elle_laine's Reviews (126)

Frances obsessed over her impending murder after receiving a fortune telling of it when she was 17. Fast forward many many years, and Frances turns up murdered. Leaving behind a will detailing that her vast fortune will be left to whoever solves her murder, Annie works quickly to find whoever killed her great-aunt. However, things from the past turn up and the mystery becomes more deadly than anyone initially thought. 

This was such a fun and engaging mystery! I really liked the characters and how drama-filled the mystery was. Dual timelines/POVs can be tricky to write in a way that flows well, but Perrin does an excellent job of giving the reader those two perspectives. I highly recommend this, even for those used to reading high intensity thrillers. 

Annie has settled into her new home in Castle Knoll when another murder strikes down a key person from her great-aunt’s past in the very house Annie has just made her home. Luckily Annie is not alone; her friend Jenny is visiting, and together they work to uncover the murderer before Annie takes the blame for what happened. 

Thank you Kristen Perrin and Dutton, Plume, Tiny Reparations Books for the eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions here are mine and mine alone.

Once again, Perrin writes a gripping mystery full of drama and suspense. I enjoyed learning more about Frances’ past in her POV chapters. The massive secrets and lies from her past were shocking to say the least. Be sure to get your hands on this one when it comes out!

Kyle is called back to the town he used to call his own. His father had an accident and would need help getting back on his feet. Unfortunately, not everyone in town takes kindly to Kyle being back. When he left Potsdam, Kyle left behind a past that would not allow him to come back unscathed. Casey, his ex-wife and a current middle school teacher, is doing her best to rally the boys' hockey team and allow them to play another season. With the reappearance of Kyle, things are no longer so simple.

Thank you Tracey Lange and Macmillan Audio for the audio version of this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and a thorough review. All opinions here are mine and mine alone.

Contemporary fiction is a genre I have been going back to again and again, and books like this one are the reason why. This story was gut-wrenching (in the best way) and made me feel all the feels as I followed Kyle and Casey through their grief from their past as well as their current struggles. I loved all of the characters as they had so much depth to them. 

The narrators were excellent in the reading of this story. I highly recommend you get yourself a copy of this book or audiobook when it comes out in January!

Grady Green, a previous New York Times bestselling author, needs to write another bestseller if he wants to continue his life. Living in a cheap hotel is not the dream he had envisioned for himself, but after the mysterious accident that occurred the year before, Grady's life has not been the same. One year ago, Grady's wife, Abby, was driving home while talking on the phone with Grady when she found someone lying on the side of the road. After getting out to investigate, Abby was never seen again. Now, Grady is being offered a remote cabin of a recently deceased renowned author to work at to get his next work ready to hit the shelves.

Thank you Alice Feeney and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC in exchange for a complete and honest review. All thoughts here are mine and mine alone.

This was a book that definitely captured my attention the whole way through. I really liked the remote island and cabin vibes that made the book that much creepier. The plot was also somewhat unusual for a thriller, which I really liked, but I did guess some of the twists, although I don't really think that takes much away from the story. 

The narrators of this story were excellent and I definitely recommend this audiobook if you are a lover of Alice Feeney and twisted thrillers. It will definitely hold your attention and creep you out!

Mina, a newly licensed child psychologist, meets Sam, a news journalist, and after hearing about a haunting in a remote village, they set off to help the young girl who is being afflicted and figure out what is going on. The village seems to have turned on the young girl, Alice Webber, who claims to be haunted by a witch. Sam and Mina are there to help Alice, but ghosts from their own pasts come back to haunt them as well. What really is going on in this village?

Thank you Daisy Pearce and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for a thorough and honest review. All thoughts here are mine and mine alone.

This book really freaked me out. The author perfectly set up each scene with enough ghostly happenings and real occurrences that gave me a claustrophobic feel in just about every scene. As the story progressed, the fear squeezed me more and more until the big reveal. The big reveal was perfect for the story and I know I will be thinking about this book for weeks.

The narrator was excellent. I liked how the story flowed as she voiced each character and added her vocal interpretation of the moment. 

Gemma is a teacher, living alone and regularly full of anxiety. When she was 16 years old, she gave birth to a daughter and immediately put her up for adoption to break the cycle of the tumultuous childhood that was her own. Now, nearly 18 years later, Gemma can't help but think often about Baby's upcoming 18th birthday. Who has Baby become? Where does she live? And, most importantly, is Baby safe and happy?

Thank you Debbie Johnson and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the ARC in exchange for a thorough and honest review. All thoughts written here are mine and mine alone.

This was a lovely and heartfelt story that had me cheering for Gemma the whole time. Life is never simple, and I appreciated how reality was shown through Gemma's life. I also liked the addition of romance that was messy but sweet. The story flowed well and the characters were flushed out well.

I really enjoyed the audio production of this novel. The narrator was wonderful, giving the characters unique and pleasant voices throughout the story. I definitely recommend this audiobook. I absolutely consumed it and I know you will too!

While protecting a high-profile client, Amy, a bodyguard, is thrown into the intrigue of several murders. Enlisting her routine-oriented father-in-law, Amy seeks out the killer. 

This was such a funny and entertaining book. The characters were hilarious and I loved sitting back and watching the story unfold. 

•Legends run deep in Firgaard, many of which include Asha, the feared Iskari. Destined to marry a man she could never love, Asha sets out on a task to kill the First Dragon and win her freedom. Or so she thinks. 

“When she didn’t respond, he did something even worse. He raised his eyes to hers. A startling heat surged through her as their gazes met.” pg. 21

•This was an unexpectedly AMAZING book! I went into it with no expectations and came out of it in love. The story is captivating and the lore really added to the suspense of what was happening. I also really liked that the ending wrapped up the book nicely while also leaving room for a sequel. I will definitely get around to reading the next book, but I don’t feel the need to jump to it right now. 

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Asha is experiencing a life-changing complication. After a freak medical emergency, her husband is in a coma and the doctors do not know if he will ever wake up. During this time, Asha has her dad, her best friend, and surprisingly, Jason, a boy she had been in love with for years growing up, by her side. 

Thank you Jaclyn Youhana Garver and Brilliance Publishing for the audio version of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

I started out absolutely loving this book. I loved all the timelines going back to different moments of Asha's life. I loved how middle school romance was written. But then as the book progressed, everything became about sex. Plainly stated, it was too much. There is more to life than being horny or having sex with a guy who is dating someone else. It just felt icky and almost praised or brushed aside in the book. Having said that, I liked the ending as well as it left Asha with hope for her future. It was nice, it felt right, but I don't think we needed all the sex to get there. 

The narrator was amazing and I really liked her voicing for the different characters. I would definitely listen to another audiobook read by this narrator. 

5 star beginning
1 star middle 
4 star ending
5 star narrator

2.75 stars overall, rounded up to 3 stars

Maggie Walker, along with her fearless leader, Violet Bloom, design and organize a community garden. On opening day, Maggie is assigning plots to each of the members when something disturbing is found buried in a plot. The community is in uproar as police scramble to find whoever is guilty of the murder that was committed. 

Thank you Deborah J. Benoit and Dreamscape Media for the audio version of this ARC. All thoughts and opinions here are mine and mine alone.

This was an easy listen. The characters were fun and the plot was simple. I wish there was more romance even though the focus was mainly on the mystery and murders. I just think that romance would have added another layer to the story, especially since the author set up two of the characters to have a potential love interest. Overall, the story just didn't stand out to me. 

I enjoyed the narrator's voice. She was clear and had good variations in tone for the different scenes and characters. 

If you are looking for a light cozy mystery, this is definitely the book for you! It has perfect colder weather vibes.