Book Review Genre: Horror and Mystery/Suspense

The Analysis:

I cruised on Instagram for my next read-a-thon. This pick is courtesy of Kelly Hooked On Books. I chose this one because I felt like it was simple, straight to the point, and could account for the most books on my TBR already. Let’s Book Review.

Disclaimer: Reading is all about discovery, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

Prompt: Read a book with Wife/Husband in the title

This story is told from three pov’s: Wife, Serial Killer, and 2 victims to varying degrees. Whew child, they were short chapters, but they went on forever. I didn’t find the serial killer’s wife that sympathetic. One can love their husband, but still, maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. She was far too naive and willing to just brush things over and away. Unfortunately, it’s entirely how the wives and significant of others of murderers come across on TV. For me, she was not someone to sympathize with, but she was entirely believable. She trusted her husband and then like a light switch she didn’t and knew all along. What? Is that really how denial works? 😕 Somehow that also seems true to the people on the news as well. Nothing can be said about the killer. A monster is a monster. This one is just someone’s husband. The painting of journalists as the enemy gets an eye roll from me. As does her painting of herself as a victim. She’s not going to jail and there needs to be some sort of Karma. Theirs also a light romance in this story. The twist for this story wasn’t necessary, but not totally unwanted. I also loved the epilogue. Overall, I enjoyed the journey.

Recommendation:

Score: 4 out of 5
Available: Google Play

Prompt: Newest Ebook

Multiple POVs: The Detective, his wife- a reporter, the killer, the victim’s brother, and his partner. The story starts with the discovered deaths of two kids, both girls. The partner also dies pretty early on from a freak accident started by the wife. I’m instantly enthralled and annoyed. Reed, the detective, comes across as an alpha male in the worse way. His wife comes across as a mini Nancy Drew, who loves her job. She puts herself in some dangerous situations, but my support for her never wavered. Even after the accidental death of Reed’s partner that leaves one loved one swearing vengeance against his wife [Although, I understand why other readers might not]. Then the wife loses their baby and I find this overkill with everything else going on in this story. The case itself felt real, which is why it left me a bit disillusioned with cops and detectives in general. There were just a few things the detectives did that I wished weren’t a part of the process. But they were just doing their jobs. The most annoying witness goes to Brit. Overall, I didn’t like the detectives. After a while, they both came across as unfeeling stereotypes. The connections they tied together during the initial investigation were also terrible. I also had no feelings about the couple working through their marital problems. The mystery itself had me hooked. The author did a great job hiding from the reader, who could possibly have done it. So, I will give it 3 stars. I still enjoyed reading it and was invested in the outcome. Side note: the new partner’s future being left up in the air is a big nope for me. Of course, she’s untrustworthy.

Recommendation:

Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Amazon

Prompt: Trick or Treat. Romance or Thriller

Both? Why not Both? I’ve seen this book come across a couple of booktubers recommendations lists since the start of the spooky season. Now after my own deep dive, I have to say that rating this is one tough decision. The romance in this is lacking and you can’t really latch on to their strong connection. However, I did appreciate the respect he had for her and her tough past. There is even a point where she hits a sore spot with me and that’s witnesses misidentifying innocent people…[see history for why that might be]. That’s enough to bring it from a five to a four. The mystery portion of this novel may have very well made up for both of those weak points. I really can’t give it below a 4 on that alone. I really loved that portion. I connected to the heroine and everything she endured and wanted to know how everything ended. I also rooted for her happy ending and the reuniting with the son she lost. And as the connections were being made to the killer, I was certainly shocked. However, I was truly disappointed in the ending with the son. I thought for sure that we would find out that the killer had been raising him all along. Instead, it was a nice normal family. One that turned the heroine into the troll trying to snatch a boy from the only home he’s ever known. She ultimately makes the right decision, but I question what that looks like. See below for more explanation. But she deserved to know her son and vice versa. But he also deserved to keep the family that raised him. The solution felt like the societal right answer but not one necessarily beneficial for the child. I want to deduct a point for this to bring it down to a three on this issue alone. The heroines true happy ending is her giving birth to another child and this time she’s able to do it right with a man that loves her. I’m just giving it 4 stars and slowly stepping away from the computer. I want to say three for all the problems, but I genuinely enjoyed the journey of the mystery and getting to know the characters. Even if there were misfires along the way. Sounds like a 4-star read to me.

Recommendation:

Score: 4 out of 5
Available: Amazon

Prompt: Black or Orange on Cover

This is not a Christmas story. It reads like an 18th-century classic and it’s very good. In all honestly, it is a very short read as my copy was only thirty pages. In fact, it was why I chose it. I just wanted to get more books on my reading challenge list lol. But it’s a read that I don’t regret. For a scary story, this one had a very sweet moral. And maybe that was the most Christmasy thing about it. I really appreciated what it was trying to say. But to give you a brief rundown on the story: A family lives in a manor/Tudor style home with its own name for generations. The place has been haunted for just as long. These people because they are kind, treat the ghosts like pets in that they are really unaffected by their presence. They don’t fear them or try to actively get rid of them. That being said there is one room in the house where this does not apply. A devastating course of events has led to a poltergeist all too willing to ruin peoples lives who get caught in that room after dark. Of course, in this story, someone falls asleep and does just that. Except her escape is vastly different from all the others.

Recommendation:

Score: 4 out of 5
Available: Google Play

Prompt: Supernatural Elements

Vampires + airplanes = must-read. Also, yay interracial couple, the heroines of Asian descent. This novel is a supernatural romantic suspense that I thought was more of a romantic adventure, especially with the setup and I had the wrong idea. The story starts off with a bang literally when our (vampire) female main character is in a plane crash. The pov then switches to the pilot (human) waking up after an accident to find a vampire sucking on his co-pilot. The pilot finally coming to his senses doesn’t realize the most important factor. You are now on a broken plane with vampires as their only food source. The heroine comes off as naive as if vampires are bunnies and not apex predators. Then a fun adventure ensues. There injured in the midst of it and then they suddenly dream that they’re on a date. Ughh, what. This leads to a very smexy kiss scene once their awake and also realize that their fated mates. More adventure ensues, but it’s really short. The first half of the book feels completely different from the second half. The majority of the story is just the heroine and hero finding out who shot down the plane and the complicated connection to the heroine’s past. This leads to a Twilight-esque moment of a vamp mating with a kid, like whew boy. Not mating = sex, but mating = life partner. Overall, the heroine was slightly annoying, I kept thinking what a nightmare it must be to constantly read her thoughts lol. A power that all vamps have. Overall a fun read once I understood what I was getting.

Recommendation:

Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Amazon

Prompt: Number in Title

This book was so easy to read. I think I really took to the writing style, and that allowed me to breeze through the novel in no time. My first thought reading the first couple of pages: Why is this YA? My favorite movie, House on Haunted Hill (1999), featured a similar premise of adults gathering together and getting picked off one by one. I wanted it to be more like that I’m just slightly disappointed is all. Now, the story is a remake of Agatha Christie’s, And Then There Were None. I haven’t read it, yet, and thus think I’ll probably come the closest to an unbiased review. Immediately, I’m entering eye roll city at the heroine’s one-sided friendship that of course, she’s completely loyal to. Oohhs for the possible romance. And ambivalent to everyone else although Gunner and his girl were a close second favorite. But once the killer’s video is shown the story really kicks off and they do not stop. It’s funny how death will have people spilling all the tea. This story had me anxious in a good way. I had no patience for the I shouldn’t read the killer’s journal conversation. But when it happens the heroine comes up with her best guess as to who the killer is. She shares this diary with the hero who comes up with his best guess and it’s the same as her. Why was she all of a sudden skeptical? Miss, wasn’t this your guess too? The idea to search the house and if they don’t find a killer that means it’s one of them, I found to be stupid. But people were dropping like flies then lol. The killer is revealed and I’m genuinely shocked and I don’t think there were any clues to guess that one. Overall, it was a fun read.

Recommendation:

Score: 3 out of 5
Available: Google Play

Thoughts On Readathon:

No Horror? I feel like the way the prompts were set up that it really didn’t allow me to dip into my horror reads. So for that, I am a tad disappointed. Nothing against the person who made it, but my choices. However, Ten came the closest to horror during this readathon. Where The Blame Lies was not horror, for me, but more like depravity in a tragic sense of the word.