Book Review - The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave

 

The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave is about a new mom, Maya Patel, who struggles with the demands of motherhood, being a wife, and also in the work force.  Maya seems to be having it all. She is the CEO of a thriving start-up, she has a doting husband, and a beautiful newborn. Unfortunately, behind closed doors, her world is falling apart. She had a falling out with her best friend, her company is barely staying afloat, her son isn’t eating enough and it’s all taking a toll on her marriage. Maya feels that she is the reason everything is going wrong. She feels that if she were a better wife, mother, daughter, and boss, everything wouldn’t go wrong. She is struggling to manage feeling guilty all the time.

After a recent TV interview, one of Maya’s idols, Liz Anderson, reaches out to connect. Liz introduces Maya to a new experimental supplement that her company is working on that helps reduce the amount of guilt women feel. Maya is hesitant to try it at first but, after noticing how well the pill works for her self-blame and imposter syndrome, she is hooked. Maya feels that she can finally be the person she always wanted to be.  As Maya starts to feel more empowered, she realizes that she can’t have it all unless she is willing to risk everything she has built for herself.

I was a bit torn on the novel. It was a fast-paced and interesting book, but I thought the ending was a bit weird.  As a person who identifies as a melanated person of color, I thought the author throwing that twist in the ending was a bit odd. I feel like there could have been more to the ending. I did enjoy the book and liked reading how Maya was balancing her life and dealing with the struggles she was facing. I think it’s a relevant book that a lot of working mothers can find themselves relating to. I would be open to reading more books by the author. 

Book Review - Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by Victoria Amelina

 

Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary by Victoria Amelina is a diary of the author’s experience during the war in Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Victoria was a published author and an active member of the country’s literary scene. She was in the process of writing a new novel.  After the invasion, Victoria spent her time documenting and researching war crimes and extraordinary women who joined the resistance.

The book was published posthumously after the author had died during the invasion. Hence, there were parts of the books that weren’t finished, and it felt a bit fragmented, understandably so. Unfortunately, we need a book like this, to show the horrors that occur during war. While the book is an important read, I didn’t connect to it. Some of the parts felt like it was jumping around. Some sentences, thoughts, paragraphs, and even chapters were not completed. It was hard for me to understand where Victoria was going with a half-finished thought. It was hard to understand what the point of the book was. It felt like a diary but then a book showcasing other women. I feel like Victoria had started the book planned one way and then switched directions but unfortunately, wasn’t able to complete it.  I stopped reading the book around the halfway point. I believe readers who have more cultural or emotional connection to Ukraine might appreciate the book more than me.

Book Review - The Swindler's Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee

 

The Swindler's Daughter by Stephenia H. McGee is about a young woman, Lillian Doyle, who finds out her father, Lloyd, leaves her a windfall inheritance that can change her life. Lillian has been surrounded by high society with her widowed mother. She believed her father had died years ago. However, when she receives a letter, she finds out that her father had only recently passed away in jail and he left her a business and all his earthly possessions. Lillian is heartbroken by the news and disappointed that her mother lied to her. .

Lillian travels to a small Georgia town to sort out her inheritance. She is dismayed to discover the house she inherited desperately needs repair. When she tries to open the door to her new home, she comes face to face with another woman, Melanie, who claims the house was already promised to her son, Jonah.

Lillian is desperate to sort through the mess so she can go back home to Atlanta. However, while she is sorting out her father’s affairs, she meets a family that she never knew existed. And to add to her troubles, the business that Lloyd left her seems to be dabbling in illegal affairs.  Will Lillian be able to sort through her father’s troubles before it’s too late?

The book was a straightforward and okay read. It didn’t have many twists or turns. It was easy to guess who the main villain(s) were. I thought the book would have a bit more of a mystery aspect to it. Even the title gives away one major spoiler. I have read the author’s other book, “The Secrets of Emberwild”, and I liked this book better. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Happy Place by Emily Henry

 

 

Happy Place by Emily Henry is about a couple who broke up months ago and made a pact to pretend date for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in Maine.  Harriet and Wyn had fallen head over heels with each other when they first met. They have been together since they were in college, but they broke up six months ago and have kept it a secret from their best friends and have refused to talk to each other.

On their retreat, they find themselves in their current unfortunate situation of sharing the largest bedroom which also has an open plan for the bathroom area. There is no privacy in the bedroom and nowhere to spend a moment alone.  Both Harriet and Wyn along with their four other best friends, look forward to spending this annual retreat with each other and it’s their chance to unplug and bond with each other.

Since Wyn and Harriet haven’t told their friends the truth about their relationship, they have to lie and pretend that everything is okay and that they are still together. To add salt to the wound, this is their last trip to the cottage as it is going on sale, and it will be the last time they are all together in one place. They don’t want to ruin the last trip for their friends, so they pretend to still be in love.

I heard many great things about this author, and I was kind of disappointed by this book. I felt like it was unnecessarily long and very boring, at times. There were a few funny moments sprinkled in but for most of the book, my eyes just glazed over. None of the characters felt well developed and they were boring. Originally, I had given this book three stars but eventually, I realized that I could have gone without reading this book and I wouldn’t have missed it much. I did enjoy some things in the book but the romance between Wyn and Harriet and the cast of subpar secondary characters wasn’t enough for me to reach for another one of the author’s books.

Book Review - The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man by Alex North is about a serial killer who stalks his prey by whispering by their windows, luring them out in the open.  Tom Kennedy feels that he and his young son, Jake, need a new beginning after the sudden death of his wife. They decide to move to a new house and new town, Featherbank, where they can start over.

However, Featherbank has a dark secret and past. Around twenty years ago, a serial killer, Frank Carter, kidnapped and murdered five young boys. He was nicknamed “The Whisper Man," as he would whisper to his victims at night before kidnapping them.

As Tom and Jake start settling into their new home, another young boy disappears. His disappearance is very similar to Frank Carter’s crimes. When Frank was caught decades earlier, there were rumors that he worked with an accomplice.  Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis are assigned to find the missing boy and prevent another child going missing. Pete is desperate to find the truth behind the young disappearance even if it means visiting Frank Carter in prison and asking for help.  Pete and Amanda are running against the clock when Jake starts acting weird and hearing voices outside his window at night.

The book was an interesting read. It had a few twists and turns that were unexpected. The book was an okay read, but it wasn’t a scary thriller. I was expecting a few more creepy elements. I was also expecting more backstory between some of the characters and their motives. At times, I was left wanting more. I did enjoy the book and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

 

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo is about a female fox spirit, Snow, who wants to avenge the death of her child. In 1908, in Manchuria, a courtesan is found frozen to death in the doorway of a prominent restaurant. The shop owner fears that her death is a bad omen especially since rumor has been circling that it is the work of foxes. Foxes are believed to have the ability to trick and lure people into doing their bidding because they transform themselves into beautiful and alluring people.

Bao is an amateur detective that people hire when they want to find people. He has the ability to tell if someone is lying or if they are telling the truth. He was hired by the shopkeeper to find the dead woman’s identity so she could get a proper burial and not haunt his shop. Bao has always been intrigued by fox gods since he was a child. He is excited that he finally might get his chance to meet one now.

Snow is a fox spirit haunted by the death of her child. She is searching for the man responsible for her child’s death. She is traveling from northern China to Japan searching for the truth. Unknowingly on her trail Bao is determined to find out the truth behind the dead woman.

I found the book to be an entertaining read. It was filled with emotion and well-developed characters. While the book was predictable, I still found myself wanting to read what happened to the characters. I loved reading about the fox spirit mythologies, but I just wish the book had a quicker pace. I liked that the book was told from alternating points of view. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - The Californians by Brian Castleberry

 

The Californians by Brian Castleberry is about a young man, Tobey Harlan, trying to escape from a wildfire, the events that happened a hundred years ago, and how they affect the present. Tobey has just been dumped, and to make matters worse, he lost everything he owned, even his job, to a Northern California wildfire.  He decides to steal three paintings by a popular artist Di Stiegl from his father’s house, in hopes that with the money he gets from selling the painting, he can move somewhere no one can find him.

A hundred years earlier, German Jewish immigrant, Klaus Aaronsohn was in love with silent cinema. He manages to gain access to a film studio in Astoria, Queens and changes his name to Klaus von Stiegl, and crafts a persona of a mysterious German film director. His popularity soared and he became well-known and famous. He ends his career directing a notorious 60s-era detective show.

The novel is told from alternating points of view of the different characters and time periods. I was excited to read the book but after a few chapters, I decided this wasn’t the book for me. The book had too many characters and it was difficult to keep track of them and how they all related to each other. The writing style was confusing and tedious to read. The book would jump between characters and periods and it wasn’t always clear when the change was being made. After reading more than twenty-five percent of the book, I stopped reading because nothing was going on that kept my interest.

Book Review - Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz

 

Build a Girlfriend by Elba Luz is about a young woman, Amelia Hernandez, who was recently dumped and her subsequent ploy to become the ultimate girlfriend.  Amelia was excited to see her girlfriend until she was unexpectedly dumped right after Amelia confessed her feelings to her.  Amelia feels that her family curse caused her relationship to dissolve. The rumor is that every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman is in will eventually end. Amelia’s sisters, mom, and aunts seem to be okay with the curse and have accepted it, but Amelia wants to be in a relationship and wants to break the curse for herself.

Amelia feels that she is the reason why her relationship doesn’t work. She is determined to find a way to fix the issue. Together with her sisters, mother, and aunts, they hatch a plan for Amelia to re-date her exes and figure out where she went wrong and how she can become the perfect girlfriend. Unfortunately, her plan hits a snag when she is reunited with Leon. Leon was the ex that Amelia is still not over. She decides the best way to get over Leon is to show him the perfect girlfriend she is and break his heart in the process.

The book was an okay read, but it was much longer than it needed to be, as well as boring and repetitive at times. There were too many characters and they felt one-dimensional. The book was very predictable and had all the common romance tropes. Amelia was hard to understand and like as a character. She could be fun at times, but then she did some silly things out of nowhere. I did like the family dynamics between the different characters and enjoyed reading those parts. I think if the novel had been edited down and fine-tuned, I would have enjoyed it more.

March Empties 2025

 

It's been a while since I did an empties post! Oh wowzie I had finished a lot of things in the last few months. I do need to try and stay on top of cleaning and throwing these out. There were a few things that I liked and a few things I wouldn't try again. 

The Hair Toss Empower-mint Conditioner was a basic conditioner but I wouldn't mind trying the other scents. The conditioner came in a giant squeeze bottle and had a pleasant minty scent. It was very affordably priced even though it wasn't on sale.

Frankly Butter So Much Cream was so hydrating and it wasn't too heavy or greasy. I do wish that the dispenser was a bit better though. It had a small nozzle and sometimes I would oversqueeze and too much product would come out. 

The Goldfaden MD Supreme Serum was an overpriced waste. I didn't notice a single difference while applying this serum. Also the dropper didn't even work. The serum was too thick. For something this expensive I would expect a lot better. Even the bottle felt cheap and dingy.  

I love the Starface Moisture on Mars! It is one of the most lightweight and soothing cream. The cream isn't heavy and leaves skin feeling like butter. I am so disappointed that they don't make this cream anymore.

I love the Lancome Hydrazen serum oh wow this made my skin feel and look radiant. It gave me an amazing inner glow. It is so lightweight but it left my skin feeling like silk. I loved this.

Was there anything you finished this month that you liked?

Book Review - After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

 

After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot is about a woman, Emily Leland, returning home after the death of her husband. Emily is hopeful to be returning home to Sweetwater Crossing after her abusive husband dies in a bar fight. She is hoping to reconnect with her sister, Louisa, and father. Emily receives more bad news instead of the warm welcome she was expecting.

She discovers that her father has died but the circumstances and story don’t add up to Emily. She believes there is more at play than the sheriff and the townspeople believe. To make matters worse, Louisa doesn’t believe that there was more to their father’s death. She feels that Emily is drumming up drama and shame for the family instead of accepting the circumstances of their father’s death.

Craig Ferguson is the new schoolteacher and also new to the area. He and his son moved to the Sweetwater Crossing after his wife died in an unexpected accident. As they enter the town, the house they are going to stay in burns down, leaving them homeless. Emily decides to turn her family home into a boarding house and welcomes Craig and his son into her home.

Louisa is upset that Emily just arrived in town and decides what to do with the family home without consulting her. She decides to leave town and learn the midwife trade in another town. Emily tries to make the best of the situation but feels lonely and lost. Craig who is still bereft from losing his beloved wife, understands her pain and the two find themselves growing closer. As the pair grow closer, a few strings of deaths occur which makes them suspicious that there might be a killer among them.

While the book does have some mystery pieces, I found it to be more of a cozy romance read. I felt like the murder mystery portion took a backseat to the budding romance between Craig and Emily. I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the pacing was slow and I found my eyes glazing over a few times. The book does have one major twist, but it was mostly predictable. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Book Review - Cabaret Macabre: A Locked-Room Mystery by Tom Mead

Cabaret Macabre: A Locked-Room Mystery by Tom Mead is about mystery novel about events that happened in the past and the consequences it has in the future. Victor Silvius has spent nine years at The Grange, a private sanatorium, as an inmate. He was sentenced thereafter for attacking Judge Sir Giles Drury. The judge’s wife, Lady Elspeth Drury, believes that Victor is the one responsible for sending her husband death threats. Lady Elspeth wishes to avoid another scandal; she reaches out to a retired stage magician Joseph Spector. She knows he can be discreet as Joseph was involved in another case in which Sir Giles presided over.

Victor’s sister, Miss Caroline Silvis, believes her brother isn’t safe at the sanatorium. She feels that someone is trying to kill him, and she suspects that the judge is plotting Victor’s murder. She feels that Sir Giles has gone out of his way to make sure Victor’s life is a living hell at the sanatorium. She decides to hire Inspector George Flint of Scotland Yard to investigate.

As Joseph and George begin working on their respective cases, they end up at Marchbanks, the Drury family home for over four hundred years.  There the pair discovers a body in the middle of a frozen pond but have no way of getting to it there. Then a rifle is fired through a closed window and kills a man without shattering the glass. As they continue to investigate, the long list of suspects is dwindling. Will the two detectives be able to figure out who is behind everything?

I was a bit disappointed in this novel. I love a good murder mystery. The book has an interesting plot and premise and many twists. However, I had a hard time getting into the book. Even though it is a part of a series, it can be read as a standalone. I felt that there were too many characters, and it was hard to keep track of all of them. I also felt that the writing style was so dreadfully bland. I felt like I was reading a documentary. The novel failed to keep my interest, and I don’t think I would be reaching for another one of the author’s books.

Book Review - The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room

The Brave In-Between: Notes from the Last Room by Amy Low is a memoir about Amy navigating life after going through a divorce while battling stage four cancer.  Amy is in a hospital room which will be the last room she will reside in. Her doctors told her that there is no cure for Stage IV metastatic colon cancer and the odds of long survival are very slim.  However, it is now four years after her diagnosis, and that has changed her outlook on life.

I thought the book was an okay read. I usually don’t like reading a lot of memoirs, but I was curious about this one. I felt like I could have gone without reading it. At times, I was trying to understand what the end goal of the book was. I wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a self-help book, a guide, or a memoir. The book does have religious elements and talks about the author coming to terms with her life. If that is something that interests you, you might enjoy the book more than I did.

Book Review - Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen

 

Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen is about two brothers, Nick and Joshua Morrow, returning home after their father, Carlyle, calls them back there. Nick Morrow never expected to receive an invitation from his father to return home to their family home and farm in rural Nebraska. He thought when he first left, he would be leaving everything in the past including his abusive father.  However, he knows that he and his brother could never refuse or ignore their father.

Joshua was disowned and left the family home after marrying a woman named Emilia. She is a woman of Asian descent. Carlyle is sick and hopes that he can reconcile with his sons before dying.  As expected, Carlyle warms to and spends all his time with his older son, Joshua, and leaves Nick and Emilia alone.  As Nick and Emilia spend more time together, they grow closer and become intimate. It isn’t long before Nick finds himself drawn to her but he suspects that Emilia might have a darker motive than she is letting on.

I had originally picked this book because of the gorgeous cover and the interesting title. The synopsis seemed so interesting and filled with dark twists and turns. It does spoil some of the story though.

I was deeply disappointed in this novel. It was very boring and predictable. There would be pages where nothing would happen. The book was told in a dual timeline but it felt like it didn’t add anything to the story or the progression of it.  I was able to guess every single twist and turn way before it was even hinted at.

I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It felt dry and clinical, almost like reading a textbook. I also didn’t like that the author kept reusing the same words multiple times within a short span. It made the book feel like the author used a bunch of words to make the book seem more intellectual/literary and longer than it should have been. I was expecting a lot more from this book and it failed to deliver as there was no horror or scary parts.

Book Review - Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley

Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes by Laci Mosley is a nonfiction book about cons, frauds, scams, and schemes that are commonplace in our world. Laci Mosley is a comedian, podcaster, and actress who from a young age knew that life can be filled with people who will try to scam, con, and rob others. Some of them can be little cons where they don’t hurt anyone or get anyone in trouble. Those little ones would just help give someone a boost to get them where they need to be in life.

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. It is written as a memoir and a self-help book. I found it to be entertaining and funny.  I liked that Laci incorporated her life story and real true crime stories but also identified how someone could put it into play in making themselves better. While I might not be putting any of her advice into practice, I did like the book and would be open to reading books by the author. I know the author has a podcast, but this was my first time hearing about her. I might be open to listening to her podcast if I come across it.

Book Review - The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee

The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H. McGee is about a woman, Nora Fenton, who is left to pick up the pieces after her father dies. Nora is a gifted horse trainer and loves to race and raise horses. She even prefers being in the company of them instead of men.  She finds that she can understand horses better, they are more reliable, and they don’t try to control her or tell her what to do. When her father passes away, Nora feels that she must save their struggling horse farm.

She decides that she will enter her prize colt in the harness race at the Mississippi Fair. If she wins, she feels that she might get a chance at independence and save her family’s farm. But in 1905, women were not allowed to race, and Nora was determined to race regardless of what was expected of her.

As if Nora doesn’t have enough on her plate, a stranger arrives at the farm in the guise of looking for work and starts to ask a lot of unsettling questions about the farm and their prized seed horse. She feels that he is asking these questions because he has a darker motive than just wanting the horse training job. However, she can’t help but feel that the stranger is connected to her father. Nora was there when her father took his last breath and had made a deathbed confession. Nora couldn’t completely piece together the remnants of the story her father tried telling her while gasping for breath. He had hinted at a dark secret about the farm and that everything he had built was based on lies.

Silas Cavallero feels that his father’s death wasn’t an accident no matter what everyone says. He knows his father was a gifted horse trainer and wouldn’t have died in a horse racing accident like everyone claims. He is willing to do whatever it takes to solve the mystery, so he travels to Emberwild to take a job and ask around if anyone knows his father. As Silas probes further into the mystery of his father’s death, someone is desperate to protect their secret that they won’t stop until Silas either gets the message and leaves or dies. Silas must decide if knowing the truth is worth risking his life for.

I thought the book was an okay read. I felt like the book was a bit long-winded at times. I didn’t connect with most of the characters, and I was disappointed that Nora’s mother was so detestable. I felt that as her mother, she could have done more to protect Nora and be more honest and upfront with her daughter. It seems that they both wanted the same things but Nora’s mother insists on being “cloak and dagger” about certain things, which didn't make the situation any better.  I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found most of the twists of the books to be predictable. I would be open to reading more books by the author, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read more of their books.

Book Review - The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths

 

The Trouble with Anna by Rachel Griffiths is about a young woman, Lady Anna, who needs to marry Julian Lord Ramsay otherwise she will be left destitute.  Anna loves living with her beloved grandfather and their horses.  However, when her grandfather unexpectedly dies, she finds that her grandfather wrote in his will that unless Anna marries Lord Ramsay, she will inherit nothing and be destitute. 

Lord Ramsay is shocked to hear the news and believes that Anna put her grandfather behind the scheme to marry him. However, it isn’t a ruse and Anna is just as surprised. She wants nothing to do with Lord Ramsay either, but as the pair are thrown together, they find themselves attracted to each other. Will Anna be willing to marry Lord Ramsay or will she fight for her independence?

The book was an okay read. It moved very slowly and there were portions where nothing happened. I did like some of the back-and-forth dialogue between the characters as they were witty and clever.  There were a few parts where I even laughed at the commentary between the female characters. However, a few times, I found Anna to be annoying. She could be so bold and fight for what she believes, and then in turn shrink like a violet near Lord Ramsay and do or say silly things.  I also found their romance to be a bit weird. Lord Ramsay seems to find Anna to be plain and silly and makes fun of her constantly, and then somehow is so besotted he can’t put two thoughts together. The book is billed as a spicy romance, but I didn’t notice any spicy parts. Just a lot of heavy making out between the pair.  I found the entire book to be dull and didn’t care for any of the characters towards the end.

Book Review - Wishing on a Christmas Cowboy by Sara Richardson

 

Wishing on a Christmas Cowboy by Sara Richardson is about a woman, Kyra Fowler, who inherits property from her dad who abandoned her as a child.  Kyra is a pediatric nurse, and she is excited that she has her dream job lined up. She is moving to London to work at a prestigious children’s hospital there.  However, before she can move and start her life over, she has to fix up the small Wyoming town her estranged father has left her. She hopes that she can fix up the place according to the will and then attract a buyer so she can move on with her life. She hopes that by the New Year, everything will be settled with her father’s will and that she will be in London.

Aiden Steele is an ex-Navy SEAL. He feels that it is his fault he couldn’t save his brother-in-law on the battlefield. He thinks that he needs to help save his sister’s ranch and give his nieces the life they deserve since their father is no longer alive. He is upset that Kyra inherited the town and wants to sell it off to developers. He decides to show Kyra the magic of a small town and hopes that a Christmas miracle happens, and that she decides not to sell. However, the more time he spends with Kyra, he realizes that his plan might have unintended side effects.

The novel is an okay read. It is a straightforward romance with no unexpected twists and turns. It does have some steamy sexual scenes but nothing that goes into a lot of detail or happens that frequently. I found the book to be an entertaining read, and it was a fun romance book to read during the holidays. It does remind me a bit of those cheesy holiday romance movies from Hallmark.

 

Book Review - The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony

 

 

The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony is about a group of Irish women who demand control of their bodies and the effects this has on modern women. In 1969 in Dublin, Maura had just married the man of her dreams. Dr. Christy Davenport is of a woman's dreams and a pillar of society. He is charismatic, handsome, and has a great job. Shortly after tying the knot, Maura noticed her husband has a darker side that she didn’t know about. He has a vicious temper, and he is quick to anger and turns violent. While Maura wants to have a child, she worries that her child might never be safe around her husband.

Maura befriends one of her husband’s patients, Bernie. Bernie is a mother of three and she learns that if she conceives again, that her health complications might be fatal. Bernie loves her husband and wants to be intimate with him but they both fear the consequences if she ends up pregnant again.
In Dublin 2023, Saoirse is a nurse who is engaged to a fiancée whom she loves. He wants kids, but Saoirse is unsure if she wants kids or if she will ever be ready for kids. After a tense conversation, Saoirse decides to go for a walk and crosses paths with one of the women who made this choice even possible for her.

The novel was an entertaining and poignant read. It is still relevant today as women all over the world still struggle to maintain control of their bodies and their family planning decisions. The novel is told from alternating points of view and time. It was interesting reading the point of view of all the women, how different each of their circumstances were, and the reasons why they each didn’t want to have children. While the story didn’t have any twists or unexpected moments, I found the book to be a great read, and it kept me engaged to read more about these strong women. It also served as a reminder that if you stand up for what you believe in, change can happen.

Book Review - Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon

 

 

Body of Evidence by Irene Hannon is about a pathologist, Grace Reilly, who suspects that a recent death might be the work of a serial killer.  Grace Reilly is used to death as a forensic pathologist in Missouri. She serves the state and performs autopsies all over Missouri, especially since the state doesn’t have enough pathologists on staff. While performing an autopsy on a recently deceased elderly person, she noticed something strange in the person’s stomach. Everyone believes that the elderly person died of natural causes, but Grace is hesitant to ignore her gut feeling.

Grace decides to take her concern to the new sheriff, Nate Cox. Nate doesn’t believe there is any foul play but when Grace insists that something is amiss, Nate decides to help her investigate. As the pair investigate the death, they realize that someone is desperate to keep a secret that will ruin many lives.

I found the book to be a quick-paced read with a few twists and turns. I was surprised by the ending and thought the book was well-written and thought out. I do like that there was a romantic element but also a mystery element. The book is the third book in the series, but I was able to read the book and enjoy it without having to read the other previous books. I would read more books by the author.

 

Book Review - When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain

 

When the Bones Sing by Ginny Myers Sain is about a young woman, Dovie, who can hear the bones of dead people.  The small town of Lucifer’s Creek, Arkansas, is known to be a tourist hiking spot because of the surrounding Ozark mountains. In the last three years, more than two dozen people have disappeared on the local hiking trails. Most of the hikers have vanished without leaving a trace behind. That is, until their buried bones start to sing.

Dovie is a local seventeen-year-old who has the ability to hear the voices of the bones of dead people. She doesn’t believe in magic and doesn’t think her ability is magical. The women from her family have this ability and have been using it to help find dead people. The locals were scared of their ability and stayed clear from Dovie and her family. They think that she is a witch and that she should be repenting for her sins, even though she has been helping the sheriff find the bodies of the missing hikers.  Dovie tries to ignore the voices of the bones but they sing loud enough that she can’t ignore them and she wants the victims and their families to find peace.

The locals and old-timers in the community believe that there is a local creature that is responsible for the deaths. They claim that the mythical Ozarks Howler has murdered the people. However, Dovie doesn’t believe in the Howler, nor does she believe it when her best friend, Lo, tells her that he can see the shadows of the dead people. Lo believes that the dead people are haunting him and that they want him to figure out who is behind their murders.  Dovie feels that the only thing she can do is use her abilities to help guide the sheriff and deputies to the bodies and let them deal with catching the killer.  Dovie finds solace in that at least with her abilities the families can find some peace with the recovery of the victim’s bodies.

Lo wishes that the shadows would stop following him around. He can’t sleep or move around without them following him around for answers. He wishes he could get a moment of peace. Even though Dovie can hear their bones, the truth isn’t buried there but deep in the hills where their bodies are found. Will Lo and Dovie be able to find out the truth before anyone else gets killed?

It took a few chapters before I got into the flow and writing style of the book. I found myself having to re-read a few sentences and trying to understand what was going on. The book started off strong with an attention-grabbing introduction but it was slow towards the middle and it finally picked up towards the end. The book was a bit predictable but there were a few unpredictable twists. I did like the witchy and mountain vibes along with some supernatural elements. The book was an entertaining read and I would be open to reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free unedited ARC in exchange for an honest opinion. I was not required to leave a review.**