Fool Me Once (Netflix Series Review)

 This riveting eight-part psychological suspense series follows Maya Stern, a veteran who is seeking answers about the death of her sister and husband.  With an all-star cast, Fool Me Once will have you glued to your screen as each twist reveals a darker secret.

When Maya Stern sees her deceased husband on the nanny-cam and the babysitter attacks her rather than answering her questions, Maya soon finds herself looking into the dark, long-buried secrets of the Burkett family. With each secret that’s unburied, Maya discovers the connection between the Burkett’s and her sister’s murder. Will Maya be able to discover the truth about her husband and sister before the Burkett family discovers she’s searching for answers?

I’m going to start with a disclaimer, I’m not a massive fan of Harlan Coben’s novels (I just don’t get on with his writing style) but I do love the majority of the Netflix adaptations. I’ve been waiting, impatiently, for this one since it was first announced and, I have to say, I have no regrets.

 

This was a very layered series. Maya’s a former special ops pilot and her military career ended due to questionable choices she made during her last mission. While overseas, her sister was murdered in what seemed to be a robbery but Maya, as well as her niece and nephew, feel that there was more to the story. When Maya’s husband, Joe Burkett, is murdered but is seen weeks later on the nanny-cam, she finds herself going down a dangerous road as she uncovers the many secrets of the powerful Burkett family.

 

Each episode reveals just enough information about Maya’s life, Joe’s mysterious appearance, Maya’s sister’s mystery, and the tangled web of the Burkett family that both satisfies you and leaves you wanting more.

 

While the series was wrapped up nicely, I do feel as though there’s a few plot holes I would have liked filled (I’m not going to reveal anything as I don’t want to spoil the series). I also feel certain characters weren’t developed to their full potential.

 

The casting was spot on. Richard Armitage (Joe Burkett) carries a dark, broodiness that was perfect for the mysterious Joe Burkett. Michelle Keegan (Maya Stern) is this non-stoppable force to be reckoned with that exploded to life. Joanna Lumley (Judith Burkett) is the classy, graceful powerhouse that will destroy you with a smile on her face. The remaining cast shone as well.

 

Overall, I highly recommend watching this series. I think there’s a little something for everyone but fans of psychological suspense, mysteries, and/or British police procedurals will love this one.

 

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

On the wheel of fortune, who will emerge on top... and who will die?

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she hopes to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.

There she is drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, including Patrick Roland, the museum's mercurial curator who specializes in the history of tarot; Rachel Mondray, Patrick's beautiful curatorial associate and sometime muse; and Leo Bitburg, the gardener who nurtures the museum's precious collection of medicinal and poison plants.

Relieved to have left her troubled past in rural Washington behind her, Ann longs for the approbation of her colleagues and peers and is happy to indulge their more outlandish theories, only to find that their fascination with fortune-telling runs deeper than academic obsession. Patrick is determined to prove that ancient divination holds the key to the foretelling of the future. And when Ann stumbles across a breakthrough in the form of a mysterious and previously-believed lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards, she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.

Then there is an unexpected and devastating death, and suddenly everyone becomes a suspect. As the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide if the tarot cards can not only teach her about the past, but also about her future.

Publisher: Atria | Genre: Suspense/Dark Academia/Mystery | Source: Purchased | Rating: 2

Power, toxic friendships, secrets, and lies roam the halls of the Cloisters in this tale that makes you ask, “What are you willing to give up for the work?”

Assigned to the Cloisters by a twist of fate, Ann Stilwell soon finds herself immersed in the world of tarot and the history behind the first known deck. Working closely with Patrick (the curator) and Rachel (associate curator), Ann soon grows close to Rachel who seems to be harboring her own dark secrets. As Ann starts developing a relationship with Leo, the gardener of the Cloisters’ poison gardens, she starts to discover there’s more mysteries than just the artifacts housed inside the museum. When an unexpected death rocks the Cloisters, Ann starts wondering if she truly knows the people she calls friends.

I pre-ordered this one from my local indie bookshop under the impression this would deal with more of a medieval-themed mystery due to it taking place in the Cloisters, a division of the MET that focuses on medieval art. I didn’t realize that it was centered around tarot, I really should have read the full blurb before I pre-ordered it. I ended up sticking this on my shelf and forgetting about it until I pulled the title from my TBR jar in January.

This one wasn’t my favorite and I’m a little embarrassed to say I started reading it on January 28^th and didn’t’ finish it until February 19^th. It was exceedingly slow and unbearably boring.

The characters were horrible people. I couldn’t force myself to care about any of them. They had no redeeming qualities and each time something else was revealed it was worse than the last. They were selfish, greedy, and needed to grow up and take responsibility for their actions, which never happened. Even more annoying was the fact they were rewarded for their horrific behavior.

The mystery was lackluster due to the amount of foreshadowing. There was so much buildup that when it was finally revealed, there was nothing to be surprised about because the author practically outlined it from the start. I also found myself questioning the logistics of certain scenes due to the amount of cameras in the Cloisters.

Overall, I found this book to be boring. Tarot doesn’t interest me and it was almost another character in the book. I didn’t care about the characters and the plot fell flat.  

Some Like It Plaid by Angela Quarles

When Ashley Miller sees a Craigslist ad for an all-expense paid vacation to Scotland with a handsome Highland “escort”, she’s all over it. Worn out from working two jobs to pay off the debts her scam artist ex-husband left her with, she just needs a friggin’ break already. Rolling, misty mountains of the Scottish Highlands, here she comes!

 

But one minute she’s sipping a latte and the next she’s zapped to the 2nd century and promptly informed she’s managed to wed her handsome Highlander without even an “I do.” Oh, hell no.

After a devastating tragedy, Connall’s tribe is left with few marriageable women. When his Druid priest suggests a place filled with bonnie lasses, he of course agrees to go fetch one for himself. But nothing prepared Connall for his sassy new wife, nor his tribe for a woman determined to see equal rights for all women.

Now the men are threatening revolt if he can’t rein his young wife in, but it might be too late. The women are demanding the men get “woke”—which of course makes no sense because they already woke that morn—and give women “the vote,” whatever the bloody hell that is. Despite all that, Connall can’t stop wanting to convince his wife to get naked, and he’s starting to wonder if he’s been bewitched.

Only the more he gets to know her, the more he starts to think she’s just what they needed. If only he survives her next demand...

Publisher: Entangled  |  Genre: Time Travel Romance  | Source: Author | Rating: 2.5

The author kindly sent me this book when it released back in 2019 and, sadly, I just could not get into it. I ended up putting the title in my TBR jar and it ended up being the book I pulled for February.  

Here’s what’s going on. After a raid left his tribe devoid of marriageable women, Connall, the chief’s son, seeks help from the tribe’s spell caster to travel to the future in hopes of finding a wife. Once in present day, Connall places an ad on Craig’s List, which Ashley, eager to escape the chaos her ex-husband has caused her, answers believing that she is accepting the job as maid in some type of Scottish estate. Realizing she’s in the past, Ashley has a thing or two she’s determined to change and Connall’s determined to convince Ashley to be his wife in more than just name. Not only does Ashley have to navigate her way through a strange time and place, she has to figure out what her feelings for Connall are and if she’s willing to give up her old life.

This one was a bit slow to start but I did enjoy the direction it was heading. I found the concept of Connall traveling from 156 Scotland to present day San Francisco in search of a wife intriguing but the book didn’t live up to its full potential.

I struggled with the characters a bit. Connall was interesting to a point—it’s all about his duty to his tribe—but I don’t feel as though I was able to figure out who Connell was. I needed more about his character. Ashley wasn’t one of my favorites. She’s okay at the start then gets a little annoying as the book on. What bothered me with Ashley was the fact she wanted to bring her ‘wokeness’ to the tribe (more about that later).

The romance was just lacking in connection. There’s no chemistry between Connall and Ashley. I was waiting for some connection to develop and it never happened. There were a few spicy scenes but those even lacked chemistry. The majority of the plot focused on the workings of the tribe and while I have no problem with that, and do like seeing it when it’s done correctly, I don’t want it to crowd out the romance in a book that’s labeled ‘romance’.

There is a magic system in this book. Mungan, the spell caster, performs several spells in the book and, while I did find this approach interesting, I don’t feel as though it was explained enough. It would have been interesting to learn more about this magic system as it gave both Connall and Ashley interesting abilities. Since Ashley had her phone and laptop with her when she traveled to the past, she ended up with the ability of a search engine, which made the tribe view her as a seer. There was also a difference in which the way time passed. In the past, it’s faster than in the future, it would have been nice to have an explanation.  

I did like the nod to history in this one. It’s does show the turbulent relationship between the Roman’s and the Celtic tribes during this time but, again, there’s no balance. It goes from romance straight into historical fiction.

I’m struggling with the rating for his one. I originally gave this a 3 because it was okay and I don’t think most readers will have the issues that I have but I ended up changing my rating to a 2.5 (and I do feel that .5 is being generous).

What I didn’t like about the book was the lack of research and this will probably be a me thing, something that the historian in me found irksome. Here’s a few of the things that irked me.

Ashley wants the tribe to get ‘woke’, she wants the women to have more of a say in the way the tribe functions. The book is set in 156 A.D., this was a little over 100 years after the death of Boudicca, and Connall’s tribe is the Horse People or the Epidii. They were a Pictish tribe from the Kintyre region of Scotland. Women had power within Pictish tribes. They held leadership positions, they were warriors, they were diplomats, they held positions in council, and so much more. They were not sitting around waiting for the men in the tribe to tell them what to do.

Connall wears a great kilt. The great kilt wasn’t invented until the end of the 16^th century. The lèine, which was a woolen tunic and the precursor to the great kilt, wasn’t invented until the end of the 3^rd century or the beginning of the 4th. Connall would have worn a braccae, which is a pair of loose fitting woolen trousers that was belted at the waist. It’s possible that they also wore a shorter type of tunic.

The last thing that irks me is the lack of Scottish Gaelic used. In her author notes, she states that, “it wouldn’t have been smart or possible” to use Scottish Gaelic when writing from Connall’s perspective. While I don’t think everything Connall said should have been in Gaelic, I do think the author should have included more than just a handful of popular sayings or stopped using the phrase, ‘he said in Gaelic’.  I find it both insulting as a reader and lazy for the author.

Overall, I feel like this was an attempt to jump on the Outlander bandwagon and it fell flat. It needed a bit more chemistry, world building, and balance. While I would struggle to recommend this book, I do recommend the author’s Must Love series. 

This Spells Love by Kate Robb

What if one little wish changed everything?

When Gemma gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend, she reacts the way any reasonable twenty-eight-year-old would: by getting drunk with her sister, kooky aunt, and best friend, Dax. After one too many margaritas, they decide to perform a love- cleansing spell, which promises to erase Gemma’s ex from her memory. They follow all the instructions, including a platonic kiss from Dax to seal the deal.

When Gemma wakes up, she realizes that this silly spell has worked. Not only does it seem that she never dated her ex, but the rest of her life is completely unrecognizable. The worst part: Dax has no idea who she is.

 

To reverse the spell and get back to her old life, Gemma must convince her once-best-friend-now-near-stranger to kiss her. But as she carries out her plans, she finds herself falling for him—hard. Soon, Gemma begins to wonder whether she even wants to go back to the way things once were. What if Dax was The One all along?

Publisher: The Dial Press |  Genre: Magical Realism/Romance  | Source: BOTM | Rating: 3.5 

It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a romance book so when this popped up as one of the selections for Book of the Month, I thought I would give it a go.

 

After getting drunk and performing a love-cleansing spell with the help of her aunt, sister, and best friend, Gemma wakes up in a completely new version of her life, one where her best friend doesn’t remember her. While Gemma is okay with this version of her life—all of her dreams have come true—she’s not okay with Dax not knowing her and she’s willing to do anything to make sure she gets back to her old life. Although to do so, she must make Dax kiss her to reverse the spell. First, she has to get to know this new version of her best friend and soon she starts wondering if Dax has had her heart all along.

 

This was a quick read and I did have fun with it but I had a bit of trouble believing the romance. I was also a little disappointed because I was expecting more ‘witchy vibes’ and sadly, they were lacking.

 

Pre-spell, Gemma and Dax were the best of friends. They were extremely close and shared everything. Post-spell, they knew nothing about each other. While Gemma remembers the original version of Dax and their closeness, she doesn’t know this new, down-on-his-luck Dax and he knows nothing about Gemma. While they develop a relationship, Gemma is forming a majority of this new relationship based on the old version of Dax.

 

I struggled with the fact that 90% of this book took place in the alternate version of Gemma’s life. The romance between Dax and Gemma started in this new version of their lives then continued once they were back in their real lives. I needed to see more development of the romance in their actual lives. I feel like half the book should have been in this alternate version and the other half in real life. This book would have benefited from being a bit more balanced because I did enjoy watching the antics of the alternate version of Dax and Gemma.

 

What I really enjoyed was Kate Robb’s cozy writing style. While some attention to detail was lacking, she has this incredible ability to make her writing feel like the softest, coziest blanket you want to curl up with and it made for a fun, quick read. For a debut novel, it wasn’t the worst that I’ve read and I’m eager to read more from this author.

 

Overall, this suffered from a balance issue. The author should have either kept the characters in the alternate world or split the time evenly between the two. While I struggled with the believability of the romance in their ‘real’ world, I did enjoy the way the characters and the romance developed in their alternate world and the way they had fun together.