Harmless Women

 

Some thieves steal more than money. They steal identities, freedom, and second chances.

I picked up Harmless Women by Rebecca Sharpe with high hopes. It has multiple POVs, a morally gray FMC, a heist, a cross-country escape, and twists. On paper, this book had everything I love. The execution didn’t quite do it for me.

Avalon is a skilled thief. Prim is her mark. Their lives collide after Avalon steals Prim’s identity and drains her accounts. Then by a twist of fate, they’re suddenly on the run together. I was genuinely hooked. They form an unexpected bond as they run from the police. Their dynamic crackled with tension and the momentum of their escape. 

Then there’s Bianca, a grieving mother searching for her missing daughter. Her pain and loneliness are palpable and real. But for most of the book, her story exists in a completely separate orbit from Avalon and Prim’s. And those chapters kept pulling me out of the momentum. Her storyline doesn’t meaningfully connect to the main plot until the very end. It’s like two different books that only briefly touched.

Sharpe is clearly exploring something interesting here: survival, female friendship, moral ambiguity, and desperation. The bones are good. I just wish the structure had been tightened to let Avalon and Prim’s story shine the way it deserved.

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC! Harmless Women publishes April 7th.

QOTD: Do you prefer books with multiple POVs or a single narrator?

About the Author

Rebecca Sharpe wanted to write novels from the moment she read her first Stephen King book, aged eight, and soon graduated onto the works of Susan Hill, Shirley Jackson and Wilkie Collins, with a healthy sprinkling of The Babysitters’ Club along the way. After reading her way through the entire classics section of the school library, she went on to study English Literature at university, which cemented her ambition to become an author.

Two Kinds of Stranger

 

What if your random act of kindness got you arrested for murder?

Defense attorney Eddie Flynn and his crew are back, and this time Cavanagh isn’t letting anyone catch their breath.

In Two Kinds of Stranger, a popular influencer, beloved for her random acts of kindness, helps a stranger and ends up caught in something deadly. She’s arrested for the murders of her husband and best friend, and she needs Eddie. Fast. 

Meanwhile, Eddie’s ex-wife and her husband are accused of killing a man who’d been stalking them. Two cases, running hot at the same time, with innocent lives on the line in both.

What makes this series so reliably fun is the team dynamic. Eddie is all fast talk and courtroom sleight of hand. Harry is the steady, unflappable voice of reason. And Kate faces a genuine moral and ethical dilemma that gives the story some real weight. The pacing is brisk. This one zips and like the rest of the series, it works perfectly as a standalone.

The audiobook is a treat. Narrator Adam Sims brings warmth and depth to Eddie’s fast-talking charm, never letting the former con man tip into caricature. He’s a big part of why this series works so well in audio form.

Entertaining, propulsive, and a whole lot of fun. A great popcorn thriller for fans of courtroom cat-and-mouse. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted early listen. Two Kinds of Strangeris out March 24.

QOTD: Would you help a stranger in need, no questions asked? Or are you more of a ‘mind your own business’ type? 

#TwoKindsOfStranger #SteveCavanagh #EddieFlynn #AudiobookReview #ThrillerReads

About the Author

Steve Cavanagh is the bestselling and award-winning author of several books, including the Eddie Flynn series and Kill for Me, Kill for You. A former lawyer, he was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he still lives. 

Fun City Heist

 

What if your last encore… was a crime? 

I’m a sucker for a good heist novel. And Fun City Heist by Michael Kardos really delivers.

Mo used to be the drummer in a high school rock band that kind of made it. When the band imploded, so did Mo’s momentum. Years later, he’s coasting. He’s renting beach chairs & umbrellas to tourists, while his drumsticks are long retired. It’s not a bad life. It’s just stalled.

Then his old bandmate Johnny blows back into town with devastating news. Johnny’s been diagnosed with ALS. He has one last wish—to reunite the band for a 4th of July show at Fun City, the boardwalk amusement park where it all began.

And Johnny has another idea. While the band plays their big comeback gig, they’ll rob the park.

What makes this story work isn’t just the caper (though the planning and execution are half the fun). It’s the heart underneath it. Mo’s evolving relationship with his teenage daughter Janice is a tender thread running through the book. As the heist plan ramps up, so does his chance to finally show up for her. That emotional undercurrent gives the story depth. 

I really enjoyed the offbeat humor and the brisk pacing. The nostalgia for teenage dreams and boardwalk summers is palpable, but it never gets too syrupy. The characters are a little flawed and messy, but I was  rooting for them all the way. Fun City Heist is a summer read with a rebellious streak.

Rock on. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: what band or singer would you love to see in concert? 

#funcityheist #michaelkardos #heistnovel #crimefictionlover #summerreading

About the Author

Michael Kardos is the Pushcart Prize-winning author of four previous novels, including Fun City Heist andBluff, as well as the story collections Quick Change and One Last Good Time. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he co-directed the creative writing program at Mississippi State University for over a dozen years before moving with his family to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

February Wrap Up

 

I read 12 books in February — and two of them made me consider lowering my standards.

Kidding. (Mostly.)

Overall, this was a strong reading month. Nine solid four-star reads, one five-star knockout, and two that just… didn’t hit the way I hoped.

Let’s start with the standout:

⭐ Adrift — the only five-star of the month.

Claustrophobic, brutal, and completely absorbing. I was tense the entire time. This one earned its place at the top.

The steady four-star stack? They’re impressive and really good. It was mix of that kept me entertained and turning pages. No regrets there.

And then the two three-stars:

They weren’t bad. They just weren’t memorable.

One was heavier than I expected.

One had a premise I loved but didn’t fully deliver for me.

I’m a generous reader. If I’m not enjoying something, I usually stop reading. So if it made it to the finish line, there was something there.

Still… not every book can be the one that takes over your brain.

February stats:

📚 12 books

🎧 6 audiobooks

📱 5 ebooks

📖 1 print 

⭐ Average rating: 4 stars

Overall verdict? A good month, but I’m greedy. I always want more five-star magic.

QOTD:

Did you have a book this month that should have been amazing but just wasn’t?

#mysterybooks #thrillerreads

#audiobooklover #bookwrapup

#februaryreads 

Thriller Tropes I’ll Never Get Tired

 

I know these tropes are everywhere, but I just never get tired of them. 

There's something about a good unreliable narrator or an isolated setting that just WORKS. And don't even get me on the reluctant hero-a character who doesn’t want to get involved but steps up anyway. 

What about you? What thriller trope is your favorite? Are there any you're completely sick of?

#thrillertropes

#fiveforfriday

#mysteryandthriller

#bookstagramcommunity

#darkandtwisty

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates

 

How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates by Shailee Thompson is exactly the unhinged genre mashup you didn't know you needed.

Picture this: speed dating, a masked killer, and a heroine who's essentially a walking encyclopedia of both romantic comedies and horror films. Jamie is, frankly, the most qualified person to handle this situation, and watching her navigate a frantic chase scene one moment and slow-burn flirtation with Wes the next is an absolute joy.

Thompson's writing is sharp (and yes, that pun is very much intended.) She takes every trope you love from both genres (the final girl! the meet-cute! the red herrings!) and weaves them together with genuine craft and a confidence that makes the whole thing sing. It should not work. It absolutely works.

Narrators Stefanie Kay and Patrick Zeller, whose performances, paired with some perfectly deployed sound effects, make this audiobook feel genuinely cinematic.  I was cackling, then tense, then sighing over the romance, sometimes within the same chapter.

If your reading diet needs something that goes down like Scream meets The Proposal, consider this your official recommendation. This one has been shelved firmly in the "trust me" section. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks Simon & Schuster for the gifted listen! Out now!

QOTD: What two genres would you mash together for your dream book or movie?

📚 #BookstagramLibrarian #HowToKillAGuyInTenDates #HorrorRomCom #AudiobookReview #LibrarianApproved

About the Author

Shailee Thompson is a writer and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She’s always had a penchant for women with smart mouths, soft hearts, and strong wills going up against extraordinary odds. How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates is her debut novel. 

Saoirse

 

🎧 Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise is a character-driven novels that quickly pulls you in and doesn’t let go.

When we first meet Saoirse, her art career is about to shine on bright spotlight on her life.

But a decade ago she was Sarah, a frightened teenager desperate to escape danger and a childhood spent in trauma. In a split-second decision, she steals a passport and flees to Ireland. She reinvents herself with a new name and a carefully hidden past. For a while, it works. She builds a life. She finds love. She becomes an artist and a mother. 

But fear is a stubborn thing.

Eventually the walls of her new identity start to crack. The very success she’s worked so hard for threatens to expose the truth she’s been running from. And when the past refuses to stay buried, it’s not just her secret at risk — it’s the people she loves.

Hurtubise tells this story through a shifting timeline, moving between Sarah’s traumatic beginnings and the fragile present she’s built. The prose is atmospheric and emotional without ever tipping into melodrama. Ireland feels lush and grounding, almost like a character itself — a place of refuge, but never quite of safety.

At its heart, Saoirse is about identity, survival, and the cost of reinvention. It asks hard questions: Can you truly become someone new? Is freedom the same as escape? And how long can you live in the shadow of who you used to be?

The audiobook is beautifully done. Narrator Roisin Rankin delivers a nuanced, emotionally rich performance that brings both the raw vulnerability of teenage Sarah and the brittle composure of her adult self vividly to life. The setting, the tension, and the heartbreak is all on display. 

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted listen. Saoirse is out now.

QOTD: Do you enjoy stories about reinvention and hidden identities, or do you prefer a more straightforward narrative?

#macaudio2015 #bookstagram #audiobookreview #charleenhurtubise #characterdrivennovel