2023 releases

Review: Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards

~ megs14malloy

Four Found DeadFour Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Sandusky, Ohio, the once thriving three-story shopping mall is closed. Only the attached movie theater, Tempest Theaters, is still in operation, or was.

At the start of Four Found Dead, Tempest Theaters has just shown its final movies. It’s the last night of operation before it will join the rest of the mall in closing forever.

Jo and her six colleagues have locked the doors and their final clean-up at the theater has begun. It’s bittersweet, but the friends are looking forward to going out and grabbing pancakes together after they leave.

Unfortunately, an unexpected altercation, involving their super-buff, jerk of a manager, Clayton, ends up putting their pancake plans on hold. They just want to get the heck out of there, but Clayton is spiraling and he’s not letting them out.

They’re literally unable to leave, as Clayton is the only one with the keys to the exit doors. After they finish their tasks, they quietly try to figure out what is going on with him. Maybe he has finally lost it? He seems dangerous.

Oh, also, the icing on the cake, Clayton’s no phones on shift rule, allows him to lock-up all of their phones in the office safe at the start of the night and he isn’t opening it now. Thus, the friends have no means of communicating with anyone outside of the theater.

As the tension and anxiety continues to rise, the power goes out. They are left in almost complete darkness. Then the screams begin.

One dead body in the employee locker room starts it all. It’s clear it wasn’t an accident.

The girl whose blood-curdling shrieks brought the others to the locker room to make the grisly discovery, is barely coherent. They can’t get anything out of her, but they all know who did this…

The remaining coworkers, Jo, Hudson, Quincy, Naomi and Summer, need to find a way to escape. Clayton is lurking in the dark. Their only possible way out just might be through the boarded up, abandoned shopping mall.

I started this book on Sunday morning and finished it Monday. I could not put it down. I considered calling in sick to work, LOL. I haven’t devoured a story like that in a while. It’s such a compulsive read.

I loved the setting of the theater and abandoned mall. It was easy to picture every single scene in my mind. The lack of power, boarded up doors and stores made in particularly eerie. I felt like Richards did a great job portraying that.

Personally, I think this would make a fun movie. I would love to see a Netflix or Hulu adaptation. There’s certainly plenty of abandoned malls around for them to film at…

I also really enjoyed the pace. The tension continued to build throughout as the characters became more and more desperate for escape.

Jo was an interesting main character, as we learned a bit about her past, which included another traumatic and terrifying event that truly shaped who she had become as a person. There was a lot for her to prove to herself in the current circumstance.

The entire drama has a real survive the night feel and while it isn’t mysterious per se, I definitely second-guessed some things and some character motivations.

What this is though, is definitely a high-stakes, action-packed, drama-fueled Thriller. I found it entertaining as heck and am so glad I had the chance to read it already.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Sourcebooks Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is the exact kind of story I have been craving lately!

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Review: Fractal Noise (Fractalverse #2) by Christopher Paolini

~ megs14malloy

Fractal Noise (Fractalverse #2)Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fractal Noise is set in the same world as Paolini’s 2020-release, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. I really enjoyed that fast-paced story of first contact, so was pretty excited when I heard of this release.

As with To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, I listened to the audiobook of this and it is incredibly well done. I cannot recommend it enough as a format choice for taking in this story.

Jennifer Hale is such a talented voice artist and truly is able to bring life to the characters and the story. Additionally, there’s great sound effects included, perfect for this high-tech SF-tale.

In a way, this is also a story of first contact. It’s not as intense, or action-packed, as TSIASOS. It has a lighter touch and focuses more on the philosophical side of our place in the universe, our purpose and what our relationship would/should be with other sentient beings.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still gripping, emotional and full of tense moments, just overall, it’s a different focus for the SF-elements, IMO.

In Fractal Noise, our main character is Alex. Alex is a xenobiologist, who has lost his wife and at the beginning of the story, to say he is struggling emotionally would be to put it mildly. What even is the purpose of his life anymore?

In spite of his depression, Alex is an active member of the crew of a ship called the Adamura and this crew ends up discovering a giant hole, an anomaly, on the desolate planet of Talos VII. Perhaps, Alex has a purpose after all.

It’s unlike anything that could occur naturally. It’s too perfect. It has to have been created by something, or someone, but for what purpose?

The crew of the Adamura agree to partake in a mission to investigate the hole first hand. The truth of the anomaly could help to fill in answers for some of the mysteries of the universe. Who wouldn’t want to investigate that?

Because of the nature of the hole, they can’t touch down too close. They have to land some distance from the hole and then traverse the planet on foot in order to even get close. It’s incredibly dangerous. The four member team is ready to take it on though.

The other members of the team are Talia, Chen and Pushkin. Each of them specializes in a different area of science and each brings their own strengths and weaknesses to the table.

These individuals cannot be more different and their personalities definitely clash at times. It ends up bringing quite a bit of tension to the story. If you think their only threat would be aliens, or the hole itself, you’d be wrong. Humans can be volatile, whether on terra firma or in space.

The coolest aspect for me though was the hole itself. Once they begin their mission on Talos VII, it becomes clear very quickly that the hole is emitting a pulse of some sort. It’s so powerful that it messes with their comms and they can feel it through every fiber of their bodies.

If I am remembering correctly, it is emitted in a pattern, something like every 10.9-seconds. The closer they get, the more powerful it is. It gets to the point where it seems it is driving them a little mad.

Additionally, the closer they get to the hole, the higher and higher the tension gets amongst the team members. What is up, what is down? It’s hard to keep it straight. Who is in the right, and who is the evil one in their ranks?

I really enjoyed my time listening to this. I feel like Paolini is such a solid SF-writer. The story flows so fluidly and is full of fantastic sci-fi concepts and ideas, yet is so approachable and easy to understand.

I felt like I really got to know these characters and while I wasn’t crazy about all of them, or even most of them, I felt like I understood where they were coming from and why they made the choices they did. Their conversations did open up lots of avenue for thought into our place, and our greater role, as a species in the universe.

I would recommend this to people who enjoy SF-stories with a dangerous space-set mission, or stories of first contact. Especially if you like considering those types of scenarios for our own future, what that could mean. I felt really connected to this story and definitely hope Paolini continues writing in this genre.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I have nothing but the highest praise Hale’s narration and this audio production in general!

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Review: Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

~ megs14malloy

NocturneNocturne by Alyssa Wees
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let’s start off this review with a little confession, shall we?

I participated in a Readathon this week where one of the prompts was to read the lowest rated book on your TBR. While this isn’t the lowest rated book overall, it was the lowest rate ARC that I currently had to read.

Always trying to check off some ARCs, I decided to give it a go, but I didn’t go in with high expectations.

Luckily for me, Nocturne turned out to be a pretty great example of why I tend not to look at ratings and reviews before I pick up a book. I know that goes against everything we’re doing here, but it’s the truth.

Reading is an incredibly subjective activity. Pair the right book, at the right time, with the right Reader and magic can happen. Read that same book when your in a certain mood and it can be a total flop.

I’m clearly the right Reader for this book. This story is set in 1930’s Chicago and seamlessly blends Historical Fiction with Dark Fantasy and light Romance.

Our main character is Grace Dragotta, who after being orphaned, ventures out on her own and joins a dancing company. A life she dreamed of. When we meet Grace, she is a teen and on the cusp of being elevated to prima ballerina within her company.

Unfortunately for Grace, raising to this rank is bittersweet. She only gets the role after her best friend, Emilia, leaves her spot as prima to be married. Grace is losing the closest person to her in all the world. She doesn’t know how she’ll get by without Emilia’s comforting presence.

Not long after her ascendancy, Grace receives word from her Mistress that she has caught the eye of a mysterious, wealthy patron. In order to keep her dance house afloat, the Mistress essentially sells Grace to this man.

Grace is forced to live at his estate, only traveling back to the studio to train and perform. There’s a lot of whispers about her new life, but Grace tries her best to just get on with it.

As she learns the shocking truth about her patron, it’s clear that the life she dreamed for herself will never come to be.

Y’all, I really enjoyed this. It’s not a complicated story. It’s pretty straight-forward, well-written and the concepts are easy to understand.

I should note that I grew up in dance and playing the violin, the two artistic pursuits that the main character engages in. Having my own personal experience and passions in those two areas did increase my connection to the story. I loved Grace and learning about her life.

This feels very much inspired by Beauty and the Beast. I loved those elements. I wasn’t expecting them and every time I would come across something that made me think of that classic tale, it would make me happy.

The relationship between Grace and her Master, was lush and evocative. I really enjoyed the truth of him and what he was offering her. Additionally, I enjoyed the evolution of her feelings for him and her place in his world.

Wees writing is quite beautiful and I liked the way she wrote the initial set-up and then progressed the plot. I thought the pacing of this was fantastic, it kept me engaged the entire way through.

Overall, I found Nocturne to be lyrical, dark and enchanting. Wees successfully swept me up and away into a whole other world. In a way, it felt like a love letter to the healing power of artistic expression. I’m so glad I finally made time for it.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was gorgeous and I look forward to reading more from Wees in the future!

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Review: The Stranded by Sarah Daniels

~ megs14malloy

The Stranded (Stranded, #1)The Stranded by Sarah Daniels
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The Stranded is a YA-Dystopian novel, the cover and synopsis of which grabbed my attention right away. The cover emits quite the vibe. I love it. It’s so Ghost Ship.

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy, but then put off reading it for a bit after seeing some not so encouraging reviews. I wasn’t sure I was in the right mood to get into it at that time.

Recently, I felt inspired to go for it. I was itching to get into a dark and high-stakes YA-Dystopian world.

Unfortunately, this book was a complete miss for me. After the initial set-up, I’m talking the first 5-8%, I was feeling good about it, but then nothing happened.

It never took off for me; fell flat with a vengeance. I dreaded picking it back up after I put it down and never felt compelled or intrigued in any way.

Honestly, I should have pulled the plug, but for some reason, I just felt like if I kept going, maybe I would have a light-bulb moment with it. All would make sense and I would suddenly feel connected with the characters and the story.

The narrative follows three different characters, none of which I felt were particularly well-developed. Additionally, I didn’t feel the world was developed at all. I wanted so much more from it.

One of the things I tend to enjoy about Dystopians are that, sometimes, if done well, you can see glimmers of your society in them. You think to yourself, this is creepy because this could happen. I never felt that with this, because I didn’t feel like I really knew anything about the world, or what led them to be in the current state.

The stakes were ambiguous, the tension was nonexistent and I couldn’t have cared less what happened to any of the characters we were following.

I don’t want to beat a dead horse with this review, too late, some of you may be thinking, nevertheless I shall bow out gracefully here…

As always, please take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am by no means an expert on all things YA Dystopian novels.

If this synopsis sounds intriguing to you, give it a go. You may love it and then you can circle back and tell me how very wrong I am. I look forward to it!

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

Although The Stranded wasn’t for me, I know there are a lot of Readers out there who will really enjoy it. I look forward to seeing their thoughts on this one.

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Review: Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm (SEA #2) by Julie Kagawa

~ megs14malloy

Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm (Fiction - Middle Grade)Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm is the second book in Disney’s Middle Grade Adventure series, Society of Explorers and Adventurers. I read the first book, Shinji Takahashi and the Mark of the Coatl, just before its release last year, at the start of 2022. I absolutely adored it.

Unsurprisingly, Kagawa was able to capture my attention right away, as well as my heart, with her fun characters and pulse-pounding action. The vivid imagery can’t be beat.

As a side note, if you are unaware, Disney’s Society of Explorers and Adventurers, known as S.E.A., is a fictional organization sprinkled about various attractions at Disney Theme Parks. Google it!

The organization is said to be comprised of scientists, travelers and researchers, who traverse the globe continuing to explore the world’s oceans and exotic lands.

In this novel, Shinji is officially a member of S.E.A., along with his friend, Lucy Hightower and her mechanical mouse, Tinker. They are residing at S.E.A. headquarters, where Shinji is working to understand his new powers and struggling a bit to grow into them.

Before he is able to do that though, S.E.A. has another potential adventure on their hands and Shinji and Lucy are included as part of the team. Let’s go!

A sunken ship, thought to belong to the long-extinct Natia people, has been discovered in the South Pacific. It’s a race against the clock as the members of S.E.A. try to get there before their rival, the evil Hightower Corporation, can find it and plunder the artifacts.

Even though the kids are traveling along with veteran S.E.A. members, like Oliver Ocean and Phoebe Mystic, nothing goes as planned. It’s obstacle after obstacle as the team struggles to reach their final oceanic destination.

After Shinji accidentally awakens another guardian, a giant mythological storm boar, wild weather released by this boar threatens to ravage the coast of California.

Shinji needs to learn to control his powers and figure out how to appease the storm boar before its too late, but the odds seem to be stacked against him. Stress!!!

Kagawa knows how to deliver an entertaining sequel. Almost everything that could happen on this adventure does. There’s an erupting volcano, a nearly sinking ship, breaking into Hightower Headquarters, fighting off robot guards and flying into a storm, to name a few.

The humor Kagawa brings to the story too makes it charming and fun. I love these characters and it was interesting learning more about them, as well as more about the organization. We also meet some new characters and learn more about Hightower.

I thought the conclusion to this was heart-warming and it left off in a great spot to continue on with the series. I am really hoping for a third book.

I definitely recommend this series to Readers who enjoy an engaging Middle Grade Adventure. You cannot go wrong with Kagawa’s writing. Top shelf, beginning to end.

Additionally, the audiobook is fabulously narrated, so I do recommend that as a format. It was how I read it and I felt like I was there with these characters. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time!

Thank you to the publisher, Disney Hyperion and Disney Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was a ton of fun.

I love Shinji so much. He has all the qualities one would want in a hero. It fills my heart!

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Review: Games for Dead Girls by Jen Williams

~ megs14malloy

Games for Dead GirlsGames for Dead Girls by Jen Williams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars rounded up**

Games for Dead Girls is the latest release from Jen Williams. This is the second novel I have read from Williams and unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about either one.

In this story, we are following multiple timelines. One is a past perspective when two girls, Charlie and Emily, become friends in the small Seaside town of Hithechurch, England.

In an effort to try to rid Emily of her abusive father, the two girls perform a ritual to summon the spirit of a local legend, a girl killed by pirates, who Charlie dubs, Stitch Face Sue.

Even though they are unsuccessful, Emily becomes obsessed with the idea of Stitch Face Sue and of summoning her. When the two recruit another young girl into their friendship group, the end result is disastrous.

The new girl is killed and Emily and Charlie get caught trying to hide her body, after which they’re both sent to institutions for the remainder of their childhood.

Another perspective is Charlie in the present. Now an adult, Charlie has returned to Hithechurch under the guise of researching a book about the local folklore.

That’s not her only reason for being in town though. Emily has released a memoir regarding the incident that changed the course of their lives and she’s laying all the blame at Charlie’s feet.

Charlie is determined to find the evidence she needs to prove that what Emily is saying is false.

Then there is a third, more mysterious perspective, of a man in Hithechurch decades before Charlie and Emily meet.

Eventually, the three perspectives as one story starts to make sense. Unfortunately, for me, it lost some of the impact because it was such a slog getting to the conclusion.

In my opinion, I felt like the perspectives didn’t flow well, one into the other. It felt jarring to me and also a bit confusing keeping track of what was going on amongst the different times. I feel like nothing was memorable enough to stand out, so it made it more difficult to follow.

I liked the idea behind this, the legends of a small seaside town influencing some local kids to do terrible things. I like that premise. I also think the reason behind Charlie coming back to town was kind of fun and made sense as far as motivation for her current actions.

This reminded me a lot, a lot, a lot of The Dead Girls Club. I personally enjoyed this one a little more, because at least I never rolled my eyes at anything the MC was doing.

Unfortunately, neither one of them really delivered the dark atmosphere and engaging plot that I was hoping for.

At the end of the day, while I wasn’t crazy about this one, I can see that there is a good story in here, somewhere. Hence the 2.5-stars rounded up.

With this being said, this will probably be my last-go with this author. Just know, it’s not her, it’s me. I just don’t seem to be the right fit for her style of writing, but I know there are many Readers out there who will be.

After all, as I always say, there’s a Reader for every book and book for every Reader. If the synopsis sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go. You could end up finding a new favorite book!

Thank you to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to provide my feedback.

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Review: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

~ megs14malloy

The Haunting of AlejandraThe Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Haunting of Alejandra is a slow burn. One which, I’ll be honest, initially, I wasn’t sure was going to be for me.

I am happy to say that this slow-burner is well-worth the wait. It ended up really grabbing me. It is such a powerful story; so much more than a pretty cover.

In this story we follow, Alejandra, wife, mother and homemaker. When we meet her, Alejandra is struggling. She feels trapped, like she has no control over her life. She feels judged by her husband, used by her children and overlooked by the rest of the world.

Alejandra has no close family for support either. She was adopted when she was just a baby, by a super-religious family, she has since broken ties with.

She has found and contacted her birth mother though and was starting to build a relationship with her. Unfortunately, due to her husband’s work, they had to move and now her bio-mom lives far away.

Alejandra is having visions. She is depressed, in a black hole she sees no way out of. It’s difficult to read at times. I could definitely see her side, but man, was it bleak.

This is a story of generational trauma as well, so even though Alejandra doesn’t know a lot about her ancestors, or their lives, we get to follow some of them through different historical perspectives.

I did enjoy this. Some of these perspectives were more interesting than others, but where they really succeeded was in shining a light on the similarities of these women’s lives.

No matter how far they were separated in time, they all struggled with the same issues. The largest being, lack of choice and a battle for personal autonomy.

The Horror elements in this stem from Alejandra’s haunting by a spirit appearing as La Llorona, the Mexican Folk Demon, seemingly attached to Alejandra’s family.

This is the first novel I have read by V. Castro and I was impressed with the level of Horror imagery brought to the page. Toe-curling in some sections, visceral and biting, it definitely made me cringe.

Additionally, I loved how tied the haunting was to Alejandra’s culture. As mentioned above, she didn’t know a ton about her heritage initially, but believe it or not, I felt like what happened to her inspired her to learn more; to be more in touch with that part of herself.

Overall, I am so glad that I stuck with this one. It was a little tough to get through at first, but Castro made it worth it. There was a plan behind it all and it paid off big time. This will stick in my mind for a long time.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

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Review: The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

~ megs14malloy

The Renaissance of Gwen HathawayThe Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙❤️🤍💙

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is a charming-YA Contemporary Romantic Comedy set at a Renaissance Faire.

If that description sounds even slightly alluring to you, you need to pick this up posthaste.

In this story we follow 17-year old, Maddie Hathaway, who has traveled and worked the Faire circuit with her parents her whole life. Maddie doesn’t attend regular school and has had only one really close friend.

A lot has changed over the last year for Maddie though. Her good friend and their family have left the circuit, so they are forced into long-distance friendship. The most devastating change though is that Maddie’s Mom has passed away, leaving her and her Dad to travel the circuit alone.

It’s understandably left a huge hole in their lives and while they are still close, they have a more difficult time connecting without Mom around.

When we meet Maddie, they are just getting to the final stop of the season, a place in Oklahoma that was her Mom’s favorite. This seems fitting as the one-year anniversary of her passing is going to happen while they are there.

Unfortunately, the property is under new management and a lot has changed.

Being back at this place and seeing the changes sends Maddie for a bit of loop. She is struggling and feels alone. Her Dad keeps himself busy with work and Faire friends, so it gives Maddie a lot of time to just be in her own head. Sometimes that is not a comfortable place to be.

Then we meet Arthur. A jovial and fun-loving bard, son to the new owners, who sets his sights on Maddie, christens her Gwen, as in Guinevere, and then refuses to leave her alone, no matter how much Maddie tries to shut him down.

We are talking the teen grumpy-sunshine set-up of my dreams. Once Arthur and Maddie meet, I was unable to look away. They are just so cute.

I loved how wholesome this story felt. I generally wouldn’t use that word, but I don’t know, it just seems to fit here. It was such a great examination of IRL-issues, while also bringing such warm humor and charm.

The setting of the Faire is so well done. I love how the Faire shapes the action. It’s not just stated as the backdrop to sell copies, it actually is an integral part of the story.

I feel like a lot of Readers will be able to connect with this one. As an exploration of grief and confidence issues, I can’t give it higher marks. I also liked the way Maddie’s character grew over the course of the story.

As Maddie was able to let down her walls, the world opened for her in such a positive way. I know this is a standalone, but I would love more of this story and these characters.

Maddie is at such an important point in her life, the end of high school, and I would love to see what choices she makes for herself in the future.

Initially, I gave this one 4.5-stars, but the more I have sat with the story, thought about it, talked about it, recommended it to people, the more in love with it I am.

I laughed, I cried, I became so invested in Maddie’s life and outcome; how could I not bump this up to 5-stars?

If you love witty banter and humor, paired with the honest exploration of real-world issues, you have to check this out; particularly if you a fan of Renaissance Faires. Additionally, I think this could be a great story for parents and teens to read together. I think it could open up some great dialogue.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This is the first novel I have read from Ashley Shumacher and I am definitely excited to read more of their work in the future!

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Review: Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti

~ megs14malloy

Tell Me What Really HappenedTell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Five friends go into the woods, only four make it out alive. You may think you know this story, but I assure you, you’ve never heard it told like this!

In this story we’re following five high school friends, Nolan, Petra, Maylee, John and Abigail. It’s a sort of Breakfast Clubby set-up, with each character falling into a particular stereotypical role.

Maylee is the Queen Bee of the group, a wannabe influencer, snapping shots of herself whenever and wherever she can. It’s her idea to go on this ill-fated camping trip.

Petra is Maylee’s best friend, a smart girl, who tells it like it is. She’s the only person who doesn’t bow down to Maylee. Petra loves her, but she’s not going to be steamrolled by her.

The other campers include Nolan, Petra’s step-brother, an outcast with a penchant for cryptid lore, who always manages to say the wrong thing; Abigail, the poor girl-next-door, who isn’t really part of the group, and John, Maylee’s boyfriend, the jock with a heart of gold.

The trip begins with stress and ends very much the same way, x10. They’re at each other’s throats from the start and it’s clear that something is going to go wrong.

The shining star of this book is hands-down the format. Told strictly through police interviews, I was blown away by how much tension Sedoti was able to create with that.

Each chapter begins as a question asked by the investigators. The subsequent meat of the chapter is the various players answering that question.

Most interesting to me was how that initial question, at the header of each chapter, is the only question revealed, but you can feel the characters filling in subsequent questions.

I’m not quite sure how else to describe it. It’s definitely something you need to experience for yourself. I was super impressed with how clever this was.

Sedoti not only set the entire stage, but filled it in just by flawlessly placing answers to a few questions. It had to be perfectly arranged in order for it to flow well and make sense. I think she did a phenomenal job with that.

Overall, I found this to be a very fun read. It was grand how this unique format could create such a super quick and tense read. The characters drew me in. They felt believable and genuine in their distress.

It’s not a groundbreaking story as far as the plot goes. Sadly, I even sort of felt like the conclusion was a bit anti-climatic in comparison with the build-up. Nevertheless, this was still a very engaging reading experience and I would definitely recommend it to fans of YA Thrillers.

Thank you so much to the publisher, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was impressed with this and look forward to picking up more from this author!

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Review: The Plus One (A Brush with Love #3) by Mazey Eddings

~ megs14malloy

The Plus One (A Brush with Love, #3)The Plus One by Mazey Eddings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

The Plus One is the newest installment in the A Brush with Love series by Mazey Eddings. This series consists of companion novels, set in Philadelphia, following a strong and supportive friendship group of women in their late-20s.

Each of the women we meet over the course of the series is incredibly-well fleshed out, with their own distinct strengths, weaknesses and personality quirks.

In this third book, it is Indira’s turn to take the leading role. We have met Indira in the previous two books, but it was nice to really get to know her through this story. I’ve always liked her, after this though, I love her.

This starts off horribly for Indira after she walks in on her live-in boyfriend, Chris, having a bit of a tug and cuddle with a stranger. It’s clearly not the first time.

Indira is horrified, she can’t believe her eyes, like really can’t believe her eyes. Is that peanut butter?! She’s ticked, she’s done, she wants out.

Quickly packing her things, including her adorable cat, Indira races over to her brother, Colin’s, house, heartbroken and distraught. Well, maybe not heartbroken per se, but definitely distraught.

Adding insult to injury, when she gets to Colin’s she discovers his best friend, Jude, is currently staying there as well. Ughhhh, life is unfair.

Of course he is. With Colin and his fiance’s wedding rapidly approaching, of course Jude would be there, it just couldn’t be worse timing for Indira. She can’t stand Jude. Even growing up, they were always at odds with one another.

Jude, a surgeon, has been traveling the world for the past few years working in the most dire circumstances, war-torn and impoverished communities; humanitarian crisis zones. Returning to the United States for Colin’s wedding, Jude is having a hard time adjusting.

He’s suffering from lack of sleep, paralyzing guilt and anxiety stemming from the things he has seen; the patients he has lost. The last thing he needs now is Indira.

While Indira is happy to have a place to go to escape Chris and his new lady friend, that doesn’t solve all her problems. Chris is friends with Colin and part of the wedding party.

With many pre-wedding events planned and the actual event itself looming on the horizon, she’s rattled with anxiety, how can she possibly face him?! It’s going to be awful.

Knowing of her predicament, Jude feels for Indira. He’s not heartless. Together they form a pact to fake date over the course of the wedding festivities. It will be great for both of them to have support during those events.

Indira has noticed something off about Jude since he’s been back. She’s hoping she’ll be able to provide some help for him if he begins to get overwhelmed.

As Indira and Jude spend more time together, it becomes clear that maybe their opinions of one-another have changed. It’s hard to deny the spark that fires between them. Will it last, or will it fizzle out once their need for fake dating is over?

Mazey Eddings is becoming quite the star in my eyes. My goodness, this series just keeps delivering the steam, the humor and all the feels!!

I loved both Indira and Jude. I also love how Eddings brings real-life issues to the page for her characters. No one is perfect in these stories. Everyone has something, sometimes multiple things, that they are working on, or through.

I was again impressed with how quickly Eddings is able to develop such flawed, sympathetic, witty and charming characters. It’s gripping right from start, mainly because you get sucked into the characters lives.

Jude’s story. in particular, I felt was incredibly well done. It was powerful, hard-hitting, eye-opening and honestly, quite serious. His PTSD was laid at your feet. It’s a heavy topic to tackle in an otherwise funny, romantic story.

I thought Eddings did a great job balancing the serious with the more light-hearted aspects. With this being said though, I did feel the tone of this one was a little different, heavier in a way, than the previous two.

It’s still fantastic, don’t get me wrong. I think part of it actually may stem from the relationship dynamic between our two mains. Jude and Indira have known each other a long time. They have an established relationship.

In the first two books, some of the fun and excitement came from two characters meeting, dating and falling in love. There’s always some underlying excitement in that process because it’s all new.

Here the exploration of the relationship was different because they came in with a history. That history did allow them to go deeper though, I felt, than the previous two couples. That’s not a bad thing, it just tackles romance from a different angle.

The humor, wit, steamy scenes and hilarious situations did not change though. Eddings knows how to shock, surprise and impress. I was completely absorbed in this story. Jude and Indira will always have a special place in my heart.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am in love with this series and cannot wait for the next book!

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