Review: Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews

~ megs14malloy

HazelthornHazelthorn by C.G. Drews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Hazelthorn is a YA Gothic Horror story from C.G. Drews. I read from Drews for the first time last year when I read their popular novel, Don’t Let the Forest In.

I was immediately impressed by the style of their prose, the relationships developed within the story and the vivid imagery evoked. I’m happy to report, all of these top-shelf qualities are again on display within the pages of Hazelthorn.

This story follows Evander, who has lived like a ghost within the walls of Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in as a small child by Byron Lennox-Hall, the reclusive billionaire owner of the estate.

Evander has very specific rules that he is made to abide by, such as he can never leave the estate, he isn’t to go into the gardens, and he shouldn’t ever be left alone with Laurie, Byron’s mischievous grandson.

The last rule was actually established for good reason, when 7-years ago, Laurie tried to kill Evander, a situation which he barely survived. In spite of this though, Evander does have a bit of an unhealthy attraction to Laurie. Honestly, he’s hard to resist.

When Byron unexpectedly dies, and it’s announced the entire estate is being left to Evander, he suddenly has threats coming from all sides. As you can imagine, other family members aren’t exactly pleased with this turn of events.

Despite his sudden windfall, Evander’s not happy. He’s suspicious about the way the way Byron died. He believes he was killed, but why? And how can he prove it?

Suddenly, Laurie becomes Evander’s best ally for getting to the bottom of what really happened to Byron, and figuring out the true that lies at the heart of Hazelthorn.

This was great. It’s dark and engaging and I was intrigued by Hazelthorn and everything going on there. Actually the more I think about it, perhaps I underrated this one a bit. It’s probably closer to a full 4-star rating for me.

I just think in comparison to Don’t Let the Forest In, I didn’t find this one as easy to track, and I also didn’t feel as emotionally invested, although there was still so much to love about this story.

In some ways, this story did remind me of a few other things I’ve read before, for example, These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall. What did stand out was the level of botanical horror that Drews included. That I really, really enjoyed.

This did have some interesting twists and some dangerous family drama, which I also thought was a lot of fun. I actually wouldn’t mind reading this again someday, maybe getting a hard copy and annotating could help bring more of the nuances of the story to the forefront for me.

At the end of the day, this is another fantastic story from Drews, delivering on their signature writing style and lush, gothic atmosphere.

Thank you to the publisher, Recorded Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. C.G. Drews is such a talent, and I cannot wait to continue to follow their career. I know we’re going to have a long and beautiful friendship!

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Review: The Cross (Eddie Flynn #0.5) by Steve Cavanagh

~ megs14malloy

The Cross (Eddie Flynn #0.5)The Cross by Steve Cavanagh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The Cross is a prequel novella to Steve Cavanagh’s popular Eddie Flynn Legal Thriller series, recently repackaged and re-released by Simon & Schuster Audio Originals to match the beautiful new series covers.

Originally released in 2015, this series has aged really well. While listening to this, it felt as modern as any other Legal Thriller I’ve picked up in the last couple of years.

Eddie Flynn, the protagonist of this series, is an ex-con artist turned ingenious NYC defense attorney. In this case, Eddie represents a woman whose husband died in a confrontation with a police officer.

The dead man was himself accused of being part of a robbery gone bad. His widow, Eddie’s client, vehemently denies that fact, and through Eddie’s thorough investigations, he’s inclined to agree. Things aren’t adding up.

Eddie has a lot on the line with this case, as a loss could mean the collapse of his tiny, floundering law firm. The further he digs, the more corruption and deceit he uncovers. Is Eddie in over his head, or will he be able to successfully win this emotionally-charged case?

This was good. Coming in at under 100-pages, it did go very quickly. I feel like even though it was a fully-fleshed out case, in order for me to become more invested, I would have need about 100-more pages. Nevertheless, I knew what I was getting into going in and I did enjoy it.

I have read other, later books in the series, so this was nice to see the start of Eddie’s legal career. I think this series is a lot of fun. I love how twisted a lot of the cases get and I’m definitely planning to read them all.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Audio Originals, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely recommend this series, and this audiobook, for anyone who enjoys fast-paced, engaging Legal Thrillers.

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Review: Cold Burn (National Parks Thriller #2) by A.J. Landau, Jon Land & Jeff Ayers

~ megs14malloy

Cold Burn (National Parks Thriller #2)Cold Burn by A.J. Landau
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cold Burn is the 2nd-book in the National Parks Thriller series by A.J. Landau, which is actually a pseudonym for the writing duo of Jon Land and Jeff Ayers.

I didn’t read the 1st-book in the series, Leave No Trace, but as with many Adult Mystery series, they can be read in any order. I certainly didn’t feel lost jumping into this one as I did without that background of book 1.

This book includes scenes at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, as well as Florida’s Everglades National Park. The thing connecting the two, a deadly prehistoric microbe that not only killed off the wooly mammoth, but more recently, a USGS survey team that kicks our action off.

With powerful people battling for the lethal microbe, to use for their own gain, it’s up to NPS Special Agent Michael Walker and FBI Special Investigator Gina Delgado to exterminate the threat the microbe poses to the world.

In the beginning, Cold Burn felt refreshing. I don’t tend to pick up a lot of Action Thrillers, but unfortunately it was unable to ever fully capture my attention.

There are a lot of moving parts to this story. I liked how we were getting action in both Alaska and Florida. Unfortunately, because there was so much going on, and because I wasn’t fully hooked in, I feel like I wasn’t paying close enough attention to grasp all of the connections.

I can appreciate that this is a good book, particularly for Readers who love an intense Action Thriller with political intrigue and shady dealings. I just wasn’t that person at the time that I read this.

I might still read the 1st-book in the series, because it was alluded to a few times in this story, and the case they were investigating in that one did sound very interesting. Also, I have recently seen a 3rd-book announced, which is set at Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park that sounds like it could be a good one too.

Needless to say, even though this one didn’t blow me out of the water, I still enjoyed it enough that I’m willing to continue on with the rest of the books in the series.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know many Readers will love this series, and I’m not willing to give up on it yet. It’s got a great concept and compelling main characters. I feel like the more I read, the more attached I’ll become.

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Review: Monster in the Moonlight (Monster Hunter #4) by Annelise Ryan

~ megs14malloy

Monster in the Moonlight (Monster Hunter, #4)Monster in the Moonlight by Annelise Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Monster in the Moonlight is another fantastic installment in Annelise Ryan’s Monster Hunter series. This is the 4th-book and I’ve enjoyed them all. Unsurprising, since they combine 2 of my favorite things: spooky vibes and cozy mysteries.

These books follow Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist and specialty bookstore owner, who along with her lovable dog, Newt, investigates cases that may be linked to potential cryptid activity. Each installment features Morgan in different places, investigating creatures from lore.

In this story, Morgan gets consulted after a dead body is discovered on Bray Road in Wisconsin. The brutal killing sparks rumors that the Beast of Bray Road, a werewolf-like creature thought to inhabit the area, has returned.

It’s clear the woman has been mutilated by some type of large animal, and the locals are convinced it’s the Beast. A local policeman is actually the one to contact Morgan, through a mutual friend, for help, hoping she’ll be able to disprove the Beast’s existence.

As Morgan starts her investigation, it soon becomes clear this is a much larger case, with a much larger web than initially anticipated. Per usual, she soon finds herself in danger and racing against the clock to get to the bottom of what’s happening on Bray Road.

I’m not going to deny these books are a little silly, but Ryan nevertheless makes them super-duper fun, and that’s what I’m looking for in a Cozy series.

I’ve grown attached to Morgan and Newt, so I’m hoping for more installments to the series. There’s plenty more cryptids to explore, after all.

Morgan is a great leading lady. She’s smart and daring, never afraid to put herself out there in order to succeed at her investigations. She’s also a great Dog Mom, always considering Newt’s needs at all times. I never have to worry about him while reading, which is a great comfort to me.

This was another solid mystery too. I was captivated about what was going on. Morgan is like a dog with a bone once she gets a lead, and I knew she wasn’t going to leave this town without answers.

I would recommend this series to any Cozy Mystery fans, but particularly those looking for something a little different in their Cozy. It’s one-of-a-kind.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll be anxiously awaiting news as to whether or not there are going to be more books in the Monster Hunter series!!

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Review: The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey

~ megs14malloy

The List of Suspicious ThingsThe List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Going into The List of Suspicious Things I knew one thing about it, that it involved the true life case of the Yorkshire Ripper, who was convicted of murdering 13 women in Manchester and West Yorkshire in the UK, in the late-1970s and 1980.

I had heard that this was a personal novel for the author, Jennie Godfrey, who grew up in West Yorkshire, and whose father had actually worked with the man later identified to be the Yorkshire Ripper. I needed to read this book.

It just sounded like such a unique perspective she would have writing this book; something that few others would have. I assumed this was just a straight-up Mystery novel though, but it’s not really. It’s much more than that.

If I had read the full synopsis, I would have read that it was a Coming of Age story, but I didn’t. Luckily, for me, I love a Coming of Age storytelling style and it really worked for me here as well. So, this is more of a Historical Fiction Coming of Age tale with a real life mystery in the background.

This story is mostly told from the perspective of a young girl named Miv, who lives in West Yorkshire at the time that the community is being plagued by these vicious killings. There are small snippets from others throughout the book, but Miv is definitely our focus.

As a child, I believe she’s around 11-years old, Miv doesn’t full grasp the gravity of what is happening around her in the community, how serious the threat is, but she knows it’s something bad and frightening.

Along with her friend, Sharon, the two decide they are going to find this killer and put a stop to it. They begin digging around, finding suspicious things about the people in their community. Could one of these suspicious people be responsible for the killings?

We follow along and learn about this community, which is a bit economically depressed, with families who yeah, have issues that stem from the life stressors that come along with systemic poverty and uncertainty.

I won’t get too much further into it, as I feel like my experience with it, not knowing too much, is really the best way to experience this. It pulled me in. Miv has all the purity of childhood, thrust into pretty scary circumstances.

I feel like she was trying to bring order to that in any way she could. It was like the more she could control her circumstances, the less scary it would feel for her, which is relatable, right?

Unfortunately, she didn’t realize how much her actions could impact those around here, and we do see some of that play out. I loved learning about this community and meeting the various adults who played a part in the neighborhood goings-on.

I loved the fluidity and humanity in Godfrey’s writing and though it did feel a little slow to me at times, there’s really nothing I would have taken out of it. I just feel like it’s a bit more Literary than I’m used to reading, so I grew impatient at time with the pace.

Overall however, even though this wasn’t at all what I expected, I did end up getting fully sucked into the story and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought Godfrey did a great job of making this an immersive experience for the Reader, and the audiobook production added to that with the multiple narrators. I would recommend the audiobook format if you’re going to check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I can’t wait to read more from Jennie Godfrey!!

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Review: The Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko

~ megs14malloy

The Darkness Greeted HerThe Darkness Greeted Her by Christina Ferko
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Darkness Greeted her is a YA Horror novel tackling themes such as sapphic relationships, mental health struggles, overcoming trauma, and features a dark atmosphere.

In this story, our MC is Penny, who has a traumatic past, mostly surrounding her abusive father, that she’s trying to overcome. She also struggles with Harm OCD, so she enlists in a therapy camp to try to face her issues head on, and get control of her life back.

Camp Whitewood is very small, I think there were maybe 8 girls total. I don’t remember specifically, but it was a smaller group, which gave it a more intimate feel.

Even though we follow Penny mainly, Ferko did provide different sections for the other girls, where we are shown the parts of their pasts that may have contributed to them entering Camp Whitewood. And though everyone had very different experiences, you could tell that their trauma was something that they could relate and bond over.

The interesting and horrible part of the camp is that their traumas seem to suddenly take form in the shape of a Shadow Man, a monster who brings their deepest fears to life. The visions involved in this are truly horrific for the girls, and also confusing.

As their hallucinations escalate and girls begin to turn up dead, Penny must team up with whoever is left to get to the truth behind the Shadow Man, and try to defeat him before he’s able to conquer the rest of them.

I liked this. It’s a heavy story and does involve a lot of depictions of traumatic situations happening on page; check for trigger warnings if that concerns you. I enjoyed the idea of this Shadow Man entity bringing their darkest nightmares to life for these recovering girls to try to defeat.

The action bits, particularly towards the end, were quite chaotic and I did find it slightly difficult to visualize and track. Additionally, I didn’t necessarily find any of the characters, besides Penny, that memorable. They were pretty much interchangeable to me, but I did appreciate the difficult topics the author was addressing.

I think in the YA space this would be a good introduction to this style of Horror for a lot of younger readers. For me, this really didn’t do anything new or exciting, therefore I’m not sure how memorable it will be long term.

However, I do appreciate the author’s efforts and vision. I know so many Readers are going to be able to connect to the girls’ experiences in this book, and that’s super important as well. I’m glad I checked it out.

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’d be happy to pick up more from this author in the future.

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Review: On Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith

~ megs14malloy

On LocationOn Location by Sarah Echavarre Smith
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

**1.5-stars rounded up**

On Location has been on my TBR for 2021. On a whim last week, I decided to read it for a Romance Readathon I was participating in. I started it with the best of hopes, even though it’s overall rating isn’t particularly high.

I’m not a picky Reader, and frequently end up enjoying things others may not have. However, about 20% into this one, I knew that wasn’t going to be the case. In fact, I figured I might end up liking it even less than others.

A few friends advised me to DNF, but I rarely DNF. Sometimes, the saltier something makes me, the more I want to keep reading, with thoughts of, how did this even get published swirling in my head.

Honestly, there’s nothing like a rage read to keep you flipping pages. I disliked so much about this book, so I am going to do something a little different with this review. Instead of wasting time going through details, I will just share some of my status updates I posted while reading it to give you a general idea of my experience:

18% — “Wow. Alia (the main character) is a terrible manager of people. You manage by leading, not angrily bossing people around. She’s a tyrant. Besides her cringe management attempts however, I am enjoying this! We’ll see what happens 👀”

At this point, as you can see, I was remaining positive…

25% — “I hate this MC. She has zero emotional intelligence and shouldn’t be in a upper management position. I would fire her yesterday.”

26% — “Seriously, reading this MC thinking about how she needs to talk to others about their professionalism is so laughable. Did the author do this on purpose? She realizes she’s made her MC, who is supposed to be this strong woman in charge, act like a child throwing a temper tantrum every 5-mins, right?”

32% — “I’m 100% rage reading this right now. I hate it.”

42% — “That was the stupidest OTT fight ever. My eyes hurt from all the rolling.”

47% — “Holy shit. This dialogue is sooooo cringe. Good Lord.”

69% — “Alia’s 7th-grade persona went away for a couple of chapters, but she’s back with a vengeance now 🙄”

86% — “Oh my god 😳 seriously!? Alia is sooooo ridiculous 🙄 I cannot with the fact that she is supposed to be in her 30s!?”

And that pretty much sums it up. There were two scenes in the 2nd-half I thought were good, a sexting scene in a shared condo and a hot tub scene. Other than that, I was annoyed each and every page by one thing or another.

You know in Junior High school when there’s a school dance, and a boy that a girl likes ends up paying attention to another girl, and the next thing you know, half the girls in the class are running in and out of the bathroom, crying and blubbering and living their ultimate dramatic lives?

That was this MC.

At the end of the day, happy to cross it off the list and clear up some space on my kindle. I’m now going to block it from my mind forever.

Berkley, I love you. Thank you for providing me a copy of this all those years ago. I love so, so, so many Berkley Romances, past and present, but this was not it for me.

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Review: 25 Days by Per Jacobsen

~ megs14malloy

25 Days25 Days by Per Jacobsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

25 Days is a Winter Horror Thriller set in the month of December. The author has cleverly structured it so that it can be read like an advent calendar, as each chapter is one day leading up to Christmas.

Hence the name, 25 Days.

The story follows Adam Gray and his family. Adam and his wife have been at odds recently, and in an effort to draw everyone closer together, he rents a holiday home for them for the days leading up to Christmas.

The vacation rental is a remote cabin tucked away on a snowy mountain. Far from the outside world, the family should have zero distractions, allowing more time for good ole’ fashioned family fun.

Things quickly take a dark turn though, when someone begins leaving grotesque gifts in a Christmas stocking tacked to the barn door. Each more brings something new, and the gifts progressively escalate in threat level.

It’s clear someone is stalking their cabin, toying with them like a cat with a mouse. How will Adam be able to protect his family? He needs to get them off this mountain, but the odds are definitely stacked against them.

I don’t have a ton to say about this one. This wasn’t bad by any means, it just felt very standard to me. Glancing at other reviews, it definitely seems that other Readers enjoyed this one a lot more than me.

It does have a particular intensity to it that I can see why it would pull people in, but for me, it just never truly captured me. I was reading it and it was fine, but nothing drew me in, or made me feel invested for this family.

It was mildly entertaining in the moment, but overall I’d say fairly forgettable. It’s giving standard Winter Thriller, vacation gone bad, vibes, but maybe amping it up a bit.

I do think it could be fun to read while on your own Winter vacation. It might keep you up at night, particularly if you’re in a remote location.

In only took me a day to read, quick and easy, so that was a plus, but I probably won’t think about it again now that the review is done. If you’re looking for a Wintery Horror Thriller though, give it shot. So many Readers are having fun with it, and you may too.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me a copy to read and review. While I appreciate the thought the author put into the structure of the story, it just wasn’t for me.

On to the next!

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Review: The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson

~ megs14malloy

The ScammerThe Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜❤️

The Scammer is classic Tiffany D. Jackson. A true to life, hard-hitting YA Thriller with thought-provoking Social Horror elements and a compelling protagonist.

This story gets so intense and succeeded in getting my pulse absolutely racing in multiple places. A++ to the added twist at the end, which I did not see coming!

I’m getting ahead of myself though. What is this about?

This story follows Jordyn, who against her overbearing parents wishes, has given up her shot at an ivy league school in order to enroll at a prestigious, historically-Black college, in Washington, D.C.

She has her reasons for making this choice, but her parents don’t want to hear any of it. They practically disown her. By the time Jordyn is moving into her dorm she is ready for a fresh start, far removed from her parents.

She enjoys meeting her new roommates and all seems to be going well. Jordyn keeps a lot of her past to herself, but other than that, she feels like she’s found a place to belong and is making good friends.

But when one of her new roommate’s brother, Devonte, moves into their dorm suite after he’s released from prison, things start to vastly change.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, to help him get back on his feet, but as time passes, Devonte shows zero signs of leaving. In fact, he’s inserted himself into the girls’ lives in disturbing and inappropriate ways. Jordyn seems to be the only one growing increasingly uneasy in Devonte’s presence, and soon she finds herself on the outside.

When one of her roommates suddenly disappears under frightening circumstances, Jordyn suspects Devonte had something to do with it, but how can she prove it?

She teams up with the university’s lone white student to try to get to the truth regarding her roommate’s disappearance. Unfortunately, they’re ready for her and Jordyn finds herself enmeshed in a nightmare she may never escape.

Watching Devonte come into this shared living space and do the things he did, it infuriated me at times. And by at times, I mean the majority of the time.

The way Jackson wrote this, it was like I was a fly on the wall watching it all go down, and as the danger escalated, I was powerless. I couldn’t do anything to help these girls. I imagine that may have been what Jordyn was feeling in a lot of these moments too.

I believe this is based on the case at Sarah Lawrence that began around 2010, but I don’t know too many specific details on that. This did make me want to research it further though, as I’m shocked something like this could happen on a University campus and it wouldn’t be stopped.

Jackson also did a great job developing Jordyn as a character. There were moments I wasn’t sure I liked her, some of her thought patterns bothered me, but as I learned all she had been through with her family and just her entire past, it started to make sense. I grew to really love her.

Also, I feel like she had such a great character arc, from her first day on campus until the shocking conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys an intense and twisted YA, or New Adult, Thriller. Bonus points if you enjoy social commentary, or have enjoyed any of Jackson’s work in the past. This has her signature style all over it and I love it.

Thank you to the publisher, Quill Tree Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Tiffany D. Jackson is one of my favorite authors. I always look forward to her new releases and they NEVER disappoint.

I can’t wait to see what she graces us with next!

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Review: Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

~ megs14malloy

Forget Me NotForget Me Not by Stacy Willingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

Claire’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared 22-years ago. This was a traumatizing event for young-Claire, and she’s carried heavy feelings regarding it ever since. It severed their family and nothing was ever the same.

In fact, after leaving home for college, Claire has never returned. She was more than happy to leave the past in the past, where it belongs.

She moved to a city and worked her way up as an investigative journalist. Recently, after not receiving a promotion she should have been a shoe-in for, she gave up her position and decided to do freelance work.

Unfortunately, securing that work has been more difficult than she anticipated, so when she receives a call from her Dad saying her Mom has been injured and can use her help, she decides to go to her aide.

Returning to her hometown after such a long period of time away churns up all sorts of buried emotions. Additionally, her estranged mother doesn’t seem all that happy to see her, like not at all. It hurts.

With nothing but time stretching ahead of her, and restless where she’s at, Claire decides to do a little digging. She’s an investigative journalist, after all.

She decides to go to visit Galloway Farm, the vineyard in South Carolina where Natalie had a Summer job just prior to her disappearance. The visit ends up turning into temporary work for Claire, who although she’s never been a farm hand, is excited about the offer of free room and board.

The idyllic escape quickly moves in a more mysterious direction though after she stumbles across the owner’s wife’s old diary stashed away in her cottage. Originally thinking it’s just a tale of young love, Claire is surprised when the diary reveals much darker truths involving unsolved crimes and missing persons.

I really enjoyed my time reading Forget Me Not. Stacy Willingham definitely knows how to write a compelling and suspense-filled story. I always anticipate her latest releases, and so far, I’ve never been let down.

I read this via audio, and it does feature dual narration, with one of my favorite voice artists, Karissa Vacker, voicing Claire, and Helen Laser voicing the diary bits. I appreciated that the publisher chose to use the two narrators as it really helped to make the separate sections distinct.

This also features a couple of my favorites tropes, the MC returning to her hometown after a long-time away and the found diary, so it was sort of fated to work for me.

I also tend to love mystery stories that follow journalists, because it feels natural for them to be digging into things the way they do. It doesn’t seem forced, or far-fetched. It’s literally part of their jobs and they have the training and experience to do so.

I felt bad for Claire as a character. My heart definitely went out to her. She lost her sister, a person she idolized, and through that also ended up losing her Mom and Dad. They separated, and her family unit all went their separate ways. She felt very alone.

The intensity builds steadily throughout. It pulls you in and while I did guess a few of the big twists that were revealed, there were many more that I didn’t see coming.

This is def entertaining and I would recommend it to Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Readers. I’m not sure how memorable it’ll be for me long term, but it was very fun.

It’s a bit culty, a bit cringey domestic drama and dark family secrets. It’s got a lot going for it, honestly, for those of us who love messy relationship dynamics.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I’ve enjoyed all of Willingham’s books and will be anxiously awaiting whatever she writes next. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us.

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