A Home from Home

A Home from Home is a standalone novel, and in a very subtle and comical way, deals with the mistreatment of care centres for the elderly, and their guests.

Edith grew up in the beautiful house of Stoneycrest, so has vivid memories of her time there. Unfortunately with age her memories seem to be fading and some meld with others. One thing she is sure of however, is that the owners and managers (Marion and Spiro) of the care centre that Stoneycrest has become, are mistreating the guests and filtering money for their own use. With the help of her friend Len, Edith devises a plan to get the police to come to Stoneycrest so that she can alert them to the problems, but as with most well-thought out (or so you think) plans, things never turn out the way you want them to!

The story is a very sweet look at Edith’s past and present and her perseverance in getting the truth out there. Spiro and his mistress Marion are only interested in the money they can claim from the guests, and while there is no overt mistreatment, there is no genuine care either.  Tass (Spiro’s money-hungry niece), joins the story and after a life changing event learns the true meaning of living life and caring for others. There are some crazy moments where one of the guests goes missing in the village and the search party sent to retrieve her is like watching a 3 Stooges movie. The story is very well told but there are a number of grammatical errors especially with missing prepositions which ruin the flow of reading.

Otherwise a good fun afternoon read. 

Hell's Bells by Vincent Bivona and Trevor Firetog

Hell’s Bells is a short horror story; apparently loosely based on actual events.

James and Andres are off to meet their favourite author, Richard Gordon, at a book signing. On the way they meet an old hag on the subway; her hair lank and her face covered with pus-filled spots (read here volcanoes). Unfortunately she is Richard Gordon’s biggest fan and is also on the way to see him. The more they try to stay away from her at the book signing, the more she tries to befriend them. Grossed out by her appearance and behaviour they decide to play a prank on her. Big mistake…

This is a well-written, fun (?) story with classic horror inserts. It’s quick to read, yet with a moral that should be heeded. The characters could have been fleshed out a little more, but I guess you can only fit so much into a short story. I liked the snippets of other work by the authors also included in the book. I’ll definitely be looking for these writers in the future.  

Out of the Storm by Jillian Elizabeth

Out of the Storm is the debut novel by Jillian Elizabeth and is a cop/thriller/romance with adult content interspersed (the author does warn about this at the beginning).

Carter has always loved Andrea. Even though they had a period apart where hot-headedness kept them separate, their hearts only belonged to each other. Now back together they are stronger and more in love than ever. Their idyllic life is about to be horribly interrupted when a string of murders points to a nefarious underground circuit which Carter throws his whole being into solving. Andrea is also feeling a little uneasy about something or someone, but can’t quite put her finger on it. Could their pasts be about to collide in a very bad way with their present? If so will their love be strong enough to endure it all?

The story was good for a debut novel. It is confusing in the beginning as so much of their past is alluded to and is only explained in the middle of the book onwards. The writing is easy to read with only a few grammatical errors, but sometimes speech from the same person was broken up into different paragraphs which interrupted the flow of reading. The story is told from different POV which helps with the emotions and understanding of the characters, especially in certain heartbreaking scenes. The story itself is nothing new and is tied up a little too neatly for everyone, but is told with the passion and enthusiasm of a new writer.

I enjoyed it as a quick afternoon read and would be interested to see what happens to the couple. 

The Other Side of Him by Alice Rene

The Other Side of Him is part thriller and part general fiction and is a standalone novel.

Claire comes from a family that doesn’t shirk from working hard to get where you need to go. Her mom wants her to find a “ladies” job and a good husband to settle down with. Claire wants to go to college and become a social worker to help others. Her brother Tim introduces her to a doctor named Greg who seems absolutely idyllic. Perhaps a little too idyllic. As Claire goes forward in her relationship with him and finds things are not as they seemed, can she change its course, or is she bound by the constraints of an era that certainly didn’t afford its women enough protection?

I was ambivalent about this novel as the thriller part is gripping, but all of a sudden it becomes a general life story. With all the twists and turns that recent books have, I found the direction that the book took to be flat! I kept hoping for something exciting to happen and then all of a sudden it was over.

The editing and style of writing is good, but I don’t think the story will still be with me tomorrow. If you feel like an afternoon read where you can just go with the flow of a book then this one’s for you.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

Behind Closed Doors is a standalone thriller that delves into psychological games/traps.

Jack and Grace have the perfect marriage. He is the attentive, handsome and thoughtful husband every wife longs for, while she is the ideal example of a rounded homemaker. It is strange though that Grace never follows up on promises to join friends for lunch, or constantly has a tummy bug, rendering her unable to see her sister every weekend. How does Grace manage to be a master of it all and still keep a gorgeous man so in love with her? Is there such a thing as perfection? Surely there must be more than meets the eye? (I can’t say more than that without revealing spoilers!)

This book was recommended on an fb group and I love psychological thrillers so I thought I’d give it a bash. While it was definitely a thriller, I thought that the psychological aspects of it were less subtle than implied as they were actually laid out for you. You can pretty much tell that there will be a twist just by the blurb and it’s obvious early on what it is. Knowing certainly does not detract from the feelings of revulsion and incredulousness you experience as the mind games continue. Grace does come across as a little soft, but I understand the frustration and reasons behind her decisions. Jack, well, Jack is certainly a piece of work. I did enjoy the way the book went from present to past and you get to see exactly how the story got to its point. What led to the ending felt a bit rushed, but it wrapped up well and you support the decisions taken that led to the finale. Some disturbing scenes will be upsetting, but you can see them coming so skip those parts!

I enjoyed this book, as the way it was written made me feel as though I was experiencing the emotions first-hand. The psychological aspects are quite draining and while the story does draw aspects from other books, I recommend this one for a gripping read.   

Hair in All the Wrong Places 2 by Andrew Buckley

Hair in All the Wrong Places 2 is the sequel to Hair in All the Wrong Places, but could be read as a standalone novel.

Colin is a 13-year-old boy living in Elkwood with his grandmother. Elkwood is no ordinary town, and Colin is no ordinary boy. After being bitten by Silas and turned into a werewolf, Colin is adjusting to his new life in a town filled with supernatural beings. While working with the Night Watch, a unit tasked with fighting rogue supernaturals, Colin encounters a being with red eyes, floating in the air. Things escalate and the situation ends badly. No one will believe Colin about the being and he is sent off in disgrace.

Colin and his witch girlfriend are back at school when a new principal arrives. Something is very off about him though. Soon stranger than normal strange things occur, and with the Night Watch away, it is up to Colin to save the day. It’s a huge burden to place on a young werewolf who hasn’t even transitioned at full moon by himself. Is Colin up to the task? And if not, is there anyone available to help?

Another great piece of writing by Andrew Buckley! He has taken the generally overworked supernatural sensation and put his spin on it. To be able to ensure that a middle grade book has enough substance to entertain an adult takes skill, and this series certainly entertains. You get action, humour, a clever storyline and a moral or two thrown in for good measure. Sometimes characters and plots can become cumbersome with descriptions or just too much info. Here we are presented with just enough so that the flow of reading is very comfortable. The author has a very easy to read writing style, which makes reading the book a pleasure. A clever little twist on the end definitely leaves you wanting more. Colin’s character is growing and many of his decisions are indicative of a good role model. New characters have entered the story, some good and some bad; but they all have their place.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to see what happens with Colin and Elkwood.

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

Girl in Snow is a deep debut novel by Danya Kukafka about a murder; but concentrates more on those affected by it, whether friend, family or suspect.

Lucinda Hayes has been murdered and her body found in a pile of snow. Suspicion is immediately cast on Cameron Whitely as he is perceived as Lucinda’s stalker. Slowly more suspects enter the picture; Jade, from whom Lucinda stole a job and a boy, and Ivan, the janitor from the school who found her. Or could it possibly be Edouard, Lucinda’s ex, or Mr O, a teacher dating Cameron’s mother? With so much possibility pointing at someone, surely the most obvious person is the killer? Or is there more to this than meets the eye?

The story is told from 3 perspectives, one from Cameron, one from Jade and one from Russ, Cameron’s father’s partner in the police force.

Cameron from the off is a very intriguing character; slightly oddball, slightly scary. After his father was arrested for assault, let off and did a runner, his mother did her best to raise Cameron normally, but let’s just say he has quirks. He sees the world in a very different way and his thoughts tend to become tangled, to a point where he would respond to a situation in a different way to what is perceived as normal. To him the game of Statue Nights, where he stands very still at night outside a person’s house and watches, is not being a stalker. It’s taking in life; it’s learning and absorbing. He has memorised everything about Lucinda, from her appearance to her habits. Lucinda’s dad has seen him and chased him away so his night games are not unknown and clearly make him the prime suspect.

Unbeknownst to Cameron, Jade has seen his statue game too so can verify his strangeness. However Jade is not quite a mainstream teen either as she has her own reasons to hate Lucinda. Jade is the only character’s perspective to be written in the 1^st person which is very clever. It allows the reader to come closer to her angst and puts her story on a different level to the others. It’s almost as if her story can be changed by her actions whereas the others are guided by outside forces. Jade has a horrible home life with an abusive mother and has every reason to want to lash out at the world. Was Lucinda’s stealing of her job and guy enough to send her over the edge?

The janitor who discovers the body is Russ’s brother-in-law, a reformed convict who preaches a religious ideal. Russ is struggling with his present and future; so much that looked rosy is turning sour and with what happened to Cameron’s father he is reluctant to see Cameron as a suspect.

As more incidents happen and more memories surface you are torn between characters and whether they are guilty or not. I found myself rooting for someone then changing my mind as I thought it could be them. A book that keeps you guessing until the end is a rare find. Even though the revelation itself it rather quick, I enjoyed that fact that the story didn’t end there. The author takes you to those affected and shows you the ramifications; something a lot of stories don’t do. It breaks down the nitty gritty of people’s feelings and explores sharing and love and emptiness. Along with the excellent editing the interesting storyline and depth of character makes this an intriguing read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.