Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Title: Little Darlings 
Author: Melanie Golding

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Release Date: April 30, 2019

“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.

Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

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Little Darlings is a creepy, engaging, hair-raising tale, one which I was happy to review. The addition of the dark fairy folklore regarding twins made this novel so much more sinister.

A new mother's worst nightmare is the premise of Little Darlings.

Lauren Tranter is the new mother of twin boys, Morgan and Riley. She's overwhelmed, experiencing postpartum depression and if that wasn't enough, one of the nights while she's still at the hospital, a young woman with twins wants to exchange/take her babies. Lauren runs away and hides in the bathroom and calls the cops. Of course, no one can find the woman and her babies. They all think it was Lauren hallucinating. She's tired, she was given medications during delivery so the conclusion is that she was imaging the whole event.

DS Jo Harper reviews the report the next morning and something about the event pushes her to meet Lauren and to further investigate it. Jo believes Lauren. She knows something happened to Lauren at the hospital. Sadly, her boss doesn't agree with her and using the police resources is not something he wants to agree on. Jo doesn't want to leave the case and she starts using her own free time to follow some leads.

Then the worst happens. While on an outing with the babies a month after they were born, Lauren falls asleep on a bench and when she wakes up, her babies are gone. Jo is called to help with the kidnapping. She finds the twins but when they returned them to Lauren, she shockingly screams that they're not hers!

I liked both Lauren and DS Jo Harper. It was interesting not knowing if Lauren was imagining it all or if it was real. The folklore at the beginning of every chapter really helps with the eeriness. Jo had her own reasons for investigating the case involving babies and she tried her best to help Lauren.

Little Darlings reads itself. The whole story was spooky. It had my attention from beginning to end. 

I heard this could become a movie. Perfect script for one.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

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

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry

Title: The Girl in Red

Author: Christina Henry

Publisher:  Berkley

Release Date:  June 18, 2019

From the national bestselling author of Alice comes a postapocalyptic take on the perennial classic "Little Red Riding Hood"...about a woman who isn't as defenseless as she seems.

It's not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn't look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago.

There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there's something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined. 

Red doesn't like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn't about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods....

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"Red was going to be the final girl, the sole survivor of a massacre, just like in horror movies."

In this new post-apocalyptic world, there are three evils. The Cough who's wiping up millions, the unknown and the evil Humans. Or more specifically the evil male humans who would do anything to get a hold of women and children.

Our protagonist goes by the name of Red. Her real name is Cordelia and her mom calls her Delia. Yet, she only responds to Red. As you can guess, she wears a red hoodie. When Red was eight, a car hit her and she lost her leg. She wears a prosthetic leg but she doesn't have time to wallow in self-pity. The accident made her stronger. She becomes a survivor. Her love for horror movies and biology help with her self-preservation. 

A new plague has come over the world. It started with a simple cough. Whoever gets infected, won't survive the virus. Red's plan is to move from their home to the safety of her grandmother's house. She's packed and ready to go. She just needs to convince her parents and her brother Adam to hurry. She knows they are running out of time.

The road to her grandmother's house is full of dangers. Evil men are lurking everywhere. Red won't trust anyone. She's ready to defend herself at any cost. Yet, a greater danger is out there. She can feel it.

The Girl is Red is the retelling of Red Riding Hood. We all know there is a wolf somewhere out there. Red is desperate to seek the comfort of her grandmother's home. Red was not your typical heroine. She knows all the dumb mistakes characters make in the horror movies she has watched and she won't make any of them. Stay together, be patient, avoid the highways, pack the right survival kit, defend yourself ask questions later, don't trust anyone, trust your instincts, all things Red follows are what differentiates her from the rest. Yes, she has weaknesses but not the dumb ones.

As secondary characters go, Sirois is an intriguing one. I wish I had seen more of him. I hope there is a second book to learn more about him. There are so many things that were not explained in The Girl in Red that a sequel is worth it. Even the end felt anticlimactic. Anyway, I hope there is more.

"Good luck to you then, Red Riding Hood."

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

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

Touch Me (Touch #1) by T.H. Snyder

Touch Me

Synopsis 

Char is a focused and driven career woman who's had a relationship she would rather choose to forget, but can't.  Riley is a pure gentleman who can easily leave the past where it belongs, behind him. Some people believe in fate where others deem it a coincidence. Char and Riley are meant to be together, so life just happens to make sure they are in the right place at the right time. But is that enough?   You’ll be falling in love with this dynamic duo as they find out who they are and why fate keeps making sure their lives are intertwined.  Their differences are what make them all too similar, and throughout the course of their journey there is one thing that always brings them back together...the need for each other's touch.



PROLOGUE

 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2012 At this very moment I’m sitting on the back of a Harley, which could very well be stolen, setting off into the sunset with an amazing guy. His strong muscular form is driving and the vibrations of the motor send shivers through our bodies. I recall the past few years I’d spent with my ex-boyfriend, Marc. I close my eyes and rest my chin on this man’s back. It’s easy to remember the heartache and the pain of loneliness. I can still sense the tears I shed for Marc. My ex never cared for me the way I loved him. I was in love with Marc for years; he played my family and me for fools. Marc stole my heart and stomped on it the day I found him in bed with my best friend Natalie. That day I lost Marc and I lost a huge part of me as well. I told myself I wouldn’t give my heart to another man again. The wind ripping through us feels cool against my body and it’s tangling through my thick, wavy, brown hair. I scan my eyes looking down along his powerfully built chest and see my arms wrapped around his waist for fear that I may fall. The mere thought of falling in love scared me for too long. My eyes move over his broad left shoulder and I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the side mirror. The twinkle in my big-brown eyes and the smile across my face bring out an emotion as if I’m a little girl just waking up Christmas morning. I have a sense of freedom that I haven't experienced in a long time. I never imagined emotions this strong would consume me again. The past few weeks are nothing I ever imagined. This man in front of me is the one who allows me to be me. He loves me for the person I am, not the woman he wants me to be.

My Review:

Char is still healing after her break up with her ex-boyfriend Marc.  He cheated on her with her best friend.  Luckily, she has a great family, a good job and her sister's boyfriend Derrick.  Derrick has become her best friend too.
Derrick is in need of a roommate.  He places an add on Craigslist.  Riley has just moved to Boston and answers Derrick's add.  He is looking for a new job and something to distract him from his family problems.
Riley is tall, has tattoos, has brown hair, wear glasses and has a dog. What's not to love?

The first time Char and Riley meet is not the best but things change when they have time to talk and get to know each other.  They are both attracted to each other.  Soon things are spiraling out of control but Char is still hurting and she doesn't want to give herself again but she knows she wants Riley in her life.  Chloe helps Char move forward.
This story was sweet.  There is no major disaster preventing this couple to have an HEA.  If anything the book felt too short for me. I wanted more of their lives.  I especially liked Derrick and Chloe and I can't wait for their story!

3.5/5 Fangs

Buy it --->Amazon