REVIEW: Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban

Title: Lying in the Deep
Author: Diana Urban
Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: May 2023
Genre: Young Adult / Mystery / Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A juicy mystery of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Semester at Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of delightfully suspicious characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.

After being jilted by her ex-boyfriend and best friend, Jade couldn't be more ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship—and to wedge an entire globe between her and the people who broke her heart.

But when Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are also setting sail, her obsession with them grows and festers, leading to a shocking murder. And as their friends begin to drop like flies, Jade and her new crush must race to clear her name and find the killer they’re trapped at sea with….before anyone else winds up in body bags.

My Thoughts: I loved the concept of this book and was so excited to dive in. College student Jade is recovering a broken heart after her boyfriend breaks up with her in a text message and tells her he’s with her best friend, Lainey. As part of her curriculum, she joins several other college students on a four month world cruise. I loved that this cruise is full of college students from all over who will attend class and do homework while seeing the world. The awesome vacation vibe is really strong here and I would love to go on a four month cruise all over the world. Jade thinks this cruise will help put some distance between her and Silas and Lainey to give her time to process what happened and gain some perspective. Unfortunately, Silas and Lainey are also on the cruise and they don’t react well when they see her.

This story doesn’t waste any time drawing the reader in. I was indignant on Jade’s behalf that Silas and Lainey had the audacity to come on this cruise and then to act like they are the injured party. Jade meets another college student on the ship, Felix and they decide to fake date to help Jade move on and hopefully to give Silas and Lainey the proverbial finger.

The interesting thing about murders committed on a cruise ship is that there aren’t a lot of places to hide. The ship is packed with people and people witness things. Dead bodies will draw lots of attention so nobody feels safe and nobody trusts anyone. I had a lot of fun tagging along with Jade and Felix as they work to figure out who the killer is and also felt the sense of urgency they felt wondering who will be next.

The audiobook format narrated by Brittany Pressley, was exceptional and delivered the perfect amount of tension one should feel if trapped on a ship with a killer aboard. This story also provided many unexpected twists throughout the book that left me with my jaw on the floor. The ending felt a little abrupt but gave me the closure I always seek in thrillers and mysteries. I love how well this author captures the young adult mindset and emotions blending snark, humor and suspense. If you are a fan of young adult mysteries and thrillers, this author is a very good choice to go with.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this book to adults of all ages who enjoy twisty thrillers and mixing in a little murder and mayhem on vacation.

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

REVIEW: The Girl I Was by Jeneva Rose

Title: The Girl I Was
Author: Jeneva Rose
Narrator: Hillary Huber
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: November 2021
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.”

Alexis Spencer will use any inspirational quote to rationalize her failures and shortcomings. Her closest friends are a distant memory, and her college debt is still as high as the day she left. But that’s all fine and dandy, because “whatever will be, will be.”

However, when Alexis loses her job and her relationship on the same day, there’s no quote strong enough to get her through that. In typical fashion, she blames the world for her problems, including her younger self, who should have tried harder.

Feeling sorry for herself, Alexis finds a bottle of vodka from her college days and goes on a bender, blacking out in the process. Only this time, she doesn’t wake up at home, or in the right city. In fact, she isn’t even in the right year.

Alexis is back in her college town in the year 2002.

Convinced this is her chance to do things over, she heads to her dorm—and comes face-to-face with her eighteen-year-old unruly self, who goes by Lexi because it’s “sexier.” Getting acclimated to life in the early 2000s is the easy part. Dealing with Lexi is where things prove difficult.

They might be the same person, but they couldn’t be more different from one another. Now Alexis and Lexi must learn to get along and come to terms with the fact that alone, they will never make things right, but together, they could change their life for the better.

My Thoughts: I love it when an author can capture my attention and draw me in across multiple genres. I became familiar with this author when I read The Perfect Marriage which fed my twisty suspense thriller craving so when I came across this book, which is on the opposite side of the universe of thrillers, I was intrigued. Few authors have the ability to change their voice in genre crossovers, but Jeneva Rose is an author who can and I am excited to read everything she writes.

In The Girl I Was, the reader is introduced to Alexis Spencer, a woman who appears to have just drifted through her life without any noteworthy success or milestones met. Her college degree never brought the glorious career she envisioned for herself and though she focuses on a lot of positive affirmations to justify her failures, everything comes to a head when she loses yet another job. Feeling sorry for herself and blaming the entire world, she goes home and takes it out on her boyfriend, which results in the end of her relationship.

She gets cozy with a bottle of vodka and decides all of her failures and disappointments are because her younger self didn’t try hard enough and if she only knew then what she knows now, everything would be different. When Alexis wakes up, she’s back in college in the year 2002. What makes this time travel story interesting is that her younger self is also there and they can occupy the same time and space without creating a paradox that disrupts the time continuum and destroying life as we know it. I also found it interesting that young Lexi and older Alexis don’t like each other and spend a lot of time at odds. The presence of Alexis in Lexi’s life is explained to their friends as Alexis is Lexi’s older sister and yes, it is wild they have the same name. These two characters were so distinctly different that I often forgot they were the same person. Additionally, Alexis has no clue what she is there specifically to fix so she spends a great deal of time just winging it with the results taking me through the many emotions of hilarity, sadness and shock.

This book moves at a wonderful pace and the audio narration performed by Hillary Huber was brilliantly executed. She uses two different voice inflections for Alexis and Lexi which gave me a lot of insight into their personalities.

My Final Verdict: We have all had that question of whether we could go back and tell our younger selves things to spare us from the failures and disappointments in life and we always say we would. After reading this book, I still would, but like Alexis has to learn, the answers we are looking for may not lie in the past, but in the present. I highly recommend this book to readers who love time travel themes, second chances and stories featuring characters with many complex layers.

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

REVIEW: Love, Lies and Wedding Cake by Sue Watson

Title: Love, Lies and Wedding Cake (Love, Lies and Lemon Cake #2)
Author: Sue Watson
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: May 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Will Faye get her happy-ever-after or will bittersweet secrets ruin the recipe for love?

Since Faye met her gorgeous Aussie boyfriend Dan, they’ve travelled all over the world to meet in amazing, crazy and romantic locations. They’ve eaten gateaux in a chateau, chocolate torte in a moonlit port, and even had stolen kisses in a sparkling Christmas market. Neither of them wanted to settle down… until now.

When Dan asks Faye to marry him and to move to Australia it throws a real spanner in the works. Faye’s daughter Emma needs her here, so moving to the other side of the world – even for a hunk like Dan – simply isn’t an option. Is it?

Faye’s been down the marriage road before and it ended up with her having Ryan Gosling fantasies while her ex-husband obsessed about the plumbing. Is that what she has to look forward to? Is she ready to end her adventure? And even if she is, how can she be sure Dan is the right man for her?

My Thoughts: If you haven’t read the first book in this series, Love, Lies and Lemon Cake, you need to read that one first so you can get to know Faye and Dan, their backgrounds, how they met and the events that led up to where they find themselves in this book. In addition to catching up with Faye and Dan, I thoroughly enjoyed the moments when Faye’s granddaughter, Rosie, is present. Her personality was captivating and some of the off the wall comments she makes had me laughing myself silly.

This book also brought tears to my eyes as Faye and Dan have to face the inevitable heartbreak that will summon Dan back to his native Australia. I felt so much empathy for them and understood why Faye is so torn about staying in England or going with Dan. I don’t know how I would have handled that situation in her shoes. Faye can be her own worst enemy and she constantly second guesses herself and often feels guilt about pursuing her dream of finishing her degree. This book also surprised me because I was expecting, like Faye, that when she shows up in Australia, she and Dan will just pick up where they left off after being apart for a year.

My Final Verdict: I really enjoyed this book and love that this author’s talent doesn’t just lie with one genre. Her feel-good warm fuzzy romances and nail-biting jaw-dropping thrillers are a must for all bookworms. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance, fun and exciting adventures in amazing places.

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

REVIEW: Between the Lies by Michelle Adams

Title: Between the Lies
Author: Michelle Adams
Narrator: Deryn Edwards
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: March 2019
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: The truth is hiding between the lies.

What would you do if you woke up and didn't know who you were?

Chloe Daniels regains consciousness in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

She doesn't recognize the strangers who call themselves family. She can't even remember her own name.

What if your past remained a mystery?

As she slowly recovers, her parents and sister begin to share details of her life.

The successful career. The seaside home. The near-fatal car crash.

But Chloe senses they're keeping dark secrets--and her determination to uncover the truth will have devastating consequences.

What if the people you should be able to trust are lying to you?

My Thoughts: It’s traumatizing enough to awaken from a coma and not to have any memory of who you are or the life you once had, but to then discover that your parents and sister are actively keeping secrets and lying to you about the circumstances of your life and the accident that stole your memories adds further damage and is unacceptable.

This is where we meet Chloe. It seems to me that when you have no recollection of your life that learning you have family would be a beacon. I felt so much empathy as well as anger on her behalf when she learns that her family have been lying to her and I was not expecting just how far and twisted the lies ran. What’s worse is that Chloe’s father is a doctor and his so called medical treatment is highly unethical.

I really enjoyed the twisty direction this book takes as along with Chloe, the reader is also trying to put the puzzle pieces together and figure out who can be trusted. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format narrated by Deryn Edwards. Her performance added more texture to the character’s personalities and actions. Though this story is told primarily from Chloe’s point of view, there are some insights into the perspective of a character whose identity remains unknown for most of the book. This person gave the story a more sinister feel and I was way off base when their identity was revealed.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy twisty domestic thrillers and unexpected surprises.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.

REVIEW: Role Play by Kay Cove

Title: Role Play (Off the Books #1)
Author: Kay Cove
Publisher: Page and Vine
Publication Date: September 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: She wanted to write a bestseller. She wasn't ready for the plot twist.

Being an indie romance author was supposed to be a dream come true. But after publishing umpteen books, I still haven’t “made it” and now I’m just waiting for the dark cloak of insignificance to completely snuff out my career.

I decide to roll the dice on a marketing guru who swears he can yank me out of obscurity. But after a frantic search for “book boyfriend material” and an unexpected bar encounter, I accidentally blow my entire budget on an escort.

Forrest is a charming single dad by day and hotter-than-sin escort by night. But before I can fire him and ask for a refund, he reminds me how I got here in the first place… I’m in desperate need of inspiration.

He might be a walking red flag, but Forrest is ready to be my muse, which means spending the next three months helping me “research” my next bestseller. (Hey, I’m manifesting here.) Our game plan? Act out all the romance novel tropes that make a bingeable love brooding billionaires, masked men, cowboys in small towns, and even swoon-worthy green flags.

Forrest plays all the book boyfriend parts perfectly. So perfectly I’m starting to wonder if his feelings for me might be real, or if he’s just earning his paycheck. I’m not sure if I’m trying to write a love story or live one out.

After all, there is no such thing as happily ever after with a professional escort…right?

My Thoughts: This book was such a wonderful surprise filled with romance, spice, drama and hilarity. I have never read a book where the male main character is a paid escort but the knight in shining armor vibes was strong with this one. A swoon-worthy hero in real life doesn’t come around often and the chemistry he and Sora have was off the charts. As I got to know both of these characters, I was rooting for them so much to take the leap of faith. I also adored Forrest’s four-year-old daughter, Dakota. I loved the author gave Dakota a large role in this story and I was captivated by her.

This book made me feel all the feels. One minute I am fanning myself while contemplating an ice bath and the next I am crying my eyes out or laughing until I can’t breathe. This is my first experience reading this author’s work and I am looking forward to the next two books in this series. I can’t say with certainty that they should be read in order, but to be on the safe side, I recommend that you do so that you get the introduction to the escort friends of Forrest and some background. I really hope that Forrest, Sora and Dakota make an appearance throughout the series.

I highly recommend you get this book and get acquainted with Forrest and Sora. I expect you will fall in love with them and want to spend as much time as you can with them. I highly recommend this book to readers who like spicy, heart-palpitating romance, readers who connect to the characters so deeply they feel like they know them in real life and readers who love to be entertained by a wonderful story that will surprise them, make them cry or laugh so hard, catching breath is a challenge.

REVIEW: Aloha Alibi by Jasmine Webb

Title: Aloha Alibi (Charlotte Gibson Mysteries #1)
Author: Jasmine Webb
Narrator: Khristine Hvam
Publisher: Blueberry Books
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Most people flee to Hawaii for gorgeous weather, white-sand beaches, and cocktails at sunset. Charlotte Gibson, however, is fleeing for her life after a vengeful mobster leaves a severed finger on her doorstep as a warning. Message very much received.

That’s how Charlotte—Charlie to everyone except her mom— finds herself on Maui with six dollars to her name, living with a mother who can’t stop giving her advice on how to land herself a husband. But when a businessman is murdered and his company offers a reward to whoever finds the killer, Charlie sees an opportunity: with that kind of cash, she could afford her own place and start a new life here away from the people who want her dead. After all, how hard can hunting down a murderer be?

Teaming up with a couple of old ladies with more spunk than Betty White, Charlie is sure she’s on the right track to snag the reward money. However, the infuriating but smoldering hot cop trying to keep her away from his case has other ideas. Throw in a day job at an ice cream shop, corrupt local politicians, and a best friend trying to act as the voice of reason, and Charlie has her work cut out for her.

Will she be able to find the killer, or is Charlie’s time in paradise going to go straight to hell in a handbasket?

My Thoughts: Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this first installment of a series that takes place in Maui and features some interesting characters. Charlotte Gibson is returning home to Hawaii after she runs afoul of some gangsters in Seattle. Leaving a severed finger on your doorstep leaves a very strong message to beat feet and Charlie hears it loud and clear. Unfortunately, returning to Hawaii without a way to support herself means living with her meddling mother, but Charlie also gets to reconnect with her best friend from high school, Zoe, who is now a doctor. Charlie lands a job at the local ice cream parlor and when one of her customers is later found murdered, the entire town is on edge.

Charlie decides to investigate the murder to win the substantial reward of $100,000, which would get her mother out of her hair and give Charlie some much wanted breathing room and the independence of having her own place. Unfortunately for Charlie, she isn’t the only one looking into the case and two elderly women, Dot and Rosie, join forces with Charlie and agree to split the reward. I loved Dot and Rosie. These women have seen it all and probably done it all and are living their best lives. They are feisty and blunt and with Charlie make a great team. There are currently fifteen books in this series so I would not be surprised if these three decide to open a private investigation firm at some point since they work so well together.

This story flowed very well and it was easy to get to know the characters. The audio narration, performed by Khristine Hvam was also done well and provided an excellent visual in my mind as I listened.

I’m sure the situation Charlie ran from in Seattle will make its presence known in Hawaii at some point. There is also some chemistry between Charlie and one of the detectives so it will be interesting to see where this all leads. I also want to learn more about Dot and Rosie as these two women are full of unexpected surprises.

My Final Verdict: This series has piqued my curiosity and I will be looking for more of this author’s work. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy cozy mysteries and stories with feisty characters who tell it like it is.

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

REVIEW: The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Title: The Wives
Author: Tarryn Fisher
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Publisher: Harlequin – Graydon House
Publication Date: December 2019
Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Description: Imagine that your husband has two other wives. You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.

You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then, Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

My Thoughts: Twisty thrillers that provide massive amounts of nail-biting anxiety and moments of the rug being ripped out from under you are high on my want to read genres. Twists that come out of left field without warning or logic don’t bother me either as long as it makes sense to the story and all loose threads are tied up at the end. Unfortunately, this story did not deliver everything I look for in a thriller. The premise was really interesting, even though the polygamy trope gave me all the ick. I was in high anticipation of what was going on, especially since the FMC, Thursday, was a very unreliable narrator.

The story ends on a major cliffhanger with zero closure and a lot of frustration on my end. I fluctuated quite a bit on having empathy for Thursday or if she really is the villain. I enjoy the conflict it creates but by the end of the book, I want everything wrapped up.

The story moved at a very good pace and though it was hard for me to connect with the characters, I thought they were interesting with many layers. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format and enjoyed the well-executed narration by Lauren Fortgang.

My Final Verdict: If you enjoy jarring cliffhangers without closure, you will likely enjoy this story and the buildup to the conclusion. If you prefer your thrillers to have all the dots connected with clarity, this is not the book for you.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin – Graydon House, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.