Review: The Cornish Honeymoon Murder (Nosey Parker Mysteries #10) by Fiona Leitch

~ megs14malloy

The Cornish Honeymoon Murder (The Nosey Parker Mysteries #10)The Cornish Honeymoon Murder by Fiona Leitch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Cornish Honeymoon Murder is the 10th-book in the Nosey Parker Mystery series by Fiona Leitch.

This is my favorite currently-running Cozy Mystery series. I absolutely adore the entire series and look forward to each new installment as they release.

If you’re unfamiliar with this series, these books follow Jodie Parker, who resigned from the Metropolitan Police in London after a close call, and returned to her native village of Penstowan, in Cornwall, with her daughter, Daisy.

It’s there that Jodie created her own catering company and it proved a success. With the help of Daisy, her Mom and other friends, she’s created quite the little team. And let’s not forget the series MVP, Germaine, the Pomeranian.

In spite of her new business ventures, old habits are hard to break, so Jodie ends up assisting the local coppers, including her new husband, DCI-Nathan Withers, with their investigations. They’re truly a match made in heaven.

In this installment, newly-married couple, Jodie and Nathan, are heading out for their honeymoon. They’ll be attending a soft launch of a new luxury eco-resort on a secluded Cornish Island. They’ve been personally invited by the resort’s owner, who they have a history with.

While it is their honeymoon, it appears someone is trying to sabotage the resorts opening, and the owner has asked them there to try to get to the bottom of it. If there’s a snake in his grass, he wants to know who it is.

Since it’s free, Jodie’s Mom, Shirley, her daughter, Daisy, and Germaine, decide to tag along. What honeymoon is complete without your Mom, daughter and dog?

Honestly, I’m so glad they went. I know it sounds silly, but these books would not be complete without this full cast we’ve come to know and love.

The couple plan to take full advantage of the luxury resorts amenities, all whilst casually questioning staff, and the handful of other guests. Unfortunately, a storm sweeps through, throwing a kink in everyone’s plans and trapping them on the island.

When a quarrelsome guest is found dead in the wreckage of the boat house the next morning, it appears there may be a murderer in their midst.

With the local police unable to reach the island to deal with the matter appropriately, it’s up to Jodie and Nathan to flesh out the killer before anyone else falls victim to their murderous ways.

The Cornish Honeymoon Murder is such a fun installment to the series. I loved that we got a new setting for this one, and appreciated that it was a secluded island setting, where of course they get trapped by inclement weather.

Some may feel that’s done too much, but not me, I’ll take every time. I live on a island, love islands, and know just what it’s like to be stranded by inclement weather. This set-up never fails to bring the atmosphere and intensity for me.

The character interactions had me giggling, and it was an intriguing mystery. I say it every time I finish a book in this series, I love these characters so much. They’re practically family to me at this point.

I can’t recommend this series enough to other Cozy Mystery Readers. Particularly, if you enjoy stories with a fun family dynamic, or mysteries with a small town setting. Jodie and her family bring so much humor and light-heartedness to these stories. They’re a joy to read.

Also, it has just the right amount of humor for my tastes. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s still incredibly well-written, paced and plotted. As long as these books continue to be written, I’ll continue to be reading them.

Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I already have a copy of the next book, The Cornish Halloween Murder, which releases at the end of September 2026.

I’ll definitely be getting to it soon!

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Review: House of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase

~ megs14malloy

House of MarginsHouse of Margins by Tlotlo Tsamaase
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

House of Margins is a story of multiple parts. We follow Ranewa, whose sister, Anaya, went missing whilst participating in a very exclusive writer’s residency program in Cape Town, South Africa. Anaya was a rising star in the literary world, and went missing just prior to the announcement of the Günter Prize.

We also get excerpts from a True Crime podcast, created and hosted by another writer who had been in the writer’s program with Anaya, as she tells the story of the events leading up to Anaya’s disappearance. It’s sensationalized, hugely popular, and ends up attracting Ranewa’s attention.

We also get Anaya’s perspective, relaying her time in the residency program and the relationships formed there. It’s mysterious, serious and tackles some heavy topics. I respect that Tsamaase didn’t shy away from the difficult things, and the way the story evolves is compelling.

I loved the incorporation of the writing residency program and the feel of Günter Huis, the colonial mansion where the writer’s stay during their residency. It had such a eerie feel and did become an entity unto itself.

Admittedly, there were aspects I found difficult to track, and I’m sure I missed some details because of that.

I feel like the audiobook could have been better served with more variation amongst the audio narrators. There were three narrators involved in this production, which was well done, but honestly, their tone was all very similar.

I’m sure that’s me, but it did make it challenging to differentiate between the podcast, Anaya’s portions and Ranewa’s portions. The podcast was the easiest to differentiate out of the three, because it did incorporate normal podcast elements, like outros and intros, likes, comments, etc.

Regardless of anything I may have missed, the author’s intent and the topics explored still make this a memorable and fascinating read. I liked the more surreal elements as well, and the way the house became involved in what was happening to Anaya.

I would recommend this. It’s a tough one to explain as far as genres. It could really be categorized as so many different things. I would say Literary Horror could be a strong fit, so if that’s the kind of thing you’re into, you should absolutely give this one a go.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Erewhon Books and RB Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. Tsamaase put a lot of heart and passion into this story and it shows. I would love to read more from her in the future!

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Review: Adam, Mine. by K. Ancrum

~ megs14malloy

Adam, Mine.Adam, Mine. by K. Ancrum
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Adam, Mine. A love letter to Frankenstein. A Queer Romantic story following Victor Frankenstein, and the teen boy who would become his monster, his curse, Elias Hilfiker.

This story does incorporate many elements of the original source material, but Ancrum absolutely brings her own passion and spin to the story. I enjoyed the set-up, meeting Victor, and the events that brought him and Elias into contact, but after that it did start to lose me.

Don’t get me wrong. I liked it. The audiobook was well narrated, and I thought the story itself was good. K. Ancrum is a beautiful writer, I just think in this moment, it wasn’t the right book for me.

I wanted a bit more darkness and sinister vibes, but I should have known from the synopsis that it would lean more in the direction of seriousness and romance.

Because of the mismatch of my mood to the story, I ended up being bored by the 2nd-half in particular. It became something very one note for me. I felt no real variation in intensity, and it definitely lost my attention over time.

I have read from K. Ancrum in the past, The Wicker King, which I absolutely loved, and honestly, the tone of this is fairly similar. That’s why I’m confident that it’s a me problem, not a book problem.

I know that a lot of Readers will really enjoy this, but sadly, it just did work for me at the time that I read it. Additionally, it’s only been 4-days since I finished it, and I literally remember next to nothing. That’s never a good sign.

With this being said, please don’t let my lackluster review keep you from picking it up. If you love K. Ancrum, the story of Frankenstein, or think the synopsis sounds intriguing, you should absolutely give it a go. You could end up finding a new favorite.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Collins Children’s Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I wish I would have picked this up in a different moment, I feel like it could have been a different experience.

Nevertheless, I have to be honest, and this one sort of missed the mark for me. I’ll absolutely be picking up more from K. Ancrum in the future though, so this doesn’t phase me a bit. We can’t love them all.

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Review: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins

~ megs14malloy

BlacktailBlacktail by Scott Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blacktail is such a unique Dark Fantasy story. Admittedly, not something I would typically gravitate towards, however, I’ve heard such great things about Scott Hawkins writing, I had to jump on board for his latest work.

This story follows a wolf named Blacktail, in a world beseiged by men, who sets out on a journey of revenge for the death of his mate.

The entirety of the story is told via a cast of animal characters. I know books like this exist, but this is the first one I’ve ever read. I’m generally super sensitive to animal content, so never really dare, but this kept me captivated.

The tone is that of a Dark Fable, and while I feel like the meaning went way over my head, I was enamored by the quality of the writing and the uniqueness of the content.

I loved how we followed Blacktail on this journey, and it felt like every place he stopped, the other animals he encountered, he was always learning something new. Through those experiences it almost felt like little vignettes. I enjoyed that.

I’m truly in awe of how Hawkins made these characters feel so stunningly realistic. Here I am reading from a perspective of a squirrel like, yeah, that makes sense.

So, while I wouldn’t chose to the lead the discussion in book club on this one, I still had a great time with it. It did make me feel a little simple. LOL

Thank you to the publisher, Crown Publishing, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was certainly a unique reading experience!

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Review: The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night by Joshua Chaplinsky

~ megs14malloy

The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at NightThe Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night by Joshua Chaplinsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night is a Surreal Horror novel that kept my brains whirring like the inside of a watch; one in desperate need of service.

I was instantly attracted to this novel based on the title. The title alone is creepy to me. What do you mean the man in the watch is visiting you at night? That doesn’t sound healthy.

This story follows three women, Jenna, Nancy and Mrs. Vogel, but they’re not the only perspectives we get to read from. This is a story centering on some very heavy topics, such as abuse and neglect.

The majority of it is set at the Vogel House, which is your typical haunted house at the edge of town, or is it? The Vogel House is a character unto itself. With the perspectives constantly shifting, the Readers sense of time can become muddled quickly. I felt uneasy. It was great!

I could see this being described as a fever dream, but too me, it’s not really. I don’t tend to enjoy fever dream narratives, because I hate not knowing what’s going on.

In this story, whichever perspective I was in, whether it was Jenna, or Mrs. Vogel, or Brian, etc., I always could understand what was happening to them, and what they were experiencing and feeling. To me, where the dream-like quality comes from is the time portion.

It was unsettling in such a compelling way. I was never frustrated with it, or wanting to give up. I just had to know how all of these perspectives were connected.

Chaplinsky’s writing is incredible. It’s so not the type of Horror writing I tend to gravitate towards, but oh man, he captured my attention and never let up.

I had to use my whole brain, the whole time. I was so invested. I think I know what happened, but do I really?

It’s heavy. It’s a mindf*ck of a book. It’s a 5-star.

Thank you to the publisher, CLASH Books for providing me with a copy to read and review. Sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone is a beautiful thing, and this is one of those times.

I’m looking forward to more from Joshua Chaplinsky!

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Review: Nobody Panic! by C.J. Vick

~ megs14malloy

Nobody Panic!Nobody Panic! by C.J. Vick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

In the Summer of 1986, moths inundated the town of Somerville, and Janet was strong-armed by her BFF Maggie into joining the PTA. Two wild occurrences.

Janet has an overriding misfit reputation that’s plagued her since high school, but Maggie’s support and good humor is enough to drag her out of the house for one night. With her slightly melted deviled eggs in tow, the ladies make their way to the meeting.

Unfortunately, most of the other members are just as awful as Janet remembers, and she clearly sticks out like a sore thumb. What’s also noticeable is the absence of Sue, the best bundt cake maker known to man.

The next day, Sue’s body is discovered, the first in what becomes a series of missing housewives. The official story isn’t adding up. Janet’s encyclopedic knowledge of true crime assures her of that.

When Maggie is the next to go missing, Janet is convinced something malevolent is sweeping through Somerville.

Pairing up with two other misfit moms, and the coroner’s apprentice, who had a big ole’ crush on Janet in high school, Janet starts investigating and what she uncovers goes way deeper than Sue’s murder, and a few missing PTA members.

It appears Somerville has been harboring a dark secret spanning back generations. In order to stop this plague on the town, it appears that Janet will need to confront the demons in her own home first. If she fails, she risks losing herself and all she loves forever to the darkness.

After reading the synopsis for Nobody Panic!, I knew this was a story I wanted to pick up right away. It sounded pure 80s, like one of the fun chaotic and campy Horror stories that I was raised on, and it didn’t disappoint.

This is such a fun read. It’s campy in all the right ways. It’s almost innocent in a way, Janet’s personality and the way the drama unfolds, it so pure and good.

The plot was dripping with 80s-nostalgia and Satanic Panic. Vick definitely delivered all the vibes I was hoping for when I went into it.

The only very slight critique I would give is that in the later half, when action really began to pick up, it was hard for me to stay focused, or really picture in my mind, all of what was going on. It had moments where it was almost too chaotic, if that makes sense.

However, this is probably more of a me problem than the book. I mention it only because it did have a slight effect on my experience, as I had to read certain sections a couple of times in order to track what was going on.

Focusing on the numerous positives though, Vick knocked the tone and humor of 80s-Horror out of the park. The chapters were also each titled after 80s-songs, which was so fun. I would love a complete playlist. It would be amazing.

I would definitely recommend this to people who love campy Horror, or books with heavy 80s vibes. Also, definitely recommend for fans of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. The two could be cousins.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know this doesn’t release for a long time yet, but I couldn’t resist picking it up to kick off my Spooky Season.

Also, if this is a debut from C.J. Vick, I think we’re going to have a long and beautiful relationship. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!!!

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Review: As the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce

~ megs14malloy

As the Snow GathersAs the Snow Gathers by Mere Joyce
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As the Snow Gathers was such a hugely-anticipated 2026-release for me. Sadly, I walked away disappointed.

Ah well, we can’t win them all.

This is a historical novel set in the village of Aplin Shade, deep in the remote corners of the Canadian wilderness. We follow Dominic, a native of Aplin Shade, and Lex, his boyfriend, who works at the logging camp near town.

As a young adult, Dominic is now the head of his family. His father was killed in a carriage accident, and his sister, who suffered head trauma in the accident, will never make a full recovery. She’s never been the same. Thus, Dom is left to provide for his mother and his sister on his own.

Life is not easy in Aplin Shade, and Dom and Lex have dreams of moving somewhere less bleak, buying a farm and taking Dom’s family with them.

The odds are stacked against them though, as even their love for one another must be kept a secret. They also both have enemies in the town, and outside of town dangerous beings known as the Fanteur, lurk in the woods.

The Fanteur are known to steal the bodies of the dead of Aplin Shade, only to return them later, drained of blood. They’ve never been known to take the living. Until now. Now something has changed, but the townsfolk have to clue as to what it could be.

It seems the Fanteur are on the attack, and no one is safe, particularly the men of the logging camp, entering the forest to cut down the trees.

We follow Dom and Lex as they fight to survive, and try to make their dreams come true. With dangers around every corner, both human and not, will that ever be possible?

Y’all, I’m so sad I didn’t enjoy this one. In the opening bits, the first 10%, I was definitely intrigued. I liked the cold, unforgiving atmosphere that Joyce was bringing to the page.

By 30%, I was scratching my head. There was a lot of romance happening, which fine, but not what I signed up for. I was losing the intensity of the atmosphere to the intensity of the feelings between Lex and Dom. Again, fine, but where was the atmosphere? Where was the Horror?

By 48%, I was almost ready to give up. Nothing was happening. Every page felt so slow, just crawling along in detail. I think a lot of it for me was that I found Dom boring. Just as a character in general, I couldn’t care less about him.

No offense, Dom.

Additionally, the Fanteur as the big bad was equally disappointing. I just wasn’t feeling it. I probably should have DNFed, but I just kept waiting for the stuff to hit the fan.

There is a couple of scenes, where we did get action and in those moments I did like Joyce’s more gorier descriptions. I think she did well in that area. I just needed 89% more of it to pull this out of the 2-star read territory.

I think at the end of the day, it just wasn’t the right fit for my tastes. It felt like the longest 368-page book I’ve ever read. For me, the romantic relationship overshadowed everything else, and that’s not what I wanted.

I know there’s gonna be a huge readership for this novel, but I’m just not part of it. I’m happy I gave it a shot, but am disappointed it didn’t work out differently.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I never write an author off after just one book, so look forward to seeing what Mere Joyce comes up with next.

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Review: The Moorwitch by Jessica Khoury

~ megs14malloy

The MoorwitchThe Moorwitch by Jessica Khoury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Moorwitch follows a witch named Rose, who as a young girl was forced to strike a sinister bargain with a fae in order to escape her abusive home. A decade later, that fae is back and ready to demand his side of the deal repaid.

She’s tasked with discovering the gateway to the realm of the faerie. If she does, her dwindling magic will be restored and she’ll be freed from her fae handler once and for all.

Knowing the approximate area of the gateway, Rose ends up going undercover as a governess at a crumbling Scottish estate. While it would be best if she kept her head down and just set to the task at hand, Rose can’t help but become emotionally invested in her young charge.

She also can’t deny the budding attraction she feels towards the laird of the estate, Conrad. It’s his adventurous sister she is now responsible for, and as time passes, she becomes more and more invested in their small family.

It seems it’s not just Rose’s magic and freedom at stake, but now also her heart. Will the witch be able to focus enough to complete her mission in time, or will she end up losing her magic forever? The clock is ticking.

The Moorwitch definitely took me by surprise. I received an Audio ARC last year, but had been very intimidated to pick it up. I do not read a lot of Fantasy, and the 15.5-hour audibook length scared me, not gonna lie. I was worried it would take me forever to get through.

I was wrong to be worried. I was pulled in from the very start. The writing was great, as were the characters. I loved Rose as an MC and also thought that the narration by Elizabeth Knowelden was perfect for her character.

The set-up was very well done and easy to understand. I also liked how quickly Khoury got to the point, and got Rose to where she needed to be.

The chemistry between Rose and Conrad was so good. They were so annoyed with each other and it had me giggling and kicking my feet. Speaking of the chemistry though, I also really appreciated that this is clean. There’s zero steam.

In a world of Fairy Smut, it’s nice to focus on an actual plot.

At the end of the day, I thought this was a delightful read. I’m so glad I finally shook off the nerves and just went for it. It was so much fun.

Thank you to the publisher, Brillance Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m only sorry I kicked it around for so long before picking it up. I’d love to read more from Jessica Khoury!

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Review: Dead Girls Tell No Tales by Carissa Ann Lynch

~ megs14malloy

Dead Girls Tell No TalesDead Girls Tell No Tales by Carissa Ann Lynch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Dead Girls Tell No Tales follows a downtrodden Fantasy author, Adriana McMahon, who after some life issues, moves back in with her Mom in her small Indiana hometown.

Adriana, struggling with writer’s block, is running out of money quick. At this point, she’s worried her publisher is going to show up, demanding her advance back. It’s dire times at the McMahon house.

Desperate to make ends meet, Adriana gets a job at a local shop. It’s there that she meets 17-year old, Rebel James, a high school girl with a love of creative writing.

Rebel is noticeably an outcast amongst her peers. She’s in need of a friend, or any sort of adult figure in her life, frankly. When she approaches Adriana about helping her with a writing project, Adriana’s hesitant, but she also sees glimmers of herself in Rebel, and does want to help.

She ends accepting Rebel’s request, and becomes a bit of a mentor to the teen. When Rebel suddenly disappears, and bodies of dead girls begin being found in the local area, Adriana becomes desperate to find out if her friend is okay, something no one else seems to understand.

Making matters more upsetting, it seems the murders are mirroring some of Rebel’s stories. Was Rebel trying to tell Adriana something through her writing?

Additionally, it all seems oddly-connected to Adriana’s own past, stirring up buried memories of her best friend she lost years before. The entire affair puts Adriana in a tailspin, making her logic and reasoning hard for others to follow.

Her Mom thinks she’s lost it, as do the local authorities, who are watching her closely because of her arguably erratic behavior. But Adriana knows something dark is going on in this town, and she’s gonna get to the bottom of it come hell or high water.

Dead Girls Tell No Tales is a true Popcorn Thriller. I could totally imagine this playing out as a Lifetime movie, and I don’t mean that in a bad way.

It kept me invested the whole way through. It did take me a few minutes to get used to Adriana’s narrative voice. She’s a quirky one, but after I just accepted the fact it is who she is, I started to really enjoy it.

I think part of it is related to the personal tragedies she suffered as teen. I feel like she got sort of stunted in that part of her growth, so at times, you think, how old is this woman? But honestly, in relation to everything going on, it does make sense.

I wouldn’t say there’s anything ground-breaking about the plot, but it was still entertaining and a fun weekend read. Sometimes, that’s all you need.

I think The Bachelorette Party is still my favorite from this author, but this would be a close second. It reminded me a lot of Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush, and I did enjoy this one more.

I would recommend this to Readers of Popcorn Thrillers. If you’re looking for something quick and suspenseful, that won’t require you to burn down all your brain power during the reading process, this could be the book for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a great time.

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Review: The Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier

~ megs14malloy

The Whitechapel Full Moon SocietyThe Whitechapel Full Moon Society by Elizabeth DeLozier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society follows Caroline Foster as she travels to London in search of her brother, Charlie. Caroline grew up in a wealthy family, but unfortunately that family unit has crumbled to nothing.

After the recent death of her father, Caroline has been left alone and the family estate sold off. Caroline’s deepest connection in the world now is with Charlie, who she’s only spent sporadic time with over the course of her life.

Following clues from his correspondence, Caroline ends up at the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, a dilapidated building currently serving as a gentleman’s boarding house.

After an appeal to the landlady, Caroline, under slightly false pretenses, is hired on as the Full Moon’s maid in exchange for room and board. She’s hoping locating Charlie after this will be easy, but we all know, nothing is ever easy.

There are very strict rules at the Full Moon, at least for Caroline. She’s not to ask the residents personal questions, or to enter the iron-barred room on the second-floor, and oh yeah, she must remain locked in her bedroom from sundown to sunup on full moon nights.

Even though to most of us, these rules may be suspicious as heck, it doesn’t phase Caroline in the slightest. When she finds no signs of Charlie though, and when she finds out that the previous maid was brutally murdered, she starts to suspect the Full Moon may be more than your average boarding house.

This novel is set in Victorian London during the time of the Jack the Ripper slayings, and those historical crimes, as well as the corresponding fear that permeated the city, play a large role in this story.

I loved the inclusion of that, and how the author wove in those historical elements, it made the story feel that much more realistic. The atmosphere was oozing off the page, and as an atmosphere girlie, that was something I truly appreciated. I could picture everything perfectly.

I was actually surprised how immersed I became in this novel. This is far from my typical read, but I was swept up into it. She’s a slow burn, it’s true, but just such an enjoyable read nevertheless.

DeLozier’s writing is very pleasing and engaging. It’s straight-forward and accessible for Readers who don’t read a lot of historical fiction, like myself. I was drawn to this because of the cover and the inclusion of the Jack the Ripper slayings, but ended up really impressed by the full package.

Thank you to the publisher, Dutton, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d definitely be interested in pick up DeLozier’s future works!

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