Birthday Girl – ARC Book Review

Title:- Birthday Girl

Author:- Niko Wolf

Date published:- will be published on 7th June 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

No. of pages:- 307 pages

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Jonathan’s wife disappeared more than twenty years ago. Now he’s seeing her everywhere . . .

New York in the 1990s – impoverished writer Jonathan Dainty takes his wife Maddie out to the beach for her birthday. Hours later he finds himself at the local police precinct trying to explain how on earth he let his wife get into a stranger’s car, and allowed it to drive her away.

More than twenty years later, Maddie is presumed dead and Jonathan has channelled his grief into a best-selling series of crime novels. As far as he can, he is living the perfect life.

Then one day he catches a glimpse of his dead wife, moving through a throng of people. Is Maddie alive? Has she come back? And why does no one believe him? As Jonathan attempts to uncover the truth, it soon becomes clear that the people closest to him are hiding something, something that could change everything . . .

The propulsive thriller from debut talent Niko Wolf, perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Blood Orange

In the 1990’s, Jonathan is a struggling writer and Maddie, his wife is an aspiring actress. Then one day, Maddie gets into the stranger’s car and disappears. Jonathan was trying to explain the police about his wife’s disapperance and soon comes to term that his wife maybe is dead. Many years later, Jonathan is now a sucessful writer. One day, among the throng of people, he spotted Maddie. He believed that she was still alive but was not sure why she was avoiding him. No one else seemed to believe that Maddie was alive but soon find that his closest friends might be hiding something.

I do like the plot but then I found this slightly boring. The story shifts between present and past–the past his life with Maddie, the time of her disappearance and how he ended up becoming a successful author. This wasn’t much fast paced and not much twists and turns you would normally expect in a thriller. But then it wasn’t really bad either–the writing was great and the plot was good as I mentioned before. The ending, well, in my opinion or maybe it was just me was slightly confusing.

Overall, it my opinion, it was an OK thriller and worth three stars!

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

Six Graves (DI Kim Stone series Book 16) – ARC Book Review

Title:- Six Graves (DI Kim Stones series Book 16)

Author:- Angela Marsons

No. of pages:- 424 pages

Date published:- will be published on May 17th 2022

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

It’s a typical teenage bedroom with posters covering the walls and clothes littering the floor. But the girl lying on her bed, wearing a delicate chain around her neck, is lifeless. A circle of red stains her white vest top. How had the girl’s mother looked down at her sleeping child and pulled the trigger?

When Detective Kim Stone rushes to the scene of a house fire, she’s shocked to discover it’s claimed the lives of two teenage children and their parents. But this tragedy is not quite as it seems. Each body is marked by a gunshot wound and the mother, Helen Daynes, is holding the gun.

The case sparks painful childhood memories for Kim who suffered at the hands of her own abusive mother, but it just makes her more determined to uncover the truth. As Kim untangles Helen’s past, she finds a history of clinical depression. But did it drive Helen to murder her loved ones?

Then Kim uncovers a tiny, vital clue in Helen’s bedroom that throws the investigation wide open. Could someone else have killed the Daynes family?

Just as Kim feels she’s making progress, a deadly threat is made to her own life by a dangerous psychopath from her past. Biting back her fear, she keeps digging. And when Kim hits upon a shocking secret that changes everything she thought she knew about Helen, she realises that the remaining family members are in grave danger.

Kim is under pressure like never before, and the monster circling her is getting ever closer. Four bodies already. Four graves fresh in the ground. Who will be next? Can Kim find the killer and save herself before it’s too late?

This is the first time I started reading Detective Kim Stone series and I have to say, this has become one of my favorite series even though I started from Book 16!

Kim Stone rushes to a crime scene where a house is on fire and two teenagers were found dead. The police suspect that Helen Deyner, the mother who has been suffering from clinical depression was responsible for the fire and deaths as the gun that was used was found in her hands. But when they find a clue, they believe that someone else was responsible for the murders. Meanwhile, a ruthless person from Kim’s past comes back, determined to pay revenge on Kim…

From start to finish, I was literally hooked into the story. I can understand why this series became so popular. It was fast paced with twists and thrills that you didn’t expect and the author has done a good job putting the reader at the edge of the seat. I felt like I was watching some sort of thriller movie on the TV and felt like going on a roller coaster ride while reading the book. The ending…the ending was completely unexpected–I did not expect that type of ending at all!! The book was really awesome and Detective Kim Stone has become one of my favorite detectives. Now I am literally looking forward to read more of Detective KIm Stone series.

Overall, if you like fast paced thrillers with a female police officer as a main character, then this book is one for you. Worth five stars!

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

Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 5 million in 7 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

A Botanists Guide to Parties and Poisons – ARC Book Review

Title:- A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons

Author:- Kate Khavari

Date publisheD:- will be published on 7th June 2022

Publisher:- Crooked Lane Publishing

No. of pages:- 304 pages

Genre:- Historical Fiction/ Thriller

Rating:-

Debut author Kate Khavari deftly entwines a pulse-pounding mystery with the struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field in 1923 London.

Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to blaze a new trail at the University College London, but with her colleagues’ beliefs about women’s academic inabilities and not so subtle hints that her deceased father’s reputation paved her way into the botany department, she feels stymied at every turn.
 
When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university’s large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’ wives, to drop to the floor, poisoned by an unknown toxin. 

Dr. Maxwell, Saffron’s mentor, is the main suspect and evidence quickly mounts. Joined by fellow researcher–and potential romantic interest–Alexander Ashton, Saffron uses her knowledge of botany as she explores steamy greenhouses, dark gardens, and deadly poisons to clear Maxwell’s name.
 
Will she be able to uncover the truth or will her investigation land her on the murderer’s list, in this entertaining examination of society’s expectations.

This is a historical fiction with a dash of thriller in it. Set in 1920’s, Saffron Everleigh attends a party organized by the botany department at the university. While attending the party, one of the attendees, Mrs. Henry, who is the wife of a professor Dr. Henry, collapses on the floor. It was soon found out that Mrs. Henry was poisoned and that the main suspect was Dr. Maxwell who few days before the dinner party had an argument with Dr. Henry and the plant was used to poison Mrs. Henry was found in Dr. Maxwell’s department. Saffron is determined to prove that her mentor was innocent and she along with Alexander must find who the real person was before it was too late.

I think as a debut, this was good. The unique thing about the book was it was set in 1923 There were some parts which was boring but then I do like how Saffron and Alexander worked together to solve the mystery. I also like how Saffron had to struggle with being in the male dominated world which was realistic as this book was set in that era. It was not fast paced nor it had twists and turns but then it was actually enjoyable to read.

Overall, if you like a historical fiction with a thriller blend in it, then this book will be one for you. Honestly if this was a series, I cannot wait what Saffron Everleigh has in store! Worth 4 stars

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

Kate Khavari is the author of fiction ranging from historical mysteries to high fantasy epics. She has her parents to thank for her fascination for historical mysteries, as she spent the majority of her childhood memorizing Sherlock Holmes’s and Poirot’s greatest quips. A former teacher, Kate has a deep appreciation for research and creativity, not to mention the multitasking ability she now relies on as an author and stay at home mother to her toddler son. She lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas with her husband, son, and a lovely garden that contains absolutely no poisonous plants.

Daisy Jones and the Six – Book Review

Title:- Daisy Jones and the Six

Author:- Taylor Jenkins Reid

Date published:- March 5th 2019

Genre:- Historical Fiction/Biographical Fiction

No. of pages:- 339 pages

Rating:-

Everybody knows Daisy Jones and the Six.

From the moment Daisy walked barefoot on to the stage at the Whisky, she and the band were a sensation.

Their sound defined an era. Their albums were on every turntable. They played sold-out arenas from coast to coast.

Then, on 12 July 1979, it all came crashing down.

They were lovers, friends, brothers. But they were also rivals.

This is the story of their legendary rise and irrevocable fall. A story of ambition, desire, heartbreak and music.

Everyone was there. Everyone remembers it differently. Nobody knew why they split. Until now…

I have ALWAYS wanted to read this book and when this was on sale on Amazon, I IMMEDIATELY bought the book. This is the first book I have read from Taylor Jenkins and I still have some of her books Malibu Rising and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in my list but I have heard so many raving reviews on Daisy Jones and the Six that I started on this one first.

And I was not disappointed with this book–this was really good!

In a nutshell, set in the 1970’s when rock and roll and disco seemed to be a trend, Daisy Jones and the Six were one of the famous bands in that era with so many hit songs. The story tells about the fame, drugs, sex and rehab and family issues of each band member. Then suddenly in 1979, when the band is in the height of the success, the band suddenly split.

Now the band members are being interviewed and the reason for the band split comes into light.

First of all, I really love Taylor’s style of writing. It’s a work of fiction but I felt like I was watching some sort of documentary on the TV about a famous 70’s band. Each band member was interviewed including their counter parts and was told their version of the story. The story itself was so realistic that I did feel like watching a documentary! I was literally hooked into the story from start to finish and when I actually finished the book, I didn’t really want to put the book down.

The story itself is unique, Jenkins Reid managed to do a good job of drawing the reader and make the reader feel like they are part of the journey with the members of the band. Each character was unique–Daisy, Billy, Graham, Karen, Camilla (Billy’s wife) they were all unique in their own ways with flows in each of them. Daisy is a rebellious character that the reader would instantly fall in love with. You root for Billy and Camilla but at the same time, you could feel the chemistry between Billy and Daisy in the story as well when they sing songs together. As a result, all the characters (except for Daisy’s ex husband) grew into me and I must say, they were all unique and memorable characters.

If you like a fiction set in 1960’s and 70’s with rock and roll and disco as a theme, then Daisy Jones and the Six will be perfect. Strongly recommend the book. And apparently this book will be made into a movie so can’t wait to see the movie!

Worth 4.5 stars!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.

You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsre

The Lies I tell – ARC Book Review

Title:- The Lies I Tell

Author:- Julie Clark

Date published:- will be published on June 2nd 2022

Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

Meg Varnum. Maggie Littleton. Meg Upton. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. I’m not a con artist as much as an avenger. A righter of wrongs. But nothing about me is real, other than my desire to hold men like you accountable for the things you’ve done.

I don’t break any laws, and what I take is given willingly. I can’t be blamed for how easy it is to manipulate you. It’s a discipline involving confidence, cleverness, and deception. And now, I’m about to work my final trick . . . this time under my real name. Because when it’s done, I want you to know who I am and remember what you did to me.

Meg Varnum. Maggie Littleton. Meg Upton. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. I’m not a con artist as much as an avenger. A righter of wrongs. But nothing about me is real, other than my desire to hold men like you accountable for the things you’ve done.

I don’t break any laws, and what I take is given willingly. I can’t be blamed for how easy it is to manipulate you. It’s a discipline involving confidence, cleverness, and deception. And now, I’m about to work my final trick . . . this time under my real name. Because when it’s done, I want you to know who I am and remember what you did to me.

I was so excited when the ARC of this book got approved!! I have always wanted to read Julie Clark’s books as I have heard many raving reviews about her previous book Last Flight, which I haven’t read yet. But this book, was disappointing at all and I actually enjoyed devouring this book in one go!

Meg Varnum, Maggie Littleton, Meg Upton…all these different name belong to the same person–a woman who is actually a con artist by getting herself into a relationship with men with money and eventually and slowly withdrawing their money from their accounts with excuses of payments or some sort. Kat is a journalist who goes as an undercover to expose this Meg. She has a fiance, named Scott who is addicted to gambling. While Kat is trying to expose her, Meg knows what Kat is really up to.

The story is told from the perspectives of both Meg and Kat. The author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story and I was literally hooked into the story from start to finish and couldn’t simply put the book down. The story itself is fast paced, which is one of the main things I like about a thriller with some twists and turns along the way that will keep you guessing what the ending is going to turn out like. I felt like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book and overall, I actually enjoyed reading this book! The ending was gripping and shocking and not to give too much spoilers…let’s just say, Meg is the female version of Robin Hood. I really did like the ending actually. I do like the feminist vibe in the book as well that portray the women as strong, courageous and ambitious and would do anything to get what they want.

I would most certainly read more books from this author and I couldn’t wait to read more from Julie Clark !

If you like a gripping fast paced thriller that will make you feel like you are watching a thriller movie on the screen with ambitious women as main characters, and if you like women as con artists as a main topic in the story, then this book is one for you–worth five stars!

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

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We Choose and The Last Flight, which was also a #1 international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.

Missing – ARC Book Review

Title:- Missing

Author:- K.L. Slater

Date published:- will be published on May 19th 2022

No. of pages:- 256 pages

Publisher:- Bookouture

Genre:- Psychological Thriller

Rating:-

I’ve known him all my life. I know he has taken my daughter. His mother says she can help me. But she’s the last person I can trust…

Samuel lived next door when we were children. We were inseparable. But he didn’t like sharing me with my adored little brother. And one terrible night, he got rid of my brother forever…

Now, years later, he’s free. And my daughter is missing.

I turn on my baby girl’s unicorn nightlight and bury my face in her pillow, my heart breaking. I know Samuel has her – he blames me for ruining his life, and even after all this time, he still doesn’t like to share.

As darkness falls, there’s a knock at my door and I open it to see Samuel’s mother. She says she can help me.

I know I can’t trust her, but I don’t have a choice. With each step I take, my fear grows stronger. Can she help me find my daughter? Or does she know something about what really happened all those years ago? Something that could stop me from saving my baby girl…

What a mind blowing psychological thriller!!! K.L. Slater is back with another thriller that will keep you hooked till the end!

In 1993, a young boy named Jimmy was murdered by locking him up in a warehouse. The suspect, Samuel was then sent to prison. Now back in the present day, Josie, Jimmy’s older sister is owning a cafe and has a daughter named Ivy. She then hears the news that Samuel has been released on parole. Now Josie was worried that Samuel was released and was worried about her safety. Then her daughter, Ivy goes missing and Josie suspect that Samuel is behind her daughter’s disappearance.

From the first chapter till the end, it was mind blowing and unputdownable! I finished this book in less than two days and still my mind is reeling from what I have read. This was fast paced, with twists and turns, the story mostly told from Josie’s perspective. The author has done a great job of drawing the reader into the story and making the reader feel like they are part of the story. The ending was what actually blew me away and I was literally shocked at the ending–so unpredictable ending. Out of all her books I have read, I felt this book was one of her best.

If you like a fast paced, twisty thriller that will keep you up all night with a theme of dysfuctional relationships, then this book will be one for you–worth five stars!

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

Kim is the number one bestselling author of sixteen psychological crime thrillers. She has sold over two million copies of her books worldwide. She has also written four Carnegie-nominated Young Adult novels as Kim Slater for Macmillan Children’s Books. Kim has an MA in Creative Writing and lives with her husband in a small Nottinghamshire village.

9 books to celebrate Asian-American / Pacific Islander month

According to Goodreads, in the US, May is month of Asian American and Pacific Islander day. So since I have read many Asian American authors, I decided to compile a list of books I have read that match the category

  1. Adobo and Arsenic – Mia P Manasala

Currently I am reading the second book of the Tita Rosie series, Homicide and Halo-Halo

2. Dial A For Aunties and Four Aunties and a Wedding – Jesse Sutanto

3. Peach Blossom Spring – Melissa Fu

4. Tokyo Ever After – Emiko Jean

5. XOXO – Axie Oh

6. Daughter of the Moon Goddess – Sue Lynn Tan (in my TBR list)

7. Seeking Fortune Elsewhere – Sindya Bhanoo (in TBR list)

8. If Pawan Has Something to Prove – Jasmeen Kaur Deo

9. My Sweet Girl – Amanda Jayatissa

Down to the River – ARC Book Review

Title:- Down to the River

Author:- Anne Whitney Pierce

No. of pages:- 423 pages

Date published:- will be published on May 3rd 2022

Genre:- Historical Fiction

Rating:- 2.5 /5 stars

Down to the River is a family saga set in the late 1960s in Cambridge, Massachusetts against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Twin brothers, Nash and Remi Potts, have grown up as entitled, Harvard-educated, golden boys, heirs to an old, but dwindling family fortune. With the passage of time, the gold veneer of prosperity begins to chip away, and their lives begin to falter. We meet Remi and Nash in 1968, in their mid-forties and partners in a sporting goods store in Harvard Square. The twins’ marriages are in trouble. Their youngest children, Chickie and Hen (mistakes, they’re often called….), are coming of age during the turbulent urban wilderness of the late 1960s— school bomb threats, racial tensions, war protests and demonstrations at Harvard and beyond. With all hell breaking loose at home, and any semblance of “parenting” hanging ragged in the wind, the two cousins are left largely to their own devices. Suddenly freed from old rules and restrictions, they head out onto the streets of Cambridge, which become their concrete playground, tumbling headlong into a world of politics, sex, drugs, rock and roll. Chickie and Hen forge an unbreakable bond as they join forces and hearts to stay afloat in the sea of upheaval that surrounds them, the lines of family love and loyalty often blurring.

I am not sure how to write a review on this book.

Nash and Remi are identical twin brothers and they used to be a wealthy family. But after getting married their wealth is dwindled. Fast forward, the story is set in the 1960’s during the Vietnam war and is centered around their youngest children Minerva known as Chickie and Henry known as Hen.

The book unfortunately was not for me–however on the good side of the story, the writing was really great, the author must have done tremendous research of what life was like during the 1960’s to early 1970’s. I did enjoy reading those parts. But the bad side was, maybe it was just me, this book wasn’t really for me–it kind of got boring to me but then I did like the plot.

Overall, I would give this 2.5 stars.

A Stitch In Time Applewell – ARC Book Review

Title:- A Stitch in Time in Applewell

Author:- Lilac Mills

No. of pages:- 314 pages

Date published:- will be published on May 12th 2022

Publisher:- Canelo

Genre:- Romance

Rating:-

It’s not just hems that are frayed in Applewell…

Gracie rescues old clothes and cast offs from Applewell’s charity shop, making them into cute and fresh outfits, which she then sells in her little shop. Turning a profit is hard at the best of times, let alone when new arrival Lucas appears…

After running away from the village in his teens, Lucas has finally returned to an uncomfortable amount of fanfare and gossip. His job requires him to streamline homeless charity, UnderCover, and his plans to do so risk putting Gracie out of business.

The pair of them exchange harsh words but when Lucas’ niece cuts up his sister’s wedding dress, there’s only one person he can think to turn to. Along with repairing the dress, will Gracie patch up her relationship with Lucas? Or is that a stitch too far?

A sweet and heartwarming romance full of community spirit and quirky characters, for fans of Holly Martin, Suzanne Snow and Phillipa Ashley.

Lilac Mills has become one of my favorite authors!

A Stitch in Time in Applewell follows Lucas who returns to the small town Applewell having run away from that place and moving to London years ago. While in Applewell, his main job is to streamline homeless charity which might put Gracie out of job. However, soon a bond between Lucas and Gracie develops while in Applewell.

The story is mainly told from Lucas and Gracie’s point of view. It was quite enjoyable to read and the author has done a good job of drawing the reader to the story. Despite the fact that I am not so much into romance, this book actually warmed my heart up. I was engrossed into the story of this heartwarming tale. Though the ending was predictable, I enjoyed reading about the small town of Applewell.

Overall, if you like a romantic comedy book, this book is one for you–worth five stars!

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

No More Lies (No More Series Book 2) – ARC Book Review

Title:- No More Lies

Author:- Kerry Lonsdale

No. of pages:- 347 pages

Date published:- will be published on May 10th 2022

Genre:- Thriller

Rating:-

Secrets and lies shadow a woman on the run in the second novel in the No More trilogy by Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kerry Lonsdale.

Jenna Mason’s life seems perfect: a successful career as an animator, a town house near the beach, and an adoring son, Josh, whose artistic talent looks as promising as his mother’s. But there’s something nobody realizes about Jenna. She used to be Lily Carson, a young mother on the run from a secret no one must ever know.

After years of constantly relocating, Jenna concedes to her son’s request to settle down. He wants to make friends. He wants some stability. He wants to feel normal. She convinces herself they’re safe. Until a reporter discovers who Jenna really is, bringing her estranged father to her doorstep. When he threatens to expose her carefully fabricated life for the lie that it is, Jenna has no choice but to run again.

But just as she’s about to go off the grid, Josh disappears, forcing Jenna to seek out the one person she never thought she’d see again: Josh’s father.

This is the second book of the No More series. The story follows of three siblings Olivia, Lily and Lucas. The first book focused on Olivia and in this book, it focuses on Lily.

Lily lives by the name Jenna with her son Josh. The story follows when Lily was pregnant with Josh and that she witnessed the murder of her friend Wes. Now Wes’ brother Ryder is out of prison and had attacked Josh. Lily now living as Jenna and a successful illustrator must face her past demons.

This was really an engaging story that I was actually drawn into the story. The plot was intense, dividing between the past and present–Present when Jenna is dealing with her son Josh and past when Lily was pregnant with Josh. The author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story and as a result, I was hooked into the story. It felt as if I was watching some action packed thriller with a great story line and I couldn’t literally put the book down. Overall, this was a fast paced thriller that will keep you hooked into the story from the beginning to the end.

Overall this book worth five stars!

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

Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Kindle bestselling author Kerry Lonsdale writes standalone and series based emotionally charged domestic suspense, family drama, and women’s fiction. Her books have been translated into 27 languages and have reached nearly two million readers. Co-founder of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Kerry resides in Northern California with her husband and two children.