new releases

Review: But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo

~ megs14malloy

But Not Too BoldBut Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

But Not Too Bold is so odd, and so beautiful and so compelling. It’s oddly, beautifully-compelling.

I am almost at a loss for words. It felt at times like I didn’t understand it, but I did, at the same time. The themes, the descriptions, the gorgeous characterizations, it felt instinctual, though I can’t necessarily explain it coherently.

In fact, this is much less of a coherent narrative style than I tend to enjoy, but I fell in love with the writing instantly, so just decided to roll with it and I’m so glad I did!

But Not Too Bold is a Queer Fantasy Horror novella, of which I shall say nothing of the plot. It’s only 112-pages and well-worth the read.

The synopsis lays out everything you need to know going in, but even with that, I feel you’ll still be surprised at the depths to which this story will take you. It felt like falling down a dark, whimsical, dangerous rabbit hole, from which there’s no escape.

I loved the main character, Dália. There was something so relatable about her. I was also surprised at how intrigued I was by the mystery that Dália is trying to solve.

More than that, I was shocked by the emotional impact this little story has. How is it possible to pack this much punch into such a small space?

Somehow, Pueyo succeeded in doing just that. The conclusion was gorgeous. My only small gripes would be that there were a couple of details I felt weren’t adequately fleshed out, and also, I wish this were a little longer.

Overall though, I am so pleased with this. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fantasy Horror, or stories that feel like modern folklore. Also, a bonus if you are looking for Queer, or female-centered dark fiction.

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Review: The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

~ megs14malloy

The Meadowbrook MurdersThe Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amy and Sarah are best friends, just entering their Senior year at the prestigious Meadowbrook Academy, a private boarding school set in a tiny Connecticut town.

It’s the week prior to the official school start, but the Seniors have all returned to campus. It’s expected to be a great year filled with parties, laughs and their last bit of teenage freedom before becoming adults.

All hopes of that are shattered however, when Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan, are brutally murdered in Sarah and Amy’s dorm suite. Shockingly, Amy slept through it. She didn’t hear a thing, but she does discover the bodies the next day.

She tells the police she was the only other person in their suite that night, even though that’s not quite true. Everyone on campus and in the surrounding community is shocked, and they look at Amy now with suspicion.

Liz is also a Senior at Meadowbrook. She’s a scholarship kid, who writes for the school newspaper. Honestly, her entire life revolves around the paper. She’s dead-set on becoming a successful journalist someday and her time at Meadowbrook is the first step on that path.

Meadowbrook can open doors for her. She doesn’t come from a wealthy or powerful family, like the majority of the other kids, and she hasn’t always fit in.

Liz breaks the story of the murder. It’s too juicy to pass up and this could help her land the scholarship she needs for college. She’s determined to crack this case.

Liz and Amy have never been friends, but they’re thrust together when the school assigns Amy to be Liz’s new roommate. Clearly, Amy can’t return to her regular suite, it’s a crime scene and tainted by the trauma.

Nonetheless, Amy is none to happy to be forced to room with the random girl digging around into her best friend’s murder; exposing it to the world.

After a bit, with Amy still high on everyone’s suspect list, she decides she needs to figure this out as well, and Liz may be her best chance to get to the bottom of it.

Two worlds merge as the girls eventually thaw a bit of the ice wall between them and start to share information. Some truly fun and engaging amateur sleuthing follows.

I flew through The Meadowbrook Murders in one straight shot. I had quite an enjoyable little Saturday reading this.

As YA Thrillers go, Jessica Goodman is one of my favorite authors, and you can definitely tell this is one of her books. If you’ve read from Goodman before, you know what to expect going into this, and you won’t be disappointed.

We all know I love a private school setting and murder mysteries set a private school are my cake. I enjoyed Liz’s character arc most of all. She was one determined cookie.

I also appreciate how well Goodman frames these ‘haves v. haves not’, or ‘locals v. outsiders’ situations. This is a theme I have noticed in some of her other works, and as a person who lives in a resort community, I can relate to a lot of those dynamics and it feels very genuine to me.

Although I enjoyed Liz’s perspective a little more, Amy’s perspective added so much drama and backstory as far as the mystery into Sarah’s death went. I did grow to like Amy more as the story went on and I’m glad that Goodman wrote this using the dual perspective.

I found the who a little obvious, but the why and how, I was way far off from. Overall, I thought this was highly-entertaining and I would recommend it to any YA Mystery-Thriller fans out there.

Particularly if you’ve enjoyed Goodman’s work in the past, or if you enjoy books from Kara Thomas or Alexa Donne. Also, a must for fans of private school stories.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The Meadowbrook Murders will be available this coming Tuesday, February 4, 2025!!

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Review: Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel

~ megs14malloy

Listen to Your SisterListen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Listen to Your Sister follows three siblings: Calla, Dre and Jamie. They lost their father to an accident, and their mother wasn’t able to properly care for them.

Calla legally became guardian for Jamie, the youngest, with Dre’s promise that he would help her. Unfortunately, Dre, the middle-child, hasn’t really followed through on those promises. He cares, but doesn’t take it seriously enough.

Jamie, at 16, is a strong-willed and energetic teen, who is getting more difficult to parent by the day. He has many positive attributes, but Calla feels at wits end. She’s only 25-years old, and has already sacrificed so much trying to keep this family together.

Her job is at risk, as she has had to miss so much time due to being called away after Jamie gets up to one mischief, or another. She’s also finding it difficult to maintain any sort of healthy adult relationships.

After Jamie gets into serious trouble at a protest, the siblings must go on the run, taking refuge in a remote cabin. It’s there that Calla’s worst nightmares become reality.

No, seriously. Calla has been plagued by nightmares for years. Horrific dreams in which her brothers die because she’s unable to protect them.

Also, in these dreams, the worst iterations of Calla come to life. Alternate versions of herself that embody the worst things people have said, or assumed, about her; the worst feelings they’ve made her feel. It’s truly frightening stuff.

Now as Calla is pushed to the brink, by her brothers and their unstable circumstances, the things of nightmares are manifested into reality, and they’re after the trio.

Will the siblings be able to come together, move past their past traumas and be able to defeat these nightmares, or will the nightmares win out, ruining them one-by-one?

Admittedly, this is much more Fever Dream than I tend to enjoy, but there was something about how raw and real these characters felt that had me by the throat. I ended up really being drawn into the dream-like qualities.

I loved the topics and themes that Viel explored and look forward to seeing what other Readers think. Speculative stories tend to drum up a wide range of opinions.

The audiobook is very good, with three narrators matching each of the MCs. I definitely recommend that format. It brought this story to life; a great production.

I was really so impressed with the character work. The siblings and their relationships were the star of this show for me. They had been through so much and I love how they related to one another. It’s not all perfect, sunshine and rainbows, but you could feel the love and dedication.

I feel like this has some great Social Horror aspects as well, I just hope the right Readers end up picking it up. The cover is giving very Haunted House vibes, and while there is a creepy cabin, it’s much more of a Literary Horror-feel than that cover may lead you to believe.

Regardless, I had a fantastic time with this one. It’s hard-hitting and memorable. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this author comes up with in the future. I’m hoping for more along these lines.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I would recommend this to Horror Readers.

This is very Feminine Rage with a Twist. We love that.

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Review: Cross My Heart by Megan Collins

~ megs14malloy

Cross My HeartCross My Heart by Megan Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Holy Hades, Cross My Heart was an absolutely insane, jaw-dropping, eyebrow-lifting, wilddddddd ride!!!

This was wickedly-entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. IMO, this is a true Psychological Thriller. My head was spinning so fast, I’m surprised I didn’t lift off.

In this story we meet Rosie Lachlan, who received a heart transplant from a donor who had unexpectedly passed away after a tragic accident.

Through an online platform that anonymously connects donor’s families with recipients, Rosie virtually-befriends her donor’s widower, Morgan. Morgan Thorne happens to be a well-known local author, who Rosie quickly becomes smitten with.

A string of heartbreaks, of the romantic variety, haven’t soured Rosie on the idea of finding The One. It would be ironic if her actual broken heart led her to true love, but that’s definitely what she starts imagining as correspondence with Morgan heats up.

As Rosie digs further into Morgan’s life, and learns more about his wife, there are rumors and accusations she can’t ignore. Perhaps he isn’t her innocent dream guy after all.

Admittedly, I wasn’t crazy about The Family Plot by this author, and was hesitant to try anything else from her. After seeing this one everywhere however, I had to check it out for myself, and man-oh-man, am I glad I did!

Even though the MC, Rosie, drove me so batty that I wanted to shake her, I can’t help but doff my cap to Collins, because damn, was she well-written.

Honestly, reading this feels like having the rug ripped out from under you. I did think it was dragging a bit at the end, but that final scene put the sinister grin on my face I always love to have at the conclusion of this type of story.

I had so, so, so many guesses, so many theories over the course of this book. It was completely intriguing. It felt very cat-and-mouse, but it was unclear who was the cat and who was the mouse. I loved that.

You do get Morgan’s perspective, in addition to Rosie’s, and they both felt equally unsettling. There were many times that I was uncomfortable by what was happening, but I couldn’t look away. Flies on the wall were cringing.

These two are OTT in the most unhinged ways and I was eating it up. My popcorn was popped and my ass was in the seat for the duration.

I absolutely recommend this one to people who enjoy dark, twisty Thrillers. If you like reading books where you suspect everyone, including yourself, you def need to pick this up.

Thank you so very much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’ll 100% be picking up more from Megan Collins!

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Review: The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl

~ megs14malloy

The Really Dead Wives of New JerseyThe Really Dead Wives of New Jersey by Astrid Dahl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

‘Footage first, feelings never.’

Hope is the newest cast member on the popular reality television show, Garden State Goddesses.

After her cousin, Eden, the program’s showrunner, introduced her to Leo Fontana, of the show’s infamous Fontana family, the two fell in love and their wedding kicked off the first episode of this latest season.

Garden State Goddesses mainly focuses on the Fontana family, Sicilian-Americans located in Shady Grove, New Jersey.

Soft-spoken, doe-eyed singer/songwriter, Hope, who originally hails from Northern California, is a fish out of water amongst the rest of the cast. She’s struggling to find her place; uncertain and self-conscious.

Hope’s new sister-in-law, Carmela, is the Queen Bee of the family, and the show. She’s less than elated by Hope’s presence and doesn’t pull any punches, making Hope uncomfortable at every turn.

Drama is top on the menu throughout this story, until eventually, someone ends up dead. Everyone has motives. Everyone is acting suspicious, but whodunit and is anyone else in danger?

I was sucked into this story fairly quickly. The set-up was interesting and I loved meeting all the characters. Dahl had me grabbing my popcorn early and often.

I love how she chose to include Confessional sections, which makes perfect sense with regards to the reality show production. I thought Eden did a good job of digging information out of these cast members.

I felt like Hope was a bit of wet noodle, so I agreed with Carmela on that one, but it was fun watching her try to fit in and get along. It’s clear she had a bit of shady history and I liked watching as all that was revealed.

While some things I thought seemed obvious, I was never sure and loved guessing what was actually going on. It kept me engaged and flipping pages at a frantic pace.

Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where I was loving it for the first 80-85%, and then it lost my interest at the end. Admittedly, I was slightly-disappointed with the way it wrapped-up.

I did like some elements of the conclusion, including a last minute mini-reveal, but I also felt like certain aspects were drawn out unnecessarily.

For most of it though, oh my word, was I having fun. The ‘propulsive page-turner’ comment in the synopsis is spot-on. I never knew what was going to be revealed next.

I don’t watch reality television, but I can see how it could be addictive. I feel Dahl absolutely succeeded in bringing those vibes to the page. I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy OTT-drama and intrigue.

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me a copy to read and review. I appreciated how Dahl really leaned into the reality show concept. It was a lot of fun!

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Review: Beast of the North Woods (Monster Hunter #3) by Annelise Ryan

~ megs14malloy

Beast of the North Woods (Monster Hunter #3)Beast of the North Woods by Annelise Ryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚💛💛💚

Beast of the North Woods is the 3rd-installment to Annelise Ryan’s Monster Hunter Cozy Mystery series. These quirky stories successfully combine two of my favorite things: creepy vibes and cozy mysteries.

These books follow MC, Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist and specialty bookstore owner, who along with her adorable dog, Newt, investigates cases that may be linked to potential cryptid activity.

In this story, Morgan agrees to help her long-time store employee, Rita, after her nephew is accused of murder. He claims he is just a witness, having stumbled across the mutilated body of a local fisherman in the woods.

He also claims he saw a creature of many local legends, a Hodag, leaving the scene. He accuses the creature of being responsible for the gruesome crime.

The thing is, although his town of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, embraces the idea of the Hodag, incorporating it into their community, it’s also widely believed to be a hoax.

Even though she doesn’t believe Hodags to be real either, Morgan agrees to travel with Rita to Rhinelander to try to get to the bottom of it and clear Rita’s nephew’s name.

Once there though, Morgan’s presence causes a stir with the townsfolk, and the deeper she digs, the more danger she seems to be in. If a Hodag didn’t kill the fisherman, and Rita’s nephew didn’t either, who did?

This series is a bit silly, NGL, but it’s also super-duper fun. I’ve grown so attached to this cast of characters, (I’m looking at you, Newt) and am definitely hoping for more installments. There’s so many other cryptids to explore.

I had never heard of a Hodag before, so actually had to look it up. I liked how the author chose to use a lesser known cryptid this time. In the 1st-book, we had a Loch Ness Monster-like lake creature, and the 2nd-book revolved around Bigfoot, so this one was a surprise.

I also really love Morgan as an MC. She’s smart, daring and most importantly, a great Dog Mom, always putting Newt’s needs first. I never have to worry about him while reading, because I know Morgan is keeping him as safe as possible.

This was a solid mystery, that got increasingly complex the more we learned. I also appreciated that we dappled a little more into Morgan’s past as well, so it felt well-rounded. I liked learning more about her.

As with many cozy mysteries, we do follow along with Morgan’s personal life as well. She’s in a budding relationship, and it’s very new, so they are exploring those boundaries within this book, which was nice to see.

There were some fun twists, although a few things seemed obvious and it took Morgan longer to figure out than I would’ve thought. Otherwise, it did get more complicated than I expected and took some surprising turns. I had fun going along for the ride.

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’m looking forward to whatever comes next for Morgan and Newt.

Please don’t let this be the last!

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Review: You’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker

~ megs14malloy

You're Dead to MeYou’re Dead to Me by Amy Christine Parker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️

Ruby Toller, a high school Senior, lives in Florida with her single-Mom and her Mom’s annoying boyfriend, Hunter. They reside at and run at a small Nature Park, that was passed down to Ruby’s Mom from her parents.

Ruby loves working at the Park, taking care of the animals. It’s her home and she plans to always be there. Unfortunately, demand for these types of attractions isn’t what it once was, and they struggle to stay afloat.

Thanks to a generous scholarship, Ruby is able to attend the very prestigious Oleander High School, a private school full of richy-rich teens.

Just because she attends though, doesn’t mean she fits in, or is accepted and Ruby has grown a bit of a chip on her shoulder. One thing she has been successful at though is her thriving anonymous-local gossip blog, ReputationKiller.

Ruby digs up dirt on the most elite families and community members and blasts them on her blog. Thus, aptly doing just as the blog title states, killing reputations.

When Ruby is outed as the force behind ReputationKiller, the whole town turns against her, except for her best friends, Anton and Xavier, and shockingly, an attractive rich boy named Alexander.

More of an outcast now than ever, Ruby feels isolated and like her life is out of control, but at least she has a life. Even that comes into question however, when Ruby starts being haunted by her own ghost.

That’s right, she’s being visited by her dead self, in a horrible state of decay, clad in a tattered prom dress.

It’s clear from the ghost’s appearance, she didn’t get that way due to natural causes. With the prom just days away, Ruby and her friends must figure out who is going to murder Ruby, and stop them, before it’s too late.

You’re Dead to Me was a super fun reading experience for me. I haven’t read a YA Horror-Thriller with such successful Supernatural aspects in a long time.

I found the story to be fast-paced and engaging, with some great Horror imagery. It kept me wanting more and guessing. There were some truly intense moments.

I also loved the way the Florida setting was used and the stark contrast between the Haves and Have-Nots within this community. It felt realistic.

It is super-dramatic, as you would expect from a Teen Scream, but all that drama was really well-executed in my opinion. It had me reaching for my popcorn, versus rolling my eyes, which is always a good sign.

I appreciated the way the author steadily built the intensity throughout. The stakes keep getting higher and higher as the days tick down until the prom.

I also liked the relationships between Ruby and her best friends, as well as her budding relationship with cute boy, Alexander. The friends supported each other very well, even through all the crazy things they go through in this book.

Ruby’s relationship with her Mom was rather complicated and I did like the exploration of that as well. Families are messy, you know?

Overall, I thought this was a super solid YA Horror-Thriller. If you love a Teen Scream, full of drama and danger, you should absolutely check this one out.

Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!

Content Warning: Animal death on page.


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Review: The Wishless Ones (Dark Ascension Series #3) by Hafsah Faizal

~ megs14malloy

The Dark Ascension Series: The Wishless OnesThe Dark Ascension Series: The Wishless Ones by Hafsah Faizal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Wishless Ones is the 3rd-offering in Disney’s Dark Ascension Series. If you are unfamiliar with this series, they can be read in any order, as they are each an independent story following a different cast of characters.

Much like the Twisted Tales series, this follows characters we all know and love. It just shines a light on different aspects of their lives that we may not know about.

As the title of this series alludes to, these are Villain Origin stories; a concept I absolutely adore.

This story in particular follows one of the greatest villains of all time, Jafar, Grand Vizier of Agrabah. This man would do anything for power, but I was definitely curious as to what pushed him to such extremes.

This starts when Jafar is around 10-years old. We’re also introduced to his little brother, Rohan, and his parents.

We then progress to a time when the boys are in their late teens. It was really interesting seeing Jafar in this family context. As a brother, he was protective and loving, but it’s true as the boys aged, they did grow apart due to miscommunications and misunderstandings.

Nevertheless, they were still very much a bonded pair, so when a fire takes everything from them, Jafar is forced to bring his brother along with him as he journeys to the House of Wisdom in the faraway kingdom of Maghriz.

Jafar has always dreamed of studying alchemy, and there’s no better place to do it than the House of Wisdom. When he discovers he’s been accepted, he’s elated. Although it didn’t go as smoothly as he would have wished, regardless he makes the long journey to his new life with Rohan in tow.

Maghriz holds more danger and intrigue than they could have banked on though. The Sultana ends up roping them into a grand deception and the rest spirals from there.

As far as this type of Disney series goes, I think this was a very well-crafted story. There’s no doubt that Hafsah Faizal is a talented writer and I definitely appreciated the quality of storytelling she brought to the page.

Honestly, I think I was expecting something a bit more drastic to be the cause of Jafar going full-blown villain. This seemed a little tame in regards to the cause. I mean, I get why he was angry, but such an extreme shift in his personality? I’m not quite sure I was sold on that.

My other minor grudge with this story would be Jafar’s little brother, Rohan.

I was here for Jafar, but we do get a 50/50-narrative split between Jafar and Rohan. Even though he is only 2-years younger than Jafar, his behavior would lead you to believe he was 10-years younger.

He was a whiner and started to get on my last nerve. IMO, he was holding Jafar back from the start and I don’t blame Jafar for going as far off the edge as he did, putting up with that guy all the time.

With this being said, everything else was entertaining and well-constructed. I feel like Faizal nailed the setting and I absolutely love that she chose to include Iago in such a prominent manner.

The relationship between Jafar and Iago was definitely one of my favorite aspects of this story. I could just picture the both of them, and loved it. That was really fun. Iago is so funny, and through this, I felt like I got to understand him as a character even more.

I also enjoyed the palace intrigue and the entire plot involving the Sultana. I wasn’t sure what to expect in that regard and I did enjoy the direction it took.

I’ve dappled in a lot of these different Disney series over the years and I’ve got to say, the quality of this one is quite high. I think for fans of Villain Origin stories, fans of Aladdin, or specifically fans of Jafar, this is a must. I would recommend it as excellent supplemental material.

If you aren’t any of those Readers listed above, you could probably skip this one, as I feel it is most suited to true fans of the above-listed things.

Thank you to the publisher, Disney Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m glad I picked this up. It was a good fit for my Winter mood!

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Review: The Secret of the Three Fates (Ruby Vaughn #2) by Jess Armstrong

~ megs14malloy

The Secret of the Three Fates (Ruby Vaughn, #2)The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Secret of the Three Fates is the follow-up to the highly-engaging Gothic Mystery, The Curse of Penryth Hall, which I really enjoyed last year.

These books are part of the Ruby Vaughn series by Jess Armstrong. I’d so been looking forward to being back with Ruby on another spooky adventure. Happily, this was just as enticing as the first book!

This installment brings Ruby and her employer/housemate, Mr. Owen, to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders. Ruby believes they’re there to acquire manuscripts for the bookshop, but quickly discovers that’s not the case.

In fact, it turns out they’re there to attend a seance to be held that very night. Mr. Owen, up to his old tricks again.

Desperate to contact his son, lost to the Great War, Mr. Owen hopes the seance could help him get his wish, but he doesn’t want to do it alone. Hence, Ruby’s unknowing presence.

The seance is hosted by three mediums, going by the name of The Three Fates. As any of us could have guessed, things do not go smoothly, nor as planned, and Mr. Owen’s secret past looks close to being exposed.

Shortly thereafter, Ruby discovers one of the Three Fates has been murdered and she and Mr. Owen are immediately dubbed the prime suspects.

In order the clear their names, Ruby begins her own investigation, enlisting the help of Ruan, the folk healer she befriended in the first book during her time in Cornwall. You know, the handsome one.

My favorite thing about the first book was the atmosphere and Armstrong succeeded again in building out a lush, gothic-feeling setting. I am also loving how attached I am becoming to this set of characters.

Yet again, the chemistry between Ruby and Ruan was so well done. I enjoy Ruby so much as a lead. She’s plucky, smart and a little hard-headed. Once she starts investigating something, she doesn’t let anything get in her way, no matter how dangerous.

It was fun getting to know more about Mr. Owen too. There was quite a bit revealed about his past in this one, and I feel like I have more of an appreciation for him now.

I feel like the seance scenes were also really well-imagined. Thinking of the popularity of occult practices like that during this time period is so fascinating to me. It must have felt completely surreal participating in something like that, when belief was so high.

I love that Armstrong used that practice within this mystery. It was compelling and felt time period appropriate. It also helped to give the mystery an overall unsettling air.

I’m already anxious for news on the next book. There has to be one. There’s no way this is it for these characters. I shall sit back, patiently, and wait. Any by that I mean, I’ll be chomping at the bit to get my hands on it…

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Historical Mysteries with heavy Gothic vibes. The settings, the characters and the mysteries themselves, are all so well developed. There’s a lot to praise about Armstrong’s work.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I cannot wait to be reunited with Ruby and friends!!

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Review: The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

~ megs14malloy

The Business TripThe Business Trip by Jessie Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Business Trip is a novel told in Parts. In Part I, we meet our two main women, Jasmine and Stephanie. It’s a tame start, considering the craziness that follows!

Jasmine and Stephanie are quite different and don’t know each other. That is until they end up in the same row on a flight. Stephanie is headed to a business conference and Jasmine is secretly-fleeing an abusive relationship.

After that fateful flight, their lives will be intricately entangled. Days later both women have vanished and both mentioned the same man, Trent, in text messages to friends and loved ones, shortly before they disappeared.

Who is Trent McCarthy, and how did he end up tied to both of these women?

I found this story to be intriguing from the very start. We’re introduced to a lot of characters, but I felt like the full-cast narration of the audio definitely helped to keep everyone straight. I highly recommend that format.

This is certainly a wild ride, and although I feel like this story sort of fell victim to the ‘one twist too many’ issue, I still feel like it was a really enjoyable experience overall.

It kept me guessing and took some turns that I was not in the least expecting. It’s full of unlikable characters, except for Stephanie and her neighbor/friend, Robert. I loved them.

The two men that are given the most time in this story, Glenn, Jasmine’s abusive partner, and the aforementioned, Trent, are both terrible, but in such a way that they almost feel like caricatures of what a bad guy is. That did irk me a little. It felt a touch lazy, TBH.

Even with that being said though, I still feel like the twists and turns were exciting enough to make this one worth rounding up my 3.5-star rating.

Garcia did a great job with the structure of this. I loved how all the Parts played off one another seamlessly to build out the full picture of what was actually going on here. That’s where I felt this story was the most successful.

Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audio production was fantastic and lends itself well to the format of this story.

This is the first time I’ve read from Jessie Garcia, but I would absolutely be interested in reading more. This was fun!

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