This was a nice surprise, especially after reading so many disappointing books with re**spoiler alert** “The Twin”, by Steena Holmes
4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a nice surprise, especially after reading so many disappointing books with repetitive ideas and “shocking” twists.
I was extremely pleased with the writing and storytelling, which gripped my attention from the beginning and I did not want to let the book go. Unfortunately this past long weekend I had too many engagements.
In this book we meet the twins Bryce and Brynn, who are both albinos. They are owners of a very successful funeral home. This to me sounded very original and made me curious about the book.
But the blurb failed to mention that the story is around a doomsday cult.
Anyways, the development of the storyline is very slow, but because I liked the writing and the storytelling, I did not mind the slow burn, hence my ratings.
I really liked the concept and how the author delivered the story. It was very suspenseful and eerie. It wasn’t flawless, but I enjoyed it.
The main character, Brynn, had a strong personality and I totally understood her behaviour. The story is told through hers perspective. I would love to have read an additional pov.
The sordid secret about the cult is only revealed after 76%.
I was glad that the author was able to avoid overly dramatic comments regarding the cult, like trying to feed the reader with believes; also she did not give gory details, (but we get the idea). The reveal was quite shocking and if there was a clue I was completely oblivious or innocent (I didn’t think that having two fridges was a hint).
But I was disappointed with the conclusion. It felt that my edition was missing one or two chapters.
e-book (Kindle - part of Kindle Unlimited): 313 pages (default)...more
This was my first book by this author, who is known by writing romances/adult/erotica stories. I think this is her first psychological3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
This was my first book by this author, who is known by writing romances/adult/erotica stories. I think this is her first psychological thriller and I was pleased with the plot and storytelling. It was quite addictive, even though the narrative was very repetitive. The description of the main character dealing with mental health was very believable and I was able to feel her desperation. That level of obsession was quite impressive. It was hard to believe that Meredith, the main character, was a psychiatrist. I stoped thinking about it when I decided to see her as a simple human being dealing with grieving. The story is told in first person and dual timeline (“now” and “then”). It’s not flawless but it held my attention and curiosity. I even didn’t mind the sex scene. As for the conclusion, I somehow predicted and I was not surprised at all.
“My man.” “We, the females of the house.” “We, the males of the house.” “Men **spoiler alert** “The Husband”, by Daniel Hurst
a generous 3 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
“My man.” “We, the females of the house.” “We, the males of the house.” “Men are dogs.” “The noisy herds” (referring to the family). Goodness! Which year is this? Husband is watching a game in one room, thinking about things he’s done in his past, about 25 years ago, while at the same time, in the other room his wife is watching a true crime documentary about an unsolved crime that happened 25 years ago. Coincidence? The wife is completely enthralled by the documentary and becomes obsessed by finding the truth. The trope: man or woman feels invisible or under appreciated; husband or wife completely unknown to each other; that fever of creating the perfect shocking twist… The writing was repetitive and the storytelling was quite dull, in my opinion. But there were some thrilling moments, so I can’t say it was boring. At least I learned new ways of using “I cry”. But memorable this one is not.
Sorry if I’m sounding like a cranky person, but my choices of books have been pretty frustrating lately. I definitely must take a break from reading crime fiction.
This was my 7th book by this author and my least favourite.
e-book: Kindle (currently included in Kindle Unlimited) 43 chapters, 296 pages (default) - the last 11% of the book was the prologue and first chapter of his book “The Doctor’s Wife”, followed by a list of published titles....more
I finally decided to read this book. I read The Hobbit 11 years ago, which I loved. Th“The Fellowship of the Ring”, by Tolkien
4 brilliant stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I finally decided to read this book. I read The Hobbit 11 years ago, which I loved. This one did not disappoint, and because I have watched the movies adaptation so many times, the images were very vivid. I won’t say much, but I must praise this author’s creativity. It’s simply superb! And the storytelling is terrific, although slow in some parts. I read the book while listening to the audiobook narrated by Rob Inglis, and wow, how fascinating it was! A real pleasure. I’m looking forward to reading the second volume.
Another story around obsession and including a bunch of mean girls. Who needs friends like that? T“The Uninvited Guest”, by Ruby Speechley
2 stars ⭐️⭐️
Another story around obsession and including a bunch of mean girls. Who needs friends like that? This was quite juvenile. All characters are unlikeable, but that’s not the problem with this book. The storyline was very predictable, lacked originality (except the final twists) and depth, and was far fetched. The main character was extremely naive and gullible. This was a fast read because it is a small book. I almost forgot to say that the narrative was very repetitive. Anyways, this one was definitely not for me. I only read it for fear of missing out (and also because I have subscribed to Kindle Unlimited and I’m trying to use it and decide if I should keep). Once again I ignored my guts.
e-book (Kindle): 289 pages (default), 78k words ...more
Oh dear… why did I bother? So many raving reviews! Good premises but the writing and the predictable/far fetched st“The Marriage Lie”, by Kimberly Belle
Oh dear… why did I bother? So many raving reviews! Good premises but the writing and the predictable/far fetched storyline were underwhelming. The narrative was quite repetitive and the main character, for a psychologist, was quite dumb and annoying. Lots of cliches and stereotypes. This book was published in 2016. There are plenty of racist remarks that were considered normal if published in earlier decades, so I’m quite surprised by the author’s insensitivity. Anyways… I don’t want to say anything else, except that this was a huge disappointment.
e-book (Kobo): 400 pages (default), 100k words
I also listened to the audiobook (10h27min at normal speed) narrated by Johanna Parker, who made the main character even more annoying....more