REVIEW: Abandoned In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Abandoned in Death (In Death, #54)
Author: J.D. Robb
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: February 2022
Genre: Mystery / Thriller & Suspense
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in the new In Death novel by #1 New York Times bestselling J. D. Robb.

The woman’s body was found on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

It seems clear the killer’s childhood was traumatic—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues point to a perpetrator who’d be around sixty, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge? When Eve learns that other young women have recently vanished, the case grows even more urgent—and to solve it she’ll need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the depths of a shattered mind.

My Thoughts: Fifty-four books in and this series shows zero signs of slowing down or stopping. Great news for me as this is hands down one of my favorite series. I have loved every single book in this series, some more than others, but have yet to be disappointed. Reading an In Death book feels like spending time with my favorite people. It is critical, however, that this series be read in order.

Abandoned delivers everything I have come to expect with this series. An interesting case investigation, creepy villain, snark from Eve, time with Peabody, moments with Roarke. Dr. Mira’s husband, Dennis, also makes a brief appearance, as do Mavis, Leonardo, Louise and Charles.

The villain was a tiny surprise, and I am still scratching my head trying to figure out how Eve focused on this person to begin with. The intensity ramped up very quickly when the bodies of two of the missing women are discovered and my anxiety was in high gear over a third being found alive.

In addition to J.D. Robb’s brilliant storytelling skills, I have to give major kudos to Susan Ericksen’s audio narration. I prefer this series in audio because of Susan. She brings the characters’ thoughts and feelings to my ear so poignantly I feel I am in the room with them, which makes the reading and listening experience much more thrilling.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this series to fans of mysteries, suspense and thrillers. I am trying not to rush through reading the next seven as I want to savor each one, but they are very hard to put down.

REVIEW: The Undercover Mother by Emma Robinson

Title: The Undercover Mother
Author: Emma Robinson
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: March 2018
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: Have you ever wondered what secrets other mothers are keeping?

Jenny has too much on her plate: literally – she’s only pregnant with one child but she’s already eating for three. Not to mention trying to juggle her future life with a baby, a nightmare boss, a know-it-all sister, and a bizarrely laid back husband.

She used to be famous for her ‘Single Girl About Town’ journalism. But not only is she bored of parties, she also hasn’t been single for years and is now 8½ months pregnant.

So when her boss hands her column to a younger colleague, Jenny panics and proposes instead writing about being a clueless new mum. Surely people will find her new friendship group fascinating? Even if the only thing they have in common is that they all had sex around the same time 9 months ago...

Like – what’s the deal with scary Gail’s mystery husband? How is posh mum Antonia already out drinking when Jenny can barely make a cup of tea? Why isn’t sweet-natured Ruth answering any phone calls?

And if her readers aren’t quite hooked yet, maybe Jenny will just have to be more liberal with the truth. After all, none of the other mums will read it… will they?

My Thoughts: The Undercover Mother by new to me author Emma Robinson was a huge surprise. I was expecting a memoir detailing the author’s experiences as a first time mother. Instead, I received a laugh out loud fictional story about first time mother Jenny who is trying to navigate being a mother and wanting to retain her sense of self as a columnist at the magazine she works for. She begins writing a blog about her personal experiences as well as entertaining moments with four other new mothers she meets at childbearing class who she nicknames The Spice Mums.

This story was a lot of fun. In addition to the challenges Jenny faces as a new mother, the reader is given a lot of insight into the lives of the other four women, Antonia, Gail, Naomi and Ruth. Over several months, secrets are revealed and lives are changed, some good and some not so good.

I loved this story and meeting Jenny and the Spice Mums. Each character brings depth to the story and had my curiosity piquing sky high about the secrets being kept and what would happen when all is revealed and whether Jenny’s new friendships can survive it. The author does a fantastic job of giving lots of detail that kept me engaged without confusion as well as snippets of Jenny’s blog which were hilarious. I will look for more of this author’s work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story will appeal to readers of women’s fiction as well as readers who enjoy stories that are realistic and cut right to the heart of the matter while finding joy and humor along the way.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood

Title: The Love of My Afterlife
Author: Kirsty Greenwood
Narrator: Sofia Oxenham
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publication Date: July 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Paranormal Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up…

If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.

When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind…

My Thoughts: A thoroughly cute and entertaining story that also made me laugh and cry. When we first meet Delphie, she’s dying. Literally dying. Choking on a burger, which brought back memories of that episode of Six Feet Under where the single woman, living alone, chokes and dies. Fortunately for Delphie, her death isn’t as dark and dire as upon waking up in the afterlife waiting room, she immediately meets Merritt, her afterlife therapist. While trying to grasp her bearings and make sense of what has happened to her, Delphie meets another new arrival named Jonah and the chemistry is white hot and instantaneous. Doesn’t it just figure that our girl, Delphie, finally meets the one after she has died? Life can be so unfair and then you die.

Unfortunately, Delphie doesn’t get her happy ever after in the afterlife because it isn’t Jonah’s time. He’s there by accident so he needs to go back to Earth. Delphie’s afterlife therapist believes that Jonah is Delphie’s soul mate and offers her a chance to go back to Earth and find Jonah in London. If he kisses her of his own free will within ten days, Delphie can stay and continue her life. If not, Delphie will return to Evermore (I know, it’s a pretty cheesy name for the afterlife, but I found it cute) and help Merritt set up an afterlife dating site. As Delphie does not know Jonah’s last name, finding him in London is going to be quite tricky.

The author does a brilliant job of filling this story with some of the most quirkiest of characters besides Merritt who add so much flavor and entertainment to the story. Delphie isn’t your typical main character. She’s very introverted and a loner. Her only significant relationship to date is with her elderly neighbor, Mr. Yoon, who is non-verbal. I enjoyed seeing this side of Delphie as it showed me that underneath her locked up exterior is a woman who has been disappointed time and time again by the people she has opened her heart to but still longs for a connection.

I paired the reading of this book with the audio format narrated by Sofia Oxenham. Her narration was flawless and engaging, bringing all of these characters to life and giving me a sense of knowing these characters personally. I had loads of empathy for Delphie and was feeling some anxiety about whether she would find Jonah and get him to kiss her before the deadline.

My Final Verdict: This book is full of references to other romance novels and the many romance tropes out there so fans of romance novels and stories that deliver a happily ever after will find this story appealing. Readers who like quirky characters and fun storylines should pick this one up.

REVIEW: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Title: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Author: Shelby Van Pelt
Narrator: Marin Ireland, Michael Urie
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: May 2022
Genre: General Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively listenable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

My Thoughts: How do I begin to convey the magic and beauty of this story? To review it in such a way that my thoughts clearly illustrate how I felt about this book without giving away the entire plot? Initially, like many people, I suspect, I had some reservations about reading a story where the main character is a giant Pacific octopus living in an aquarium. What could this story really tell me and not ever being a fan of these animals, I was not overly motivated to find out. At least that was my initial reaction when a fellow bookworm recommended this book to me.

Call it divine intervention but when I came across the book at my church’s book sale, I was moved to pick it up, buy it and bring it home. I still wasn’t eager to read it. Looking back, my only excuse was with so many books waiting to be reviewed, adding another book to my to be read mountain seemed unnecessary, but that has never stopped me from continually adding titles. Without even realizing how or why, I decided I needed to read this book and putting it off was not an option.

This story is about so much more than an octopus named Marcellus who spends his days in abject boredom in a tank in an aquarium. He refers to these days as his days of captivity. This is also a story about so much more than an elderly woman named Tova who works at the aquarium. She’s a widow and her only child disappeared over thirty years ago. She has friends and stays busy but her loneliness was very apparent to me. Lastly, this is a story about so much more than Cameron, a young man who comes to Sowell Bay looking for the father who abandoned him and his mother. His life has been going nowhere. He can’t hold down a job and his girlfriend kicked him out. Living on his best friend’s couch indefinitely is not an option either.

Friendships develop between Marcellus and Tova. When Cameron gets a temporary job at the aquarium to fill in for Tova after she strains her ankle, an unlikely friendship forms between Cameron and Tova, who takes it upon herself to show Cameron the ropes.

But it isn’t even about the friendships. You see, Marcellus is not just your run of the mill octopus living in his tank looking back at the multitude of faces looking at him day in and day out. Marcellus is smart. He escapes his tank on a regular basis to help himself to the sea cucumbers and other marine morsels as his diet at the aquarium is less than satisfying. He also finds items in the aquarium and collects them, hiding them for safekeeping. Marcellus knows things. He’s very perceptive. He also knows he’s nearing the end of his life and wants his new friend Tova to know what he knows.

This story completely blew me away. I laughed and I cried. Then, I laughed and I cried some more. For a debut novel, Shelby Van Pelt authors a story that flows so well and completely touches the heart of the reader. I paired the reading of this book with the audio format and I adored the narration performed by Marin Ireland and Michael Urie. They gave a voice to characters who were already so deftly drawn but hearing Marcellus’s point of view was truly wonderful.

My Final Verdict: Don’t make the mistake I did of putting off reading this book. My perception about the octopus has changed drastically. These are amazing animals, highly intelligent and should be revered and protected.

REVIEW: The Three Mrs. Wrights by Linda Keir

Title: The Three Mrs. Wrights
Author: Linda Keir
Narrator: Teri Schnaubelt
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Mr. Wright has everything. All that’s left to give him is what he deserves.

Lark has good things coming: a career as a board-game designer and a whirlwind romance with a handsome investor. Trip is so compassionate and supportive, he’s almost too good to be true.

Jessica has always been cautious, but she can’t resist Jonathan. The brilliant TED-talking visionary has big plans for his inspiring medical start-up. Now Jessica is invited to be part of the team—and to partner with the founder outside the office.

Holly has settled into a comfortable life with Jack, her husband of nearly twenty years. They’ve raised three children, they own a beautiful home, and they’ve founded a worthy charity. She’s proud of building a marriage that has endured—she just doesn’t want to look too closely at the cracks.

Lark, Jessica, and Holly are three strangers with so much in common it hurts. Their one and only is one and the same.

The charming Mr. Wright’s serial lies are about to catch up with him…

My Thoughts: My first time reading this author and I loved this story. Let me begin by saying my least favorite plot device is adultery and this book is full of it as well as bigamy, fraud, lying, gaslighting and Mr. Wright is guilty of it all. I really wanted to see him suffer for his crimes and I felt so much empathy for each of these women. Usually society wants to blame the other woman for getting involved with a married man, but this story clearly shows how the heart can be deceived, especially when the man is presenting himself to be someone other than who he really is. This guy is a real piece of work, even going so far as using a different name, lying about already being divorced and slandering his first wife Holly by depicting her as mentally unstable.

This story flowed so well with the chapters rotating points of view between Lark, Jessica and Holly. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook narrated by Teri Schnaubelt, which was also exceptional. Her performance brought the characters to life and drew me more fully into the story. I had no idea what to expect or what the outcome would be after my initial thought before starting was that these women discover the truth at Mr. Wright’s funeral, but death would have been too easy and he needed to suffer so much more for his actions. I honestly can’t understand how he managed to juggle three different women at the same time while keeping all of his lies and stories straight. I am looking forward to reading more of Linda Keir’s work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story kept me on the edge of my seat in anticipation of how these women would be vindicated and I wasn’t disappointed, though I really wanted to take a baseball bat to his kneecaps myself! I highly recommend this story to fans of women fiction as well as stories where the karma bus delivers justice in the most well played out way.

Thank you to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: In Sickness and in Death by Alana Ling

Title: In Sickness and in Death (Murder, She Tasted #1)
Author: Alana Ling
Publisher: Alana Ling
Publication Date: May 2018
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon

Description: I didn't know I had a taste for murder until I was thrown into the middle of one.

Joanna Christie is trying to make it as a party planner in her hometown of Haven-on-Sea, on the south coast of England. She's procured a big gig planning Poppy Guildford's wedding, one of the town's many elite.

When she thinks she has everything under control, Joanna finds Poppy murdered at her wedding rehearsal.

With her business at risk, an eager and secretive assistant, and her ex-brother-in-law, Detective Anderson, on her case, Joanna has no choice but to find out who killed her client, before the murderer sets their eyes on her and her prying tongue.

My Thoughts: This book is the first title in a (so far) three title series featuring a party planner who finds herself neck deep in a murder investigation when her client is found dead at her wedding rehearsal. I didn’t shed any tears for the victim because she was the epitome of a bridezilla. Unfortunately for Joanna, the murder has cast a shadow on her business with clients cancelling left, right and center, leaving her no option but to figure out who the killer is so her business doesn’t go under.

One of the interesting aspects of this story is that Joanna has a condition called visual-gustatory synesthesia which means she can taste people, or rather, people give off a taste just as they give off a scent and Joanna can taste it as if the item is in her mouth even if the taste isn’t real.

Joanna also has a creep of an ex-husband that keeps showing up who is unable to grasp the fact they are divorced. The story leaves a lot of loose threads regarding this so I expect more will be revealed in future stories, especially since her ex-husband’s brother is the lead detective on the case.

My Final Verdict: Though the story flows well and kept me engaged, it doesn’t pack any walloping surprises. I enjoyed it and recommend it to fans of cozy mysteries as well as readers who like their murder and mayhem drenched in flowers and icing.

Thank you to the author, Alana Ling, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: To Hatch a Thief by Zara Keane

Title: To Hatch a Thief (Movie Club Mysteries #1.5)
Author: Zara Keane
Publisher: Beaverstone Press
Publication Date: July 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN

Description: An Irish cozy mystery featuring mystery, mayhem, and…chickens?

When a valuable diamond necklace is stolen, former American cop and classic movie buff, Maggie Doyle's, peaceful vacation on a remote Irish island comes to an abrupt end.

An island lawyer hires Maggie to find the necklace before its owner realizes it's missing. With a ticking clock and ten fractious hens to look after, Maggie and her UFO-enthusiast friend go in search of the thief before they strike again.

My Thoughts: A very short and fast installment that takes place approximately two weeks after the events of the first book. I recommend reading this series in order to understand how Maggie went from being a police officer in San Francisco to moving to Whisper Island, Ireland, where her father is from.

The interesting thing about this story is that there are no dead bodies, no murderous shadows stalking the innocent, no blood or bludgeoning, just good old fashioned larceny.

It was nice to catch up with Maggie, Liam and the rest of the residents on the very delightful Whisper Island. This story provided some fun moments involving dancing chickens as well. I am looking forward to spending more time with Maggie and I am hoping that the camaraderie she shares with Liam evolves into something meaningful.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a good installment to this series, but I would rather there be more murder and mayhem, which I am sure this series will provide. Zara Keane is a fantastic author who also writes romance novels for those seeking less murder and more warm fuzzies. I recommend this story to fans of cozy mysteries and charming Irish locales.

Thank you to the author, Zara Keane, for the invitation to read and review this book.