Book Review: Lucas the Cat Spy

• Publisher: BooksGoSocial
• Publication Date: October 5, 2022
• Author: Samantha Shannon
• Genre: Children’s Fiction | Parenting & Families
• Page Count: 45

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review

Lucas the Spy Cat is a cute story about a cat and his secret nightly adventures in the wild. It is out there in the wild that Lucas meets up with his forest friends to help solve the problems of the day.

The books is just one of a teaching series that provides life lessons in a fun and entertaining way. With cute and colorful illustrations, the book is sure to please any kindergartner or pre-schooler. The fun and interactive activities at the end of the book is a wonderful bonus that will make learning fun and enjoyable. Five stars.

I received a DRC from BooksGoSocial through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3

• Publisher: Kevin J. Kennedy
• Publication Date: November 6, 2023
• Author: Kevin J. Kennedy, Etal
• Genre: Horror
• Page Count: 185

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

My Thoughts & Opinions

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3 is an eclectic mix of creepy Christmas stories ranging from the macabre to the bizarre. There are ten different stories from various authors. All of the stories are centered around the Christmas holiday.

I didn’t find the stories horrifying, just creepy and unusual. Although some of the stories were pretty gory. I enjoyed most of the short tales with notable shorts that included: The Fourth Emergency Service, We Want to Sing You a Song, A Wanted Man, and Three Sizes Too Small.

Collected Christmas Horror Shorts 3 is my first novel from author Kennedy. It won’t be my last and I look forward to reading the next collection of horror shorts. Four solid stars.

I received a DRC from Kevin J. Kennedy through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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DRC Review: The Lost Tomb

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication Date: December 5, 2023
• Author: Douglas Preston
• Genre: Non-fiction
• Page Count: 320

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review

Douglas Preston is part of one of my favorite team authors, Preston & Child. So I always make it a point to read their individual endeavors. And The Lost Tomb did not disappoint.

The Lost Tomb contains a collection of thirteen different true stories. Some of them I was familiar with, but most of them were new to me. What I found interesting is that some of these true stories inspired Preston & Child’s popular fiction novels such as Dead Mountain and Riptide.

The collection of stories are varied and cover topics from pirate treasure, cannabalism in the Southwest, a newly discovered Egyptian tomb, as well as the Monster of Florence investigation. All of the stories provided a behind the scenes look into Preston’s journalistic pursuits. It was very interesting to say the least.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lost Tomb and I look forward to reading more non-fiction books from the author. Five solid stars.

I received a DRC from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: Gorgeous Gruesome Faces

• Publisher: Roaring Book Press
• Publication Date: November 7, 2023
• Author: Linda Cheng
• Genre: Horror | Teens & YA
• Page Count: 320

⭐⭐

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Blurb

After a shocking scandal that abruptly ended her teen popstar career, eighteen-year-old Sunny Lee spends her days longing for her former life and cyberstalking her ex-BFF and groupmate, Candie. The two were once inseparable, but that was then—before the tragedy and heartache they left in their wake.

In the here and now, Sunny is surprised to discover that Candie is attending a new K-pop workshop in her hometown. Candie might be there chasing stardom, but Sunny can’t resist the chance to join her and finally confront their traumatic history. Because she still can’t figure out what happened that horrible night when Mina, the third in their tight-knit trio, jumped to her death. Or if the dark and otherworldly secrets she and Candie were keeping had something to do with it . . .

But the workshop doesn’t bring the answers Sunny had hoped for, nor a happy reunion with Candie. Instead, Sunny finds herself haunted by ghostly visions while strange injuries start happening to her competitors—followed by even stranger mutilations to their bodies. In her race to survive, Sunny will have to expose just who is behind the carnage—and if Candie is out for blood once more—in Linda Cheng’s spellbinding sapphic thriller that will have readers screaming and swooning for more.

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My Thoughts & Opinions

The book’s description didn’t hint that the novel would include a sapphic romance. But there it was. And truth be told, I’m not a fan.

The narrative started out fun and creepy with behind the scenes stage action. And I did enjoy reading what it takes to become a pop star and maintain that level of stardom. Toward the end, however, the narrative took a surreal turn into fantasyland. I would have been satisfied if the novel stayed on its paranormal course. So the fantasy aspect just killed it for me.

There are numerous characters that come into play during the course of the narrative. And because of that, there probably wasn’t enough time to fully develop them — even the main characters. They all seemed generic to me. But luckily I got to listen to the audiobook version and that’s when I was able to distinguish each character from the other.

Generous Gruesome Faces is the first novel in the series. And because of the finale, it probably can’t be read as a standalone novel. Would I continue on with the series? Probably not. There wasn’t anything noteworthy and the finale didn’t leave me wanting more. Two okay stars.

I received a finished copy of the novel from Roaring Book Press through the BookishFirst Raffle. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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DRC Review: Good Girls Don’t Die

• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Publication Date: November 14, 2023
• Author: Christina Henry
• Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Horror | SciFi & Fantasy
• Page Count: 336

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Blurb

Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…

Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong…

Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she’s in a dangerous situation and she doesn’t know who put her there or why. She’ll have to fight with everything she has to survive…

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end.

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My Thoughts & Opinions

The Maze Runner meets The Stepford Wives in Christina Henry’s latest novel. The novel combines three stories, each from a different woman’s point of view. The stories don’t seem to be related in the beginning, and that’s probably the draw of the novel — to find out how each story is connected to each other.

The novel was engaging until the three stories interconnected. After that, the novel just lost its steam. And with a surreal and underwhelming finale, it just wasn’t what I had hoped for. It might have been better if each of the three stories were developed on their own instead of attempting to connect the dots after the fact.

I enjoyed all of the characters in the novel. Each of them were fully developed and I liked how author Henry was able to cross generational gaps in each of her characters — projecting both mature adult and college student personalities into each of them.

Overall, Good Girls Don’t Die was a satisfactory read worthy of three solid stars. I recevied a DRC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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DRC Review: Face of Greed

• Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
• Publication Date: November 7, 2023
• Author: James L’Etoile
• Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
• Page Count: 320

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Blurb

When a prominent Sacramento businessman is killed and his wife injured in a brutal home invasion, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, are called to investigate. At first glance, it seems like a crime of opportunity gone horribly wrong, but Emily soon finds there might be more to both the crime and the dead man.

The high-stakes investigation also comes at a time when Emily is caring for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Emily struggles to balance her job with her personal life. The city’s political elite seem to want the case solved quickly, but darker forces want it buried.

Could there have been a motive behind the attack, making it more than a random home invasion? Emily uncovers clues that cause her to reconsider her understanding of the crime. A deadly game of greed and deception pulls Emily deeper into the shadowy world of gang violence and retribution. She has to walk the razor’s edge to identify the killer—without becoming the next victim.

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My Thoughts & Opinions

Face of Greed is the first novel that I have read from author James L’Etoile and it certainly won’t be my last. And according to the forward from the publisher, Face of Greed is also the first novel in a new series — the Emily Hunter Detective series.

The novel is a police procedural that follows a whodunit as well as a whydunit trope. But it not so straightforward since there are a number of different, but interconnected plots. There are at least six different tangential stories going on at the same time so it got a little confusing. However, all of the stories coalesce toward the end for a satisfying finale.

There are a number of characters, and it did get a little overwhelming at times. But the main characters of Emily Hunter and Javier Medina, the primary detectives in the novel, really kept everything together. I loved spending time with them in the field. And it was such fun to observe their banter and witness the snarkiness of Emily. I would venture to say that Detectives Hunter and Medina are my new favorite characters next to Detectives Danny Reagan and Maria Baez.

The pacing for me was just right. There’s more than enough action and suspense that kept me engaged until the end. I can’t wait to read the second novel in the series. Four solid stars.

I received a DRC from Oceanview Publishing through NetGalley and Edelweiss+. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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DRC Review: The Porcelain Maker

• Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
• Publication Date: November 7, 2023
• Author: Sarah Freethy
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Page Count: 384

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review

It began at a quaint countryside auction house. Clara Vogel had been informed that the Viking figurine she’d been searching for, would be auctioned. Clara already owned a Viking statuette. But she had an alterior motive for acquiring another piece. Clara wanted to find the owner of the figurine in hopes that the person would help her find and identify her father — The Porcelain Maker of Dachau…

The Porcelain Maker is one of the best historical fiction novels that I’ve read this year. It’s up there in the top five for me. Hard to believe that this novel is the author’s debut. I could swear that author Freethy has been writing historical fiction since forever.

The story unfolds between two timelines — the 1940’s and the 1990’s. Of significance is that the 1940’s was a tumultuous period with the German occupation of Europe. It was a time of uncertainty especially for people of non-German ancestry. And Freethy’s writing captured the heartwrenching essence of the period.

Fast forward to the 1990’s. Freethy expertly engages the reader with Clara Vogel in her search for any and all clues that would lead to the discovery and identification of her father as well as learning of her artistic mother’s past. The reader is led through a series pictures, interviews, and flashbacks to gain knowledge of her mother’s as well as father’s history. It was suspenseful and full of plot twists.

The characters in the novel are fully developed and fleshed out. I really got a sense of the stature, personality as well as appearance. And with any fully developed character, there are those characters you’ll hate and those other characters that you’ll love. There was a good mix of both in the novel.

I can’t say enough good things about this novel. Only that if historical fiction is in your wheelhouse, The Porcelain Maker is a must read. Five outstanding stars.

I received a DRC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: All Your Twisted Secrets

• Publisher: Harper Teen
• Publication Date: March 17, 2020
• Author: Diana Urban
• Genre: Teens & YA | Mystery & Thrillers
• Page Count: 400

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review

High school seniors, Amber, Priya, Sasha, Robbie, Diego, and Scott were all excited to be invited to a scholarship awards dinner. It was the ultimate culmination of all of their hard work during the school year. And the award was more than generous at $20,000 per student. But upon arrival at the restaurant, they all become painfully aware that the invitation was just a ruse. Instead of a celebration, they find themselves locked in a room with little or no chance for escape. And they have just one hour to select a person to die or they all die.

All Your Twisted Secrets is the first novel from author, Urban, but it’s the third one that I’ve read. And so far, all of them have been suspenseful thrillers.

The story unfolds over dual timelines through the lens of Amber Prescott, one of the main characters. The narrative works very well through Amber’s eyes, especially since she’s the driving force behind the scenes.

The plot follows a locked room/escape room trope. But it is full of plot twists triggered by the past histories of all the characters. With each character revealing secrets that surprised me as the story moved forward.

I enjoyed spending time with all of the characters. Each of them were fully developed, demonstrating the adeptness of Urban’s character building skills. They all had different personalities and I found myself hating some of them, and wanting to throttle some sense into others.

Overall, All Your Twisted Secrets did not disappoint. It’s full of suspense, plot twists, and more. Five outstanding stars.

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