Novel but Nice

The Retreat by Mark Edwards My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars Haunting!!! Don’t read this book alone at night unless you keep the lights on!!! This is my first book by Mark Edwards and I absolutely loved it! I wasn’t sure what the genre would be at first, because it has such a tone of the supernatural about it. I think it is best for readers to just let it unfold. I didn’t know which genre it would be, and I liked it all the better for the intrigue it held in that regard. I loved the theme of possibility—the notion that what we believe as children sometimes carries into adulthood. The thought that we all have that, I don’t REALLY believe in ghosts, but maybe I do? That is the feeling you have while reading this book, and it adds to the spooky, unsettling quality of the story. This was home. Why had I waited so long to come back? […] I was sure that here, finally, I would be able to write again. Rediscover my voice, my inspiration. Lucas Radcliffe is a horror writer...

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris My rating: 5 of 5 stars Unsettling in the best possible way!!! Does anyone put the “psychology” into psychological thriller quite as well as B. A. Paris??? Paris really has a way with messed up characters and disturbing situations. This book is a mind game from the first chapter right through the very last page. I finished this book two days ago and the story is haunting me! What a great read! As happens with Paris, early reviews are largely positive, with a mix of “did-not-finish”. Most of those seem to struggle connecting with the characters. I urge readers to give this book time! You don’t always have to like all of the characters to enjoy the ride. And I think some characters will ultimately surprise you—all are not telling the full story right away, which made the development points for each character so compelling. This is a book that grows in suspense and makes you uneasy, right along with the characters. 12 years ago Finn is...

Today is a great day, because it is the book release day for two of my favorite twisty reads this year! First up is Joseph Souza's suspense masterpiece, The Neighbor . What I loved about this book is that I had no idea from the description where the book would end up. You think its a book about a nosy neighbor crossing some lines, and then suddenly you are hit with so much more! This book will have everyone talking, and I'm particularly excited to talk with readers and students about the racial issues prevalent in the book. Does the book exist because of these issues, or would this story work without the racial tension??  You can read my full review of The Neighbor here!  And order your own copy  on Amazon. Second up is a true delight for me to post about! Mary Torjussen (who wrote my favorite book of 2017) is back with an amazing twisty, head-spinning thriller, The Girl I Used to Be . Mary is not only a gracious and engaging author (seriously, don't hesitate ...

The Girl I Used to Be by Mary Torjussen My rating: 5 of 5 stars A wonderful, psychological thriller that will make you wonder what you would do if this happened to you!!! I am a big fan of Mary Torjussen’s last book Gone Without a Trace . As a psychologist, I always find books that deal with the character’s mindset effectively to be so compelling, and this is an area Mary really excels in as an author. This book was one I read in two days (which, for someone who works full-time and has a dissertation to write is quite an endorsement). The steady building of suspense in this book had the reader feeling slightly off-kilter along with the protagonist—and that is what made it so hard to put down! I found myself skipping my lunch break to read a bit more, and turning down plans for drinks after work because I just had to know what would happen next! Plot Gemma owns her own real estate business and loves her career. She has a wonderful husband and a beautiful son, but...

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney My rating: 5 of 5 stars The parallel plot lines make this book a suspenseful masterpiece! I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney is an absolutely fantastic read. I took a break from my ARC reviews to get back to this one, which I had purchased months ago but not had a chance to read yet. With Delaney having a new book out in the fall, I wanted to get a feel for his (I researched this, and was pleasantly surprised to find that J. P. is a male because the female characters are written so authentically) writing before it came out. I absolutely loved this book! The parallel plots and varying chapter lengths were so well done. I was captivated by both story lines and I couldn’t wait to get back to each one. Neither felt like it was taking precedence over the other, which is quite a feat! Excerpt In my art history degree course, we did a module on palimpsests—medieval sheets of parchment so costly t...

The Neighbor by Joseph Souza My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars Wow!!! Wtf but wow!!! 4.5 Stars! The Neighbors by Joseph Souza just really took me on a ride! This is absolutely a suspense/psychological thriller with some domestic noir and neighborhood noir thrown in the mix. I have seen this book compared to a mix of The Couple Next Door and Gone Girl, but it really is more than that (and different). I can understand why they marketed it that way, but there is a whole extra plotline not captured by those comparisons. I have seen mixed reviews, and so I want to state upfront that this book is a psychological thriller/domestic noir/neighborhood noir/suspense novel with an additional element of racial issues in this country. I don’t say this to spoil (this, I promise you, is not a spoiler), but I do want readers to be aware of that because it can be a controversial topic that some readers love, and others dislike. Plot Teaser Leah Daniels and her husband Clay have moved t...

Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a sweet, fun cozy mystery, and a great weekend read!!! 3.5 Stars! Victoria Gilbert offers her second installment in her Blue Ridge Library Mysteries and what an interesting ride! The settings for this book are so adorable, from the winding driveway up to the farm, to the town square hosting the Heritage Festival—Gilbert really has a way with descriptions that make the settings pop right off of the page! I will post a full review closer to publication for this book. Pre-order this book here:  https://www.amazon.com/Shelved-Under-Murder-Library-Mystery/dp/1683315952/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523114946&sr=8-1&keywords=shelved+under+murder I want to thank NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Victoria Gilbert for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews