The Game you Played by Anni Taylor

The Game you Played is a standalone psychological thriller and will keep you guessing until the end.

A two-year-old child is missing. Any parent’s nightmare. Especially if it’s your own. Phoebe took her eyes off Tommy for two seconds in the park and when she looked up he was gone. Six months down the line and the police still have no leads. Phoebe is a shadow of her former self, and her husband Luke has thrown himself into his real estate business and no longer feels connected to her. In fact, he has found himself a much more sympathetic ear. A note arrives in their mailbox that makes reference to Tommy. Is it a sick joke or does someone actually have some knowledge about Tommy? As Phoebe’s mental state spirals, she starts relying more and more on the sleeping tablets she has been prescribed. However, now she is waking up in strange places and has no idea how she got there. Plus, the bizarre dreams she is having seem to be trying to tell her something. Luckily she has the support of her close group of friends who have been with her since she was young. As her desperation brings her closer to the edge, the author of the notes is uncovered. Let the chaos commence...

I really enjoyed this thriller. It is a little confusing to try to tie in the dreams but once you see where they are headed it becomes a race to finish the book to find out what, when, where, and how. The author portrays the turmoil Phoebe is going through very powerfully and the raw emotions are sometimes hard to handle. There is a fine line between drawing the reader in just enough and overburdening them with emotion and sometimes I felt as though the author could have reined it in just a little as too much repetition tends to lose its effectiveness. But that was a small gripe. What was not said between the couple was an indication of many relationships today – each person crying out for the other but not communicating effectively enough for the other to understand. There were definitely clues sprinkled throughout the story to point you in the wrong and right direction, and while I thought the ending may have been a little OTT it was still a fantastic read.

I definitely recommend this for a good, solid thriller with some clever writing.

Blood and Fire by Willow Rose

Blood and Fire is the second in the Vampires of Shadow Hills fantasy series and is not explicitly advertised as a YA novel, but is more suited to tweens.

Robyn is concerned. Sure she knows that her vampire parents have turned her brother and that she is next. Why else would she suddenly be home-schooled and kept away from her friends? Especially Jayden, who she still has a major crush on. Ok so it’s dangerous to be around Robyn’s family, which is why Jayden is with Jazmyn, but still. Oh, and there is the matter of Melanie, another friend, who was attacked and seems to be changing into something. Just an average, ordinary teenage life...

I picked this up as a free book as I have read a number of good books by the author and the cover looked like a fun YA novel. I read it in 45 minutes and was disappointed that it finished at 78% on the Kindle. This really felt like a gateway novel to me. Something to introduce a new character and add a bit of info to the previous book, but nothing of substance. The clues about what certain characters are changing into/becoming are in your face, yet the kids are shocked when it happens. The bit that felt the most intriguing, for me, is the house with the spell on it.

With the number of fantasy novels out there involving vampires, werewolves and witches, you have to really have a new concept to sell. Sad to say but this fell short of the author’s other books. Nothing inherently wrong with it, but nothing that would make me buy the rest of the series.

Monsters in the Hallway by Capt Jim Kosmo

Monsters in the Hallway is a standalone novel and is based on true events that the author experienced while growing up in the years when mental health was not understood and sexual attacks on children not spoken about.

Jason knows his father can be a little strange. Sure he talks to people that aren’t there and yes he did try to kill the family by setting fire to the house. But when the monsters in white coats come to take him away, Jason has torn feelings about it. Now the burden falls on his mom to take care of the family; no mean feat in the 50s. As crazy experiments are done on his father in the hospital, Jason grows up a responsible and polite young man and works hard within his Eagle Scout Troop. On the night Jason is honoured for rescuing his sister from the fire that his father set, his best friend Roy who is also a pack member, is raped and murdered. Jason’s father escaped from the hospital that night to see him receive the award and is now the prime suspect in the case. Detective Stroud and Jason are the only two people that believe in his father’s innocence. The detective because of clues popping up in other similar cases, and Jason because he knows there is someone out there who is hurting young children. He does, after all, have firsthand experience. So begins an extraordinary story of people working together to prove a man’s innocence amidst kidnapping, sexual abuse, murder and the stigma placed on misunderstood mental health.

This book really pulled me in and I didn’t realise it was based on a true story until the very end. So many people are victims in this story; whether directly affected or a family member or friend. The nurture versus nature debate had a strong thread throughout the story and made a huge impact on the choices a lot of the characters made. The fact that the author was courageous enough to come forward as a young man and then relive the memories while writing the book is truly impressive. So much bias against those suffering from mental health in this day and age is inexcusable, and it’s sad that opinions are formed based not on facts, but on mass fear. The book was exceptionally well-written and definitely made a strong impression on me.

I highly recommend this book.

Death in Paris by Emilia Bernhard

Death in Paris is a standalone novel and is the story of two American friends in
Paris, who find themselves swept up in a murder and are keen to put their amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

Rachel Lewis is shocked to hear that an old boyfriend of hers has died. Drowned in a bowl of vichyssoise of all things. While not common, it is by no means suspicious, until Rachel learns that a bottle of rosé was on the table when he was found. Not possible! Edgar couldn’t stand rosé! She immediately enlists the help of her friend Magda Stevens and they come up with all manner of theories. When Rachel is called in for the reading of the will, she learns that she has been tasked with cleaning out the library and choosing a book of her liking. What she is shocked about, however, is exactly what has been left to his ex-wife, son, current girlfriend, Girl Friday and butler. Her mind goes into overdrive as more and more suspects become apparent only to have them start dropping like flies. The police don’t believe her and she can’t find definite proof. Is she seeing something that is not there? Maybe her eagerness has blinded her to that fact that it was an accident? Or has it...

This is a fun and easy to read story that flows through scenes comfortably. Rachel is a wonderfully rounded character who is easy to relate to, and you find yourself rooting for her even when she indulges in madcap schemes. I loved the journey of the clues and how she followed them only to go crashing into walls and have to start all over again. I must admit I did have the killer pegged (or was there no killer?), but not for the eventual reasons. I can see these two friends on a crazy journey together in future books righting wrongs in their own way.

There was not much not to like about the book, but a few things stood out for me. There were a couple of editing mistakes like missing quotation marks and scene breaks not being denoted but they didn’t interrupt the reading. I found the use of French terms with no translation a little off-putting as I wasn’t sure what was being referred to and actually had to look some up while I was reading. I only found the glossary at the end of the book once I had finished reading which didn’t help. Some English terms like truculent, allusive and improvident also seemed a little out of place. While the book is in English, there are conversations between characters in French and English and sometimes things like apartment and appartement being used in the same paragraph became confusing and halted the reading flow.

Overall I found it a charming book (if a dead body can be counted as charming), and a pleasurable afternoon read. I do hope the characters return with more crazy encounters.

Many thanks to Thistle Publishing for the opportunity to review the book. 

The Tower by Nicole Campbell

The Tower is a standalone YA novel and deals with love, friendship and loss.

Rowyn, Reed and Rosalyn have been best friends since they were young. Having grown up in a community of witches, life has not always been easy for them at school. They have been shunned and cursed at and basically treated as though they are lesser people. Rosalyn is a vibrant young lady, one who loves to bake and is fiercely loyal. She loves life and sees and spreads positivity. When she and Jared, who is not in the community, get together, she believes that she has found the partner of her dreams. Reed and Rowyn have always had an eye for each other so getting together would be the obvious thing, right? Then fate steps in and deals a blow so cruel that it feels like life can never be repaired. Who will rise and who will sink?

I downloaded this as a free book and when I got around to reading it I hadn’t read the blurb so was in for a surprise; which turned out to be a very good one. The story starts off in a light-hearted way and I was just smoothly reading along when WHAM you get hit with info and you argue with your brain as to whether or not you actually read that. Didn’t see that coming. What follows is a book with so much emotion that I actually had to put it down a couple of times. I like fiction to take me out of reality and the emotions that came across gave me a massive dose of reality. I kept going back and forth saying it’s a good story and then being overwhelmed by the emotions and then going back again. I don’t think I’ve ever read a YA book that dealt with emotions in such depth before – very powerful stuff.

I understand how the author wanted to portray Rowyn, but I felt that her reactions were sometimes over the top, especially when it came to her dad. But I guess as adults we sometimes forget the intense emotions we experienced as teenagers and how feelings were so much more passionate then. Reed was a very interesting character, especially to see how he treated others and the influence being best friends with two girls had on him. His struggle to face reality later on in the book was very honest, and I’m sure a lot of teens can relate to the angst he was experiencing. His connection to Reiki and how it works was illuminating. Rosalyn made me smile each time she was on a page, with her sunny personality and her steady as a rock morality.

The POVs jumped from chapter to chapter which helped you get into the character’s places in the story a lot more. There were only a few editing mistakes which didn’t interrupt the flow of the book at all. I learnt quite a few things about holidays and rituals in the community which was something new. I just wish more was explained about the tarot cards and the tower in particular as I’d actually forgotten about it when it fitted in later in the book.

A well-written novel that is definitely recommended. 

Zomcats by Jack D McLean

Zomcats is the second in a quirky zombie series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Henderson the cat is hungry. And not in a normal way. Henderson was previously dead and has a circular saw where his abdomen should be due to being put back together by a mad scientist type. Oh and Henderson is a zombie who can infect other cats and humans. Sounds legit, right? Mix this in with heads of state from around the world competing to gain the upper hand in popularity as well as rid themselves of the zombie problem and you have the beginnings of chaos. Is there anyone who can help them?

I started reading this book with no expectations as I had downloaded it because of the title and had not read the blurb. I was pleasantly surprised! Goofy, funny, snarky and downright mad is the order of the day in this book. Be prepared for swearing and violence but with lots of clever use of innuendo and puns. The dig at politicians and their egos was so true and I can well imagine the truth in some of the scenarios. There are a few things thrown in from the first book and hints about where the book is going next so I did find a few scenes confusing when they didn’t lead anywhere.

Overall a silly book in the best of ways. Gladly there were minimal editing mistakes. Take it with a pinch of salt and read it for the giggle.

The Beauty of Bucharest by SJ Varengo

The Beauty of Bucharest is the first in the Clean Up Crew series and is an action/thriller/spy novel. It can be read as a standalone book.

Dan and Nicole are very much in love. Dan is recently retired from being a game designer and Nicole works for a company that cleans up crime scenes. During a quick stop at Home Depot, Dan is horrified to find a body in the boot of his car. It seems there is more to Nicole than meets the eye. As a trafficking ring in Bucharest takes a turn when a high profile model is abducted, Dan finds himself drawn into a nest of lies and intrigue and will find himself in situations he could only have imagined in his games. Will real life prove too much for him?

The story started with the promise of deception and action. While it delivered on the basics, I felt it very generic. I was never on the edge of my seat as I would expect from an action story. There are the usual twists and turns that can be expected, but the story seemed to end far too predictably.

There were very few editing mistakes which made the flow of the book comfortable to read. Perhaps because this is the first in the series it was used to create context and introduce characters, but as a spy thriller, I found it rather average. Nothing wrong with the book, but nothing that stood out for me. 

Thirty-three going on Girlfriend by Becky Monson

Thirty-three going on Girlfriend is the second book in the Spinster series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Julia could not be more irritated. Her sister Anna is getting married to the annoying Jonathon and Anna is driving her nuts about every wedding detail. Each “wedding disaster” text is turning out to be a false alarm and Julia has other things on her mind. For one she is due to appear on “Cupcake Battles” after an audition tape was sent in sharing a very different side of her. Another is that her gorgeous boyfriend Jared is acting very strangely and Julia is starting to feel that wedding bells will never be in her future. Everything just seems to be happening at the same time – how will she cope?

The novel is a light-hearted and fun read that could be consumed comfortably in one sitting. At times I really felt for Julia and at times I wanted to smack some sense into her. The author has injected some wonderfully humorous situations into the book and anyone who has prepared for a wedding or been in a wedding party can definitely empathise. There were a few editing mistakes but nothing to detract from the story.

I’d recommend the book for those who enjoy a bit of romance along with a fun and engaging story and commend the author on her comfortable to read writing style.