Andrea Ward

I wanted more of the tea house, but the focus was more on the characters. We see quite a bit about how they all get to where they are. There are some surprises about who they are and how they got to where they are. Now that I know all that about them, I want to read the next one to see what is going to happen next.

So cozy and sweet! I smile every time I see this book.

The body horror is exquisite. The three female characters are unique and I loved seeing them work together. The ending felt a little cliche, but the strength of the characters and their relationships to each other overcame a lot of my reticence about the ending.

Such a cute romance. I love a sweet YA romance where the characters become more of themselves.

It took me a little longer than normal to get into this one, but as Jo gained her voice and courage, I really started to get into this one. The first twist was obvious, but it did ratchet up the tension for the rest of the book. That tension was good and it helped to further round out Jo as a character. The end was a surprise and the epilogue was okay as well. So this book got better and better as I continued reading it.

I like that this book is telling a different kind of serial killer story. Rebecca is not really a likable character, but she is not trying to be liked. She is trying to protect her daughter. Some of the personal life about the detective didn't feel necessary, but it did provide a view of parenthood that competes with Rebecca. I was a little confused at the beginning about what was going on with Rebecca and her daughter, but it didn't remain a secret for too long. I think some people will love the secret between Rebecca and her daughter, but it isn't what I was wanting to read.
If you like a serial killer thriller with a horror twist, you will like this one.

I loved the setting and the family secrets. The creepy dark gothic castle was a great setting for a family that is unwilling to share their knowledge with each other. I like Estela's determination to solve the mystery even if her family is lying to her. I didn't really like the romance and the epilogue made it worse. Maybe this kind of supernatural romance isn't for me.
So if you like a dark gothic everyone is lying type book with some steamy romance, you might like this one. I would definitely recommend this for older YA readers only.

What a lovely inspirational story.

I love that this is a ‘men's thriller' type book with much deeper themes of racism, homophobia, and more. We get gun battles, explosions, truly evil bad guys, and righteous causes to fight for like I have come to expect in these types of books. I was unprepared for the amount of things that Ike and Buddy Lee learn throughout the book. I will be thinking about these characters often.

I was unprepared for the level of medical abandonment in this book. I wanted to throw the book more than once as Violet was dealing with an invisible illness. It fit in perfectly with The Yellow Wallpaper as inspiration for the book. The ghost/ creepy parts were a little too lightly done for my taste, but I am not a typical audience for the book. Will was a wonderful friend and Violet's family was really there for her. I was so glad that she had some people in her corner as she struggled for answers. This is book is an important teaching tool for invisible illnesses.

The audiobook is so good! The voices that the narrator uses helps to distinguish between them, but also it helped to characterize them. I don't know that the voices will work for everyone, but I wouldn't have read the book if it wasn't for the audiobook. The author did a great job telling a Sherlockian type mystery while also building this world along the way. There is a lot happening in this book and lots of people and social structures to remember, so maybe I should have taken some notes as I was listening. I guess we will find out in book 2.

I think I loved this one. There were times it was too focused on the life of the detectives, but then they would back to the investigation. And then I was certain that I knew who was at fault and what was going on, but I was pleasantly wrong. So there were parts that could have been edited down, but the investigation was so good. So I think I loved it .

I listened to this book and that really helped me feel like I was in Farrah's head through out the book. The author did a good job keeping us so in her head that I often forgot the rest of the world might be different than Farrah thinks. So the ending was a surprise and horrific and weirdly logical. This might not be everybody's cup of tea because it is so voicy, but I enjoyed it.

This book is horrific in the flippant way so many people treat the plantation and its history. Then we discover the depth of the history and it is even more horrific than I expected. I am actively trying to remove the word plantation from my vocabulary and when I do have to use it, I cringe. This book made my head knowledge real. Wow! So good.

This is scary because it is so real! The extremity of the experiments might not be the most real, but the why of the experiments and the people involved felt very real. The ending was frustrating, but again realistic, which is why it was frustrating. Sometimes I just want to see the really awful people get their due. If you want to read a thriller about medical experimentation and medical racism, this is the book. If you want to read a thriller that makes you suspect those around you, read this one. An important well told story.

Maddy was frustrating me at the beginning, but by the end I was in love with her again. She did a great job getting information out of some people. I also laughed out loud a few times as the obvious was pointed out to her. I liked the addition of Carson Law and the Admiral showing up. They were really great additions that supported Maddy through some difficult spots. The conclusion was obvious, but I realized several clues that I didn't pick up earlier. I also really like the way this series humanizes the beautiful women and influencers. This might be my favorite of the three I have read.

I really liked seeing the journey Maryse goes on through this story. There is so much hate all around and the pain that is causes is dealt with in different ways. The thing that Maryse realizes about herself is powerful and important. I'm glad I read this one.

The story is interesting. I'm not sure what the author was trying to say even after reading all the ancillary materials with this edition.

I read this book in one day! It was so good that I couldn't put it down. The way that this book discusses the embodiment of humanity is fascinating. Our souls, spirits, personality can't be separated from our bodies and that's hard to deal with sometimes. But it is better than the option in this book! I also love the way the girls in this book are looking out for each other even if they make a mistake. Ah! So good!

I was so surprised by the ending! I liked the way the author made so many people suspicious. I liked the inclusion of the podcast. It provided several little details that exposed so many secrets because almost everyone is awful! The set up makes it seem like there is no way there could be a realistic explanation as to how this happened and was covered up. But Tintera does a great job filling this town with secretive, selfish people, so by the end it seems completely possible for this all to have happened.

I love hard boiled detective radio shows, so I get excited when I can find a modern hard boiled detective book. Vandy is a PI in the vein of a Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe. She is obviously a black woman, so she has more layers than the above mentioned PIs. Then you add in her backstory and you have a complicated character trying to solve a mystery, bring justice and just maybe deal with her own issues.
The gritty beginning lets us know exactly what we are getting into right away. So no one should be surprised that this is a hard boiled detective instead of a cozy mystery. As a cozy mystery reader also, I appreciate Pitts letting us know what we are in for right away.
I am hoping for some more books with Vandy to see how she develops as a character. Great ‘start' to a hard boiled detective series.

Very cute with a good message.

This is my first Fiona Davis book and it did not disappoint. We got a cast of strong unique characters in both timelines. There was a strong sense of place that really shaped the characters as well. The ending was probably my favorite part. I think I will have to read more from Fiona Davis.

The battle that Cas has to go through to be a good friend and a good ghost hunter are the strength of this book. There are plenty of sketchy adults in this book and I appreciate that the author doesn't try to make them sympathetic. They are vaguely antagonistic and that's a good backdrop for the story. I really appreciate the way that Cas ends up fixing the problem. It was creative and fit right in with the rest of the story.

I love hard boiled detective fiction in Old Time Radio. I don't often pick up books of the same genre, but I was curious about Viviana. I am so glad that I picked this up. This has a very 1950s vibe with the language and the societal expectations. My favorite part might be the way Tommy trusts and supports Viviana. Women often do not come out looking good in this genre, but Tommy and Viviana are different. I was hoping for a delightful female had boiled detective and that is exactly what I got!