THE MOST WONDERFUL CRIME OF THE YEAR by Ally Carter

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's December and I've got a few Christmas-themed books on my Paperwhite and Kobo, so I decided to start reading them. Starting with this one.

Maggie Chase is a cozy mystery writer who doesn't like the festive season. Ethan Wyatt is a popular thriller writer who gets on her nerves. But when they're both invited to England, Maggie and Ethan stumble into a mystery involving one of the most well-known mystery authors in the world...

This is such a charming romantic mystery that fits perfectly into the festive season. It's fun, isolated, and absolutely cozy. Not to mention that the chemistry between Maggie and Ethan makes the story even better.

The rom-com banter and seemingly mutual hate between the two main characters keeps things light, but the reality of what makes these two so real (and perfect for each other) is their backstory. Maggie, the lonely woman everyone abandons and her ex-husband's gaslighting pushed her to the point of not trusting her own instincts. Ethan, the son of a soldier who failed to live up to his father's expectations. Both with shattered pasts that left mental (and physical) scars.

I really enjoyed the mystery at the heart of the story because Eleanor is another cool character who makes a huge impression even though she's missing for most of the book. Also, the snowy location inside a huge manor in the English countryside matches the mysterious/dangerous vibes.

Terrific story!


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WITHIN THE SPACE OF A SECOND by Elise Helliwell

Within the Space of a Second by Elise Helliwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first thing I noticed about this book was how beautiful it is. Yes, I've got the special edition with the lovely moon-sprayed edges. So pretty.

Mariella Adams is afraid she's going to inherit her mother's mental illness, and waking up with a strange buzzing beneath her skin doesn't help. The day she meets two strangers, Rose and Parker, everything she thinks she knows about herself is turned upside down...

Wow. I raced through the pages of this book, hooked on every detail and clue peppered throughout. And I had a blast!

Imagine meeting someone you're in love with in the future. Someone who's already lived a relationship with you but all you have is an instant attraction. Yeah, that's (some) of what happens in this intriguing time travel story about a young woman who desperately wants to be normal so she can escape her unstable and heartbreaking past.

Determined to become a psychologist, Mariella is convinced that understanding psychology will help her find out the truth about what really happened to her mother. Little does she realise that her differences might be the only skills she needs.

Enter Parker and Rose. Two strangers to Mariella, but both know her in their own way. And my favourite thing about these two characters is how easily they open up the world building and help shape the rules and mystery that's at the core of this excellent tale.

Although the biggest mystery—Mariella's mother—isn't solved in this installment, a lot of other things are revealed slowly. If you pay close attention, it helps make sense of a lot of things. I've actually got a theory about her mother, so I can't wait to see if I'm right.

Anyway, I loved this book. The characters, the setting, the writing, the clues, the romance... All of it.

Looking forward to book two!


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HAUNT SWEET HOME by Sarah Pinsker

Haunt Sweet Home by Sarah Pinsker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I started reading this last night and couldn't stop.

Mara starts a lot of things, but lacks motivation and can't complete anything. So when her cousin mentions the ghost hunting/home makeover show he hosts is looking for a production assistant, she accepts the challenge...

What a great novella! It's a ghost story at heart, but also deals with the sham of reality TV, a restless young woman trying to find her place in the world without a plan, doubting your own ability to create, and accepting that sometimes you need a helping hand.

Another thing that really stood out for me is how the main character is portrayed so well that her existence makes her appear to be the most ghostly figure in the whole story. For example, she's seemingly invisible to the rest of her extended family because she's so young. But everyone else treats her the same way. It's sad, but also very relatable.

The ghost angle is also very satisfying because most of it is staged, but I enjoyed the surprises that popped up. Although I guessed the twist, I didn't expect the ending.

Overall, I found this novella intriguing, fun, and full of interesting characters.


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HEKATE by Nikita Gill & ROSALINA'S STORYBOOK (Nintendo)

Hekate by Nikita Gill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Greek mythology and always enjoy reading retellings. Whether set in the time of gods and goddesses, or putting these familiar characters in modern day settings, I'm interested. I've even written quite a few stories featuring figures from Greek mythology.

So I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one!

Hekate, the daughter of the Titans, Perses and Arcadia, finds herself alone in the Underworld with a handful of dark gods she can trust to keep her safe. But a promise made to her mother isn't enough to keep Hekate from seeking out her fate...

Wow. What a beautiful retelling. I loved every minute of this book. Ever word counted. Every sentence filled my head with vivid imagery. Every new page took me deeper into the life of a very fascinating goddess.

For me, this book combined several of my personal favourites: the Underworld inhabitants and Hecate/Hekate. It was also written in a way that really captured the spirit of the mythology. While most of the story unfolds in verse, several sections are in full paragraph narrative. And it all works together very well.

Also, I have to say that I loved Thanatos. He's such a calm and kind character, yet he's one of the most feared gods. Same goes for Charon. I loved his portrayal. But the best thing about this lush tale is Hekate herself. Watching her grow from an abandoned young girl to a woman who embraces her own power, is fantastic.

Loved this! So much.

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Rosalina's Storybook by Nintendo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My husband received this gorgeous hardback today and suggested I read it. Of course I jumped at the chance. By the way, this is the storybook featured in Super Mario Galaxy.

The day a young girl finds a rusted spaceship with a star child inside, the girl and Luma go on a journey to find Luma's mother and instead discover a whole lot more...

This is such a beautiful picture book that tells the heartwarming, and oftentimes, sad story of how Rosalina befriends a lonely Luma and eventually becomes a mother to a whole family of Lumas. It's an adventurous tale, one with a lot of heart, and a found family that enhances how strong, smart, and kind Rosalina really is.

I love the bright artwork, and even the size of the book is lovely. It's a quality product, and a must for all Nintendo collectors.

Also, it's always cool when another form of media is released to double the enjoyment of the original game, movie, or show.


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I'LL BE WAITING by Kelley Armstrong

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I read a Kelley Armstrong book, so I decided to get stuck into this one.

Nicola Laughton has Cystic Fibrosis but has managed to live well into her thirties. She takes her health seriously, enjoys her programming job, but most of all, she loves her husband Anton. The night he dies in a car crash, her world falls apart, and she's haunted by his final words: “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Well, this turned out to be quite the creepy, dark story. Not just because Nic finds herself totally consumed by the need to use spiritualists and mediums to try and contact Anton, but also because she knows none of them can actually help her communicate with her dead husband. Yet, she keeps falling into the same trap.

Until a professor of parapsychology offers to conduct a séance in a place that mattered to Anton, and some really eerie stuff starts to happen inside the large house. Things that suggest there's a ghost staying with them, and when the undeniable signs of a haunting manifest, Nic starts to hope. But can't stop second guessing everything.

I really enjoyed this ghost story for many reasons: the way the past séance blends so well with Nic's present day problems, how strong and determined Nic is regardless of all the health obstacles in her way, that she doesn't give up on Anton, and I especially liked how so many creepy things happen all at once and she starts to question her own sanity.

The characters are also great because every single one of them is flawed and no one is free of suspicion. Great book!


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THE OTHER BROTHER by Tierney Page

The Other Brother by Tierney Page
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While checking out the discounted books at K-Mart last weekend, this one caught my eye. Then I decided to check it out to see if it grabbed me... and I couldn't stop reading. LOL.

When April's fiancé, Lucas, betrays her trust and breaks her heart, she's devastated. But with the help of her good friends, Anna and Gemma, as well as her sweet cat, Basil, she starts picking up the pieces. Then falls for someone new: Lucas's younger brother...

Like I said above, I couldn't put this book down, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

At first, I thought the forbidden romance aspect might end up being problematic because of the brother thing, but it wasn't. To be honest, I actually thought the chemistry between April and James shone a lot brighter than April and Lucas. And Lucas is such a jerk anyway, so I didn't care about that douche.

This is such a great story. Not just because the heat between April and James sizzles off the page, but also because at its core, April's book is about how she finds her way back to trusting someone else after the ultimate betrayal. And how leaning on her friends strengthens her motivation and steers April towards finding her way back to herself.

I loved Anna and Gemma, by the way. Between Anna's sarcasm and Gemma's sexcapades, there are a lot of funny interactions between these three friends. And the same goes for James and his bandmates.

Overall, this is a well written, very romantic love story between two people who are made for each other. It kept me glued to the pages and had me rooting for the two leads.

Very fun story!


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HOW TO BE EATEN by Maria Adelmann

How to Be Eaten: A Novel by Maria Adelmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm having a great time going through my Paperwhite, Kobo and bookshelves picking up whatever book I feel like checking out. And this one caught my eye the other day.

In New York City, a small group of women meet in a basement to attend a support group. The haunting stories they share are familiar but are also very different...

I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, or fairy tale characters thrown into contemporary situations, so of course I was interested in checking out a novel that did a bit of both.

I like the setup because it made me wonder who was pulling the strings to get these women into a room where they could share their personal traumatic experiences. And then I hung around because I wanted to hear their individual tales.

How Bernice escaped a rich and powerful man with the killer habit of collecting women. Ruby's dark story of her fucked-up day and the grotty fur she always wears. Ashlee relives the experience of being on a reality TV show that's anything but real. Gretel's confused recollections about how muddled her memories have become. And Raina's rise to privilege as she shares her love story.

I really enjoyed this novel because of the familiarity, as well as the additions and twists. It's cool to recognise so many fairy tale characters who are given a new set of modern problems, issues, while leading back to the same old issue: no one wants to hear the woman's story, her truth. Instead, the victims are turned into one-dimensional cautionary tales that blame them for the evils of men.

The format of this book is another thing I thoroughly enjoyed. I love stories within a story.

Great book!


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THE UNMOTHERS by Leslie J. Anderson

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While going through my Paperwhite to pick my next read, I stopped on this one. I mean, the horse and baby angle totally intrigued me.

After a devastating loss, Marshall's editor sends her to the small town of Raeford to investigate the bizarre claim that a horse gave birth to a human baby. But when she digs deeper, Marshall finds that there's something very strange going on...

I really enjoyed this dark folktale with a monstrous angle fuelled by the generational rage and secrets women are forced to carry.

Although the story unfolds via multiple POVs, I considered this to be Marshall's personal journey into recovery and facing her grief. She's a reporter who is struggling at work and is given an assignment that's meant to be nothing serious. A way to get her out of the city. Instead, she stumbles into old rituals, the mystery surrounding one baby's birth, and a town that's full of secrets.

That's before getting stuck into the worship of horses, the strange way these animals are involved in human rituals, and the darkness that lives in the forest. And did I mention the shitty old man with a god complex? Yeah, there's a lot going on here, and all of these elements come together in a very satisfying way.

The other characters that I really liked were Jason and Agatha.

I also think that the author captured the hopelessness and backward location very well, while also showing the resilience of the townsfolk, the carelessness of law enforcement, and the beauty that exists even in the darkest of places.

This is a great book!!


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NINE MONTH CONTRACT by Amy Daws

Nine Month Contract by Amy Daws
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lately, every time we go to K-Mart, we find a bunch of books on clearance and this was one of them. "I'd buy that for a dollar!" I'm serious, this book was a buck. 😅

Wyatt is hardworking but is definitely a bit too grumpy, and he wants to be a dad. Trista loves animals but her life is a little chaotic, and she wants to open an animal sanctuary. Together, this odd couple might be a perfect match...

This is such a fun, heartwarming, funny, and raunchy story!

I have to admit, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book because the concept sounded like it might be a little problematic. I've never read a rom-com dealing with surrogacy, and I certainly didn't expect to be hooked, but after trying out the first chapter, I couldn't stop.

I found the Fletcher family dynamics charming, and the tension between the brothers was intriguing. Yeah, the characters hooked me in from the beginning!

The story is mostly told in the alternating POVs of Wyatt and Trista as they meet, realise they're quite compatible, but choose to focus on their nine month contract. After all, Wyatt is the one who wants to be a parent, while Trista doesn't have any interest in children because of her own past. It makes for an interesting dilemma as things heat up between them because their mutual attraction is very intense.

There are so many reasons why I should've found some of these topics disturbing, but I didn't. Instead, I had a blast reading this book and enjoyed the writing style, too.

I'll definitely be checking out the other books in this series. And by that I mean that I already have the second one. 😁


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LITTLE RED DEATH by A.K. Benedict

Little Red Death by A.K. Benedict
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another book we found in one of our local Street Libraries.

A writer held captive. A detective on the case. A killer obsessed with fairy tales. A collection of murders that relate back to the lead detective...

Wow. This contemporary fairy tale is amazing! It's a murder-mystery. A fast-paced thriller. It's a serial killer crime novel. And definitely fits into the dark fantasy genre. Did I mention that it's full of twists and turns?

I was utterly hooked from beginning to end, and couldn't wait to find out what was really going on.

DI Lyla Rondell is such a great character and as she investigates murders that are based on the Grimm Fairy Tales, she slowly realises that the killer is somehow connected to her. But not just that, everything that's going on circles back to her.

I found this SO addictive! The trippy nature of this book is something that makes it stand out. There's a story within a story within a story, and a conclusion that will blow your mind. Not to mention how magical and lush the location is.

Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to delve into the more fantastical aspects of this tale and how clever it is, it would spoil everything that makes this book special. I think you should go in without knowing too much about the plot.

Loved it!


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