I just finished A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall and here are my musings. Theo and Connor are excited for their future and when Connor brings Theo to his family's winter retreat… She is a little apprehensive. It’s only been 6 months and the threatening messages haven't dissuaded her either but there is something eerily familiar about the place… A place she should never have seen but then why is there a photo of herself as a child hidden in a part of the retreat no one is called to go into anymore? The whole story was a tad far fetched but I couldn’t help getting sucked right in. It was twisty and turning and it was totally gripping! The narration was really well done and I felt absolutely connected and invested in the story… Downside? The ending. If you can suspend your disbelief… You will likely enjoy the heck out of it but… I still just can’t with Connor. I feel like the jokes on me. The writing was amazing and I wish the ending had gone a different way, a better way of tying it all together because all the elements were there. I also don’t care much for snow stuff so when I reread it… I will read in the summer haha. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted ALC Check out my bookish podcast @youtube.com/@thewrightkindofbooktalk #netgalley #audiobooks #audiobooklover #bookinfluencer #bookalorian #readingallday #libbyreader #thedollhouseacademy #thrillerreader #fictionaddiction #psychologicalthrilleer #bookishreviews #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookblogger #thekillingcold

I just finished Slayers, Everyone of us - How one girl in all the world showed us how to hold on… From the Podcast Buffering the Vampire Slayer - hosts Kristin Russo and Jenny Owens Youngs. This is why, going in blind on a book, sometimes… doesn’t go well for me. I thought this book was going to be about them pulling apart and discussing buffy the vampire slayer and yeah… No, that's totally not what it's about. Both the hosts used to be together and broke up.. They did the podcast together on their shared love of buffy and maybe the podcast has more Buffy the vampire slayer in it but this book was pretty much political. The way they felt when Trump was inaugurated the first time… The fears they had for what that meant for the LGBTQ community. It’s really hard to rate a book that didn’t match the expectations of the book. It was literally a memoir about a marriage, a divorce, and a podcast about Buffy the Vampire Slayer with both people writing it together. I definitely am not the target audience because I wanted more buffy but If I was a listener… I think this book had some really great aspects about it and you could see how much thought they put into building a podcast from scratch. One of the hosts on the audio didn’t feel like they were as connected, I think it was Jenny that felt like she didn’t really want to be there… What was my takeaway? That they made the podcast work even after the split and are still friends and that's kinda beautiful. They still support each other, just in a different way and for that, I am glad I listened and read the book. I did immersion reading on this one. First time ever… It was a new experience but I want to thank the hosts and @stmartinspress for including me in this experience. I will be checking out the podcast now and maybe I will come back to the book once I get to know Jenny and Kristin on a new level. 3.5 stars #slayer #bufferingthevampireslayer #lgbtq #podcast #nonfiction #memoir #booklover #bookreview #bookishreview #bookalorian #bookishpodcaster #readersofig #goodreads #kindlebooks #audiobooks #paperbackreader #readreadread

I just finished Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger and here is my review. Adele needs something to give… After her husband disappeared, the FBI are still looking for him… She can barely pay the bills… Her son convinces her to the ultimate game of hide and seek in an abandoned hotel.. For a very large prize… The game is going to be fought with peril and something more is happening… Something the organizers were not anticipating. OH this book was on FIREEEEEEE!!! Adele's husband was caught embezzling from his own company. That was wild enough but the organizer of the games is shrouded in controversy after someone went missing on another game of hide and seek. The pace was incredible and the tone of the book was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face! I wasn’t thrilled with all the POVs. I get why it was done but it made me enjoy the book a little less. I thought the ending could have been more exciting too. It fell a bit flat for me there. I thought all the messaging on social media was a really strong part of the plot. It was super clever but it was a tad slower than I normally want in my thrillers but even with having said what I said…. I really enjoyed it. The narration was top notch and I really got sucked into it. Tighten up that ending to be a bit more exciting and it would have been the best of the year. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted ALC #closeyoureyesandcountto10 #lisaunger #thrillereader #mysteryreader #mysterybook #thrillerbook #bookouture #netgalley #audiobookreader #audiobookreviews #bookalorian #audiobooks #audiobooklover #bookinfluencer #readingallday #libbyreader #fictionaddiction #psychologicalthriller #bookishreviews #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookblogger #thequeensofcrime #goodbadmother

I just finished One Final Turn - Electra McDonnell #5 by Ashley Weaver and here are my thoughts. This is the final installment. Publisher - @minotaur_books Genre - Historical Mystery I almost didn't read it. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye… It was wonderfully bittersweet though. Electra is one of my favorite FMCs.. She has come so far in this series.. She starts out cracking safes and she ends up cracking safes as a spy! The book starts out with Electra reeling from Ramsey firing her. Those two are hot and cold soooo we start in the arctic part of their relationship. The will they won’t they has been maddening but it is all tied up by the end of the book. You can really see how Electra has grown over the series and she held it together while they were rescuing the POWs. The tension in this book was crackling! So much action and sighhhh the romance. A lot going on in one installment but its done with such gravitas! I’m not going to lie… It did feel a bit rushed in places. I think another 2 books would have wrapped things up better but the author did an amazing job of ending the series to a satisfactory level. The writing is phenomenal and I felt all the feels while reading. Honestly, you should start this series from the beginning. You could try it as a standalone but the magic is in the characters and you need the whole story. I feel like I am losing the best group of friends but all good things have to end sometime. I just didn’t expect it to be now… 4 stars. Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy Out June 3rd 2025 #minotaurbooks #historicalmystery #onefinalturn #electramcdonnell #ashleyweaver #bookblogger #literature #booklife #bookrecommendations #booklove #bookaholic #bookrecommendation #booksofinstagram #Bibliophile #Bookgram #BookBlogger #bookalorian #bookishreview #readervlog

I just finished The Dollhouse Academy by Margarita Montimore and wow… check this review out. What do two women who’ve never met have in common? They are losing themselves in the dollhouse academy. Ramona and Grace want nothing more than to be part of the Dollhouse academy and when their dreams come true, they don’t realize just how dark it all is. They are both being pushed to their limits to become superstars but something sinister is happening at the academy and Ivy, their idol knows but will she do anything before it’s too late? OK, this book was awesome. I think, had the book been written as more of a thriller… It would have been the best book of 2025. Everyone is worried about being replaceable so working yourself into insanity is the norm. I love books like this. With dark secrets, this book had my hooked from the first line. The plot was one of the best I have read in ages. The dark things you have to accept to become famous. The people you have to forget. Someone decides what you eat, what you look like, where you are supposed to be and when… It’s insanity! Vitamins to keep you “compliant”... Working yourself to death. Oh man the characters were amazing and I was happy to be on this wild ride! Definitely a wonderfully narrated audiobook. 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted ALC check out my bookish podcast @youtube.com/@thewrightkindofbooktalk #netgalley #audiobooks #audiobooklover #bookinfluencer #bookalorian #readingallday #libbyreader #thedollhouseacademy #thrillerreader #fictionaddiction #psychologicalthriller #bookishreviews #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookblogger

I just finished Her Hiding Place by Shannon Hollinger and here are my thoughts.. Charlotte is broke and when the job came up for a resort..She had to take it.. Even if that means hiding her 3 year old in her room all day.. Alone. They are on the run but something is right at the resort and with the hurricane coming in.. She doesn’t know how to keep them both safe. I love fast paced psychological thrillers. You can feel the fear Charlotte is living from coming off the pages in waves. You spend the book low key hating that Charlotte is leaving a 3 year old alone all day and barely able to sneak food to her. Expecting her to be silent.. You can appreciate that she is scared but it didn’t sit well with me. It’s one of those books where you don’t know who you can trust and I lurve those kinds of reads. The writing was really well done. The plot was super clever and I enjoyed the heck out of it. The narration was perfect as well. It drew me right in. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted ALC #herhidingplace #netgalley #audiobooks #audiobooklover #bookinfluencer #bookalorian #readingallday #libbyreader #thrillerreader #fictionaddiction #psychologicalthriller #bookishreviews #bookblog #lionessofliteracy

I just finished Season of Death (A Barker & Llewelyn Novel Book 16) by Will Thomas and here are my thoughts. NOTE! While this book is part of a series, each book works as standalone books. This was my first toe dip into the world of Private enquiry agencies. So Cyrus and Llewelyn are asked to investigate the disappearance of an upperclassman’s sister in law and their search brings them to a women’s shelter.. On top of that an underground tunnel collapses but what is linking all these events together? What was my first thought on this book? It's really well paced for a mystery and it has some pretty interesting twists and turns. I love mysteries that have a mystery weaved into them. It was clever how it was done too. That’s the measure of a wonderful writer right there. I enjoyed the fact that Scotland yard seems to have corruption in it and that made for an interesting read. I like the two main characters. They have an easy banter and even though I have never read any of the other books in the series, the author did a phenomenal job of not making me feel like I had missed something. It was a really well done book. The plot was amazing! It didn’t feel crammed with plots on plots and yet… It had a lot of things going on. Bravo! I love when books hit all the right notes. If you love a good historical mystery, grab this one!! 4 stars! I will backlog the other 15 books as I was intrigued enough with the characters that I would love to go back to the beginning. Thank you @minotaur_books for my gifted copy #seasonofdeath #abarkerandllewelynnovel #historicalmystery #historicalfiction #mysteryseries #booklover #bookishblog #bookalorian #minotaurbooks #reading #readercommunity #bibliophile #ARCReader #bookmail #bookhaul

I just finished Dawnland by Tess Callahan and here are my musings. Family reunions are supposed to be fun right? Trouble is it's always awkward when you had a disastrous fling with your now brother in law. The families get together every year as tradition. So many secrets… So many lies and when Lochlann, April’s son, starts to unravel, the truth is screaming to come out and it could tear everyone apart. April ends up marrying Oliver’s brother… Propelling us years in the future we get to see the lives that April and Oliver have carved out from themselves. This follows on from April and Oliver but this book standalone just as easily as it does as a follow on from the first book. I had a lot of issues with Al. He isn’t a good husband at all and I spent the whole book hating on him so hard but as I got to the end I realized why he was the way he was. I am not blaming April at all but…. He went in knowing she loved Oliver.. He married her anyway. He was hoping she would love him the way he loves her and the longer they were together, the more he realized he was never going to be who she wants and he acted out. That’s 100% on him but I felt sorry for him at the end. There were so many secrets and everyone was so flawed! I love that Tess made sure no one was perfect and everyone had their problems. I loved the complexities in the family and the drama was done with such gravitas! Tess has a beautiful writing style and as much as I loved the first book…this one was better. I don’t read a massive amount of books that are character driven but this one worked so well. Lochlann was so misunderstood and that was hard to watch and all the things he was carrying… He is so young. That’s a lot to bear. I went through phases of massively disliking April and then feeling bad for her. UGH she is one of the most infuriating characters but her gentle moments had me tearing up… Oliver… I still can’t decide how I feel about him. I feel like he made April better in some ways and worse in others. The ending felt a little open ended… I am holding out some hope that there might be another book? I left a little bit of my heart with these characters and I will carry them with me for a long time. I cannot recommend this book more! 5 stars! #dawnland #tesscallahan #literaryfiction #contemporaryromance #bookreview #bookalorian #bookishreel #booksbooksbooks #reading #readersofig #igreader #bookvlog #bookvlogger #goodreads #paperback #fictionaddiction #booktok

I just finished April and Oliver by Tess Callahan and here are my thoughts. @tesscallahan Can best friends in childhood make it to adulthood without leaving scars on each other? April and Oliver have always felt something more than friendship but their lives moved in a different direction but they are thrown back together again when April’s brother dies.. Can Oliver save April from her grief? Is it even up to him to try? So much to unpack! April is a really richly complex character and you can see how a girl became the emotionally devastated woman we are introduced to. She’s been through it all and her behaviour is erratic. The further you move through the story, the more you understand that April is a product of her circumstances. Looking for love in the only ways she understands and pushing anything good away from her as far as she could get. She loves her grandmother with fierce dedication and Tess really took me on a rollercoaster with April’s development. I wanted to shake her. I wanted to hug her, I wanted to let her cry on my shoulder. She was so broken and Oliver was the only one to really see her but he didn’t really see her either. I think fear drove him a lot. The fear of letting people down. He was a super interesting contrast to April. You could feel the intense passion they had for each other but they still kept each other at arm's length. The writing was wonderful. I was drawn right into the story and I felt deeply connected to the characters, especially April. It was beautifully paced and I felt every single emotion in this book. It was heartbreakingly tragic but it also filled me full of hope. It was a ride and a half. I cannot wait to see where their journey takes them in the next book… Dawnland. Thank you @tesscallahan for trusting me with you masterpiece 4.5 stars #aprilandoliver #tesscallahan #literaryfiction #contemporaryromance #bookreview #bookalorian #bookishreel #booksbooksbooks #reading #readersofig #igreader #bookvlog #bookvlogger #goodreads #paperback #fictionaddiction #booktok