Little Red House - Liv Andersson

 

This mystery follows Connie after the death of her adoptive mother, Eve.  Eve left the majority of her wealth and Vermont estate to Connie's twin sister Lisa while Connie got a little red house in New Mexico where Eve's daughter disappeared years ago.  Eve had never mentioned New Mexico or this house to Connie or Lisa but Eve's will has a long list of rules both daughters must follow and the two chalk it up to just another one of Eve's cruel psychological games that they grew up with.  But once Connie arrives at the house she finds a mysterious caretaker living in her back yard and a string of murders that no one in town wants to talk about.  As Connie starts to ask around town about these murders, she finds that these crimes and Eve might be more intertwined than she originally thought. 

TW/CW: death of a parent, suicide, sexual assault, psychological abuse, child abuse

I loved this twisty, dark read.  This story starts off a little messed up and pretty much just gets darker as it goes along and I was 100% on board for that journey.  From the title and cover, I wasn't expecting this to get as dark as it did.  This is not the darkest book I've ever read, and a lot of the worst stuff is done off page, but the whole book had a really great creep factor and twisty reveals.  I read through a few reviews after I finished and one said that this felt like a limited series on HBO and I very much agree with this.  

I really enjoyed the dual timeline of this read, especially since we know of the connection before Connie does.  This allows the reader to start guessing about connections and Eve's motivations before Connie can start piecing things together - which is always fun for me with these mysteries. We also get to see two versions of the same town and there are numerous overlaps between Eve and Connie's stories. We also get two sides of Eve - one from her timeline and the other from Connie's reflections on Eve as a parent.  I also liked how each timeline had their own core mystery that ended up being connected.  Sometimes these dual timeline mysteries can feel like watching two characters take the exact same steps, but in this case there wasn't a whole lot of overlap in the main mysteries (Eve looking for her daughter, Connie investigating murders).  Of course, the two timelines do converge but it didn't feel repetitive when the story flipped back and forth. 

This book is full with complex, often unlikeable characters which I'm finding is my preference with these gritty, darker mysteries. I loved the way the townfolk treat Connie as an outsider where they are generally polite, but also everyone tells her that she'd be better off leaving for various reasons.  Connie does her best to integrate into this town and she slowly does find some sort of community in this town.  This is contrasted by Eve's visit where she was more concerned about finding her daughter than with making friends in this town. We didn't get a lot of fluffy details about the side characters, but the details we do get are pretty significant and again highlight the horror under the surface of this town.  I also enjoyed how the characters we see aren't overly concerned with being liked.  Eve, Connie, and the side characters were all unapologetic and weren't interested in sugar coating anything.  This type of character dynamic made for an interesting mystery read because while the puzzle pieces we do get are few and far between, it made each step forward in the investigation feel like a real win. 

This is one of those mysteries where there are a lot of plot conveniences that, in hindsight, maybe don't feel entirely 'realistic'.  There are some reviews out there that point these instances out as something that they didn't like.  For me, however, I wasn't bothered by these because of the way the whole story was built up in layers.  One non-spoilery example is that no one in the town wants to talk to Connie about these murders, but yet many people would give her little tidbits of information - just enough for her to research and further the plot.  Is this dynamic a little strange?  Sure.  Did it bother me?  Nope.  Andersson spends a lot of time slowly exposing the underbelly of this town and, by the time we finish with the end reveals, it did feel like everything made sense in this world and I could understand why these characters didn't want to talk to Connie. 

Going back to my opening comment about this feeling like a limed HBO series, the reveals and solution to the mystery do lean toward the dramatic and there are specific examples where I do question how believable that situation would be. However, Andersson does a good job addressing and explaining the more over-the-top scenarios on the page.  That being said, I was fully invested while I was reading and these thoughts only really came once I finished the book and was gathering my thoughts for this review.  A lot of my enjoyment of these mystery/thriller books come from being surprised at some (or all) of the reveals and this book certainly hit that mark.  Andersson has done such a great job of building up the layers of this mystery between the two timelines and by the end, I was itching to see how it all comes together.  There were a number of loose threads that came together at the end and I really think it worked on all fronts.  I also loved the way some of the reveals answered one question, but then also caused other questions to be raised immediately. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and had a great time.  I loved how dark and sinister the story got and how this little town was the perfect backdrop for this creepy story.  Sure, some of the plot points and reveals might lean a bit too far into coincidental-territory for some, but I had such a fun time reading and I was so invested in the story that it didn't bother me at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC

Expected publication date is December 6, 2022

Romance Wrap-Up November 2022

 Tempt - Melanie Harlow

This is the 4th book in the Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation series and we're following Millie and Zach.  Millie is a wedding planner and at the opening, finds herself stuck an extra night in Manhattan.  When Zach rescues her from a creep at the hotel bar, their chemistry is explosive but have to go back to their very different lives after a steamy one night together.  Weeks later, they run into each other again at Millie's ex-boyfriend's wedding that she's planning ... and Zach is her ex's dad.  I absolutely loved this story from beginning to end and I always love being back in Cloverleigh Farms.  This story had a few key parts that really could have gone badly - but Harlow pulled them all off expertly.  From the age gap, to the ex-boyfriend aspect, to the question of kids - I really thought Harlow was able to craft a genuine and authentic character growth on all sides.  This was also a lust to love sort of situation and that type of scenario can be really hit or miss with me.  Often times, those reads end up feeling like there wasn't enough time for the characters to actually develop a deeper connection before the end of the book happens.  In this case, the story takes place over the course of months and we're able to see that progression on page.  Of course, we get a good number of scenes with other Cloverleigh Farms characters who we know and love which is always a plus.  I loved Millie's relationship with her sisters and Zach's relationship with his friends.  It felt like Harlow wanted to make sure these were extremely well developed and whole characters so that we'd understand how they end up overcoming these pretty big speedbumps in their relationship. They both had fully developed lives outside of the relationship and those other friendships/work goals/etc did not get diminished by the romance.  All around, Harlow hit it out of the park again.

Thanks to the author and SocialButterflyPR for the ARC

Publication date was November 21, 2022 

 

Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner

This age-gap, forbidden, FF romance follows Cassie and Erin.  The two women meet one evening at a bar away from Cassie's college.  They have an instant connection and after getting hot and heavy in the car, both are ready to leave it as a one-night stand.  However, when Cassie shows up at breakfast the next day as Erin's daughter's guest, things only begin to get complicated.  Both women agree they shouldn't continue to see each other, given the circumstances, but their connection is impossible to ignore.  As they spend more time together when Cassie comes to visit over winter break, they'll both have to decide if they want to have something more and if their relationship is worth the fallout that will inevitably come.  I really enjoyed this read and I loved Cassie and Erin together as well as their own characters.  I was also not expecting this book to have as many sex scenes as it does - but they had a really great variety of situations so I'm not complaining. While I generally enjoy forbidden romances, I often have the same problem where I get some pretty strong secondhand embarrassment from all the awkward situations that arise.  I did feel like we had some fantastic character development as well as relationship development and I could really see proof that their romance was moving beyond the purely physical - although it did take a little longer than I normally like to get there so I was a bit worried around the middle that the emotional connection wasn't ramping up as quickly.  I also enjoyed that the inevitable conflict with Erin's daughter (who is also Cassie's best friend) was handled in a bit of a different way than we normally see with these 'forbidden' romance stories.  Overall, this was a really fun and steamy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was October 11, 2022

 

 Built to Last - Erin Hahn

TW/CW: abusive/neglectful parents, alcohol abuse, infidelity (not MCs), 

This second chance, friends to lovers romance follows Shelby and Cameron.  The two were child actor co-stars on a TV show but when outside pressures killed their clandestine romance, they go their separate ways for 10 years.  Shelby now works for her dad's business restoring and flipping old homes and Cameron is a documentary film maker for National Geographic.  Neither plan to return in front of the camera, but when their other co-star (and Shelby's ex), Lyle, comes to them with a plan for a home restoration TV show Shelby and Cameron agree to try a pilot episode.  Working together again bring back a lot of old feelings and history but Shelby and Cameron are both different people than when they were 18 and their new friendship turns into something more - despite Lyle's best attempts at sabotage.  This was a fantastic read and I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.  It feels like Hahn reached into my brain and wrote this book specifically to hit everything I love in a romance.  Shelby and Cameron are interesting, complex, and sincere characters with great support side characters.  The set up of the story and past history between them feels so natural that I could be 100% on board with their second-chance romance.  Shelby and Cameron have sizzling hot chemistry but they could never quite figure out how to actually be together.  I thought this was going to be the main conflict in the relationship - complete with multiple misunderstandings.  However, I was so excited when they actually talked to each other very early on in the story and continued to have good communication throughout the story.  The main source of conflict comes from outside of the relationship, which I always prefer because it usually makes for a low-angst read (and I would categorize this as low angst).  I really loved the side characters and how they were all very well developed and the friendships between them and our main couple felt very fleshed out.  For anyone who really loves these HGTV-esque romances, I think this one will really hit the spot as well - I loved how much behind the scenes we get and since Shelby and Cameron grew up as child actors, they have a pretty interesting view of the whole process that I don't see very often. 

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was October 18, 2022

The Wrong Bridesmaid - Lauren Landish

This opposites-attract romance follows Wyatt and Hazel.  Wyatt left his hometown of Cold Springs years ago to get away from his influential family and the pressures that came with the last name Ford. Now he's back in town for his younger brother's wedding and not all is well in Cold Springs.  Hazel has lived in Cold Springs her whole life and as a result, she doesn't easily trust anyone with the last name Ford.  The chemistry between them is undeniable, however, they come from two very different sides of Cold Springs.  But as Wyatt discovers what his scheming uncle has been up to in the last few years, he realizes that he can't leave this town - or the people - behind again.  I overall really enjoyed this romance and I liked the twists we got on the usual small town corruption plot.  I loved Wyatt and Hazel on their own, but even better as a duo. They have great chemistry but my favorite scenes were them working together to solve a problem.  There are a ton of great side characters also and the town itself has a ton of personality which I always love in a small town setting.  I had some minor issues with the set-up of how, exactly, the Ford family and Cold Springs were intertwined.  There were some moments that felt conflicting and made me pause for a moment.  I also felt some of the wording in the sex scenes just felt awkward and the phrases chosen for certain acts or bodily fluids I just don't think work for me in a serious and romantic setting.  But overall, this was really fun and I always seem to enjoy Landish's stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC

Publication date was October 25, 2022

 

 Ship Wrecked - Olivia Dade

 This is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series and follows actors Maria and Peter.  After a one night stand, the two find themselves filming together on an isolated island for 6 years.  Despite their chemistry, they agree to stay friends only while filming.  However, once those 6 years are over, they finally have the chance to deepen their friendship into something more.  But adjusting to life together off of the little island may be more difficult than they both expect. Dade does a fantastic job closing out this series and I really enjoyed this romance.  It ended up being more emotionally charged than the first 2 in the series and I think that was due to this book taking place over 6 years so we see a lot of character development.  I loved Maria and Peter and found them both such interesting characters and they had so many layers to work through to finally be together.  I loved that we got a few cameos from the characters in the other books and the epilogue was absolutely fabulous.  As always, I loved the fat rep in this book, even more so that both of our main characters are fat and the amount of lusty descriptions from both of them about the other are fantastic. This is a longer romance at 413 pages, but considering we had 6 years to cover and a whole lot of character growth to get through I think all of that length is needed.  That being said, the pacing was a little hit and miss for me.  There were times where it felt like it dragged and then times where it felt way too fast.  I do think Dade did a great job giving the reader glimpses of Peter and Maria over that 6 year period to help with this, but I think having that big of a time jump is just hard all around.  I did like how we see their first year together and then we time-jump and the story moves forward from there so we have pretty solid footing with these characters before the jump.  

TW/CW: death of a parent, adoption, forced dieting (attempted)

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC

Publication date was November 15, 2022

 Marlowe Banks, Redesigned - Jacqueline Firkins

 This celebrity romance follows Marlowe and Angus.  Marlowe is a production assistant on a popular TV show starring Angus.  Marlowe ended up in LA after her latest costume show in NYC was shredded by critics and she ended her engagement.  She's now content to exist behind the scenes as she tries to figure out her next move.  But when a wardrobe mix-up causes Marlowe to be in a scene of the show, the cameras (and audience) catch something between Marlowe and Angus.  As the two work together more, they both realize they have more to offer than what you first see. Overall, I liked this read but it didn't quite hit the spot for me.  On NetGalley, it is listed as romance/women's fiction and I do think that is an appropriate listing.  This is a story with a full romance plot arc and there is 100% a HEA for the couple.  However, it felt to me more like Marlowe's story of finding herself again and that just so happened to include a romance with Angus rather than this being a story about Marlowe and Angus's romance. This is also only told through Marlowe's POV which, again, makes it feel more like her story. All that aside, I did enjoy the building of Angus and Marlowe's relationship and how much fun they were together.  I'm a bit of a hard sell on celebrity romances because of the inevitable conflict of one person being more ok with being in the public eye than the other but I think this one really worked that balance out well.  The conflict, as well as the resolution, felt natural to the characters and that made all the difference.  Angus was such an interesting character, I really wish we would have gotten his POV more.  I loved Marlowe's character and think Firkins finds the balance well between quirky character and over-the-top caricature.

 Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC

Publication date was  October 25, 2022

 

 

 

Netherkind - Greg Chapman

 

This fantasy-horror follows Thomas who has to eat human flesh to survive.  On the outside, he seems like a regular human, but when he feeds, he absorbs qualities of that person.  He thinks he's the only one of his kind until a woman appears in his apartment complex one day.  He soon finds himself beneath the human city and is introduced to a whole society filled with "Fleshers" like him.  Only, his kind aren't the only ones out there and there's a war brewing. 

TW/CW: child endangerment, child abandonment, body horror, cannibalism 

I'll say right at the top that this is not my usual read.  When I requested this book on NetGalley, it was only listed as a horror and thus I thought it would really lean into the quasi-cannibalism of these creatures.  However, these creatures ended up having a much more complex societal structure than I was expecting and there was a good amount of political machinations going on as well.  We even get some supernatural/magical elements which again upped the fantasy percentage for me.  We start out the story in solid horror territory but it quickly turns into a more fantasy-heavy read.  Since I don't like reading fantasy (I prefer to watch fantasy TV/movies), this story did lose me just a smidge in the middle.  However, it won me back over in the last 25%. I do think this is a fantasy with substantial horror undertones, but I would list it as a fantasy first and foremost. 

I really loved the characters in this ... except for Thomas.  I didn't particularly dislike him, but I was pretty meh about him and his journey.  He felt very much like a reader stand in since he didn't know anything about these other creatures or their dynamics.  I can understand the plot reasons why he wouldn't know anything and would need to have everything explained to him, but it ended up feeling like he was pretty devoid of any defining characteristics.  I would have preferred Thomas taking a more active role in the plot and maybe doing some investigation/research on his own.  I found the other characters to be really interesting and well developed for side characters.  Sure, we didn't know every detail of their backstories, but Chapman gave the reader their wants/desires/weaknesses which made them really fun to read about.  

The horror elements were pretty solidly body horror with a dash of cannibalism.  The opening 10% is pretty heavy on the blood and gore of Thomas's life and how he feeds and then transforms.  However, I did then find that the middle section from 25%-75% was lighter on the horror and really leaned into the fantasy elements.  But that last 75% we get some really fantastic descriptions and scenes that I absolutely loved.  I didn't find any of the scenes particularly overly-descriptive (but I know that line will be different for everyone).  I found Chapman's descriptions of these more visceral scenes to be really well planned out and always felt like they had a reason to be more graphic - usually for plot or character development. 

The fantasy elements were a bit hit and miss for me - but again, fantasy is not my genre.  I absolutely loved the world-building and lore that Chapman managed to fit into this 303 page read.  I thought everything was really well laid out and we learned about this new world in layers so it never felt overwhelming. We have 3 pretty significant groups of conflicting beings (plus another one on the fringe and a couple humans thrown in the mix) so there's a lot of ground to cover.  However, Chapman did a great job of rotating through these different sections of the story so the reader is consistently reminded of the dynamics at play.  There is a plot line that gets a little too far-out for me and I found myself re-reading those sections a couple of times before I felt like I understood what was going on.  Because of this, I did feel like the end reveal in regards to those moments didn't quite hit as hard as it might for other readers because I was a little confused and felt like I was out of the loop just a little bit. 

Overall, this was a pretty fun read but it did lean a bit more toward fantasy than I personally like.  That being said, I still enjoyed it and loved the world building, side characters, and horror elements.  

Thanks NetGalley and Crossroad Press for the ARC

Publication date was May 28, 2022

Originally published May 6, 2019 by Omnium Gatherum

Suburban Hell - Maureen Kilmer

 

When Amy Foster moved out of Chicago to one of the nearby suburbs, she was pleasantly surprised at how quickly she settled in - especially after finding her friend group of Liz, Jess, and Melissa. The four women find solidarity in eschewing certain suburbia cliches and during their monthly wine night.  On one of these wine nights, the friends go into Liz's backyard to christen their soon to be clubhouse, the She Shed.  Only instead of bestowing blessings, the group starts to feel like they may have unearthed something sinister.  This feeling is heightened when Liz starts acting strange and other strange occurrences start happening. Now Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight to save Liz and the neighborhood they've come to love. 

I really enjoyed the whole neighborhood/cul-de-sac setting and how much it added to the story.  This was a really fun read and I can see this being a good vacation read.  It takes place over summer vacation so we get lots of interactions with the neighbors through block parties, the neighborhood pool, and the annual ice cream social.  Being able to see the characters and their families in this setting really helped strengthen the stakes of the story because we see first hand what these characters would lose.  We also get some lore and background of how this neighborhood came to be, which was an interesting tangent to go down.  I've felt with some other books set in suburbia that the setting was more of an afterthought, but in this case I really think the neighborhood shines and I can't really see this story unfolding in any other setting.

I loved the characters and their friend group dynamic.  I found all 3 of our main-ish characters to be really well developed and distinct from one another.  The story is told from Amy's POV, but she does spend a lot of time with Jess and Melissa.  Kilmer did a fantastic job of giving concrete character traits and emotional layers to each character.  I also loved how the group dynamic really hinged on each of the characters being themselves and how they each brought something unique to the friend group.  Of course, when it comes to this type of setting, I think most readers would expect certain character types to live in this neighborhood.  And while we do see those stereotypes in the story, Kilmer gave enough details to our main friend group to ensure they stood out from the crowd.  I do wish we had gotten a bit more of the four friends together before the main plot kicked off because Liz was the one friend who I didn't feel had a lot of detail to her character.  But that might be on purpose because we do hear throughout the story that they didn't realize how much they missed Liz since she was always sort of in the background, even in their small group. 

I went into this book unsure of where the line would be drawn - this could have easily gone full horror but it stayed more in the fun, vacation read territory.  It reminded me a lot of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, because we're following Amy who is trying to convince her friends and husband that something potentially supernatural is going on but they don't take her seriously at first.  We get some really great creepy moments that I absolutely loved - the robot vacuum scene will forever be a favorite - and I think there was some decent building of tension through these moments.  However, I do think that the book missed the mark just a bit when it came to finding the right balance between the supernatural and the everyday.  I get that Amy has other responsibilities and can't just sit around reading exorcism books all day but it felt like the scales were tipped toward making the mundane suburbia plot points feel more important.  This balance might be tweaked a bit for the final copy (I read an ARC) or maybe other readers feel differently, but it just irked me a tiny bit. 

I did feel like the pacing was a little uneven and I wished there was more escalation to the supernatural events that we get.  My favorite part of these sort of 'is it supernatural or does a character have an over-active imagination' plots is having the reader question the reality of the story.  I want to be reading along and sort of question the reality of the situation myself - or find myself agreeing with a point a character makes that I hadn't thought of before.  This slow escalation and flip flopping is really fun for me and I think it builds to a really great, natural climax to the story.  In this case, however, I felt like Kilmer tried to inject some of that dynamic but it didn't quite work for me.  I found that there was such a drastic initial change to Liz that it was obvious something weird was going on.  Now, the book description doesn't try to hide the fact that something supernatural is going on, so maybe it isn't fair for me to be looking for that type of slow build up in the first place. On the other hand, I didn't feel like the stakes were fully fleshed out past the small friend group.  It felt very much like "if we don't do this, we'll lose Liz forever" but I was really expecting there to be more of a threat to their families or the neighborhood as a whole. Again, maybe this book was just too lighthearted to really double down on the stakes there and we do have a little bit of a "if we don't fix this, we'll have to move away and we'll never see each other again" moment, but I just wanted more.

Overall, this was a really fun read and I would recommend picking it up as a vacation read.  I love the setting, characters, and where the book chose to draw the horror line.  I did find the pacing and escalation pattern a little unsatisfying, but I might be asking for a little too much there.  

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC

Publication date was August 30, 2022

The Dark Between the Trees - Fiona Barnett

 

This folk-horror follows 2 groups of people as they find themselves in a mysterious forest. In 1643, a group of soldiers are ambushed and the survivors flee into the nearby Moresby Wood.  A few of the soldiers know of the wood's rumored history filled with witchcraft and unnatural creatures.  Of the group of survivors, only 2 survive to tell the tale of what happened in Moresby Wood.  In current day, a group of 5 researchers enter Moresby Wood in search of evidence to what happened to that group of soldiers. They bring maps, GPS units, mobile phones, and other equipment in order to be prepared for their journey.  Only, they aren't prepared for what the wood has in store for them.

The setting and lore was the real key of this story for me and I thought both were fantastic.  I was expecting this read to be more of a creeping gradual horror but we know almost immediately that something isn't right in Moresby Wood and I absolutely loved it.  I did find some of the supernatural scenes to be a little vague and I wasn't entirely sure what was going on but that made sense because the characters had no real idea what was going on. I also loved how both sets of characters - 1693 and present day - were sharing theories/rumors/ghost stories about what is going on in the wood.  There was a nice mix of the supernatural threats with some realistic environmental hardships that really built up well over the course of the book.  I thought I knew where the lore was going, but I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong.  On NetGalley, the description said this book was perfect for fans of The Ritual and The Descent.  I can see elements of both those movies in this story but I feel like it is much closer to The Ritual with the eerie forest, tense friend group, and unique supernatural-ish element.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline aspect but I do wish the book was a little longer in order to more fully flesh out both sides of the story.  The story is split pretty much 50/50 between the soldiers in 1643 and the researchers in present day. The events in the two timelines somewhat mirror each other, which leads to a really fun dynamic for the reader. I also thought it was interesting to see the differences between the 1693 story and what the present day characters know based on historical texts.  I was pretty equally interested in both timelines which is always a good sign.  I also liked how the two timelines, while very similar, did have their own individual elements that highlighted the tense situation the characters were in. 

Where this book lost me a bit was with all the characters.  I found this to be a pretty short read at around 300 pages and since it was split pretty evenly between the two timelines, there just wasn't a lot of room for all the characters and relationships.  I'm more of a character-focused reader which is why I think I like these isolated mystery/horror reads so much.  I was really excited to see how this setting impacted the characters and their interactions.  And while we did get those scenes, they weren't as impactful to read because I didn't feel like the initial character relationships were sufficiently fleshed out. I knew the ranks and surface relationships between the characters, but I wanted more depth.  I felt this way about the character groups in both timelines.  I really think if this book was just a little longer and there was more time setting up the group dynamic before things start going off the rails then I would have really been able to sink into the story more.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the narration style of this read.  The story was told from a 3rd person POV that alternated being closer to one character and then farther away so the reader could get information from other characters.  It wasn't technically headhopping, but it gave me that same feeling while reading of not being completely settled in the narration.  I did read an ARC so this could potentially be fixed in the final copy but I think this would come down to personal preference. For me, the narration choices to be more removed from our main-ish character just meant that I had a harder time settling into the story and with these characters.

Overall, I really liked the premise and setting of this read, but I wanted some tweaks in order to be more connected to the characters. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Rebellion publishing for the ARC.  

Expected publication date is October 11, 2022.

Daphne - Josh Malerman

 

This horror story follows Kit Lamb during her last summer before college. She's on her school's basketball team and on the night before the big game, one of the other players tells a ghost story about Daphne to the team.  There are different versions of Daphne's story - some say she was murdered, some say she was a murderer - but the main theme is that if you think about her, she will come and kill you.  After hearing this story, Kit can't stop thinking about Daphne.  And once her teammates start dying one by one, Kit begins to suspect Daphne might be real after all.  Now, Kit is determined to find the truth behind the legend and learn to face her own fears before its too late. 

TW/CW: child abduction, child murder, cannibalism, suicide, anxiety, body horror

I've really enjoyed all of my past Malerman reads, but this one started out a little rough.  Looking back, I just think the point he chose to start the story at was not the most interesting and ended up making the pacing feel really disjointed.  However, once the kills start, they don't stop and this turned into a really great read.  I did read an ARC copy, so there's a chance some of this could change in the final version.  The story opens at the end of the big game and has Kit thinking about Daphne and her inner monologue does a great job at showing the reader how nervous and anxious she is about Daphne.  Only one problem: the reader doesn't have any context to who Daphne is or why Kit is thinking about her.  Now, of course, if you read the book description, you would have an idea but the lack of story context was really throwing me off.  The reader then gets filled in via flashback but this pacing and structure just didn't work for me. Once we get past this awkward beginning, I really enjoyed the pacing and structure for the rest of the story.

I really loved the Daphne myth and how it evolved over the course of the book.  Having it be a ghost story at a sleepover really made it feel universal because I think many people will have a similar ghost story in their area.  I also enjoyed having the main characters be older and having this play between them thinking ghosts aren't real but also all sort of believing in them.  At first, I thought this would just be a regular sort of vague ghost story, but I was really pleased with how detailed the story got and how we could see it change as it was told.  Daphne's myth also got a lot darker than I was expecting which I appreciated.

Anxiety is a big theme in the book and I thought making Daphne be a sort of mirror for that worked really well.  In the acknowledgements at the end, Malerman talks a bit about his own anxiety journey and how some of that is reflected in Kit.  We see a wide range of Kit's anxiety and her coping strategies and the narrative style in these sections really reflects her mental state.  These sections, especially her journal entries, feel very stream of consciousness but there's this constant reminder of Daphne that comes through and it really feels like she pops up in Kit's mind.  I struggle with anxiety at times, but not at the level that Kit does and I think the narrative style choices do a great job of letting readers into that struggle who might not otherwise understand the feeling. There are one or two brief moments where Kit thinks that if she committed suicide that she wouldn't have to live with this anxiety anymore so that may be upsetting to folks who

 Despite these characters being in high school, I don't think they necessarily read like they're that young.  This book really has Malerman's voice in the prose and I really enjoy his writing style.  However, for readers who really like the characters to feel very realistic and have distinct voices, I don't think this would necessarily fit that category.  Because Malerman's voice is so present, it feels like the story is being told by someone watching these characters from above so there is a level of disconnect.  While we do get some inner monologue and some of Kit's journal entries, I didn't feel like these differed enough from character to character and they had the same tone as the overall description narration. This is 100% a personal preference thing and while I do normally prefer when the author sort of disappears and lets the characters shine, I do think Malerman is one exception for me.

The kills in this were great and we get a good number of them on-page.  There's a slight escalation with each death in either timing, place, or brutality that works really well to up the tension.  As the story progresses and more bodies drop, there's this frantic aspect to the police investigation and town overall and it was such a great way to keep up the pacing. 

The ending was a bit abrupt, which I normally don't like, but in this case, I didn't mind.  It felt like the puzzle pieces came together early enough that there was sufficient time for the resolution to play out.  I also think the main questions got answered enough that the usual post-climax reflection/info dump wasn't necessary. There were a few details that, at first, I thought didn't get fleshed out enough but upon reflection I could answer all the questions I had. There are a number of threads that come together really well at the end and I think they wrap the whole story up nicely.

Overall, this was a fantastic read.  Got off to a bit of a slow start, but once the story picked up, it really went full speed ahead.  Great myth, great kills, and excellent building of tension as the story went on.

Thanks NetGalley and Del Ray books for the ARC

Expected publication date is September 20, 2022

Romance Wrap-Up 9/1/22 to 9/15/22

 The Rivals of Casper Road - Roan Parrish

 This M/M romance is the fourth in the Garnet Run series and follows Bram and Zachary.  Bram is new to town and is renting a house on Casper Road across the street from Zachary.  When Bram finds out that Casper Road hold an annual Halloween decorating contest and that Zachary is the reigning champion, the two strike up a prank war that gets increasingly flirtatious.  When one prank turns into a kiss that turns into more, the two men have to decide how to handle this relationship that neither of them was expecting. I've read the first book in this series and loved it.  The others are on my TBR but when this came across my NetGalley page, I couldn't pass it up!  I've read other romances with the decoration competition plot but they've all been Christmas-themed.  I'm not much for Halloween, specifically, but I really loved all the autumnal vibes of this book. I really loved both Bram and Zachary as their own characters and thought they had some really developed characterization for a somewhat shorter romance (288 pages).  Their pasts do play a role in their current relationship but they aren't some big dark secrets which I appreciated.  However, as much as I liked each of them, I didn't quite buy into their relationship and I think that's more to do with the way these two sort of just fell together.  So much of their relationship felt a little overly coincidental and I wanted to feel them both having a bit more initiative on the page. I love a good slow burn but this didn't quite hit that mark for me in that way.  I did find that in the later stages of the book and their relationship, they both had a much more active role in their decision making and then I was completely on board.  I loved the side characters and we do get to see all of the couples from the other books in the series.  This was pretty low angst and just all around a cozy fall romance. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.  Expected publication date is September 27, 2022

Spoiler Alert - Olivia Dade

This is the first book in the Spoiler Alert series and follows Marcus and April.  Marcus plays the lead on the biggest TV show - Gods of the Gates - and he writes fanfiction for the same show under a fake name.  April also writes fanfiction as well as crafts cosplays based on the show. After one of her cosplay pictures goes viral on Twitter, Marcus invites April out to dinner.  They both expected this to be a one time dinner, but they didn't expect the chemistry to be working out quite so well.  But when Marcus finds out April is his fanfiction best friend, he is stuck between his two lives and trying to figure out how to not lose April. I really enjoyed this read and loved Marcus and April.  I'm not the biggest fan of celebrity romances unless both partners are involved in the celebrity world which was part of the reason I put off reading this book for so long.  However, I've recently read a number of Dade's backlist and I loved them so I finally gave this a chance.  I did appreciate how the celebrity aspect was not really the central conflict in the story (although it was related) and a lot of the typical 'celebrity romance' scenes were included but much less of a focus in the story (like a run-in with paparazzi).  I also never really got into fanfiction (I didn't know it was a thing until my 20s, lol) so I wasn't entirely connecting with that aspect either but I think Dade does a great job of introducing/explaining it in a way that still allowed non-fanfiction readers into the story.  April and Marcus are such well developed and deep characters that I was completely on board with their romance.  I loved how they each had their own struggles and the other person never tried to fix the issues, they were just supportive.  I did like how both characters would have moments where they would have a knee-jerk reaction to something the other said and immediately assume the worst but then would talk it out and realize they were jumping to conclusions - I just really loved that level of communication. 

TW/CW: fatphobia

Decker: Changing the Play - Kayley Loring and Connor Crais

 This USA Football romance follows NFL quarterback Decker and the new owner of his team, Hannah.  After Hannah's estranged father dies unexpectedly, she finds out he left his football team to her.  She's determined to learn about the business before making any snap decisions.  However, leaning the ropes is made harder with the entire city of Boston watching (and commenting). Decker is the city's golden boy and while he has left his "Decker the Panty Wrecker" ways behind him, he isn't going to let Hannah walk all over this team no matter how much he likes seeing her walk in her tight pencil skirts.  This has a great balance of fun and flirty banter with some super steamy scenes. I really liked how both of our characters are a bit older (upper 30s) so they are generally confident in what they want and are both at a turning point in their careers. I did feel like most of the book was Hannah and Decker acting on their physical attraction and I do wish we had a few more scenes with some emotional connection between the two of them.  I loved the side characters and hope Loring and Crais team up to write more romances following the other players.  I also really enjoyed how much football was in this football romance.  Since Hannah is learning how to manage an NFL team from the ground up, she has to learn about the game as well as the business side.  I think the authors do a great job of incorporating those details in a way that would be accessible even if you've never watched a single football game.  It also doesn't hurt that some of these football lessons end up with Hannah and Decker falling into bed together.  It was refreshing to have the conflict be something other than he's her player/she's his boss

 TW/CW: grief, loss of a parent, estranged parent relationship

 

When in Rome - Sarah Adams

 

This small town, celebrity romance follows Amelia and Noah.  Weeks away from an international tour, pop star  Amelia needs a break.  Taking a cue from Audrey Hepburn classic Roman Holiday, she heads out to the nearest Rome to her - Rome, Kentucky. Her car ends up breaking down on Noah's front lawn and the grumpy baker offers his guest room for the night.  An unexpected long wait to get her car fixed leaves Amelia staying with Noah longer than both expected.  They both are guarded at the beginning, but as they spend more time together, their walls come down and they both see different sides of the other as their feelings grow.  But with Amelia leaving on tour and Noah's past history with bad long distance relationships, the two might just be doomed from the beginning.  This was perfection!  I absolutely loved every aspect of this romance - the slow burn tension, the small town setting, the grumpy/sunshine balance, the character development, the sizzling chemistry, and especially the communication!  This was a lot lower angst than I was expecting but still had great emotional depth and I felt like when these two finally get together that they'd be together for the long haul. I mentioned above that I don't love celebrity romances but since Amelia was trying to escape from her celebrity life, most of the book was not focused on her pop star status.  This might just be my favorite grumpy/sunshine romance because the characters had so much more depth besides just being grumpy or sunshine.  I really hope Adams writes more stories focusing on this town (maybe Noah's sisters?) because I loved the full cast of characters and this little community of Rome, Kentucky. 

TW/CW: death of a parent, infidelity (in past relationship, not MCs)

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC. 

Expected publication date is September 20, 2022