ChaosHappinessBookMama

Migration Event K C Gillis  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #migrationevent #kcgilliswriter #environmentalthriller #thriller #suspense #mustread #jordanreed #zooloobooktours This book is well researched, planned and executed. It immediately made me think of the Pelican Brief by John Grisham.   An environmental thriller that sucks you in, includes massively rich men and politicians.   Jordan receives a random tip about a wealthy man evading tariffs.  As she digs deeper, Jordan learns no one knows why this man bought a failing solar panel company.  Maggie is a die hard conservationist, with connections all over the world. Migrating dowitchers are literally falling dead from the sky. An autopsy reveals a specific metal poisoning. Found in solar panels.  Great suspense, lots of characters to keep the plot moving.

Frozen Souls Rita Heron ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #bookreview #bookouture #BooksOnTour #bookrecommendation #FrozenSouls #thriller #ritaherron A hunter searches for his perfect mate - stealing young women and holding them captive. As his collection grows, he must discard an older body. The body of a frozen youn woman is found while searching for a child and dog lost on the AT trail. Ginger escapes to a remote cabin- desperate to work in her handcrafted jewelry while avoiding her domineering ex boyfriend and father. The hunter spots her - and feels that instant connection.  The tension between Ellie and Bryce continue. Cord and Ellie work together- and Derrick is brought back. Great twists and an attention grabbing read! 

When the Nightingale Sings Suzanne Kelman  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Anyone else loving the trend of female empowerment in contemporary fiction?  This book tells the story of two women - some may say unlikely friends, an academic and an actress.   Hedy and Judy meet in London, unlikely friends and very different lives. But their passion unites them as they fight do their part in WWII - while battling sexism.  Very compelling story of women and their untold stories. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Creepy. Chilling. A family drama told in three voices and seperated by decades. Liv drags her three daughters to a remote Scottish island - in the middle of the night. The owner of The Longing has commissioned a mural - a decommissioned lighthouse to become a writing studio. With the help of a local plasterer, Liv gets started. And learns the history of their new home.  Saffy is an angry teenager - misunderstood,  her mother doesn't swem to care. But then Brodie starts talking to her.  In 2021, Luna tells us about her devastating loss - her mother and sisters disappearing, never to be found. Until she receives a phone call - Clover has been found.   Engaging.  Family mystery drama. Great writing - you can feel the Scottish weather.  History.  Well done.  #thelighthousewitches #cjcooke #penguinpublishing #bookreviews #netgalley #mustread #booktour 

Little Miss Evil  Jim Ody ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you are looking for a creepy, in the middle of the night screams, look no further.  Holy crap did this book scare me. #putthebookinthefreezer scary. Gore, secrets, payback - great read!  #creepybook #scarybooks #horrorbooks #SHOctober #jimodyauthor #spellboundbooks #mustread #fivestarreview #bookreview #bookrecommendation 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wow. I don't even know where to start.  Lots of triggers so be aware - rape, gore, kidnapping. Celebrating landing her dream job, Aimee and her bestie, Kelly, hit up a swanky club. They catch the eye of two sexy men who buy shots, dance and keep them after hours. Only to be separated - Kelly left at the bar to be used while Aimee wakes in a container.  Aimee builds her determination to escape, becoming friends with others in the containment.  She is simply in one of many containers - as people pay crazy amount of money to partake in a hunt. People let loose on a vast estate - miles away from a village, neighbors, any chance of help.  Johnson is obsessed with breaking up this crime - his own daughter kidnapped, likely dead. This plot is told in fragmented pieces - giving humanity to the monsters, feeding the reader's craving for justice, right the wrongs suffered by innocents.   Well done.  #preybook #spellboundbooks #horror #SHOctober...

The Guilty Sister Arianne Richmonde ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #bookouture #theguiltysister #bookrelease #BookTour #bookreview #ariannerichmonde #unreliablenarrator While reading this book, I kept wondering who. Who was the guilty sister? Who was the unreliable narrator? What was the event that caused the interrogation occurring during the "now" chapters? Sara lives close to Central Park - a book cover designer, who doesn't want that job? She gets the joy of reading ARC of books, develops and works with the author to design the perfect cover. Working from home allows Sara to care for her special needs dog, Poppy. Bradley happens to see Sara with her dog one morning, taking a different path on his way to his Wall Street job. Oh the author calls out all the swanky details of Bradley's appearance - the crazy expensive suit, the watch, his thirst for money yet his loneliness. He quietly watches, borderline stalks Sara until he manages to interact with her and Poppy. Sara has experience...

Woo hoo! My day for this book tour! The Last Time She Died Zoe Sharp ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #netgalley #thelasttimeshedied #BooksOnTour #BookTour #bookreview #bookrecommendation #mustread #fivestarreview #ZoeSharp #suspense I was practically dizzy from those twists and turns. What an incredibly build up and ending. Highly recommend. The death of Gideon Fitzroy disrupts the sleepy village of Derbyshire. Lily and Tom were in the car with Gideon when he died - both lucky to escape. But Commander Daud has asked Detective Superintendent Byron to look closer - something does feel right.  Especially after Blake returns - ten years after she went missing. Is she really Blake? Several villagers know this is impossible - ten years earlier three went into the woods but only two came out. While Byron quietly investigates, Blake performs her own inquiries. The funeral, reading of the will, tense family relationships - all create an intense plot you can't walk away from. Perfectly timed gasp out loud tw...

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife Ashley Winstead ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #inmydreamsiholdaknife #mustread #bookreview #books #ashleywinstead #wowbooks #fivestarreview I had to read this book - and experience if it was worthy of all the hype. Reunions seem to be a huge bookish trend this year. I have read and enjoyed several this year - and this one certainly delivered. Jessica Miller has battled with feeling average basically her entire life - failing to live up to her father's standards of Harvard; her name is so common - it feels as though no one has ever seen her. After college, Jessica works hard to succeed, envisioning her 10 year college reunion. It doesn't go well. Heather's murder takes center stage as her younger brother corners Jessica and her friends, obsessed with the evidence, forcing them all to face their earlier selves - and all their wrongs. Creepy setting, unreliable narrators, self obsession, and so much drama. I read this book in a day - drawn into the drama and myst...

The Girl on the Platform Ellie Midwood ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #bookouture #BookReview #booktour #booksontour #thegirlontheplatform #elliemidwood #HistoricalFiction I needed a few days to put together my thoughts for this book. So complex. So beautiful. So tragic. What I loved best about this book is the honest portrayal of Libby, her friends and her husband. In 1933, Libertas leaves her family estate at the age of 19 to becomes a publicity assistant in MGM's Germany offices. As a woman, Libby experiences much sexism - but her Aryan looks lend her plenty of freedom of suspicion as she discovers the trend of her country's political future. Becoming friends with Ricci opens her life to immense possibility - not just meeting her husband and love her life, but also the connections to spark a grassroots effort to free Germany from Hitler's dictatorship. Libby, as well as her husband and many friends, believe Hitler only represents a small minority of her country, those with immense wealth ...

The Mother's Fault Nicole Trope ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #bookouture #BookReview #booktour #booksontour #greatread #NetGalley #themothersfaultbook #nicoletrope Wow! Nicole Trope certainly brings complicated families to life with ease, empathy and mental instability! Beverley ends things with a good man to protect her secrets. Ethan pushes Beverley to rethink things -but as a single mother, Beverley must put her son first. And then the gifts start arriving. Expensive gifts with a card, no name. The final gift too expensive to accept - and Beverley rages. How could Ethan embarrass her? But Ethan isn't answering her phone calls. Or her texts. This story is told in three voices - Beverley, giving background as well as the guilty weight of her secrets, family tragedies; Riley - lending another perspective to the story, escalating the events. And an unreliable narrator - the personality shifting while the plot progresses. Creepy and shocking - quick read.  

Bath Haus P J Vernon #bathhaus #thriller #trashy #drama #mensfiction #lqbtqia #lgbtqiabooks #mustreadbooks #pjvernon Trashy and dramatic AF! Read in a day - the drama and lifestyle just sucks you in. 👏👏👏👏

It was almost nine. Nora and Lucas both had to get up in six hours’ time, so they finished their drinks and decided to call it a night. Lucas didn’t want Nora to walk home alone to what he joked looked like a slum apartment. He thus accompanied her to the official hotel drivers, who were stationed in the alley behind the building. They were laughing because Lucas was telling the story of how Handmaids 1 and 2 had got into a fight that day over who would pass the bottle of water to him, not realising that he understood what they were saying. So they didn’t notice Dan until they bumped into him. He gave them a quick and curious once-over, and then launched into usual mode. “Well, well, so this is why you couldn’t come out for a drink with me?” he observed snarkily. “No, Dan, I didn’t go for a drink with you because I like spending my time with people who mean something to me, and you don’t,” she retorted sharply, only noticing after the event that she had accidentally said that Lucas was...

The Lie She Told Catherine Yaffe #booktour #thelieshetold #bookreview #books Blurb - Living in the remote Scottish Highlands under Witness Protection, life is finally happy for Kate Ward and her young son Joe, until someone from Kate’s past appears. Ryan Albright is the only person that knows all of Kate’s secrets, and what she had to do to escape her previous abusive relationship. Ryan is determined to complete the mission set for him by Kate’s ex-husband. Systematically and violently, he pulls Kate’s new world apart with devastating consequences for everyone around him, including Kate who must face up to the lie she told.

The Hidden Girl Robert Stelljes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #bookrecommendation #BOOKREVIEW #bookouture #bookontour #booktour #thriller #thehiddengirl This book takes you by the eyeballs and sucks you in. Immediate action - there is no build; there is no pause. Two men stun and tie-up Dan and Heidi, torture and kill. Dan's daughter, Cara, rushes home already past curfew. She finds her dead parents - and the killers. After  hiding the woods for hours, Cara finally returns to her home and calls the police. Tori and Braddock are called to the horrifying scene; Tori using her own victim experience to calm and sooth Cara, pulling vital details. As they begin the investigation into the Newman's lives, this scene rings vaguely familiar. And then another gruesome death.  Buried secrets are brought to light - questioning the integrity of not only the now Sheriff Cal, but also Tori's father. Great fast moving plot, some slow sections. Great characters, good twists and lots of oh moments. ...

Hellsleigh DC Brockton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+++ #hellsleigh #horrorbooks #horror #holycrapbooks #mustread #mustreadbooks #bookontour #dcbrockton #fivestarreview #GetThisBook #oneofbestbook2021 #bookrelease Horror at its best! Gore, terrified characters, hauntings, abandoned insane asylum, hundred year anniversary of a gruesome massacre of patients and staff.  You could not ask for more! Dual timelines - 1909, original massacre covered up by the town council to retain the asylum's prestigious reputation; 2009 - teenagers take their party to the asylum while a renowned paranormal investigator infamous for debunking infamous haunted locations gathers his team for an epic investigation. This plot was amazing - the incredible tie-ins from past to present, the ongoing revelations. I finished in day - I had to stay up to finish! I also live near the Inebriate Asylum - also used for the mentally ill and throwaway citizens. Just added to my enjoyment.  

Our Little Secret Kiersten Modglin, Author ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ourlittlesecretbook #KierstenModglin #guiltypleasurebook #guiltypleasure #mustread #books #bookreview #thrillerbooks Guilty read that delivers! Kiersten keeps her reputation of hard ending twists and gasp out loud moments! In a small town, a wife is murdered; a husband is missing; two people commit adultery; and that is just in the first fifty pages. Jude is called to the lake - Stephanie convinced she saw a car drive into the lake, or a person fall in. She's so tired from working two jobs to support herself and sons after her husband just walked out. Jude's wife, Michelle, is convinced her family's secret is about to be reveled. But Stephanie retracts her statement. Just a misunderstanding. Why would Stephanie makeup a story? What does she think is in the lake? What else could she be hiding. This plot just consumed me - I can't even tell you how the story progressed; it just did. Told from multiple points of...

Matilda is finally going home - over fifty years of being a patient in an asylum.  Does anyone even remember why? Certainly not Matilda.  She has created such a beautiful life - nurses are servants, her rooms of high quality, her life filled with social responsibilities.   Henry, her brother,  has vague memories.  He has often thought of his magical sister, hoping she is living a magical life. Janice, a new social worker with little experience but a huge amount of hope and idealism. She wants to finally release Matilda and reunite the siblings.   A magical and harsh story of reality - decades in an asylum,  grasping reality after years of pretending.   Beautiful and well done.

His Loving Wife Miranda Smith #bookouture #BookReview #booktour #bookreview #hislovingwife #MirandaSmith ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I often find myself wondering what I would do in various emergency situations - including a home invasion. Will I freeze? Will I fight? Sacrifice myself for my family? Am I strong enough to win the battle? A year ago, Willow and Andrew experienced a home invasion. Willow told her children to get out of the house to safety while catching the intruder off guard. This decision not only ensure the safety of her children, but also Willow was able to scare the intruder into leaving. Months later they learn the intruder's identity - Paul, Willow's ex from college. Willow takes on the guilt of starting the chain of events - Paul and Willow ran into each other weeks before the invasion. Andrew deals with the guilt of freezing - seeking an online community to cope. The family goes on a beach vacation - yet Willow can't help feeling something weird is going on. This p...

Ice Coven  Max Seeck ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #icecoven #maxseeck #booktour #thriller #suspense #berkleypublishing #slowbuild #bookreview #bookrecommendations This book was a delicate, slow build that gave nothing away. I did not read the first book in this series - the author gave plenty of background, at times it was slightly repetitive. An influencer, Lisa, goes missing after attending a record drop party - a post on Instagram of a desolate light house the only clue. The same night her ex-boyfriend, Jason, also an influencer disappears. Jessica is brought on the case, with her team to locate the missing people. Many complexities in this book - lots of kernels of information to track as the plot builds. I enjoyed the multiple points of view, the seamless transition of using chapters to pass along the narration. Though longer than I like my thrillers, this plot was worth the time.