Seven Summers by Paige Toon

 

Title: Seven Summers

Author: Paige Toon

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Release Date: May 21, 2024

Six summers to fall in love. One summer to change everything.

Liv and Finn meet six summers ago working in a bar on the rugged Cornish coastline, their futures full of promise. When a night of passion ends in devastating tragedy they are bound together inextricably. But Finn’s life is in LA with his band, and Liv’s is in Cornwall with her family—so they make a promise. Finn will return every year, and if they are single they will spend the summer together.

This summer Liv crosses paths with Tom—a mysterious new arrival in her hometown. As the wildflowers and heather come into bloom, they find themselves falling for one another. For the first time Liv can imagine a world where her heart isn’t broken every autumn. Now Liv must make an impossible choice. And when she discovers the shocking reason that Tom has left home, she’ll need to trust her heart even more . . .

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Seven Summers is a love story but not a rom-com.

Liv is an artist who was abroad in Italy studying her craft. After finishing her classes, she returns to Cornwall and her family home. Her plan is to move to London to continue pursuing her dream of sculpting. In the meantime, she takes a job at Seaglass, the local restaurant. Here is where she meets Flinn, a musician playing with the local band.

Liv and Finn fall for each other quite quickly but how will things work for them? She lives in the UK and Finn lives in the States and only comes to Cornwall for the summers. 

After tragedy strikes, they decide not to keep in contact but to see each other in Cornwall every summer unless one of them falls in love with someone else.

On the seventh summer, we meet Tom, a newcomer who will stir things around. Liv and Tom have an undeniable connection and one that could be worth exploring.

Seven Summers takes you through two timelines: the Present Summer and through the last six.  The story deals with friendship, grief, heartbreak, personal growth, disabilities, and love. 

Paige Toon really knows how to write. Her characters were all believable and relatable and despite loving Finn, I fell in love with Tom too. 

This was my first book from this author but it won't be the last.  

Cliffhanger: No

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by G.P. Putnam's Sons via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mad River by John Sandford Virgil Flowers #6

Title: Mad River 

Series: Virgil Flowers #6

Author: John Sandford

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

Release Date: October 2, 2012

They thought they were Bonnie and Clyde. And what's-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, chips on their shoulders, and guns. The first person they killed was a woman during a robbery. The second was incidental. Simply in the way. Then? Hell, why not keep on going?

It's not until Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers steps into the Shinder murder scene that the clues begin to come together. As the crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, a growing army of cops join Virgil in trying to track the teenagers down. But even Virgil doesn't realize what's about to happen.

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Mad River is the sixth book in this series.

The novel begins with a robbery gone wrong. A woman is killed and the perpetrators are teenagers: Jimmy Sharp, Becky Welsh, and Tom McCall.

After leaving the victim's house, the killers realize their car won't work and without a second thought, they go ahead and kill a man and steal his car.

Then, Lucas Davenport calls his best BCA agent and puts Virgil Flowers on the case.

Virgil is trying to catch them fast before the local small-town cops get to them first and perform their own version of justice.

As the body count increases, Virgil is running out of time.

Virgil is quite an entertaining character. He doesn't look or act like your usual detective. He likes indie rock bands and enjoys his off-time fishing.

This continues to be a good series.

Cliffhanger: No

3.75/5 Fangs

Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda

  

Title: Daughter of Mine

Author: Megan Miranda

Publisher: Marysue Rucci Books

Release Date: April 9, 2024

The new thrilling novel from Megan Miranda, the instant New York Times bestselling author of All the Missing Girls, The Last to Vanish, and The Only Survivors.

When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel’s not the only relic of the past to return: a drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

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A good amount of suspense!

Hazel Sharp is coming back home for her father's funeral. He was a long-time detective in a small town. Coming back takes work. Her mother left her when she was a teenager and she has a strained relationship with her brothers Caden and Gage who are both police officers like their father. Matters get worse, when she is told her father left the house solely to her!

The town of Mirror Lake is suffering the worst drought in years. The lake level is so low that things long buried are resurfacing. At the same time the funeral is occurring, a car is pulled from the lake. The vehicle contains two dead bodies!

Is this discovery connected to Hazel's mom's disappearance?

I felt the suspense as Hazel started uncovering all the secrets kept from her. The paranoia she develops sensing someone in her house or finding things have moved around the house made me think of the movie When A Stranger Calls. "The call is coming from inside the house." I wanted to scream at her that someone was around.

I have enjoyed many books by Megan Miranda and Daughter of Mine can be added to the "yes" column.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Marysue Rucci Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Slaying Game by Faith GardnerThe Jolvix Episodes #6

 

Title: The Slaying Game

Series: The Jolvix Episodes #6

Author: Faith Gardner

Publisher: Mirror House Press

Release Date: September 6, 2023

“It’s playtime.”

Leela’s enemies are dying. They appear to be unrelated suicides, but she refuses to believe in mere coincidence. Someone is targeting these victims. But why?

A single clue emerges, leading her to believe these deaths are linked to a cover-up job she did when she worked PR for the tech goliath Jolvix. It involves a high-tech novelty weapon, shrouded in secrecy, one she’s legally forbidden from discussing with anyone—including the hungry writer publishing an exposé on Jolvix who’s itching to get the full scoop.

The body count is rising. And the further this deadly game goes, the more Leela becomes implicated as a possible suspect. To find the real killer, Leela must return to the sinister web of her former company and dive deep into the dark secrets buried in her past.

Because if she doesn’t find the serial killer soon, it’s game over for Leela, too.

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Games can kill you. Especially virtual ones...

Leela Crowe is living a quiet life after leaving her PR job at Jolvix two years ago.

Then, she receives an apology and the person who sent the apology dies. When this happens to other people who have wronged Leela, she knows this is associated with Jolvix and the VisPex goggles.

Leela with the help of her dead fiancee's brother, Teddy Lindmark, and Eve (someone we know from a prior book) will help her in trying to uncover the identity of the serial killer and hopefully stop him before another death occurs.

The Slaying Game had an interesting premise that hooks the reader from the very beginning.

Regarding the characters, I must admit that Leela sometimes annoyed me. She spent too much time in her head and she was rude to Teddy quite a bit. I couldn't help but love Teddy. I did like that both had pets and that no harm came to them.

There is one thing I disliked about this book and it was the author's dig at Florida. What the heck? Is she trying to upset her Florida readers? Even Taylor Swift loves FL...

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Mirror House Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay

 

Title: If Something Happens to Me

Author: Alex Finlay

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: May 28, 2024

For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands yanking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken.

With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion hangs over Ryan. But with no proof and a good lawyer, he’s never charged, though that doesn’t matter to the podcasters and internet trolls. Now, Ryan has changed his last name, and entered law school. He's put his past behind him.

Until, one summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan gets a call from his father: Ali's car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the envelope in Ali’s handwriting: If something happens to me…

Then, halfway around the world, the unthinkable happens: Ryan sees the man who has haunted his dreams since that night.

As Ryan races from the rolling hills of Tuscany, to a rural village in the UK, to the glittering streets of Paris in search of the truth, he has no idea that his salvation may lie with a young sheriff’s deputy in Kansas working her first case, and a mobster in Philadelphia who’s experienced tragedy of his own.

In classic Alex Finlay form, If Something Happens to Me is told from several distinct, compelling characters whose paths intersect, detonating into a story of twist after pulse-pounding twist. The story cements Finlay as one of the leading thriller writers today.

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This was an attention grabber!

Ryan Richardson had a future as a basketball player. He was dating a popular and nice girl, Alison Lane when his world fell apart.

Ryan and Alison were spending time at Lover's Lane when a man abducts Ryan and knocks him out. With Alison gone, suspicion fell on Ryan, and for many years, he was hounded by people wanting to know what happened. The pressure was so intense that Ryan decided to change his name and attend law school. During a trip with his classmates in Italy, a man approaches telling him, he knows who he is.

Poppy McGee, a military veteran, returns to her home in Kansas and joins the police department as a Deputy sheriff. Her father is sick and she moved closer to take care of him. During her first week at the new job, someone finds Alison's car and to everyone's shock there are two dead men inside. Poppy is trying to decipher the mystery of Alison's disappearance and the why.

Shane O'Leary is a crime boss in Philadelphia. He loves his wife and child and would do anything for them. Yet, he is ruthless at his job. Someone crosses him and he won't stop until they are five feet under.

If Something Happens to Me was engaging from the very first chapter. I wanted to know what happened to Alison. Even when I figured it out early on, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to continue and finding out how everything was going to end. 

From his first book, Alex Finlay has delivered interesting stories that this reader has enjoyed. I can't wait for his next book.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Minotaur Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

 

Title: Happily Never After

Author: Lynn Painter

Publisher:  Berkley

Release Date: March 12, 2024 

Their name? The objectors.

Their job? To break off weddings as hired.

Their dilemma? They might just be in love with each other.

When Sophie Steinbeck finds out just before her nuptials that her fiancé has cheated yet again, she desperately wants to call it off. But because her future father-in-law is her dad’s cutthroat boss, she doesn’t want to be the one to do it. Her savior comes in the form of a professional objector, whose purpose is to show up at weddings and proclaim the words no couple (usually) wants to hear at their ceremony: “I object!”

During anti-wedding festivities that night, Sophie learns more about Max the Objector’s job. It makes perfect sense to her: he saves people from wasting their lives, from hurting each other. He’s a modern-day hero. And Sophie wants in.

The two love cynics start working together, going from wedding to wedding, and Sophie’s having more fun than she’s had in ages. She looks forward to every nerve-racking ceremony saving the lovesick souls of the betrothed masses. As Sophie and Max spend more time together, however, they realize that their physical chemistry is off the charts, leading them to dabble in a little hookup session or two—but it’s totally fine, because they definitely do not have feelings for each other. Love doesn’t exist, after all.

And then everything changes. A groom-to-be hires Sophie to object, but his fiancée is the woman who broke Max’s heart. As Max wrestles with whether he can be a party to his ex’s getting hurt, Sophie grapples with the sudden realization that she may have fallen hard for her partner in crime.

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"I object!"

It's Sophie Steinbeck's wedding day and she is hoping for an interruption. Sophie knows her fiancee is nothing but a cheating bastard, so she hires an Objector! At the right time, her objector will show up and she won't need to marry Stuart.

Matt has a side gig. He becomes the objector at weddings. You guessed right when the wedding officer is asking if someone objects to the union, he is the one who jumps and says he objects. Doing this has helped people in need just like Sophie.

After the failed wedding, Matt and Sophie share a moment and a few months later, they meet again. 

Matt asks Sophie to join him as an objector and save people from mistakes. What starts as a friendship soon makes them realize they are attracted to each other, but how will it work when they have both sworn off love?

This was a fun lovers-to-friends romance! The banter between these two was what did it for me. It was so easy to fall in love with these characters. 

I'm looking forward to Lynn Painter's next book.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

 

Title: Darling Girls 

Author: Sally Hepworth

Narrator: Jessica Clarke

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: April 23, 2024

SISTERS, SECRETS, LOVE, AND MURDER... Sally Hepworth’s new novel has it all.

For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.

But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?

A thrilling page-turner of sisterhood, secrets, love, and murder by New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth.

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Creepy foster home!

Miss Fairchild lives on a farm, Wild Meadows in Port Agatha. She fosters children in need. On the outside, she seems like a good person helping out.

The first child to arrive is Jessica. She got there when she was five. Years later, she is joined by Norah who is eleven, and then by Alicia who is twelve. These three girls will endure trauma that will mark them as adults.

Twenty-five years later, all three girls are contacted. The body of a child has been found buried under Wild Meadows' property and they are all called back to talk to the police. The three return to their childhood town where they will relive the worst time of their lives.

The novel is narrated by the three main characters and also by an unknown narrator who is getting therapy sessions. It also alternates between past and present.

The plot was engaging and the girls, because of their flaws, were humanized making the reader empathize with their current situation.

Jessica Clarke did an amazing job narrating Darling Girls. Every time Miss Fairchild said Darling girls it gave me the creeps!

Sally Hepworth has become an auto-request/buy for me.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.