Edinburgh Midnight by Carole Lawrence My rating: 1 of 5 stars The Gist I loved Lawrence’s two previous books in the Ian Hamilton Mysteries Series, Edinburgh Twilight and Edinburgh Dusk, and I eagerly awaited the publication of Edinburgh Midnight. Usually, I can’t put the book until I have finished the last page, but with Edinburgh Midnight I struggled. I struggled a lot. The Details As the third in the series, I thought that at this point the reader might find out a little more about the protagonist. Instead, it felt like the author decided to take Hamilton a step back; to make him more obscure than in the first two…
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Wrong Alibi
Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, HQN Books, for providing me with an ARC of Wrong Alibi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist It was news to me that between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day there are only 6 days. That meant I almost missed my deadline of writing the review of Wrong Alibi. In all seriousness, I have always struggled with the days between Christmas and New Years, thinking there are weeks, not days, between those two holidays. Needless to say, my organization got a little chaotic and I ended up…
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Dark Shores
Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist Actually, I’m going to start off right away with the verdict: I absolutely loved Dark Shores. I have loved Jensen’s writing ever since The Malediction Trilogy was published beginning back in 2014. Then in 2018 The Bridge Kingdom came out, which I was unable to find a copy of for some mysterious reason. So, I never had a chance to read it and for a few years I lost track of Jensen’s published works. Until I saw Dark Shores pop up on NetGalley. Giddy like a schoolgirl, I requested a copy to read and review, and…
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Anno Dracula
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist A dear friend of mine sent me Anno Dracula as a birthday present. He hasn’t read it himself, but said that a story about vampires and murder, set in Victorian London would be totally up my alley. And he wasn’t wrong, which makes this review a little difficult to write. It is true. I’m a sucker for murder mystery, Victorian London stories and throw in some Gothic elements (i.e. a vampire or two) and I’m all yours. So, why did this story fall short? I shall explain below. The Details I was so excited to start this…
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The Last to See Her
The Last to See Her by Courtney Evan Tate My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Mira, for providing me with an ARC of The Last to See Her in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have to confess I don’t know how to write this review. How do I start and what should I write? What little anecdote should I include before getting to the details? I never had the pleasure of reading any of the author’s other works, so I didn’t know what to expect. The synopsis sounded intriguing and I sure could have used another distraction…
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Aurora Rising
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman My rating: 2 of 5 stars The Gist The time stamp says I read Aurora Rising in May of this year. I didn’t write the review until a few months later, because I didn’t really know how I felt about it. And I guess by December this hasn’t changed, so I’m finally going to post this review. 70%! 70% of Aurora Rising was absolutely fantastic. Then, it had to take a most spectacular nosedive. My god why?! I have been in a bit of a sour mood, since I finished this story yesterday afternoon. For good reason, too. I feel more than a little duped…
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A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess My rating: 3 of 5 stars The Gist I have known about A Clockwork Orange as long as I can remember. As a literature student ten years ago I meant to read as many popular literary books as I could, but working 20 hours a week, going to school fulltime and being part of the school theatre tech group didn’t leave much spare time. I am slightly ashamed to say that I still have to read many well-known classics to this day. So, how did I come about reading A Clockwork Orange? Well, it’s kind of a long story that includes a very tenacious…
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The Raven’s Tale
The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Gist I absolutely love Winters’ works. I have read all of her novels without fail. Heck, I even went out in a snowstorm while on a romantic Valentine’s Day weekend retreat to Montreal so that I could purchase one of her books for the train ride home. It’s rare for me to read, or even want to read a book twice, because I can remember most stories quite well, generally speaking. Something strange happened with The Raven’s Tale. Starting in August of this year I kept thinking about it. It was haunting. I had the indescribable urge…
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The Forgotten Sister
The Forgotten Sister by Nicola Cornick My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House Books, for providing me with an ARC of The Forgotten Sister in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist The duality of the narration The Forgotten Sister promised to offer intrigued me greatly. One part historical fiction plus one part contemporary fiction makes for an interesting read for sure. Throw in the promise of a murder mystery, a ghost and a special gift and I’m all yours. The Details I did not particularly like the two main characters. I thought they were both very self-absorbed, but…
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Last Case at a Baggage Auction
Last Case at a Baggage Auction by Eric J. Guignard My rating: 5 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Harper Day Books for providing me with an ARC of Last Case at a Baggage Auction in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist I have been on a quest throughout the month of October to find good Halloween books and movies. On the movie end I had some great help from friends giving me their suggestions and recommendations. So, my evenings are spent watching spooky movies to my heart’s content. But what about the rest of my day? I can only train Muay Thai…
