2025 releases

Review: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

~ megs14malloy ~ Leave a comment

Play NicePlay Nice by Rachel Harrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Rachel Harrison. She’s easily one of my favorite authors. From her stories, the sense of humor she includes and her MC’s characterizations, I’m confident we would be besties if we ever met IRL.

I’ve been lucky enough to read all of her releases early and actually did receive this as ARC. It’s my favorite cover of hers and I was so excited for it, but then I sat on it for a year. I have an e-copy, a hard copy and the audiobook, yet I never read it until now, over 13-months later.

This novel even includes some of my favorite things: a haunted possessed house, complicated family dynamics and an MC returning to their childhood home after a long time away, being forced to face their past and perhaps solve a long-standing mystery of some sort.

Harrison was checking all the boxes for me. It was like a gimme I was gonna love this, yet I let her grow stale and dusty on my shelves like a real jerk. I admit it. Contrary to the optics, I don’t have all my sh*t together, something the MC in this book, Clio Barnes, can certainly relate with.

How fitting…

Clio lives a glamorous life as a stylist and fashion influencer in NYC, but she harbors a dark secret. Clio’s family went through a lot of drama when she was young. After her parents divorce, they lived in a possessed house, at least that was her mother’s assertion and it shattered their family.

Ultimately, Clio, along with her two older sisters, ended up being removed from their mother’s care in favor of their father, and they remained estranged from her moving forward. Even though no one believed her, Clio’s Mom, Alex, was insistent that what she experienced in that house was real; it was possessed.

She even wrote a book about it, one Clio never read.

After Alex’s untimely death, the possessed house now passes to Clio and her sisters. Her sisters want nothing to do with it. In fact, they won’t even return for the funeral, but Clio decides it can be a new project. House flipping is great content and she’s not about to pass it up.

We follow Clio as she moves into a house she barely remembers and is forced to face all that happened there. She ends up discovering a tattered copy of her Mom’s book, with annotations specifically for her.

Left in the house to her own devices, reading her Mom’s words, memories start to resurface, and Clio begins to believe that her Mom may have been right. Something malevolent is living in this house and it begins to make its presence known.

I loved this. I became so invested very quickly. Personally, I found Clio relatable. Yeah, she could be a bit off-putting at times, but I fully believe that was simply defense mechanisms she’d built up due to everything that had happened to her in her early life.

Her journey in this house, and the things she discovered, were not easy, so she was definitely dealing with a lot. I loved how even when she was discovering uncomfortable things, she didn’t back off. She could have. She could have left well enough alone, but she was driven to find the truth no matter the cost and I respected the hell out of that.

There was a lot of messy family drama and I live for that kind of thing in my fiction. If written well, I just find it so engrossing and can be absolutely swept away, as I was here.

I also love how Harrison packed this full of some difficult topics, but she also brought enough humor and action that it never felt bogged down, or depressing. That’s something I always love about her books. The content is rich, but the stories somehow always manage to still be fun. It’s a challenging thing to balance, but Harrison does it so well.

I’m so happy that I finally picked this up. I’ve never waited this long to read a Rachel Harrison release, and I assure you, I’ll never do it again. I loved this so much. My heart is full. It’s a fantastic novel.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. Rachel Harrison is a gem. I’m a fangirl for life!!

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Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery #1) by Emma Mason

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Murder Most Haunted (A Midge McGowan Mystery, #1)Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a retirement gift, Midge McGowan receives a ticket to take part in a weekend ghost-hunting tour of an isolated mansion. There’s a handful of another attendees, such as a know-it-all paranormal investigator, and a former pop star.

Midge keeps her past as a detective to herself, and is fairly quiet as the weekend kicks off. The other attendees personalities are big enough, she really doesn’t need to say much. When a snowstorm strands the group after a murder takes place, Midge thinks, it’s just her luck.

It’s not just the murder though, there are other mysterious things happening around the mansion, and people’s behavior begins to reflect the pressure they’re under. Midge begins to investigate.

Is something paranormal responsible, or is there an evil human in their midst?

I had a lot of fun with this book. The audiobook was well-narrated and I enjoyed Midge, as well as the other misfit characters. It was such an odd group, and their interactions kept me on my toes.

I’m not quite sure why the overall rating for this is a bit lower, but I had a blast with it. I love when weather plays a role in a story, usually trapping a cast in some horrible situation, and that’s exactly what happened here. A blizzard made it impossible for help to reach them after the murder, so they were really left to their own devices.

Midge was definitely the odd person out amongst this group, but I like how over time, she started making in-roads with certain characters, and they came to appreciate her in their own ways. She definitely brought some knowledge and skills to the mansion that surprised them all.

There’s a sequel to this releasing soon and I’m excited to pick it up. I believe it’s a mystery set on a train, which is another thing I love. I would recommend this to Cozy Mystery readers who like a bit of substance. It’s a Cozy, yes, but it does have some darker subject matter and it also gets a little more serious at times.

Overall, I thought this was a great start to a series. I’m sure the further I get into it, the more attached I’ll get to Midge. She certainly is a bit different for a protagonist, and I find her to be refreshing.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to continuing on with this series.

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Review: The Salvage by Anbara Salam

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The Salvage: A NovelThe Salvage: A Novel by Anbara Salam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Salvage is an atmospheric Historical Horror novel set on Cairnroch, a small island off the coast of Scotland, in the Winter months of 1962-63. We follow Marta Khoury, a trailblazing marine archeologist, who arrives to the island to explore a Victorian shipwreck recently freed from Arctic ice.

The wreck holds the remains of a celebrated explorer, as well as the spoils of his final expedition. On her first dive down to the ship, Marta does find what she was expecting as far as the explorer and his treasures go, but she also sees something unexpected. A dark figure, a shadow, lurking amongst the wreckage. How is that possible?

When a record-breaking winter freeze strands Marta on Cairnroch, she ends up developing a friendship with a local woman, Elsie, who works at the island’s only hotel. We get Marta’s day-to-day as she tries to navigate life on the island, among the locals, and far from her regular life.

After artifacts from the ship begin disappearing, Marta and Elsie are forced to hunt for them before anyone, most notably, Marta’s employers, find out they’re missing. With the pressures of work, and this feeling that something darker is haunting her, Marta’s looking forward to the thaw that seems will never come.

This was really good. I think Salam did an excellent job setting the scene and developing Marta’s character. While the content ended up being much more Literary than I tend to gravitate towards, it was saved by the great atmosphere and subtle creepiness. I also did become attached to Marta and was truly interested in her circumstances.

I was definitely invested in the plot, and while the ending went a bit against my tastes, I still think Salam did a great job with the story overall. There’s something so eerie about being stranded on a remote island during an icy winter. I should know, I live on one, and it’s one of my favorite, though unsettling, yearly events.

I would recommend this to Literary, or Historical, Horror Readers. Particularly if you’re an atmosphere girlie like myself. I also found Marta’s profession as a marine archeologist to be unique and it brought a lot to the story.

Anyone interested in stories involving creepy, underwater habitats should also check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Tin House, for providing me a copy to read and review. I’d definitely be interested in reading more from Anbara Salam in the future.

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Review: The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt

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The October Film Haunt: A NovelThe October Film Haunt: A Novel by Michael Wehunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

The October Film Haunt is a fascinating novel, but really hard to rate. I was so interested in the content and ideas being explored here, but also felt unmoored in the story and frequently confused (not in a good way).

I listened to the audiobook and it was a great production. There’s dual narration, with effects, and creepy voices for the monsters. The atmosphere, as well as Wehunt’s ability to get under my skin in certain moments, were my favorite aspects of this, enhanced via the audio format.

I did really enjoy Jorie’s perspective. Her life in Vermont with her young son was compelling, as were her reasons for being there. I found her perspective the easiest to track by far and also found the creepiest moments centering around what was happening to her in the present.

I also enjoyed the other perspectives and sections that Wehunt included, but they did feel more like vignettes and each time one would arise it would sort of kick me out of the story and then I had a difficult time recentering myself.

I think maybe the most effective way for me to have read this would have been to immersion read it; listen to the audio while following along in my hard copy. This was the method I used for Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay and I feel like that was such an exceptional experience. It definitely could have helped me here as well.

I believe this was Wehunt’s first full length novel. I could be wrong on that, but that’s my understanding. I know he’s had great success with his short fiction, and I am planning to check some of that out. I do own his collection, Greener Pastures, which I’ve heard excellent things about.

I feel like this had so many great things going on, but perhaps too much. A bit more focus on Jorie and the main events, with glimmers of what led her there, could have been a more successful construction for me.

Overall, I did enjoy this. I’m jazzed to read more from Wehunt, because clearly he has a passion for Horror and a limitless imagination. The imagery is also excellent. Should I round up? I’m gonna think on it. I might. Don’t be surprised if you see an update on this at some point in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I put off reading this for a while due to some early mixed reviews, but I’m so happy to have finally picked it up.

I’m looking forward to Wehunt’s upcoming release, Nightjars, and plan to read it soon. It sounds amazing. I have no doubt Wehunt is going to deliver all the creepy vibes!

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Review: The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club (Hu Done It #1) by Gloria Chao

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The Ex-Girlfriend Murder ClubThe Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club by Gloria Chao
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club is a humorous Cozy Mystery following chemist, Kathryn Hu. Kat is a little socially awkward and hasn’t made a lot of friends in Boston, where she works in a research lab.

She does have a boyfriend though, Tucker Jones, who is the light of her life. At least until she finds out that he has two other girlfriends, Olivia and Elle.

The women decide to team up to teach the cheating jerk a lesson, but when they enter his apartment to exact their revenge, they end up discovering his very dead body.

Crap. Their DNA and fingerprints are everywhere in his apartment. They did arrive there hoping to do him dirty. They’re innocent though. They swear they’re innocent, but who is going to believe them?

In order to clear their names, Kat, Olivia and Elle need to find the real killer. They go undercover and end up finding a lot of folks that may have wanted Tucker dead.

With a hot detective sniffing around, will they be able to uncover the truth before they go down for the crime?

This was really cute. I put off reading it for so long and now I’m kicking myself. I was surprised at how invested I became in this mystery and characters. I would equate the humor and coziness to the Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto, so if you liked that series, this could be for you.

Admittedly, it did take me a minute to get used to Kat’s narrative voice. She’s quite quirky, and makes a lot of Dad Jokes, but I ended up coming to love her. I feel like when you realize her awkward silliness is 100% genuine to who she is, she becomes incredibly likable.

For me the star of this show is the relationship that develops between these three women. All of them were in positions where they could really use a friend and the way they bonded over this toxic man was just so satisfying.

Particularly for Kat. I feel like as the Reader, it’s easy to become so empathetic for Kat’s experience. She’s not close with her parents. She has no real friends in Boston, where she moved for her job, and her colleagues unfortunately just don’t understand her.

The way she grows as a person through her friendships with Olivia and Elle was so beautifully-executed by Chao. While the mystery was fun, the way Kat grew as a character was the highlight for me.

I would recommend the audiobook for this one. The narration by Carolyn Kang brought so much life to this story, and she definitely delivered the comedic timing as well.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m excited to continue on with this series. I’m interested to see how Chao is going to build it out from here.

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Review: With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee

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With Friends Like TheseWith Friends Like These by Alissa Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**2.5-stars**

With Friends Like These follows a group of women, all adults currently living their lives in and around NYC, who met while roommates at Harvard. For decades they’ve been playing a secret game that they call the Circus.

Since they’re all highly-competitive, the Circus, which I would describe as a bit of a Murder Game, has a tendency to get slightly dangerous. In fact, the death of classmate is alluded to throughout the story in connection to the Circus.

Our MC is Sara. She wants out of the Circus and is prepared to break the news to her friends. Sara also finds herself strained financially though, so when the group discovers that a small fortune is awaiting the winner of this round, she decides to suck it up and play one more time.

Needs must and all that.

As the Circus begins, Sara believes the others may not be playing by the rules. The higher stakes could be pushing people to new extremes.

As the danger turns real, and people start pointing fingers, Sara discovers those closest to her may be dangerous. Will their fake kill game turn deadly, or will all the women be able to make it to the end unscathed?

This story was fine. IMO, it’s a little basic, and certainly not as exciting, or intriguing, as I needed it to be, however, I’ve also read a lot worse. I think maybe for someone just branching out into Thrillers and for someone who likes stories involving complicated friend groups, this could definitely work.

We get the entire story from the MC, Sara. I didn’t mind that. It was actually refreshing to focus on one perspective, as it feels like most stories lately pull out all the stops with regards to perspectives, and even timelines.

Unfortunately, Sara wasn’t a particularly compelling lead. She sort of reminded me of that girlfriend you have, who is a lovely person, but tells the longest and most rambling stories, providing details you in no way need. The whole time she’s talking, you’re smiling and nodding, while you’re internally screaming, get to the bloody POINT!!!

I believe this is a debut for Alissa Lee, and it does show a lot of promise. I don’t want to be all doom and gloom. Do I wish I had enjoyed this a little more? Sure, but I also will not be writing off Alissa Lee as an author at this point.

I’d pick up whatever she writes next. I’m sure with more time and experience her stories will come to deliver all I’m looking for in a gripping Thriller novel. This story had a great concept, it just needed a bit more bite for me.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I will be keeping an eye out for future works from Alissa Lee.

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Review: The Moorwitch by Jessica Khoury

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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: Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen #1) by Jess Kidd

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Murder at Gulls Nest (Nora Breen Investigates #1)Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Murder at Gulls Nest is the 1st-installment of a Historical Cozy Mystery series by Jess Kidd. This series follows Nora Breen, who has recently asked to be released from her vows.

Yes, that’s right, Nora was a nun. That alone had me intrigued about this series. It’s pretty hard not to love an ex-nun turned amateur sleuth.

The impetus behind Nora’s recent choice is the apparent disappearance of her former novice, Frieda. Frieda was always a reliable letter writer (it’s the 1950s), so when her letters stop suddenly, Nora grows concerned. Nora feels compelled to seek Frieda out, to check on her safety.

She follows a line from one of Frieda’s letters and ends up at the Gulls Nest, a charming seaside hotel in Kent, which really acts more as a boarding house. Nora, hiding her identity, begins staying at the Gulls Nest and inserts herself into the lives of the residents there.

It’s not long after Nora arrives that people start dying under shady circumstances. Now it’s not just the disappearance of Frieda that Nora needs to figure out, but also who’s murdering the residents of the Gulls Nest, and why?

I felt like this was a great start to a series. The writing is excellent and it felt like it had a lot of heft, a bit more serious than a lot of Cozies I tend to enjoy, but Nora’s character absolutely sucked me in.

I’m a nosey old broad myself, so I found it easy to relate to her. I loved watching her skills at engaging with people, and getting them talking. She had a touch of Miss Marple, or Jessica Fletcher, about her in that regard. People just opened up to her. They want to tell her things.

The residents at the Gulls Nest are an intriguing cast as well. I did find it a touch challenging initially keeping everyone straight, but once the action really kicked off, that unmoored feeling sort of went away.

The 2nd-book, Murder at the Spirit Lounge released earlier this Summer, and I’m excited to get to it. I have a feeling that like with many Cozy Mystery series, you become more and more attached to the characters as the series goes on.

I’m looking forward to learning more about Nora’s background mayhaps in the next book. We did get a glimpse into her past here, and she’s definitely lived a life.

I’m also interested to see how her relationship with Detective Rideout develops moving forward. If it will evolve into more of a romance, or if it will perhaps just be an incredible partnership of investigative minds, for which I would be happy to accept.

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

I’m so sorry it took me this long to get to this one. It was a great experience, not sure why I’ve been putting it off, but I certainly won’t be waiting to read the next installment!

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Review: Hollow (A Gothic Shade of Romance #1) by Karina Halle

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Hollow (A Gothic Shade of Romance Book 1)Hollow by Karina Halle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Hollow is the 1st-book in Karina Halle’s Gothic Shade of Romance series. I know nothing about this series, but I believe it’s just a duology, ending with Legend. As you may guess from my rating, I will not be continuing on.

This is a Spicy Sleepy Hollow retelling, where Kat Van Tassel hails from a family of witches, and she’s been set from childhood to marry her BFF, Brom Bones. However, before they reach the age to marry, Brom suddenly disappears, leaving Kat’s future is up in the air.

Kat ends up enrolling in the Sleepy Hollow Institute, which happens to be run by her family. The field of study at the school, advanced witchcraft. It’s all very secretive and Kat feels unprepared for her studies there.

On her very first day, she finds herself instantly drawn to the school’s newest professor, Ichabod Crane. There’s a reciprocating draw on his side as well, which we know because we also get his perspective.

When Brom returns in the midst of all this, after 4-years away, with amnesia, and a much darker personality, Kat is thrown for a loop. Does she return to the boy she was promised to in her childhood, the boy she once loved, or explore this new relationship with the hot professor?

But Crane and Brom have a history too, and this is where things start to get messy. Just kidding! Things were messy wayyyy before that, hence part of my dislike. This couldn’t be more contrary to my tastes if it tried.

I did like that the audiobook featured dual narration and I did like the initial set-up. After that though, it was pretty much all downhill.

I didn’t get the gothic atmosphere I wanted at all, nor a sense of place. Sleepy Hollow is such a vibe, I wanted that oozing off the page. IMO, this felt like it could have been set at any time, in any place, which was a huge disappointment.

Honestly, it’s on me. I heard Sleepy Hollow and I jumped for it, when I should have dodged out of the way. I know I don’t like this type of book. No matter how much I try to make it work, because I see so many other people enjoying them and I want to as well, it doesn’t work.

It’s just not for me. I found all the spicy scenes to be absolutely cringe and ridiculous. I was listening to the audiobook, and I cannot tell you how many times I said, ewwwww, out loud whilst listening. The descriptions and adjective choices, yuck.

Speaking of yuck, I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum. I know this novel has a huge audience of Readers who’ve not only read it, but loved it. Sadly, I’m just not part of that crowd. If you loved this one, I’m genuinely happy for you.

We all deserve incredible books and we’re all allowed to have different tastes and kinks. For me, I’m happy to cross this one off this list and never look back. Thank you to the publisher, Ace and Tantor Audio for providing me with copies to read and review. I appreciate it!

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Review: The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin

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The Vanishing PlaceThe Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

After a murder in the New Zealand bush, and a witness who looks like a ghost of the past, Effie decides she must return to her home country, a place she’d sworn never to return.

Effie grew up in the bush, caring for her younger siblings, raised by parents who completely cut them off from the rest of the world. It was a hard existence, and the children experienced things that would make you toes curl. It’s left permanent scars on Effie’s psyche.

Effie’s been living her adult life in the UK, far from the places of her earlier traumas. When she gets a phone call though, from someone from her past, telling her of this young witness, who looks just like a younger version of herself, she has to return.

She needs to put this to bed. She needs to actually find out what happened to her family, and perhaps help this young witness in the process. In order to do so though, Effie’s going to have to face the demons of her past all over again.

I read this at the wrong time, I think. I didn’t vibe with it all. Though reading the synopsis, you’d think I would. Unfortunately, I was bored for the majority of the story. The writing is great, so it’s not that, and I did appreciate the depth of it, but it just wasn’t for me right now.

Many of my Book Friends, whose tastes normally align with mine, loved it, so def don’t take my word for it. I honestly think it was just the wrong book for me in the moment.

I never connected with the characters in a way that would establish the empathy I think is needed to truly enjoy a story like this. I needed to be invested in Effie and her past, and sadly, I just wasn’t.

It was refreshing to read a story set in New Zealand and I did enjoy the audiobook narration as well. I also think the author did a good job of taking us back-and-forth between past and present without making it confusing or convoluted.

I think there’s a lot of heart in this story, unfortunately my ice cold heart just wasn’t receptive to it at this time. i would definitely be open to reading more from this author in the future though.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy more Literary Thrillers, particularly with a strong focus on the family.

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