Review: The Vampire Book Club - Nancy Warren

I was a divorced, middle-aged witch banished to Ireland.
My life could be summed up in a limerick...

There once was a misguided witch
Who tried a man’s fate to switch
Her punishment set
To Ireland she must get
But better than feathers and pitch!

With a name like Quinn Calahan I sounded as Irish as a leprechaun dancing a jig on a four leafed clover, but the truth was, I’d never been closer to the emerald isle than drinking green beer at the St Patrick’s day street party in Boston until I messed up so badly I had to leave the US. I was offered a job in a tiny village in Ireland that no one’s ever heard of. And I think that was the point in sending me there. How much trouble could a divorced, middle-aged witch get into in a village that boasted very few residents, one crumbling castle that attracted no tourists, and a post office that was only open Mondays and Thursdays?

You’d be surprised.

You will fall in love with this series about second chances, magical mayhem, and book club unlike any other. From the author of the best-selling Vampire Knitting Club series.

The Vampire Book Club Series:
The Vampire Book Club
Chapter and Curse (July 2020)
A Spelling Mistake (October 2020)

Visit Nancy Warren's website for more information

Review:
Quinn knew it was wrong using her magic to try and save the life of her ex-husband but she never expected the consequences to be quite so harsh. Banished from her coven she is given 2 weeks to pack up her entire life in America before being shipped off to a small village in Ireland where she's due to take charge of the local book shop. It's a total culture shock for her when she first arrives but what really throws her for a loop is the dead body she finds behind the counter the first time she enters the shop. It's not in Quinn's nature to sit back and wait for someone else to solve this mystery but when you're new in town it's hard to tell friends from potential foes.

The Vampire Book Club was a fun start to Nancy Warren's new series. I liked Quinn's character and found it made a change to read about a slightly older character than most books, Quinn is in her 40s and pretty confident in herself which was great. Her life has been turned upside down but she's determined to make a go of things and throws herself into making new friends and meeting the other villagers. I would have liked to have seen a little more of her magic so I hope that comes out to play more in future books.

I love the idea of the Vampire Book Club and the members seemed quite fun so I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. I also enjoyed meeting the residents of Ballydehag, there were lots of colourful characters and plenty of them are keeping secrets too. I'm really curious to find out what happened to the owner of the book shop, it appears she was also sent away after doing something she shouldn't have but we've not been given any information about what she did or where she's gone. I think there's definitely more to learn about there so it'll be interesting to see what we discover in the next book.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Come Tumbling Down - Seanan McGuire

The fifth installment in Seanan McGuire's award-winning, bestselling Wayward Children series, Come Tumbling Down picks up the threads left dangling by Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones

When Jack left Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children she was carrying the body of her deliciously deranged sister—whom she had recently murdered in a fit of righteous justice—back to their home on the Moors.

But death in their adopted world isn't always as permanent as it is here, and when Jack is herself carried back into the school, it becomes clear that something has happened to her. Something terrible. Something of which only the maddest of scientists could conceive. Something only her friends are equipped to help her overcome.

Eleanor West's "No Quests" rule is about to be broken.

Again.

The Wayward Children Series:
Every Heart a Doorway
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Beneath the Sugar Sky
In an Absent Dream
Come Tumbling Down

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
I've loved the Wayward Children series ever since I read Every Heart a Doorway so I always look forward to the latest instalment. Seanan McGuire is constantly surprising me with her creativity and she manages it again in Come Tumbling Down. I thought that we'd seen the last of Jack and Jill in Down Among the Sticks and Bones but we quickly discover that their story is not over when this book opens with Jack returning to Eleanor West's School for Wayward Children in desperate need of help from her friends. Things have gone badly wrong in the Moors and Jack had nowhere else to turn to for help so it looks like the students are going to have to break the rules once more to go on another quest.

I don't really want to give any details about the problem Jack needs help with because it's far more fun for you to discover that yourself when reading the story. What I will say is that I enjoyed this second trip into the world she calls home. We get to catch up with some familiar faces but also explore the world far more than we did in our first visit and I found it interesting seeing what both Jack and Jill have been up to since we left them last.

It was great to see Kade, Christopher, Sumi and Cora come together to help Jack, they're totally out of their comfort zone in the Moors but that doesn't stop them doing what needs to be done to keep Jack safe. I can't wait to read all of their stories though, there are so many different worlds we're going to get to explore in this series. These books always leave me wanting more and I can't wait for my next visit with the Wayward Children.

Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: Baker's Coven - Nancy Warren

Can she bake a winning cake without getting iced?

Competition is hotter than the pre-heated ovens as The Great British Baking Competition moves into cake week. Amateur baker Poppy Wilkinson has a lot to deal with, from learning she has talents she never knew about, to trying to keep cool and bake under pressure.

She’s also trying to track down the secrets of her parentage. Meanwhile, she’s saved from death by a local Border collie who seems to think she’s part of his flock and herds her out of danger. Was it an accident or does someone want her out of the baking competition permanently?

With witches, an energy vortex, an ancient manor house that holds it’s secrets tight, Poppy’s barely got time to practice her fondant icing, never mind escape from a killer.

Taste this culinary cozy mystery series from USA Today Bestselling author Nancy Warren. Each book is a stand-alone mystery, though the books are linked. They offer good, clean fun, and, naturally, recipes.

Great Witches Baking Show Series:
The Great Witches Baking Show
Baker's Coven
A Rolling Scone (May 2020)

Visit Nancy Warren's website for more information

Review:
It's week two of the Great British Baking Competition so Poppy and her fellow contestants are back in the tent preparing to bake their favourite cakes. Poppy is still hoping to find out more about the parents who gave her up but she needs to do as well in the contest as possible so that she has an excuse to spend time at Broomewold Manor. Arriving early in the hope of finding local ingredients for her recipes Poppy soon finds herself caught up in mysterious events at a neighbouring farm and it looks like she'll have to put her newfound detective skills to use again.

Baker's Coven is the second book in Nancy Warren's Great Witches Baking Show cosy mystery series and while each story contains a different mystery to solve I'd still recommend reading the books in order so you can get to know the characters. This book gives us the chance to start getting to know some of the other contestants a little better as well as the local residents.

I love the Bake Off inspired format of the story and am enjoying seeing Poppy start to learn more about her witchy heritage and the powers that she has. We're also starting to explore more of the area around Broomewold Manor and learn a little about the Earl his family. It's obvious the family has plenty of secrets so it's going to be really interesting to see what else we uncover as the series continues. I'm looking forward to reading about more of Poppy's adventures.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Great Witches Baking Show - Nancy Warren

A baker with secrets
Witches in trouble
The cameras are rolling
Ready, set, die.

Poppy Wilkinson is thrilled to be chosen as a contestant on The Great British Baking Contest. As an American with English roots, winning the crown as Britain’s Best Baker would open doors she’s dreamed of. In more ways than one. Appearing on the reality show is her chance to get into Broomewode Hall and uncover the secrets of her past.

But strange things are happening on the show’s set: accusations of sabotage, a black cat that shadows Poppy, suspiciously unsociable residents at Broomewode Hall—and the judges can be real witches.

There are murmurs that Broomewode is an energy vortex. It certainly makes Poppy see and do things that aren’t exactly normal, and seems to draw interesting characters to the neighborhood.

When a fellow contestant dies in mysterious circumstances, Poppy has more to worry about than burned pies and cakes that won’t rise. There’s a murderer on the loose and it’s up to Poppy and her new friends to solve the crime before it becomes a real show-stopper.

From USA Today Bestselling Author Nancy Warren, this delicious series of cozy paranormal mysteries will have you guessing until the end. Includes recipes.

Great Witches Baking Show Series:
The Great Witches Baking Show
Baker's Coven
A Rolling Scone (May 2020)

Visit Nancy Warren's website for more information

Review:
Poppy is thrilled when she is chosen as a contestant for The Great British Baking Contest for two reasons, not only does she love to bake but she's also hoping that returning to the area she was born in will give her the chance to try and trace the family that gave her away when she was just a baby. Taking part in the show is both nerve wracking and great fun but it goes downhill fast when one of the other contestants is murdered. Now Poppy finds herself with more than one mystery on her hands and she's determined to solve them both.

I've heard great things about Nancy Warren's Vampire Knitting Club series but as soon as I heard about The Great Witches Baking Show I knew I had to start here. The Great British Bake Off is a show that most Brits are obsessed with, it's one of those comforts that always makes you smile no matter how bad the world is and this story is the same but in book form. As the first book in the series we're only just starting to get to know the characters but I really liked Poppy and the other contestants mostly seem like a supportive group. The judges were fun and I'm particularly curious about Poppy's search for her birth family.

As a cozy mystery this book is light hearted and humorous in spite of the murder and I found it a very fast and fun read. I think there is a lot more to uncover about Poppy and her newly discovered abilities and I'm glad that the next two books are being released so quickly (Baker's Coven in March & A Rolling Scone in May) so I won't have to wait too long to find out what happens next.

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: A Madness of Sunshine - Nalini Singh

UK Cover

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh welcomes you to a remote town on the edge of the world where even the blinding brightness of the sun can't mask the darkness that lies deep within a killer...

On the rugged West Coast of New Zealand, Golden Cove is more than just a town where people live. The adults are more than neighbours; the children, more than schoolmates.

That is until one fateful summer - and several vanished bodies - shatters the trust holding Golden Cove together. All that's left are whispers behind closed doors, broken friendships, and a silent agreement not to look back. But they can't run from the past forever.

Eight years later, a beautiful young woman disappears without a trace, and the residents of Golden Cove wonder if their home shelters something far more dangerous than an unforgiving landscape.

It's not long before the dark past collides with the haunting present and deadly secrets come to light.

Visit Nalini Singh's website for more information

Review:
I don't usually read thrillers but Nalini Singh is such a favourite author of mine that she's an auto-buy no matter what genre she decides to write in. I was still a little nervous going into A Madness of Sunshine though because I really had no idea what to expect. It was very different to her other books with a much slower and more character driven plot that concludes in an action packed, edge of your seat finale and I found that I just couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed getting to explore this small sleepy costal town in New Zealand through Nalini's eyes, we get an in depth look at the culture and atmosphere of small town living and it made me want to pack a bag and book a flight so I could go and explore Golden Cove for myself. There are a lot of secrets in this town, everyone seems to be hiding something and there were so many possible suspects that I really had no idea who was the killer. It was actually a bit disturbing the way most of the men in the town had such possessive and controlling feelings about the women around them.

Anahera left her hometown years ago and never planned to come back but after the death of her husband she just needs some time to lick her wounds and it's almost an automatic reaction to return to the place that is most familiar. So much about Golden Cove has stayed the same in her absence but there are some changes, like the addition of a permanent police officer, Will. It's only when a local girl goes missing, bringing back memories of past disappearances that haunt the town, that they realise there might be a killer still living among them.

I loved the slow build romance between Anahera and Will but that definitely wasn't the focus of the story. These are both complex and layered characters who have plenty of secrets to uncover and it was fun getting to know them but I do wish we'd found out a little more about Will, about his family and where he came from before he ended up in Golden Cove. I made multiple guesses about the killer along the way but I was never able to pin down exactly who they were, they were one of my suspects but pretty low down on my list.

A Madness of Sunshine was very different to my usual reads and very different to the books Nalini usually writes but I enjoyed it all the more because of that. I really hope she decides to explore this genre further in the future and I'll definitely be first in line to buy the books if she does.

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: In An Absent Dream - Seanan McGuire

A stand-alone fantasy tale from Seanan McGuire's Alex award-winning Wayward Children series, which began in the Alex, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning, World Fantasy Award finalist, Tiptree Honor List Every Heart a Doorway

This fourth entry and prequel tells the story of Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

The Wayward Children Series:
Every Heart a Doorway
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Beneath the Sugar Sky
In an Absent Dream
Come Tumbling Down

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
In An Absent Dream is the fourth story in Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series and although each book can be read as a standalone I think you're best to at least start with Every Heart a Doorway as all the other books feature characters we first met there. This is Lundy's story and if you read the first book you'll probably remember her as the old woman stuck in a body that has been ageing backwards since something went wrong with a deal she made at the Goblin Market. Seriously she's in her 80's but she only looks about 7 so you can imagine how weird her life is!

Anyway, this is Lundy's story from when she actually was a child - in age not just physically. Like all of the children in Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children Lundy never quite fitted into the world she was born into, she was always a little too bookish and too prone to daydreams to have any interest in the people around her and when she stumbled upon a strange door in a tree she'd never seen before she suddenly finds herself in a place that feels much more like home. The Goblin Market isn't like any of the other worlds we've seen in this series, it's magical and full of weird and wonderful creatures but at the same time it can be incredibly dangerous.

In the Goblin Market there are rules that have to be followed:
Rule 1: Ask for nothing
Rule 2: Names have power
Rule 3: Always give fair value
Rule 4: Take what is offered and be grateful
Rule 5: Remember the Curfew

If you treat people fairly and are willing to contribute an equal share of the work you'll be fine as long as you're careful but anyone who cheats, steals or doesn't pull their weight will pay a high price.

Lundy is very young in this story, she's intelligent and well read for her age but sometimes she thinks she knows more than she actually does so she doesn't always comprehend the consequences of her actions. She tries hard to deal with the Goblin Market fairly but she doesn't always get things right and that has a huge impact on her. If you've already read Every Heart a Doorway then you'll know the direction Lundy's story takes but I found it really interesting to see how she ended up in that situation in the first place. I found the whole Market fascinating and enjoyed the characters we meet along the way.

This series is so much fun to read, I love how each book is completely different to the last and that there are still so many worlds we've not had a chance to explore yet. I'm happily going to continue to devour these stories as fast as Seanan McGuire can write them & hope we have a lot more to come.

Source: Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: Ten Big Ones - Janet Evanovich

Not every witness protection programme is fool proof...

Stephanie Plum finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time in Ten Big Ones, the tenth gripping adventure in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. The perfect read for fans of Harlan Coben and Lee Child.

As the only witness able to ID a gang member who has been firebombing local deli-marts, Stephanie is working overtime avoiding death threats and attempts on her life. New Jersey's hottest cop, Joe Morelli, would be more than happy to keep her safe in his house. So would her irresistible mentor, Ranger.

Stephanie doesn't know which is worse: the death threats, the overprotective men in her life, or her sister's nightmare wedding. But she does know that she's never been one to hide...

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers book 1)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin' (Between the Numbers book 2)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers book 3)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers book 4)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteen
Notorious Nineteen
Takedown Twenty
Top Secret Twnty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three
Hardcore Twenty-Four

Visit Janet Evanovich's website for more information

Review:
Stephanie has done it again - she's managed to get caught in the crosshairs of a gang and has a target on her back. This time she's the only witness who can identify gang members who have been carrying out a series of bombings and they will do whatever it takes to stop her from being able to testify. When it becomes clear that they know she's been living with Morelli she decides its time to find a new home base and ends up taking residence in Ranger's bat cave, what could possibly go wrong with that?

It's weird because there are a lot of things about the Stephanie Plum series that should irritate me, the whole triangle with her, Morelli and Ranger being the biggest, but these stories are just so light hearted and entertaining that things that would bug me from other authors just make me laugh here. Stephanie desperately needs to start learning some skills for her job but watching her and Lulu stumble from one disaster to the next is hilarious, especially when Grandma Mazur decides to tag along for the ride. I also really like the dynamics in the Plum family and found the wedding planning going on in this book hilarious.

I honesty don't know how Morelli puts up with Stephanie though, she seems determined to walk away from him whenever they have even a tiny argument and then kissing Ranger behind his back is just a step too far. I totally understand the attraction to Ranger, he's a mystery man who we still know very little about (although we do see more of him in this instalment which was fantastic) but it's pretty obvious that he's not a long term prospect whereas Morelli is looking for marriage and a family. I've read the first 16 books before so I know this triangle doesn't end any time soon but I really hope things are resolved eventually.

The series is definitely doing something right though, these books are often one sitting reads because they're just so light hearted and easy to devour. Really they're perfect holiday books, something to read on the beach or by the pool when you just want something that is going to make you giggle but that you won't have to concentrate too hard on and theres absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Beneath the Sugar Sky - Seanan McGuire

A stand-alone fantasy tale from Seanan McGuire's Alex-award winning Wayward Children series, which began in the Alex, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning, World Fantasy Award finalist, Tiptree Honor List Every Heart a Doorway

Beneath the Sugar Sky, the third book in McGuire's Wayward Children series, returns to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children in a standalone contemporary fantasy for fans of all ages. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the "real" world.

When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.)

If she can't find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests...

A tale of friendship, baking, and derring-do.

Warning: May contain nuts.

The Wayward Children Series:
Every Heart a Doorway
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Beneath the Sugar Sky
In an Absent Dream
Come Tumbling Down

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
I think one of the things I love most about this series is how different each of the stories are. Every Heart a Doorway was set mainly in Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children and although lots of other worlds are mentioned we don't really get to visit them. Down Among the Sticks and Bones is Jack & Jill's prequel story and we get to explore the dark and creepy world of the Moors based on the Dracula and Frankenstein books. Now, in Beneath the Sugar Sky, we get to explore the illogical but bright and fun candy filled world of Confection that Sumi was supposed to find her way back to before she was murdered in the first book.

It had been prophesied that Sumi would return to Confection and save it from an evil queen but her death has ruined everything. When a girl called Rini literally falls out of the sky and lands in the pond at the Home for Wayward Children looking for her mother people are shocked to realise she's looking for Sumi who died long before she could have had children. Rini is slowly ceasing to exist and unless they can find a way to bring Sumi back from the dead the whole of Confection is in trouble.

I had so much fun exploring the nonsense world of Confection, just imagine a place where the sea is made of strawberry soda, the ground beneath your feet is made from chocolate brownies and castles are build from bricks of gingerbread, sweets literally grow on trees and you can even pluck the stars out of the sky because they're really made of candy. Pretty much everything you look at is edible so it's a dream world for anyone with a sweet tooth!

I loved getting the chance to catch up with previous characters but it was also great to meet some new additions like Rini and especially Cora. Seanan McGuire is constantly giving us diverse characters and breaking stereotypes which is something I really appreciate and can't wait to see more of as the series continues. I honestly hope that we get a story for each of these kids, I want to see them all find their way back to the worlds that felt like home.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: Down Among the Sticks and Bones - Seanan McGuire

Twin sisters Jack and Jill were seventeen when they found their way home and were packed off to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children.

This is the story of what happened first…

Jacqueline was her mother’s perfect daughter—polite and quiet, always dressed as a princess. If her mother was sometimes a little strict, it’s because crafting the perfect daughter takes discipline.

Jillian was her father’s perfect daughter—adventurous, thrill-seeking, and a bit of a tom-boy. He really would have preferred a son, but you work with what you've got.

They were five when they learned that grown-ups can’t be trusted.

They were twelve when they walked down the impossible staircase and discovered that the pretense of love can never be enough to prepare you a life filled with magic in a land filled with mad scientists and death and choices.

The Wayward Children Series:
Every Heart a Doorway
Down Among the Sticks and Bones
Beneath the Sugar Sky
In an Absent Dream
Come Tumbling Down

Visit Seanan McGuire's website for more information

Review:
We already met Jack and Jill in Every Heart a Doorway but this is the story of their lives growing up and their journey through a doorway and into the Moors. Technically that makes it a prequel to the first book but trust me you're far better off following the official reading order because you'll enjoy this so much more knowing how Jack and Jill's story ends.

The twins really have the worst parents, cold and totally standoffish they only had children because they thought it was expected of them but they never really understood or cared for the twins as anything other than mini accessories to be paraded around when it was convenient and left behind when they weren't needed. So it's no wonder that the two girls were a little messed up by their childhood but it was sad to see that they had been pitted against each other so often that they didn't have a very strong bond between them. In fact most of their relationship was build on rivalry and jealousy directly caused by their parents and neither of them quite seemed to know how to bridge the gap between them.

When they arrive on the Moors they both totally rebel against everything they've been brought up to do, Jack goes from being her mother's little princess to someone who loves to learn and is happy to get her hands dirty while Jill does the opposite and wants the fun of wearing pretty dresses after years of being treated like a son by her father. I actually loved the way Seanan McGuire subtly shows the ridiculousness of gender stereotypes and how damaging they can be, how girls are often raised to be pretty and quiet ornaments while boys are supposed to be messy and loud. That attitude is damaging all round but it's not something that is challenged enough in my opinion. There are also nods to both the stories of Dracula and Frankenstein in the dark and kind of creepy world of the Moors.

I loved Jack in the first book and I think I ended up liking her even more in this book, we really get to see exactly how much she sacrificed for her sister and it's sad to think how Jill repaid that in the first book. I was really pleased with the ending but I had one major question that I was desperate to get an answer to. What happened to the innkeeper's daughter? I'm going to choose to believe that she got the HEA she deserves since it wasn't spelled out one way or the other.

I really hope we get to explore all of the different worlds visited by the children in Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children, there is just so much potential for all the different places this series could take us and I can't wait to visit them all!

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Kindle:

Review: The Bone Farm - Dean Koontz

An audio original novella featuring bestselling author Dean Koontz's compelling new heroine, Jane Hawk. From the case files of the former FBI agent before she became the nation's most wanted fugitive - The Bone Farm details a desperate man-hunt for a serial killer before he murders again.

Katherine Haskell, a young college co-ed is on her way back to school, but she never makes it there. Instead, she becomes the latest prey of the rapist and murderer dubbed by the tabloids the "Mother Hater." He is a twisted soul who kidnaps young girls for pleasure then discards them.

Katherine is missing, but she's not yet dead. FBI agents Jane Hawk and her partner Gary Burkett must descend into the hell of this killer's mind to solve the case before it is too late. The question is - will they both get out alive?

Jane Hawk Series:
The Bone Farm (Audio Novella)
The Silent Corner
The Whispering Room
The Crooked Staircase
The Forbidden Door
The Night Window (2019)

Visit Dean Koontz's website for more information

Review:
I've been a Dean Koontz fan for years now and I'm really enjoying the Jane Hawk series so I was looking forward to reading The Bone Farm even though I don't often listen to audiobooks. As far as the audio goes I thought this story was read well and the narrators, Elisabeth Rogers & James Anderson Foster, did a good job with it but unfortunately I just didn't enjoy the actual story.

This is a prequel to the Jane Hawk series so it's back in the days before she was suspended from the FBI and Jane is working a missing persons case alongside her partner Gary. They know they're dealing with a serial killer but he keeps his victims alive for a long time before killing them so they're desperately trying to find him before he can murder the latest young woman he has abducted.

I think one of my biggest issues with the story was the amount of time we spend inside the killer's head, his thoughts were creepy and disturbing and I REALLY didn't want to hear so many of them. I also found that the story didn't have the amount of tension I'd expect from Dean Koontz because as a reader we know who the killer is from the beginning since much of the story is from his point of view. It's hard to build the suspense when you know who the bad guy is so yes we're watching Jane try to figure it out but she's always one step behind us which is a little frustrating.

To be honest I don't think this story really added anything worth knowing to the Jane Hawk series, it doesn't touch on anything that is happening in the full length books so it's only  aboutone random case Jane worked before she was suspended. Since I didn't find it very enjoyable and I don't think it really had any impact on the rest of the series I'd have a hard time recommending it to people but as always these things are down to personal taste and you may end up loving it so it wouldn't hurt to at least listen to a free sample before making up your mind.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Audiobook:

Review: The Whispering Room - Dean Koontz

The second gripping thriller in an exciting new series featuring FBI agent Jane Hawk, from the master of suspense and New York Times No.1 bestselling author.

‘Do what you were born to do’

These are the words that ring in the mind of a mild-mannered and beloved teacher as she drives a car full of burning gasoline into a hotel. This catastrophic act of terror, which kills herself and many others, is deemed to be the tragic death of someone who was clearly insane.

But rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk knows the truth. In the wake of her husband’s inexplicable suicide, she picks up the trail of a secret cabal of formidable players who are bent on obtaining world power with a terrifying piece of technology.

Driven by love for her husband and fear for her five-year-old son who she has sent into hiding, Jane has become an unstoppable predator. Those she is hunting will have nowhere to run when her shadow falls across them.

Jane Hawk Series:
The Bone Farm (Audio Novella)
The Silent Corner
The Whispering Room
The Crooked Staircase
The Forbidden Door
The Night Window (2019)

Visit Dean Koontz's website for more information

Review:
The Whispering Room picks up Jane's story and continues the relentless, edge-of-your-seat action from The Silent Corner. It takes us deeper into dangerous territory as Jane works harder than ever to uncover exactly who is behind the increasing suicide rates and the terrifying nanotechnology she's discovered. Her son is at risk and that means she will do whatever it takes to end this conspiracy, or she'll die trying.

It's so hard to go into much detail about this series because I honestly don't want to give anything away but this is Dean Koontz at his best. I think what makes it so frightening is that it really isn't that hard to imagine that this technology exists, or at least could do in the very near future, and it's definitely not hard to believe that the powerful and wealthy elite are willing to use that technology to further their own agenda without a care for the normal working class people it affects the most.

Jane is a fantastic character, she's smart and absolutely ruthless when it comes to uncovering this conspiracy. She knows the only way to protect the people she cares about is to bring this out into the open and put a stop to it but she's in such an impossible situation and she has no way of knowing who can be trusted. She has great instincts though and she's not the only one who has reason to be suspicious of recent events so she picks up a few allies along the way.

This series is definitely one I can't wait to continue and I'm glad we have two new books to look forward to in 2018!

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

Review: The Silent Corner - Dean Koontz

A dazzling new series debuts with a remarkable heroine certain to become a new icon of suspense, propelled by the singular narrative genius of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

I very much need to be dead.

These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for but took his own life. In the aftermath, his widow, Jane Hawk, does what all her grief, fear, and fury demands: find the truth, no matter what.

People of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have been committing suicide in surprising numbers. When Jane seeks to learn why, she becomes the most-wanted fugitive in America. Her powerful enemies are protecting a secret so important so terrifying that they will exterminate anyone in their way.

But all their power and viciousness may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love.

Jane Hawk Series:
The Bone Farm (Audio Novella)
The Silent Corner
The Whispering Room
The Crooked Staircase
The Forbidden Door
The Night Window (2019)

Visit Dean Koontz's website for more information

Review:
I've been a huge fan of Dean Koontz since I was a teenager but I've not really been reading thrillers and suspense for the last few years so I have to confess it's been a while since I read one of his books. Then The Silent Corner cropped up on Netgalley and I just couldn't resist requesting it. You know that feeling you get when you rediscover an old favourite author and start kicking yourself for missing out on a few years of their stories? That's totally how I felt pretty much as soon as I started reading this but the best thing is that I now have plenty of new books to binge read!

When her husband commits suicide leaving a chilling note that just says "I very much need to be dead" Jane Hawk is convinced that there is more to his death than meets the eye. As a member of the FBI she has the means to investigate and she quickly discovers a disturbing pattern of suicides under strange circumstances. When her family is threatened she is forced to go into hiding, quitting her job, selling her home and leaving her young son with distant friends she focuses all her energy into uncovering what could be a major conspiracy.

The Silent Corner was a totally addictive read, short snappy chapters swiftly built momentum and I found myself devouring the story at a record pace. Ever increasing rates of suicides and now murder suicides. Human programming. Nanotechnology. Multibillionaires who think they can do whatever they like with absolutely no consequences. This is seriously creepy and scarily easy to imagine actually happening in the not too distant future. Who says technology is always a good thing?

Jane can come across as a little cold and unemotional at times but it's quite easy to see that she is so devastated by everything thats happened that she has to lock it up tight just to keep going. She focuses all of her energy into figuring out what happened to her husband so that she can try to stop it happening to anyone else but it's very hard to investigate when you don't know who you can trust. I loved the strength she shows and the fierce determination she has to stop the bad guys no matter how much it costs her. She's a very easy character to root for and I can't wait to carry on with the series to see how things unfold. This was a fantastic start to the series and I think things are only going to get better from here!

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: To the Nines - Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum's got rent to pay, people shooting at her, and psychos wanting her dead every day of the week (much to the dismay of her mother, her family, the men in her life, the guy who slices meat at the deli... the list goes on). An ordinary person would cave under the pressure.

But hey, she's from Jersey.

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty damn good at turning situations her way... and she always gets her man.

Her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, who mysteriously disappears just as his work visa is running out. And Stephanie is on the case to ensure the elusive Mr Singh doesn't make his disappearance more permanent. But what she uncovers is far more sinister than anyone imagines and leads to a group of killers who give a whole new meaning to the word ' hunter'. In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers book 1)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin' (Between the Numbers book 2)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers book 3)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers book 4)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteen
Notorious Nineteen
Takedown Twenty
Top Secret Twnty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three
Hardcore Twenty-Four

Visit Janet Evanovich's website for more information

Review:
Stephanie's latest case involves a trip to Las Vegas searching for a guy who jumped bail and abducted a dog in the process. Her antics are usually bonkers enough on her home ground so you can just imagine the sort of madness that goes on when she's in Vegas with Lula and Connie! As always this series is full of crazy but hilarious situations (in this case made even funnier by Lula's latest fad diet), Stephanie running around like a headless chicken trying to work out what the heck is going on around her and the ongoing mess of her romantic life where she can't seem to make a final decision between Morelli and Ranger.

Ranger is used to Stephanie destroying his cars but this time around it's his men she keeps wiping out with a series of ever more bemusing accidents. I think Morelli just hasn't got a clue how to handle the crazy that Stephanie brings, his life would be much quieter without her but he can't seem to resist her anyway. I love Stephanie's family, Grandma Mazur in particular and Lula is a hilarious sidekick.

I have to admit the mystery was a little lacking here - it was far too easy to spot the bad guy! - and I should be getting irritated by the fact that Stephanie never seems to learn any bounty hunter skills at all but I just enjoy these books too much to complain about those details. When I'm in the mood for something light hearted, something that requires absolutely no brain power but is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud then this is my go to series and I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Daughter of the Burning City - Amanda Foody

Reality is in the eye of the beholder…

Even among the many unusual members of the travelling circus that has always been her home sixteen-yea-old Sorina stands apart as the only illusion-worker born in hundreds of years.

This rare talent allows her to create illusions that others can see, feel and touch, with personalities all of their own. Her creations are her family, and together they make up the cast of the Festival's Freak Show.

But no matter how lifelike they may seem, her illusions are still just that―illusions, and not truly real.

Or so she always believed…until one of them is murdered.

Now she must unravel the horrifying truth before all her loved ones disappear.

Visit Amanda Foody's website for more information

Review:
Gomorrah is a travelling circus that is so large it's practically a city in it's own right. It's a place of magic and mystery and everything about it is designed to entice the crowds to spend their money before it passes on to a new destination. Gomorrah is also a safe haven for magic users (known as jynx-workers) and misfits who aren't always accepted in normal society.

Sorina has been with the circus for as long as she can remember after being adopted by the show proprietor, Villiam, when she was a young child. Born with no eyes but able to see with the use of her magic Sorina is a master of illusions and she is in charge of running the freak show at Gomorrah. Sorina's illusions are so real that they actually become people that are capable of living their own lives, she has used her abilities to create a family for herself from the stern but caring uncle Gill who is part man and part fish and unable to breath out of water, the motherly Nicoletta whose super strength isn't a reliable gift, to her beautiful, and incredibly bendy younger sister Venera who makes a perfect acrobat and more besides. Each of Sorina's illusions has become a real person and she loves them all deeply.

No matter how happy Sorina has always been at Gomorrah things are about to change for the worse, the unrest in the world outside the circus is causing friction between the jynx-workers and the general public an there is a darkness lurking inside the circus that Sorina is only just starting to uncover. Sorina has always believed her illusions are immortal, they are connected to her in a way that she believes keeps them safe so when one of them is killed she is shocked and horrified. Now she must try to figure out what is going on before more of her family are lost, why are her illusions being targeted and how can she keep them all safe when she doesn't know where the danger is coming from?

The story was a little bit of a slow burner for me, it took me a little while to get completely sucked into this world but once it hooked it's claws into me I was totally invested in the characters and heartbroken every time Sorina lost another member of her family. I think where the book fell down a little was the world building outside of the circus, there is obviously a lot of political intrigue and things happening outside are having a huge effect on life inside Gomorrah but there were times when I struggled to connect to what was going on.

When it came to Sorina's life in the circus I thought the descriptions were wonderful, I was easily able to picture the setting and I loved the different types of magic that were mentioned. I also really fell in love with Sorina's whole family, I loved how they all had their own personality traits and how they could irritate each other like any family but that they were always there for each other no matter what. I also really enjoyed the introduction of Luca's character, he had his own jynx-worker abilities and was a bit of a mystery man so I was intrigued from the start. I liked the hint of a developing romance but was glad that it didn't overtake the rest of the story and the focus remained on Sorina trying to figure out why her family was being targeted.

Daughter of the Burning City is a great debut from Amanda Foody and I really hope we're going to get more stories set in this world, I'd love to revisit Gomorrah and spend more time getting to know the different jynx-workers we came across here. Either way I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever this author publishes next. I have very high hopes for her next story!

Source: Received from Harlequin in exchange for an honest review & I also purchased a copy in my Fairyloot box.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback / Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich

It's five days before Christmas and things are not looking merry for Fugitive Apprehension Agent Stephanie Plum. She hasn't got a tree. She hasn't bought any presents. The malls are jam-packed with staggering shoppers. There's not a twinkle light anywhere to be seen in her apartment.

And there's a strange man in her kitchen.

Sure, this has happened to Stephanie Plum before. Strangers, weirdos, felons, creeps, and lunatics are always finding their way to her front door. But this guy is different. This guy is mysterious, sexy--and he has his own agenda. His name is Diesel and he is a man on a mission. And Diesel is unlike anyone Stephanie has ever met before in her life. The question is, what does he want with her? Can he help her find a little old toy maker who has skipped out on his bail right before Christmas? Can he survive the Plum family holiday dinner? Can he get Stephanie a tree that doesn't look like it was grown next to a nuclear power plant? These questions and more are keeping Stephanie awake at night. Not to mention the fact that she needs to find a bunch of nasty elves, her sister Valerie has a Christmas "surprise" for the Plums, her niece Mary Alice doesn't believe in Santa anymore, and Grandma Mazur has a new stud muffin. So bring out the plastic reindeer, strap on your jingle bells, and get ready to celebrate the holidays-Jersey style. Visions of Sugar Plums-the world of Plum has never been merrier!

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers book 1)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin' (Between the Numbers book 2)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers book 3)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers book 4)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteen
Notorious Nineteen
Takedown Twenty
Top Secret Twnty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three
Hardcore Twenty-Four

Visit Janet Evanovich's website for more information

Review:
It's five days before Christmas and Stephanie, the world's worst bounty hunter, has been tasked with apprehending Sandy Claws. Hunting down a toymaker just before the holidays isn't much fun but she needs the bounty he'll earn her so that she can afford to celebrate Christmas. As of right now she doesn't have any decorations, she's relying on her parents for dinner and she hasn't bought a single present so the situation is getting critical.

Visions of Sugar Plums is all the fun of a Stephanie Plum novel sprinkled with a whole lot of Christmas magic. I'd forgotten how much I love the Between the Numbers novels, Diesel is a great addition to the series and I love the mysterious vibe he gives off with the way he seems to appear and disappear at will. Throw in shopping with Lula, Grandma Mazur's new stud muffin, Valerie's surprise, a couple of appearances by Morelli and some elves starting a riot and you're in for a treat.

This book is slightly shorter than the main novels in the series but it's perfect reading for this time of year and it's pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It's definitely put me in the mood to dig out the Christmas decorations and put up the tree so perhaps I should have waited until december to read it :o)

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback:

Review: Hard Eight - Janet Evanovich

The stakes get higher, the chases get faster, and the men get hotter

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has a big problem. Seven-year-old Annie Soder and her mother Evelyn have disappeared - and estranged husband, Steven, shady owner of a seedy bar, is not at all happy. Finding a missing child is an unusual assignment, but as a favour to her parents' neighbour, Evelyn's grandmother, Stephanie agrees to follow the trail - and finds a lot more than she bargained for.

The case is somehow linked to the very scary Eddie Abruzzi. Both cop Joe Morelli, Stephanie's on-again, off-again fiance, and Ranger, her mentor and tormentor, have warned her about Abruzzi - but it's Abruzzi's soulless eyes and mannerisms that frighten her most. Stephanie needs Ranger's expertise, and she's willing to accept his help to find Annie even though it might mean getting too involved with him. Also with her are Lula (who's not going to miss the action) and Albert, Evelyn's almost-qualified lawyer (and Laundromat manager). The search turns out to be a race between Stephanie's posse, the True Blue Bonds' agent - a Rangerette known as Jeanne Ellen Burrows - and the Abruzzi crew. Not to mention the killer rabbit on the loose!

Get ready for the ride of your life with Stephanie's funniest, most riotous misadventure yet. The world of Plum has never been wilder.

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers book 1)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin' (Between the Numbers book 2)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers book 3)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers book 4)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteen
Notorious Nineteen
Takedown Twenty
Top Secret Twnty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three
Hardcore Twenty-Four

Visit Janet Evanovich's website for more information

Review:
Stephanie has a slightly different challenge to face in this instalment - she's been asked to track down a missing young girl on behalf of her very worried grandmother. Unfortunately the search puts her in the sights of Eddie Abruzzi, a nasty piece of work who is in business with the child's father. As the danger ratchets up a notch and Morelli continues to keep his distance after their latest fallout it's up to Ranger to come to Stephanie's aid when she needs him the most.

This series is just so much fun to read, I don't care that Stephanie is the world's worst bounty hunter who can't hold onto a pair of handcuffs for more than five minutes and who manages to get her cars blown up on a pretty much daily basis. Let's face it the worse Stephanie is the more excuses she has to call Ranger or Morelli in for help and that's never going to be a bad thing in my eyes!

These stories aren't meant to be taken too seriously but they are fantastic light entertainment. I pick up these books when I want something that is going to put a smile on my face, they never fail to make me laugh out loud and I just love Stephanie and the crazy people she surrounds herself with. Hard Eight sees her love life get even more complicated which makes for brilliant reading. Things are in the off-again position with Morelli but that just allows Ranger to finally make his move and bow chicka wow wow has that been a long time coming (but well worth the wait!). I can't wait to continue my reread of this series and I'm looking forward to finally finding out who she chooses in the long run.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Seven Up - Janet Evanovich

In her most explosive adventure yet, bombshell bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is dropped into a smorgasbord of murder, kidnapping and extortion - a magnificent buffet of mud wrestling, motorcycles, fast cars, fast food, and fast men.

Stephanie Plum thinks she's going after an easy FTA: a senior citizen charged with smuggling contraband cigarettes. But when she and Lula show up at his house, they get more than they bargained for - a corpse in the woodshed and an old man who's learned a lot of tricks during his years in the mob, and isn't afraid to use his gun.

But Stephanie's mind is on other matters, because she has two proposals to consider: vice cop Joe Morelli is proposing marriage, and fellow bounty hunter Ranger is proposing a single perfect night . . .

All in all, a typical dilemma in the world of Plum.

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to get Deadly
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
Seven Up
Hard Eight
Visions of Sugar Plums (Between the Numbers book 1)
To the Nines
Ten Big Ones
Eleven on Top
Twelve Sharp
Plum Lovin' (Between the Numbers book 2)
Lean Mean Thirteen
Plum Lucky (Between the Numbers book 3)
Fearless Fourteen
Plum Spooky (Between the Numbers book 4)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen
Sizzling Sixteen
Smokin' Seventeen
Explosive Eighteen
Notorious Nineteen
Takedown Twenty
Top Secret Twnty-One
Tricky Twenty-Two
Turbo Twenty-Three
Hardcore Twenty-Four

Visit Janet Evanovich's website for more information

Review:
It's no secret that I love this series, Stephanie's antics and her crazy family never fail to make me giggle and these books are the perfect thing to pick up when you're having a bad day and just need something to make you smile.

You'd think that Stephanie might be getting the hang of this bounty hunter thing by now but unfortunately for her she's just as terrible as ever. Even when she's up against a pensioner things don't go to plan for our plucky heroine and her sidekick Lula. I swear these two could get themselves in trouble in a kids soft play area!

Throw in family drama with her not-so-perfect sister Valerie who has moved back home with her two daughters and put Grandma Mazur on a motorbike and you know you're going to be in for an interesting ride, especially since all that's before we even think about the two men in her life.

Stephanie somehow seems to be accidentally engaged to Morelli even though he never officially proposed and now that it looks like she's off the market (her mother is already shopping for the wedding dress and Grandma Mazur has the hall booked!) Ranger has decided it's time to up the ante and make his presence felt. What's a girl to do when she's stuck between two very hard, very hot alpha men who both want to stake their claim? Personally if I was Stephanie I'd be tempted to keep them both but I'm not sure if either Morelli or Ranger would be willing to share.

There's no point me going into detail about the plot, if you're familiar with this series you know what to expect by now and you'll love this just as much as the first six books. If you're new to the series what the hell are you waiting for - go and grab a copy of One for the Money now and prepare to laugh from start to finish.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle: