Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Housebroke by Jaci Burton

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

Publisher: Berkley |Genre: Contemporary Romance  | Source: Publisher  | Rating: 3.5

After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It's the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she's sold the house!

 

Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating, he agrees she can stay while he's renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he's an investor who renovates homes for fun-but having been burned in the past by women who have only wanted his money, he leaves out that he's also extremely wealthy...

 

Hazel's intrigued by sweet, funny Linc. But her track record with men isn't great, and trust doesn't come easy. Linc's never met anyone like the quirky beauty who puts everyone's needs before her own. But can he figure out how to tell Hazel the truth without losing her?

 

It’s been a minute since I read a Jaci Burton romance and I completely forgot how much fun I have with them. This one was cute, fast, and filled with the most adorable little rescue dogs.

 

Here’s a quick recap: Hazel’s a bit down on her luck and staying at a friend’s house while it’s on the market although unbeknownst to her, the house sold and she accosted the new owner, Linc, with a cast iron skillet. While Linc doesn’t want a houseguest, or her pups, staying with him in the house he’s fixing up he finds himself asking her to stay. While there’s an attraction, there’s also hesitation as they’ve been hurt before. Now they have to decide if it’s worth the risk.

 

Let me just tell you, the cute rescue dogs will steal your heart. Linc and Hazel do a pretty good job at that as well. I liked both Hazel and Linc. They’ve both been hurt, they have some issues they need to work through, and they need to learn to let people in instead of keeping them at arm’s length. While I liked both, they both had their trying moments. Hazel was rude at times, lashing out at Linc for no real reason. Linc held on to something that he should have shared early in their messing about.

 

I’m a little on the fence about what to rate this. I’ve been bouncing between a 3.5 and 4 since I read finished the book and, I think I’m settling on a 3.5. There were a few issues. The fact that the blowup could have been avoided if they just sat down and had a conversation. I’m not a fan of that type of catalyst for the conflict. I also wasn’t a fan of the ending. I would have liked to have had more of Linc and Hazel’s relationship on the page.

 

Overall, I did enjoy this one. Linc and Hazel made a fun pair, there was healing both personal and familial, and it was just a fun time. I highly recommend this one. 










 

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

2024 Reading Challenges


I wasn’t sure what reading challenges I wanted to do for 2024 but I decided I wanted to keep it simple this year with my public challenges. I decided to do the Agatha Christie Decades Challenge and the StoryGraph Onboarding Reading Challenge. There’s probably a few mini challenges I’ll join through the year but these are the only yearlong challenges I’ll be joining.

 

I tried, and failed, with the 23 books in 2023 challenge that I set for myself. I did pick up a few books from the ones I selected but I ended up DNFing the majority of those. While the challenge did help me clear my shelf, reading-wise it was a bit of a bust. My goal is still to clear off my TBR pile; I just need a more relaxed way to do it as I’m more of a mood reader.

 

2024 Agatha Christie The Decades Challenge

Host: Agatha Christie Estate

Goal: To read 12 Agatha Christie books from the themed decades.

 

Books Read

1920s

1

2

3

1930s

1

2

3

1940s-1950s

1

2

3

1950s-1960s

1

2

3

4

 

StoryGraph’s 2024 Onboarding Reading Challenge

Host: StoryGraph

Goal: Complete the 6 reading prompts before the end of 2024

1.Prompt: Read a book from the five-star section of one of your similar users.

Book Selected: Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

 

2.Prompt: Read a StoryGraph recommendation from “Out of your comfort zone…”

Book Selected: Orkney by Amy Sackville

 

3.Prompt: Reading Challenge random number game. (pick a number from 1-12, go to reading challenges, open the category that corresponds to the number, select the challenge that catches your eye, read a book that would fit the prompt)

Random Generated Number: 2

Category:  Tackle Your TBR

Challenge: Bibliophile’s Speakeasy hosted by karlsmariels

Challenge Prompt: Wine (a classic novel that you have been wanting to read for a while)

Book Selected: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

 

4. Prompt: Read a book from your To-Read Pile starting with the first letter of your name. (If you don’t have a book on your TBR beginning with the first letter of your name, go through the letters of your name until you find one. ‘A’ and ‘The’ don’t can’t.)

Name: Angela

Letter Used: E (apparently, I don’t have books added to StoryGraph that start with ‘A’, ‘N’, or ‘G’.

Book Selected: Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

 

5.Prompt: Read a book discovered via Buddy Reads or Readalongs page.

Book Selected: The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox

 

6.Prompt: Read a book from your Up-Next Suggestions.

Book Selected: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

 Personal Reading Challenges

Finish The Series Personal Challenge—I’m in the middle of more than few that I need to finish. I also a few that I want to start. Here’s the list I want to tackle this year.

In Progress

-The Krewe of Hunters by Heather Graham—I made a decent dent in this series last year but I still have a chunk of the series left to read.

-Shadow Hollow by Juneau Black—I have three books left to finish.

-Outlander by Diana Gabaldon—I have more than a few books to read in this series.

-The Oxford Tearoom Mysteries by HY Hanna—I have three left to read in this series, maybe four because I’m not sure if I remember what happened in The Dough Must Go On (book 9).

-Half Moon Hollow by Molly Harper—somewhere along the line I missed reading A Witch’s Handbook to Kissing and Curses.

 

Want To Start

-All Souls by Deborah Harkness—I have the three books and the prequel (I also have the companion book but I’m not sure I’m going to get it) which I want to finish before the next book, The Black Bird Oracle, is out in July.

Discovery of Witches READ

All Souls

The Book of Life

-Dangerous Damsels by India Holton

-Belladonna Series by Adalyn Grace

Belladonna READ

Foxglove READ 

Wisteria (not released yet)

-The Beautiful by RenĂ©e Ahdieh 

The Beautiful

The Damned

The Righteous 

The Ruined

I have a few challenges left in The Ultimate Reading Challenge book—I received this a few years ago, started it in 2024, and it’s still not finished. I’ve set a rule for myself that the books I read for this has to be solely for this challenge. While I could have combined them with other challenges I completed, I’ve held firm to my rule, which is why the challenge is still in progress. Here’s the five remaining prompts.

 

-Read a book that features an indigenous person

-Read a book about a person with a disability

-Re-read a classic you hated in high school

-Write a letter to someone that’s influenced your reading life

-Write a quote from a beloved book and display it in your house


 

Monday, January 1, 2024

2024 Goals




Another year, another set of goals. While my goals are not that much different from the previous year, they’re a little more focused, which goes along with my main goal for this year, which is to get organized. 

Blog Goals

I want to focus more on the blog this year. I want to be consistent in posts, consistent with replying to comments, stay on top of reviews, post more creative content, and update graphics. I also want to discover more blogs and be consistent with blog visits.

Two things I need to work on this year:

Updating GoodReads—why is it so hard for me to remember to update GoodReads? This year I’m going to try to use the app to update in real time when I start and finish a book.

Social Media Update—I’m horrible at updating my own social media. I need to be more consistent with bookish posts.

 

Reading/Bookish Goals

Tackle My TBR Pile—this is an ongoing operation. I’m still in the process of decluttering and organizing my books. I’m also being a bit more selective in the physical books I’m bringing in for review.

Limit Book Purchases—while I’m not giving up book buying, I am being more selective about the books I’m adding to my collection. I plan to use KU, Audible, and Libby then decide if I want to buy the book.

Read more non-fiction—last year I read a bit more non-fiction and I’d like to continue reading more as I’ve been missing non-fiction.

Return To The Classics—it’s been a minute since I’ve picked up classics and I’m eager to return.

House

Declutter—I’m still in the process of decluttering but this is the year to get it done. I will never be a minimalist but I do want to get a bit more organized and, let’s be honest, no one needs an entire kitchen drawer of random utensils they’ll never use.   

Landscape The Front Yard—there’s a lot to do in the front yard come Spring. The yard is going to have to be dug up (it’s full of cement thanks to the contractors dumping all the extra in the yard), filled in, and new flowers planted. I’d like to add a decorative fence but I’m not sure I want to go through all the drama of filling for a permit again.

Replace Bookshelves—this has been a goal of mine for the last few years but it was a little hard to bring bookshelves into the house with the front porch under construction. Now that the porch is finished, I plan on finally getting my bookshelves.

Personal

Create a Work/Life Balance—this is my number one goal this year. Because I work from, it’s so easy for me to get caught up and work until the wee hours of the morning. For my physical and mental health, I must keep to a set schedule.

Unplug more—this is something I need to do for at least 30 minutes a day. My ultimate goal is to have a device free day once a week.

Get Out More—I need to get outside more and take more walks (weather permitting).

Remember to take my vitamins—I’ve been using the habit tracker in my Happy Planner for the last few years and it’s been working to remind me to take my vitamins.

Learn something new—I’d like to learn/do/make something new at least once a week.

Drink more water—I’ve been doing a decent job with this but I this year I aim to do better.

Be More Creative—my goal this year is to draw or paint daily. I’ve also picked up a few daily writing prompts and I plan to complete a prompt each day.


Feel free to share your goals

 so we can root each other on! 







 

Sunday, December 31, 2023

The Sunday Post January 30, 2023

Hello, Lovelies, and happy New Year’s Eve I hope you are all doing fantastic!

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that today is that last day of 2023. Where did the year go? I feel like I blinked and it was over. And, let me tell you, those end of the year “to-dos” really sneak up on you, especially when you run a small business. I’ve spent most of this week tackling all the things, and I do mean ALL THE THINGS, that I need to check off my list before 2024. I’m writing this a little after 4 pm on the 30th and I still have a few things I need to finish.

2023 was an odd year. I feel like most of the year I spent dealing with the front porch construction. Thankfully, the porch is finished; sadly, some of it became a DIY job. Unfortunately, the contractors caused some damaged (broken sidewalks, massive cement-filled holes in the yard) that has to be fixed come Spring. There’s also a lot of landscaping to be done out front. I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with that company anymore and I have an actual porch.

I’ve also had an odd year health-wise. During the Summer I contracted a mosquito-related illness (Skeeter Syndrome, I know, it’s an odd name) and it has really messed with my immune system so basically if someone sneezes two blocks over, I end up getting sick. December’s just been one long blur of the ick (stomach virus, flu, strep throat, flu again, and horrible sinus infection) and fatigue. I’m currently in the middle of trying to find a vitamin regiment that my body will tolerate.

Reading-wise, this was a pretty good year. I’m currently at 73 books read this year but I’ll end the year with 75. I have a few chapters of Faking Christmas by Kerry Winfrey and a little over 4 hours of The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz that I plan to finish tonight (the 30th). I’m going to be honest, I’m not having the best time with The Writing Retreat, I’m finding it a little boring so I’ll probably increase the speed to get through the book.

Blog-wise, I didn’t blog, or visit blogs, as much this year as I would have liked. There was just so much going on and, honestly, I didn’t really have the energy to focus on blogging. I have a ton of reviews to catch up on, which I plan to do the first few weeks of January.

One of my family’s Christmas traditions is Jolabokaflod. If you don’t know, Jolabokaflod means Christmas book flood and it’s an Icelandic tradition that started during WWII. Paper wasn’t rationed which made books widely available in a time when so many things were rationed. On Christmas Eve Icelanders would gift books and a small treat, often chocolate or hot cocoa then spend the evening reading and enjoying their treats

On Christmas Eve, we trade books and small bookish/cozy items. Here’s what I received for Jolabokaflod.



-Twilight Falls by Juneau Black

-The Secret Service of Tea and Treason by India Holton

-2 sets of under eye masks

-2 pairs of cozy socks

-a set of hair clips

 


-Ruby Spenser’s Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow

-Lies We Sing To the Sea by Sarah Underwood

-pair of cozy socks

-bookmark that says, ‘A Well Read Woman Is A Dangerous Creature’

 



-Shakespeare in Autumn with the laser cut cover

-Outlander Planner

-pair of cozy socks

-cat eyemask

 


A dear friend of mine and her daughter gifted me this lovely mug, adorable Hocus Pocus ornament, and The Official Hocus Pocus Cookbook, which I cannot wait to use!


I hope that you had a lovely holiday and here’s to a brilliant 2024

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted by Kimberly @ 
Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up.

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Ho Ho Ho Readathon Master Post



Hey, Lovelies, I hope you’re all doing fantastic! I decided, last minute, to join the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer.

 

What is the Ho-Ho-Ho Readathon? It’s a readathon where you read all the winter and holiday reads. This year it lasts from November 16th to November 27th, so there’s 12 days to participate.

 

What am I going to read? I have no idea. I do have the new Tessa Bailey, Wreck the Halls, that I’m excited for. With holiday reads, I’m very much a mood reader and I have so many from the last few years that I need to read. I do have a few wintery/holiday mysteries I want to read because I’m still clingy onto the last few weeks of spooky season.

 

I’m not sure when I’ll post blog updates, I’ll have it sorted by this weekend and post Saturday. I will be posting on Instagram @simplyangelarenee



 


Monday, November 6, 2023

Battle of the Books 1: Watching You by Lisa Jewell and Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

 Battle of the Books is a new series on Simply Angela where I read two books that feature similar plot devices and see which one I think is the stronger book. I’m hoping that this will be a fun way to tackle my TBR pile mountain, which is getting out of control. This will be a new monthly feature.


For the first Battle of the Books, the featured books are Watching You by Lisa Jewell and Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda. 

Themes featured in both books

Ă˜ Murder

Ă˜ Idyllic neighborhoods

Ă˜ People watching/being watched

Ă˜ Multiple points of view

 

 


Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.

 

As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.

 

One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…

 Publisher: Atria | Genre: Suspense | Source: Publisher | Rating: 4 

How can you get away with murder when the entire neighborhood is watching? 

When someone is murdered in their kitchen, the neighborhood of Melville Heights is in shock that something this heinous could happen in the idyllic community but it soon becomes known that everyone there is hiding something and someone has been watching.  As the lead up to the murder is looked back on, it soon becomes apparent everyone has something to hide and everyone is a suspect.

I’m normally not a fan of Lisa Jewell’s writing but I found myself fully immersed in this book. Was it the best? No. Was I shocked when the murderer and the motive was revealed? Not really. Yet I did enjoy this one.

There a lot of characters in this one and they all revolved around the new headmaster, Tom Fitzwilliam. There’s rumors swirling about the reason he left his last position and one of his new neighbors seems to recall Tom from her past and, while her recollections are written off as her mental illness, she’s certain there’s something shady going on and she’s doing her best to keep her daughter, Jenna, away. There’s also Joey, his next door neighbor, and there’s no denying she’s more than attracted to the new headmaster. She’s just returned home from working abroad and she’s not exactly happy with her new marriage. As people come and go, Freddie, Tom’s son, sees and records it all.

I found the majority of the characters to be likable but I questioned their actions. They all had their own issues and most of them were self-destructive. There’s a lot of false leads in this one, a lot of wrong impressions. I had to dig around to find the truth buried underneath each story as each perspective offered something new.

While the murder occurs at the start of the book, the victim’s identity isn’t revealed until much later, so not only was I trying to piece together events I was also trying to figure out the victim’s identity. I did have an idea of what was going on from early on in the book and had a feeling how this would end, which ended up being right.

There is a bit of repetition in this one as the characters are recounting events that happened before the murder but I didn’t mind it in this one as each account offers something new. It also has a slight mixed media feel as there were snippets of police interviews throughout the book.

Overall, this was an interesting book told through multiple points of view. I do recommend this if you’re a fan of suspenseful mysteries that had a slight police procedural feel.  


Welcome to Hollow’s Edge, where you can find secrets, scandal, and a suspected killer—all on one street.

 

Hollow’s Edge use to be a quiet place. A private and idyllic neighborhood where neighbors dropped in on neighbors, celebrated graduation and holiday parties together, and looked out for one another. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, Hollow’s Edge is simmering. The residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty Truett house, and suffocated by their trial testimonies that implicated one of their own. Ruby Fletcher. And now, Ruby’s back.

 

With her conviction overturned, Ruby waltzes right back to Hollow’s Edge, and into the home she shared with Harper Nash. Harper, five years older, has always treated Ruby like a wayward younger sister. But now she’s terrified. What possible good could come of Ruby returning to the scene of the crime? And how can she possibly turn her away, when she knows Ruby has nowhere to go?

 

Within days, suspicion spreads like a virus across Hollow’s Edge. It’s increasingly clear that not everyone told the truth about the night of the Truetts’ murders. And when Harper begins receiving threatening notes, she realizes she has to uncover the truth before someone else becomes the killer’s next victim.

 

 Publisher: Simon and Schuster |  Genre: Suspense  | Source:  Publisher | Rating: 2.5 

What happens when the neighborhood watch has it wrong?

When a family is murdered in this idyllic neighborhood, the residents are quick to post security camera footage on their community message board convicting one of their own. Although when Ruby is released after just 14 months instead of 20 years due to the conviction being overturned and shows back up in Hollow’s Edge, the close group of friends starts to realize one of them is lying.

This was way too long and repetitive, especially when it was filled with unlikable characters. It could have easily been turned into a novella without losing any of the important content, which would have been more enjoyable.

While this one was easy to read, it was very slow to start and didn’t really pick up until the last bit of the book. I have a feeling if I would have put this one down, I wouldn’t have picked it back up because it’s not the most memorable of books. I can’t even remember any of the characters other than Ruby and Harper.

What I do remember is the questionable actions of the characters. Harper was constantly hiding evidence. Why was a cop allowed to question Ruby when he lived in the neighborhood and had a relationship with Ruby? Why/how was Ruby even charged for this crime when there wasn’t even circumstantial evidence. I had a lot of questions that wasn’t answered.

The only bit of action in this book was the bit towards the end and the reveal, which ended up being a massive letdown. I’m not a fan of major reveals being something that could have been resolved with a simple question and, sadly, that’s what this ended up being.

Overall, this one missed the mark for me. It was the first Megan Miranda book that I’ve manage to finish but I just don’t think she’s an author for me. 



When I picked these books for the first Battle of the Books, I knew from their descriptions that they were going to be similar. I didn’t realize just how similar. Plot-wise they’re the same: a murder in a picturesque community, close-knit neighbors, large cast of characters, and people watching/being watched.  There’s also a lot of repetitiveness.

 

The difference comes down to the likability of the characters and the delivery. The repetitiveness in Such a Quiet Place felt more like filler whereas the repetitiveness in Watching You added information and filled in the blanks. The motive in Such a Quiet Place was lacking where the motive in Watching You was believable.

 

While I’m normally not a fan of either author, I’ve dnf’d the majority of the books I’ve started by both authors, I think that Lisa Jewell delivered a more believable, readable, and enjoyable novel. 



Friday, November 3, 2023

Whispers at Dusk by Heather Graham

When darkness falls, there’s nowhere to hide.

 

Four bodies have been discovered along Europe’s riverbanks, placed with care—and completely drained of blood. Pinpricks on their throats indicate a slender murder weapon, but DNA found in the wounds suggests something far more sinister. Tasked with investigating, the FBI recruits Agents Della Hamilton and Mason Carter to Blackbird, an international offshoot of the Krewe of Hunters. If you want to catch a vampire killer, you need agents who can speak with the dead.

 

The pair travel to Norway, where the shadowy forests of Lillehammer reveal a gruesome scene. The killer is thirsty for more victims, and the bloodless trail soon leads Della and Mason to a group that believes drinking blood is the key to immortality. To catch the culprit of such an intimate crime, the agents will have to get close. Mason’s already lost one partner; he’s not ready to risk Della as bait. But sometimes justice requires a sacrifice…

 Series: Blackbird Trilogy #1 | Publisher:Mira | Genre: Paranormal Mystery Romance | Source: Publisher| Rating: 4.5

The Krewe of Hunters series is one of my favorites so I was thrilled when I heard about the spinoff Blackbird Trilogy that features an international branch of the Krewe.

When Della Hamilton swaps herself for the hostage the Midnight Slasher is holding, FBI Agent, Mason Carter is impressed with her courage and the fact that she too can see ghost. While they might have stopped the latest killer, their job doesn’t stop there. They’ve caught the eye of the founder of the Krewe of Hunters, who’s forming an international team to take down a ‘vampire’ draining victims of their blood and placing them in serene poses. As the new team travels Europe and the UK, Mason and Della can’t deny the attraction between them. With the killer being one-step ahead of the team, they must work hard to discover his identity and his location before he claims another victim.

This was a fantastic way to kick off a new unit of the Krewe and a new trilogy. It’s a little different than the Krewe of Hunters series, not in a bad way, but the foundation is the same.

There’s a lot going on in this one. There are new characters to introduce, new locations, and a lot of traveling. A lot of the plot felt like groundwork, which I didn’t mind. From the start, this was all go, very case/investigation driven.

Mason and Della were great together and I feel as though I got a good sense of them individually. Relationship-wise, a little more development on the page would have been nice. Again, this book was heavy on the investigation side of things, which I didn’t mind as I like to see that side of things.

The case was interesting as was the locations that they trekked to, each providing a bit of local vampire lore. I did have a feeling how things would go but it didn’t draw me out of the book.

One thing that I found odd, not a book thing but a me thing, was that this book relied heavily on lore from Dracula by Bram Stoker but failed to mention Slains Castle in Scotland, which was the inspiration for Castle Dracula.

Overall, this trilogy is off to good start and I’m eager to see how they go about catching the new version of Jack, the Ripper in book two.

 


Blackbird Trilogy

1-Whispers at Dusk

2-Secrets in the Dark

3-Cursed at Dawn







 

Thursday, November 2, 2023

You Shouldn't Have Come Here by Jeneva Rose

You’ve opened up your house and your heart to a total stranger … What could possibly go wrong?

 

Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for a total escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to find that the owner is a handsome man by the name of Calvin Wells—and he’s eager to introduce her to his easygoing way of life. But there are things Grace discovers that she’s not too pleased about: A lack of cell phone service. A missing woman. And a feeling that something isn’t right with the ranch.

 

Despite her uneasiness, the two bond and start to fall for one another. However, as her departure date nears, things change for the worse. What began as a playful romance soon turns into a complicated web of lies. Grace grows wary of Calvin as his infatuation for her seems to have morphed to obsession. Calvin fears that Grace is hiding something from him—including her reason for staying at his ranch to begin with. Vacation flings typically end in heartbreak, but for Grace and Calvin, it’ll be far more destructive.

Publisher: Blackstone Audio | Narrator: Andrew Eiden, Andi Arndt |  Length: 8 h 1 m |  Genre: Thriller | Source: Libby  | Rating: 1.5 

Needing to escape New York for a bit, Grace throws a dart at the map and finds herself in an Airbnb in Wyoming. While Calvin, the owner, is attractive, she has a feeling that something isn’t right but that doesn’t stop her from falling for Calvin. As her departure date draws closer, Calvin starts becoming obsessive and the locals are telling her to flee. Grace’s suspicion of Calvin is growing by the minute but Calvin feels that Grace is hiding something.

I’m not sure what I just read. Was this a romance? Was this a thriller? Was it a story of obsession? Whatever it was, I’m not sure the mashup worked. This one had the potential to be a great thriller—a woman stranded at a ranch more-or-less cut off from the outside world with an obsessive/possessive host and a slew of questionable locals—but this one was a bit of a train wreck.

Calvin was creepy from the start and you can tell he was obsessed with Grace. Grace seemed eager to go along with Calvin’s insta-obsession regardless of the fact that everyone was telling her something was wrong with Calvin. Then there was this love triangle between Calvin, his (maybe) ex, and Grace, not really sure why it was thrown in other than to make this book even odder.  Oh, and I can’t forget the group of locals that gave off a Deliverance-vibe.

Had the plot stuck to the synopsis, even with their little romance, this could have been a fantastic thriller. I don’t feel as though this book had a direction. It almost felt like the author was working on two books, a romance and thriller, then decided to combine them without making the pieces fit. There were so many thriller clichĂ©s and just odd phrases it made the book a little cringe-worthy.

Then there was the ending. It felt as though the author was attempting to do something clever that ultimately fell flat. If you want an ending that your reader doesn’t see coming then don’t have your character read a book synopsis that says, ‘the best thriller of the year with an ending you’ll never see coming’.

The narrators, Andrew Eiden, Andi Arndt, were great but I did end up listening to this at 2.0 x the speed.

Overall, this one just wasn’t my favorite and I’m not really sure there’s anything to recommend.