Review: The Witch Elm by Tana French

Tana French has been an author that has been on my radar for years. In The Woods has been on my bookshelf for years but I just don’t think about it when I am looking for something to read.

Though that might change now that I have actually experiences French’s writing. Her Dublin Murder Squad series has a huge cult following and people either love it or hate it, so that alone intrigues me, but yet about I find that I just don’t think to pick up her books.

The Witch Elm is her first standalone book so I was eager to test out her writing and story telling without feeling like I needed to commit to a series.

Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who’s dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life – he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Continue reading “Review: The Witch Elm by Tana French”

Review: The Girl from Berlin (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart #5) by Ronald H. Balson

I needed little convincing when this one came up for review. The cover is beautiful and it’s set in pre war Italy. It was an easy yes for me.

I didn’t know that this book was part of a series when I agreed, and honestly I don’t think that it mattered too much with this one. Sure there is a backstory between Liam and Catherine, but the heart of the book is the mystery and the historical details of Ada’s plot line.

An old friend calls Catherine Lockhart and Liam Taggart to his famous Italian restaurant to enlist their help. His aunt is being evicted from her home in the Tuscan hills by a powerful corporation claiming they own the deeds, even though she can produce her own set of deeds to her land. Catherine and Liam’s only clue is a bound handwritten manuscript, entirely in German, and hidden in its pages is a story long-forgotten…
Continue reading “Review: The Girl from Berlin (Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart #5) by Ronald H. Balson”

Review: Believe Me by J.P. Delaney

This book seemed like it was going to be outside of my comfort zone, so I almost passed on it. I mean, I like a darker psychological thriller as much as the next person, but so many people use the Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train comparisons that sometimes I start to question the validity of these claims and I’ve read a lot of thrillers lately and I just felt like I needed a little bit of a break from the pace of said novels.

While this book didn’t carry the “the next Gone Girl”  endorsement, I did see some reviews that compared it to other darker psychological books like those listed above. However, this short summary hooked me and made me excited to read this book, mostly because I liked the idea of a decoy temptress.  Continue reading “Review: Believe Me by J.P. Delaney”

Review: The Pint of No Return (A Sloan Krause Mystery #2) by Ellie Alexander

I only recently discovered Ellie Alexander when I read the first Sloan Krause mystery last year. Since then I have read one of her Bake Shop Mysteries and I absolutely adore her mysteries.

There is nothing like mixing food (especially pastries!) with murder. Being from Oregon myself, I have a soft spot for all things Pacific Northwest as well as local authors. I got in on the Sloan Krause series from the very beginning and I was thrilled to be asked to read the next book!

No other festival compares to Oktoberfest in Leavenworth, Washington. The whole town is buzzing with excitement over this year’s activities and eagerly awaiting Nitro’s latest offering Cherrywizen, made with locally sourced cherries. But local brewmaster Sloan Krause is tapped out. Between trying to manage the pub, her pending divorce with Mac, and her mounting feelings for Garrett, she’s fermenting in internal turmoil. Continue reading “Review: The Pint of No Return (A Sloan Krause Mystery #2) by Ellie Alexander”

Review: Absolute Proof by Peter James (Audio Edition Narrated by Hugh Bonneville)

I haven’t listened to a whole lot of audiobooks during my 10 years of book blogging. I am a much faster reader so listening to audiobooks seems frustrating for me because I can speed read faster than someone can read to me.

Plus I tend to get interrupted a lot during the day so having to stop what I am listening to is sometimes harder than just putting a bookmark in. However, I have been spending more time in my car lately with my little one.

I am a stay at home mom and the closest form of toddler entertainment is about an hour away in Portland. So a few times a week I spend about 2 hours on the road. My little boy is perfectly content watching traffic going by or playing a game. Now mommy on the other hand likes to multitask. So when this audiobook came up, I was intrigued and since I have been driving so much more lately, I was eager to give this one a try……plus I love Hugh Bonneville so there’s that. Continue reading “Review: Absolute Proof by Peter James (Audio Edition Narrated by Hugh Bonneville)”