Tropical Girl Reads

“Portis House emerged from the fog as we approached, showing itself slowly as a long, low shadow….”

In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful, and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the shame of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House—its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It’s known that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patients all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?

Kitty finds a dangerous ally in Jack Yates, an inmate who may be a war hero, a madman… or maybe both. But even as Kitty and Jack create a secret, intimate alliance to uncover the truth, disturbing revelations suggest the presence of powerful spectral forces. And when a medical catastrophe leaves them even more isolated, they must battle the menace on their own, caught in the heart of a mystery that could destroy them both.

Simone St. James is like my favorite horror genre author and I make sure to read ALL her books. This book was released in 2014 way before Sun Down Motel and Book of Cold Cases were released (which I have already read)

The story starts with Kitty securing a job at Portis House, a well known place that houses mad men–men who were affected by the Great War. It was the year 1919. But this particular house used to belong to a Swiss family named Gersbachs who mysteriously disappeared one night and was never heard from again. Kitty befriends and finds a dangerous ally Jack Yates, a former soldier and known as Patient Sixteen in the house. When working at the night shift, Kitty encounters something sinister–patients start screaming and thrashing, and something–or someone is lurking around the house at night. And the west wing part of the house is closed off…

I like this book although this book wasn’t as great as the Sun Down Motel in my opinion. There were some jump scare parts in the book and I felt like I was watching a horror movie. The book was well written in my opinion and I like how the supernatural elements worked through this novel. Even after finishing reading this book, I was still unsettled having read the ghost part of the story particularly the part where the ghosts attack on the patient. The ending I felt was slightly rushed but overall, this book was one of those horror books that will make you feel unsettled after reading the book. Worth four stars.

If you haven’t read any of Simone St. James novels, check out The Sun Down Motel and The Broken Girls first–they are really good!

Grady Hendrix takes on the haunted house in a thrilling new novel that explores the way your past—and your family—can haunt you like nothing else.

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.

Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

But some houses don’t want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them…

This is the second book I have read of Grady Hendrik. I have to say this book is slightly better than the book I read, The Final Girl Group Support, which is a horror/slasher book.

Louise and Mark had been estranged as siblings. Then all of a sudden, their parents died in a car accident. Louise flies in from San Francisco to Charlotte. All she wanted is to sell the house and share the funds with her brother and then get on with her life. But the house seem to be having other plans for both Louise and Marc. Their creepy puppet, Pupkin, a puppet that their mother adored does not want the siblings to sell the house and both Louise and Marc believe that Pupkin is possessed and that there is a dark entity hiding in the house.

Honestly if you have watched Child’s Play horror movie, or even Annabelle, then this book will definitely remind you of those movies. A possessed doll with an urge to kill people is the main theme of the story here. However, personally, I hate puppets (I find them creepy as well) and reading this book kind of gave me a whole horror movie vibes as well. The squirrel attack on Louise, sawing off Marc’s arms (which is gory in detail) and many futile attempts to get rid of Pupkin somewhat scared but at the same time, it was kind of funny as well. However, I found myself dwell deep into the story.

Initially I found Louise character annoying but soon she grew into me. I also like how the broken and estranged relationship between Louise and Marc was repaired as the siblings battle together to find answers to why Pupkin was haunted as well as Pupkin’s connection to their childhood house.

If you like watching horror movies Child’s Play, maybe you can try this book out. A perfect read for this spooky season! Worth 3.5 stars!

Daisy sobbed as she pointed at the picture of my darling son. “It was him,” she cried out distraught. “He was the one who attacked me.”

Today all my worst fears came true. I thought I had escaped the dark secrets of my teenage years. But when my son is accused by one of my students of a crime I know only too well, my past comes hurtling into my present.

Surely my beloved son Bryson , my kind and caring boy, who I raised to be nothing like the men of my past, couldn’t be mixed up with – or worse, be – what they are describing. Could he ?

But when Daisy comes to me in the classroom with tears in her eyes, trusting me with her confession, I vow that she won’t suffer the same fate I did. But what can I do? I love my son. I need to believe him no matter what.

As I struggle to know who to believe, the threats begin. Notes on my car, messages saying you will pay for what happened . Just like last time. Only this time I don’t know if I’ll get out of it alive…

Elizabeth is a teacher at a school and while at the school, a girl named Daisy approaches towards her telling her that she was sexually assaulted at a party. Thinking that maybe her son Bryson might also be a part of it as he was also present at the party, Elizabeth tries to help Daisy but then things get a little too far when Daisy files a complaint against Elizabeth.

This was a fast paced thriller and the story divides into Elizabeth, Daisy, Rick (Elizabeth’s husband) and Jules (Elizabeth’s sister) POV. In Elizabeth’s POV the story divides between past and present as the incident of Daisy is eerily similar to what Elizabeth experienced long time ago. There were some twists and turns along the way and many of the characters in this story are all unreliable narrators which makes the story more intriguing and interesting. The ending was unexpected and did not really expected the twist towards the end. This is also an unputdownable thriller that will keep you on the edge. Overall, if you are looking for a thriller that will keep you up all night, then try this one–worth 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

A ritual murder at a Mumbai temple exposes the city’s dark secrets and ravages the personal life of a detective in this sequel to The Blue Bar.

Amid incessant rains pounding down on Mumbai, Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput is called to a shocking crime scene. A male body is found dismembered on the steps of a Kaali temple. Drawn into his flesh are symbols of a tantra cult. The desecration of a body at a Hindu place of worship puts the city on edge and divides Arnav’s priorities: stopping a fanatic from killing again and caring for his wife who’s struggling through a challenging pregnancy.

Then video footage of the murder is uploaded onto the account of a Bollywood social media influencer, triggering twists in the investigation Arnav didn’t see coming. Caste systems at war. A priest under suspicion. And an anonymous threat that puts his wife’s welfare at risk. When more bodies are found, the savagery of the city begins to surface—and Arnav fears that no one is safe from a bigger storm brewing.

This is the second book of the Blue Series by Damayanti Biswas.

PS. If you haven’t read the first book of the series, you may want to read that one before reading this book so you can have an idea of who the characters are and this book happens right after the incidents that happened in Book 1.

The story starts with a body of a dead man found in the temple of Kaali. The strangest of that was that the man’s body was castrated. Inspector Arnav Rajput starts investigating the case and is dwelled into the land of corruption, religious social circles and social media. Meanwhile, his pregnant wife, Tina is getting threatening messages sent through her phone which may or may not be related to the case.

I actually liked this book more than the first book. Like the previous book, the book is set in the city of Mumbai and can definitely see the division between the glamorous life and poverty. There is also the mention of underground mafia men who are deemed dangerous and who seem to be backbone of the story. This was a fast paced thriller, the story divided into Tara, Arnav and Sita’s POVs and there were some twists and turns along the way. The author must have done some research on the Indian police in general, outlining on how some police force like Arnav are trustworthy while other police officers can be corrupted and can be easily bribed. Overall if you like a thriller that is set in the streets of Mumbai and India, then check this book out! Worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

On the surface we were the perfect couple, but no one knows what we’ve been hiding…

Just six hours ago, Alex and I were married. It was a beautiful wedding by the sea, on the beach we’ve always loved. Our guests crowded outside our beach hut to raise a toast before our first midnight swim together as man and wife. And then, suddenly, he was gone, drowning in the water that meant so much to us.

But instead of being able to mourn in peace, to get to grips with my awful new reality, the police are here. It seems they don’t think Alex’s death was an accident. And I’m the main suspect.

I know I’m innocent, but I also know we both had secrets. And to my horror, it seems Alex’s were worth killing for. But who in our wedding party could have wanted him dead?

I thought I knew the man I married but I couldn’t have been more wrong. But then again, he didn’t know the real me either. I’ve been hiding from the truth for so long. And then I what if it wasn’t Alex’s past that was coming back to find him. What if it’s mine? How far will someone go to expose my darkest secret?

This was a good thriller book that will have uou guessing till the end.

Alex and Felicity got married but their wedding night became a horror when Alex goes swimming and gets drowned. Alex is a perfect swimmer which makes people surprised but when the autopsy was done, they find sleeping pills in his body and someone murdered Alex. And the main suspect is his new wife Felicity. Three years ago Alex’s ex fiancee Beth also drowned. Is there a connection between the two?

This was indeed a fast paced page turning thriller. The story is divided into present and past the past more focused on Beth. The story is predictable but nonetheless the author did a good job of keeping the reader pay attention to the book. The ending is also predictable which lowered the five star rating to a four star. The book faintly touches about domestic abuse as well. Overall, this is an entertaining fast paced thriller that will make you hook into the book. Worth four stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for ARC. This review is based on my honest opinion only.

The sunlight dances on the turquoise pool as I wait for our first guests. But my blood turns to ice when I recognise one of them as an old friend and a flood of guilt and fear comes rushing back. Is she here to ruin my life for a second time?

‘It’s been so long’, Saskia says as she hugs me. I plaster the smile back on my face, my hands shaking as I usher our guests into the traditional Spanish farmhouse we’ve spent years renovating to perfection. Saskia and I had been so close, until she betrayed me.

Now I’ve started a new life here in Spain. I met José and fell in love with his deep brown eyes, and together we opened our own retreat nestled high in the mountains. But José has no idea about the real me – I know he wouldn’t be able to look me in the eye if he ever found out that I have blood on my hands.

Then I discover our beautiful water fountain stained a deep red. My heart pounds with fear because it feels like a warning. And all my worst nightmares are confirmed when I find a note in my bedroom, revealing my terrible secret.

I was with Saskia all day, so I know it can’t be her. Which means that someone else at the retreat knows the truth about me – and they’re here for revenge.

But this perfect new life means everything to me. And I’ll do anything to protect it…

A totally unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and K.L. Slater.

The story starts with Eva and Jose running a retreat together in a scenic place in Spain. Their guests include Saskia, Eva’s friend, Brenda and Nathan, Adrienne and Sean and Carlos, Jose’s cousin. The mansion where the retreat is used to belong to Jose’s grandparents. What was supposed to be a peaceful vacation soon turns into a nightmare when one of the guests has an agenda to ruin the retreat and seek revenge on either Eva or Jose.

The story is told from the POVs of Eva and Jose and we know as a reader that the two characters have something dark to hide. Eva believed that one of the guests is the daughter of a man who she accidentally killed years ago and that the daughter knows who Eva was and was about to seek revenge. Jose’s ex-girlfriend is Adrienne who is not very happy about the breakup. There is a hint of mystery involved and it was actually a fast paced and twisty thriller. Despite being a thriller book, the writer was taken to the sceneic and beautiful landscapes of Spain so the reader was made to feel like they are in Spain. The who dunnit sense vibe is felt in the book and it was actually quiet unputdownable. The ending was quiet unexpected although the greatest twist was revealed towards the very end. Overall, this was a great thriller book packed with twists and unexpected turns and overall woth four and a half stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me a part of this blog tour.

Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. She’s been published for over thirty years, in a variety of genres for both children and adults. She loves writing about the complexities of relationships. Her first three books for Bookouture were romances where relationships came right, she has now turned to the darker side of relationships, writing two psychological thrillers about relationships that go badly wrong. Karen now lives in Spain where she loves to spend her non-writing time exploring the quaint local towns with her husband, Dave, when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.

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