi-POV story, especially when there seems to be so much being unsaid between these characters, but I think that having is be a single POV read was probably the less-messy option. 

I liked the plot reveal when we finally found out what happened all those years ago at the school and how that impacted all of the characters.  We get that reveal around the 50% mark, so I knew there was going to be more revealed later about something, but it wasn't clear what else was still up in the air.  Because of this, I did find the plot to calm down after that reveal and it almost felt like the reveal was a 'that's it?' type of moment. I didn't find any plot-reason to keep reading really and I wanted that tension to be built up more.  I wanted to walk away from that reveal feeling dread at what could happen next.  Instead, it didn't feel like it had the weight for me that it obviously had on the characters.  And we do get a number of times where the characters are saying 'this is a big deal because of X, Y, Z implications' and I just wasn't meeting them there.

The last 20% of the read really picked up the pacing, but I found myself having to re-read sections or flip back a few pages to re-read because we were getting just so much information so quickly.  This is also the time where we were getting reveals that I felt didn't quite work with the information we already had.  Now obviously, the whole point of a mystery read is that you find out reveals that you didn't already know.  However, these reveals, in my opinion, should snap into place like a puzzle piece and make the overall picture more clear.  In this case, these reveals weren't adding puzzle pieces, they were more like starting a whole new puzzle and having someone telling you that you should have been working on this puzzle all along.   I love big twists and reveals in my mystery reads but only when they come with a side of fitting better than the theory that was originally posed.  In this case, I don't feel like the actual reveal fit better than the theory.

Overall, this was a fine read with interesting character dynamics and plot reveals. There were details that didn't land for me or that I didn't quite believe the book's explanation of and these details took me out of the reading experience a bit.

January 2025 Romance Wrap-up

  Act Your Age - Eve Dangerfield

I have yet to read an Eve Dangerfield book that I didn't like but this one I was a little wary of.  "Daddy" kink books aren't generally my thing so I wasn't rushing to pick this one up.  However, there was an excerpt in the back of another Dangerfield book I read and that little bit convinced me to read the full book.  This had so much more character development than I was expecting - especially with our FMC outside of the kinky aspects of her life.  This really felt like her story about discovering her true self and not worrying about anyone else.  The MMC also does have some growth, but it felt more along the lines of he just needed to decide to not be such a grump any more and then it was better. I adored the side characters and friendships that developed in this read.  I think Dangerfield does a great job of transitioning these characters from basically FWB/kink partners to an actual relationship and showing how that transition can be tough.

Tropes: Boss/Employee, Taboo, Age Gap

Series: Act Your Age #1

In A Jam - Kate Canterbary

I can absolutely see why this book took over the book-social media sphere when it came out.  The small town setting was fantastic, both MCs were well-developed, and their chemistry was off the charts. I also liked the inclusion of a single parent where the kid is not the stereotypical perfectly adorable kid that we see in a lot of romances.  Instead, there were some realistic challenges and highs/lows throughout the read that felt more authentic. I was expecting the combo of childhood friends + marriage of convenience to be an absolute smash hit, however it didn't quite come together in the way I was expecting.  This was more of a slow burn and there were times where I completely forgot about the marriage situation.  I think this could have been the same book if the marriage was taken out and instead if Shay had just taken a year to re-find herself.  

Tropes: Small Town, Single Parent, Marriage of Convenience, Childhood Friends to Lovers

Standalone

In His Hands - Hannah Murray

I knew I had to read this as soon as I read the description.  I've read a handful of books with CNC elements in them in the past but this is certainly a level-up in terms of intensity of the scenes and there were times when I forgot, momentarily, that these scenes were all 100% consensual.  Murray does a fantastic job establishing consent early and frequently throughout these scenes both between the MCs as well as with other people who are involved. Cade and Olivia had great chemistry even before they got down to the kinky side of things.  I adore how much communication we get in Murray's books - both between the MCs as well as their friends or support system they turn to for help. 

Tropes: BDSM, Friends to Lovers, Taboo (CNC)

Series: Perfect Taboo #5

Truly, Madly, Deeply - Alexandria Bellefleur

I'm so glad my hold in the library finally came through so I could finally see why a ton of people on social media loved this read. I absolutely adored Bellefleur's previous books and I'm so glad this one was a hit out of the park as well.  Bellefleur writes the type of romantic tension that has me absolutely grinning and kicking my feet and this read had so many of those moments since these two characters can't help but run into each other throughout the story.  I adored how gentle Colin was with Truly while being upfront with his feelings.  Both Truly and Colin were such interesting characters and went through their own growth - Truly especially.  I liked that this read addressed some of the more long-term outcomes that even a 'perfect' romance could run into and that gave some more gravity to Truly and Colin's relationship. 

Tropes: Opposites Attract, Bi 4 Bi, Enemies to Lovers

Standalone

Barbarian - Onley James

This was such a fun friends to lovers read because the relationship between Nico and Mal was so oddly close but with very clear lines drawn.  Once those lines start getting crossed, it was so fun to see both characters finally realizing/acknowledging what the other characters have known for so long. I liked that this also broke the trend where one of the MCs is escaping from a horrible situation through the events of the book.  We do see Mal escape his situation in the previous book in this series but this read takes place a year later so everyone is pretty well established. I also liked the romantic suspense investigation portion and found it to be more of a mystery investigation than in other of James's books. I always enjoy being back in this universe and if you also liked James's previous books - this is another read you'll enjoy.  

Tropes: MM, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense, Psychopath, 

Series: Jericho's Boys #3

Madame - Sara Cate

This is the final installment in the Salacious Players Club series and it felt like such a perfect closure to this world and these characters.  Eden has played a role in each of the previous books and I was so excited to finally get to her book and learn more about her. We do get a few cameos from each of the previous couples so it was almost like having a little goodbye tour.  I have read a good amount of MMF books but I think this is my first FFM and I really enjoyed seeing how the dynamic between these characters developed. There was a good mix of pairings as well as all three characters together both in spicy scenes but also outside of the bedroom.  I liked that all of the characters were figuring out their identities both in a kinky-sense as well as in other areas of their lives. 

Tropes: FFM, BDSM, Second Chance, Single Parent

Series: Salacious Players Club #6

The Pilot and the Puck-up - Pippa Grant

I've read a good amount from Pippa Grant before and I normally enjoy her very fun, a little over the top cutesy type of romances.  However, this was just wasn't hitting for me like they normally do.  I liked the set up and I liked both of our MCs on their own.  But for some reason, whenever the MCs were together, they seemed to turn into caricatures of themselves and lost all of the nuance that Grant built while they were separate.  I did like parts of their relationship toward the end and I loved the fun cast of characters introduced so I probably will continue on in the series.

Tropes: Sports (hockey), Virgin FMC,  Banter

Series: The Copper Valley Thrusters #1

Get Lost With You - Sophie Sullivan

I loved a lot of things about this read but I wanted more from the main couple.  It felt like the small town, side characters, and self-discovery journey for both of our MCs outweighed the actual romance elements.  I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to be back in this world.  I did like our MCs together and thought it was so cute seeing that they both had a crush on the other when they were younger.  However, I didn't get as much of the initial relationship building that I wanted and instead it felt like the "childhood crush" aspect was used to jump over that part.  But since the MCs have been out of touch for so long and both have gone through significant personal change, I think more time in that initial getting-to-know-you-again phase would have gone a long way.

Tropes: Small Town, Childhood Crush, Love After Divorce

Series: Rock Bottom Love #2

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.  Expected publication is February 11, 2025.

The Final Scene - Steph Nelson

 

"The cabin is unlocked, but there’s no escape. When Brooke was kidnapped on her way home from work, she thought her life was over. That was ten years ago. She’s been held captive in an isolated cabin on the Oregon coast ever since, scrambling to follow her kidnappers’ twisted instructions to the letter. Because the price of a mistake is death. But when a new victim shows up, everything changes. Including the rules. And this time, the only way to survive is to break them."

 This is a bit of a shorter read (around 250 pages) and Nelson wastes no time getting us right into the middle of the plot.  By chapter 2 we are in the cabin with Brooke and getting the rundown of the situation she's lived in for the past 10 years.  I loved that the explanation for the reader never felt super heavy handed or unrealistic exposition dump. It helps that the kidnappers have a pretty straightforward set up for their captives and it isn't overly complex.  This also helped me settle into the plot more quickly and focus on the actual current events on the plot rather than trying to figure out the overall world for these characters. The pacing was pretty fast but never felt rushed.  I liked that we have an external force kicking these characters into action which felt very authentic, especially for Brooke who has been here a long time.

For the characters, I think Nelson does a good job of giving us very quick character details and having each of them be so distinct from the others.  However, since the actual plot of this read happens over the course of only a few weeks, it doesn't feel like we have a ton of development on page and instead we are more told that the character used to behave like X but now are more like Y.  We do get multi-POVs between the kidnapping victims and I do think they had distinctive enough voices that I never really got confused.  We get a good amount of conflict due to the high-stress situation along with the very small living quarters and these higher emotional moments were fantastic.

There is a second plot line introduced about halfway through that I was very confused about at first.  Of course, I knew that this new plot must converge with the established plot eventually but I didn't love the way the two came together. This is where I could feel the author coming in and forcing some of the plot reveals to happen more quickly than maybe they would have naturally done. I liked the ending results, but I wanted more time with this second plot.  I think maybe if it was added earlier and developed a little more on its own, then it would have felt a little more important and the connection between the two would be more monumental.  I also think maybe some readers might guess the connection reveal early, but for me I didn't have enough time to really even try to connect the dots myself so the reveal was less of an OMG moment and more of a "oh, ok" moment.

Overall, this was a fast paced read that lived up to the premise.  We get some great characters and the tension is well-built.  I didn't love the way the ending reveal was integrated into the main plot, but I think it still worked overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ticking Clock Press, LLC for the ARC.  

Publication date was February 27, 2024

The Lodge - Jeremy Eads

 

"A demon runs a bed and breakfast in southwest Virginia where sin never needs a reservation. A guilt-ridden retiree, two little boys, and a pair of meth making cousins will challenge America's most wanted black widow, a haunted southern town, and the Devil himself. The quest for salvation will lead to the darkest parts of themselves as well as the beating black heart of Summit Valley, Virginia. The Maple Lodge, a B&B where the turn down service is to die for."

 

 This horror read took me a little while to find my footing, but once I figured out what the story actually was, I absolutely loved it. This, for me, was very much a 'let it cook' type of book where you just keep turning the pages and slowly the deeper plot comes through. At first, we were changing characters so many times that I thought these were just little glimpses into this world. But once the characters start recurring and interacting with each other, then I knew there was more going on and the last 25% was a great ride.

We are following multiple characters throughout the book and Eads did a great job of giving each character a distinctive voice that helped me keep all the different plot threads straight.  Given how many characters we interact with across only a 250-ish page book, I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of character development Eads was able to fit in.  I had a good grasp on each character and their specific desires and life situations. 

The horror elements were fantastic and surprising.  The horrific parts were sprinkled in and not overused at all.  A lot of the tension I found while reading was when characters were flirting near the edge of the danger without knowing it.  When we do see the horrors of the lodge on paper, they are always shown through the character experiencing it so it felt extra horrific as many times they couldn't fully comprehend the gravity of the situation they were in.  We get a good mix of gore, supernatural, and psychological horror - all used expertly.  

Overall, this was a great horror story that I loved the more I read.  The horror elements were used masterfully and the care that Eads took with crafting the characters just meant that I was that much more invested when it was their turn to face the horrors of the Lodge.

 Thanks to NetGalley and Wicked House Publishing for the ARC.  

Publication date was July 28, 2023 

The Butcher - Jennifer Hillier

 

"A rash of grisly serial murders plagued Seattle until the infamous "Beacon Hill Butcher" was finally hunted down and killed by police chief Edward Shank in 1985. Now, some thirty years later, Shank, retired and widowed, is giving up his large rambling Victorian house to his grandson Matt, whom he helped raise.

Settling back into his childhood home and doing some renovations in the backyard to make the house feel like his own, Matt, a young up-and-coming chef and restaurateur, stumbles upon a locked crate he’s never seen before. Curious, he picks the padlock and makes a discovery so gruesome it will forever haunt him… Faced with this deep dark family secret, Matt must decide whether to keep what he knows buried in the past, go to the police, or take matters into his own hands.

Meanwhile Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, has always suspected that her mother was murdered by the Beacon Hill Butcher—two years after the supposed Butcher was gunned down. As she pursues leads that will prove her right, Sam heads right into the path of Matt’s terrible secret."

 

This was exactly the type of thriller I was looking for - jump right into the meat of the story and with a pace that never really slowed down.  I've seen some reviews mention that they felt the book was mis-marketed as a mystery and they were disappointed.  This book was originally published in 2014 so maybe the publisher has changed the description from what it was, but I felt like the above description (which is what shows as of today in Goodreads) is accurate and pays off on the premise.  I agree that this isn't really a mystery of who but rather a thriller of when all these plot points will come together and I really enjoy that sort of set up to a thriller.

I enjoyed the character set-ups that we got and all of the characters were wonderfully realistic and flawed. Hillier gives the reader a good look of the 'before' state with these characters before the plot kicked in.  I did find myself, in the middle of the book, wanting more emotional stakes from the characters.  It kept feeling like we were building up to some emotional moment but then the character would either talk themselves down or another character would talk them down.  I wanted a bit more mess and a bit more angst than what we ended up getting.

I went back and forth on whether or not I would classify this as a horror book and while I eventually decided not to, it certainly has some horrific elements.  We do get some on-page murder as well as descriptions of past crimes and these are pretty gruesome.  The Butcher is an apt name for the acts done to the victims in this read.  I would categorize this as more graphic than most standard thrillers, but I've certainly read more graphic ones at the same time.  I kept coming back to the comparison of Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter and while I do think Pretty Girls is more graphic, I think these two reads are in the same neighborhood and have a lot of the same sinister vibes. 

Most of the thrilling elements in this read come from the reader knowing more than the characters. There were multiple instances of Character A not knowing they were in danger but the reader knew and I was on the edge of my seat reading to see if this would be the time that Character A finally realized what was going on. Hillier always managed to keep enough tension in the scene or in the preceding scenes for the reader to never quite feel that the characters were safe.  This is a multi-POV read so I knew in the back of my head that something could happen to one of the main characters and the story could still continue on so no one was ever really safe. 

Overall, this was a really great read and had a lot of things I look for in a thriller.  We had a great premise, good payoff, and good stakes.