Friday, February 7, 2025

The Lodge

 
Author: Kayla Olson 
Narrators: Andi Arndt, Graham Halstead, Gilli Messer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook! 


Alix lands her dream job of ghostwriting the autobiography for one of the lead singers of a very popular boy band. The band broke up years ago when the band’s other front man, Jett, walked away and seemingly disappeared. Alix is offered the use of a penthouse at a Vermont ski lodge while she writes the book. While there, she meets handsome ski instructor Taylor. The sparks fly between the two immediately and the action on the slopes heats up. 


This was a really cute read. The main characters were sweet and the setting was idyllic. Author Kayla Olsen kept the pace steady throughout as the attraction between Alix and Taylor builds. Things get steamy, but there’s no door-wide-open extra spicy scenes. The boy band drama-rama provides the needed edgy monkey wrench thrown into the romance before the happily ever after. The audiobook’s narrators do great job bringing the characters to life. This is a quick, fun read that’s perfect to snuggle up with on a cold winter’s day. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


QOTD: have you ever been skiing? 

I haven’t been skiing since my kids were young. Now I’d much rather stay home and read than be out in the snow. 


#thelodge #kaylaolson #simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookrec #romcom #romancebook #romance #bookstagram #audiobookstagram #audiobooks #vermont #skiresort #booksbooksbooks #reader #bibliophile 


About the Author

Kayla Olson is the author of two books for young adults and The Reunion. Whether writing at her desk or curled up with a good book, she can most often be found with a fresh cup of coffee and at least one cat.


Thursday, February 6, 2025

Book Mail- Where the Bones Lie

 
Author: Nick Kolakowski
Publisher: Datura Books 
Publication date: March 11, 2025


I got awesome book mail yesterday and have to show it off for Thriller Thursday. Many thanks to author Nick Kolakowski and Datura Books for this gifted copy! 


Synopsis: For Dash Fuller, Hollywood’s underbelly is home. He’s spent years making the film industry’s worst secrets disappear, and it’s left him a cynical burnout with a taste for bourbon and self-loathing.


But when a young woman comes to him with a peculiar quest, Dash sees a chance at redemption. Madeline Ironwood is the daughter of Ken Ironwood, a notorious smuggler and murderer who disappeared 20 years ago. Ken’s skeleton has just been discovered in a barrel at the bottom of a dried-up lake, and Madeline wants to know who killed him. 


Dash agrees to help, and as this desperate daughter and jaded cynic claw their way through a world of sun-bleached secrets, crooked cops, and Hollywood thugs, they soon uncover a conspiracy involving some of LA’s most powerful people. 


This one sounds right up my alley and I can’t wait to dive. It publishes on March 11, so keep an eye out for my review before then. 


Let’s play predictive text: the bones lie____

The bones lie on a piece of land where they have no place to hide. ๐Ÿ’€


#wheretheboneslie #nickkolakowski #daturabooks #bookmail #thrillerthursday #crimefiction #mysteryfiction #mysterybooks #thrillerbooks #bookstagram #alwaysreading #reader #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookworm #newbook

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Some Die Nameless

 
Author: Wallace Stroby 
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Year: 2018

Wallace Stroby is a “Mr Reliable” author for me. His books are always action packed, entertaining, high octane thrillers. I can always count on really enjoying his books anytime I pick one up. I first discovered his work a few years ago when I read Cold Shot to the Heart. It was the first in his series featuring professional thief  Carissa Stone. She’s a bad@ss girlboss master thief who meticulously plans out her heists and keeps cool when things go wrong. It’s a great series. 


His book Some Die Nameless had been sitting on my kindle for a while before I remembered I hadn’t read it. So I immediately remedied that. In this one, a former mercenary and an embattled journalist team up against a corrupt defense contractor. Stroby brings his signature fast paced plot, tons of action, and likable main characters to the pages. It’s pure entertainment as the duo face danger at every turn. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


If you’re ever looking for just a fun breakneck thriller, pick up any of his books. You won’t be disappointed. 


QOTD: what’s one book you want to read this month? 

I’m looking forward to Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz. It’s next book in his Orphan X series and comes out next week. 


#somedienameless #wallacestroby #mulhollandbooks #backlistbook #crimefiction #thrillerfiction #mysteryfiction #suspensefiction #alwaysreading #bibliofile #bookworm #bookrecomendations #bookish #bookstagram #kindle #bookworm #reader #backlistbooks #backlistbook2018


About the Author

A life long resident of the New Jersey Shore, Wallace Stroby is an award-winning journalist and the author of the novels Heaven’s a LieThe Devil’s ShareShoot the Woman FirstKings of MidnightCold Shot to the Heart, and The Barbed-Wire Kiss, which was a finalist for the 2004 Barry Award for Best First Novel. 

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

 
Author: Kate Fagan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Year: 2024

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the gifted audiobook! 


The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a story about friendship, love, and forgiveness. A best selling author finally decides to reveal her identity after years of hiding. She has her reasons and those reasons circle back to her childhood best friend, guilt, and shame. 


The story unfolds as Cate’s autobiography. Unlike a traditional autobiography, Cate adds chapters from friends and associates to add context to her story. It’s an interesting way to add context to story and readers get more than Cate’s point of view. 


I’m a sucker for a book within a book, so this was a big attraction for me. I thought the characters were complex and interesting. I’m glad the audiobook used a cast of very talented narrators. That really helped me keep track of who was who. I really had to pay attention while listening because of the many characters and intricate and layered plot. The main character alone has four name changes, so readers must stay on their toes. This is a big sprawling story with all the feels told in a unique and satisfying way. I can definitely see one this being turned into a series. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 


QOTD: do you listen to audiobooks? Do you like single narrators or a cast of narrators? Or tell me what you’re reading this week.


I definitely appreciate a cast of narrators when there’s multiple POVs. 


#thethreelivesofcatekay #katefagan #simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #bookstagram #contemporaryfic #lgbtqfiction #literaryfiction #bibliofile #reader #readerlife #alwaysreading 


About the Author

Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog.


Monday, February 3, 2025

The Ghostwriter

 
Title: The Ghostwriter
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark 
Publication date: June 3, 2025


Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-arc! Put this one on your tbr now because you’re definitely going to want to read it! 

Synopsis: The Taylor family shatters in a single night in June 1975 when two teenage siblings are found dead in their own home. The only surviving sibling, Vincent, never shakes the whispers and accusations that he was the one who killed them. Decades later, the legend only grows as his career as a horror writer skyrockets. 

 Ghostwriter Olivia Dumont has spent her entire professional life hiding the fact that she is the only child of Vincent Taylor. Now on the brink of financial ruin, she's offered a job to ghostwrite her father's last book. What she doesn't know, though, is that this project is another one of his lies. Because it's not another horror novel he wants her to write. 
 After fifty years of silence, Vincent Taylor is finally ready to talk about what really happened that night in 1975.

This one has it all- unreliable characters, a writer trying to rebuild her career, family drama, secrets galore, and two 50 year-old unsolved murders that devastated one family. As Olivia tries to untangle her father’s jumbled memories, she’s plunged into the mystery of the fateful night her uncle and aunt were killed when then were teens.  Author Julie Clark does a fantastic job peeling back the layers of this complex plot. The narrative features multiple POVs and Clark seamlessly combines the past and the present to give readers a story filled with plenty of twists and turns. The main characters are complex. Vincent was the brooding middle child. His older brother was popular and liked by everyone. His younger sister was spirited and artistic. Just about everyone suspected Vincent of murdering his siblings. Olivia reluctantly reunites with her father out of desperation. She had a rocky relationship with him growing up. Her father became consumed with his career, drowned his emotions in a bottle, and usually neglected her. When Olivia talks to her aunt’s and uncle’s friends from that time period she realizes their memories differ from the picture her father has painted. Is his dementia distorting his memories or is he hiding something? 

This is a taut and gripping mystery that pulled me in from start to finish. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don’t miss this one publishing June 3.

QOTD: what are you reading this weekend? 
I’m reading the e-arc of The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers. 

#theghostwriter #julieclark #sourcebookslandmark #netgalley #bookreview #crimefiction #mysteryfiction #thrillerfiction #coldcases #bibliofile #alwaysreading #bookstagram  

About the Author

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight. It has earned starred reviews from KirkusPublishers Weekly, and Library Journal. It’s been named an Indie Next Pick, a Library ReadsPick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. She lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.

Friday, January 31, 2025

January Reading Wrap Up




January 2025 Wrap Up

Hard to believe January is on the way out. It was a relatively quiet month for me. I spent the last half recovering from surgery. That’s probably why I was able to read 16 books this month. Thank you tagged publishers for gifted books!  

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - loved ‘em
๐ŸŽงThe Frozen River 
๐ŸŽง The Big Empty
๐ŸŽง The Wedding People
๐Ÿ“– The Ghostwriter 
๐ŸŽง The Three Lives of Cate Kay

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - really enjoyed ‘em
๐Ÿ“– Some Die Nameless
๐Ÿ“– Funny Story 
๐ŸŽง Five Star Weekend
๐Ÿ“– Runner
๐Ÿ“– Extinction
๐ŸŽงThe Lodge
๐Ÿ“–The Trap
๐Ÿ“– Nobody’s Hero
๐Ÿ“– You’d Better Watch Out
๐Ÿ“– Black Sheep

⭐️⭐️⭐️ - just ok for me
๐Ÿ“– The Bog Wife

It looks like I’m going to be really generous with 5⭐️ this year. ๐Ÿ˜€ Everyone in my book club loved The Frozen River & we had a fantastic discussion about it. Put The Ghostwriter on your tbr list now. It comes out June 3 and it’s ๐Ÿ”ฅ. The Big Empty features a missing person case that turns into so much more. The Wedding People is a fabulous story of moving on and friendship. The Three Lives of Cate Kay had the Evelyn Hugo vibes. 

QOTD: what book are you starting February with? 
I’m reading The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren and listening to The Note by Alafair Burke. 

#readingwrapup #monthlywrapup #januarywrapup #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #audiobook #reader #bookworm #readmorebooks #booknerd #bibliofile #booklife #crimefiction #contemporaryfic #historicalfiction #mysteryfiction #thrillerfiction 

Thursday, January 30, 2025

Sweet Fury

 
Author: Sash Bischoff
Narrator: Sash Bischoff 
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Year: 2024

Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook. 

Lila, one of Hollywood’s leading actresses, and Kurt, her filmmaker fiancรฉ, are making a feminist adaptation of F.Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night. It’s sure to be box office magic. As the movie’s production ramps up, Lila begins seeing Jonah, a therapist noted for doing good work with trauma victims. Lila’s perfect life begins to unravel in Jonah’s office. Secrets, lies, and obsession are revealed. 

This is a twisty debut psychological thriller set against the backdrop of moviemaking and Fitzgerald. The beginning was a little slow for me, but it picked up towards the end of the book when the big twists happened. This wasn’t the best fit for me, but I know many readers will be riveted throughout the story. Author Sash Bischoff also provides the narration for the audiobook and does admirable work. Psychological thriller fans and Fitzgerald aficionados will find a lot to like about this one. Just be aware there are trigger warnings before diving in. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: How do you decide which book to read next? Do you go by mood, recommendations, or something else?

I usually decide by availability, obligation, and then mood. Availability is usually library holds becoming available. Obligation is usually book club or review commitments. After that, it’s whatever captures my attention. 

#sweetfury #sashbischoff#simonaudio #audiobook #audiobookreview #audiobookstagram #bookreview #psychologicalthriller #crimefiction #fscottfitzgerald #tenderisthenight #reader #alwaysreading #booksbooksbooks #debutnovelist #thrillerthursday

About the Author

Sash Bischoff is a writer and theater director. She has written plays that have been developed at theaters throughout the US. As a director, she has worked on Broadway and off. Broadway/National Tours include Dear Evan HansenThe VisitOn the TownHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Shrek. Sash grew up as an actor and won the National Arts Award (NFAA) for Acting. She currently lives in New York with her husband and their many pets. Sweet Fury is her first novel. 

The Lodge

  Author: Kayla Olson  Narrators: Andi Arndt, Graham Halstead, Gilli Messer Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio Year: 2024 Thank you Simon...