REVIEW: Her Sister's Killer by Michelle S. Smith

Title: Her Sister’s Killer
Author: Michelle S. Smith
Publisher: Joffe Books
Publication Date: August 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Suspense

Description: A beautifully crafted psychological thriller that will have you hooked until the stunning conclusion.

How well do you really know your family?

You should never have left.

This is what Victoria Wharton’s mother tells her every time she calls.

But this time she’s calling to say that Vicky’s twin sister, Becky, has been murdered.

Vicky is one of Chicago’s best police detectives. She thought she’d never return to her tiny New England hometown. But she needs justice for her sister.

As Vicky is drawn inexorably back into her family’s dysfunctional relationships, she finds things aren’t quite as they seem.

When the death threats start, and a local man is beaten half to death, Vicky must look closer to home to find her sister’s killer.

A taut family drama unfolds in this chilling domestic thriller.

My Thoughts: Honestly, I don’t know where to even begin with the hot mess that is this book.

1. Victoria Wharton, a “highly skilled detective” from Chicago PD returns to her hometown after her twin sister, Rebecca, is found murdered and is working with local detective Steve McCade to solve the crime. 

• There is absolutely no way any reader can or should suspend disbelief on any level to think that any law enforcement agency would allow a detective to get anywhere close to an investigation involving a close friend or family member. Not going to happen and I find it highly insulting that the author would do this.

2. The author throws a bunch of characters at the reader in rapid succession without any rhyme or reason. Who are all these people and how do they fit into the story?

• Besides Victoria and Steve, who the reader is led to believe are the main characters and have history, the reader is given bits and pieces of Rebecca, Victoria’s mother, Vera, John Gardner, John Gardner’s mother, Victoria’s friend, Janet, Victoria’s father, the Jenkins family and on and on. How does the author expect the reader to develop any connection or bond with the main characters? When the reader is introduced to so many people it feels like I’m lost in Grand Central Station.

3. With so many characters to keep track of, no time is spent making these characters multi-dimensional.

• The reader is given brief glimpses into the characters and their past relationships and current situations but not enough time is spent developing these characters. They felt cardboard to me and as a result, I felt no connection with them.

4. The story structure is very choppy. The plot is all over the place, making it nearly impossible for me to follow, keep up or understand.

• Victoria turned her father in for… (seriously? The author can’t just tell us what he was turned in for? I have to wait several pages for Victoria’s inner monologue to tell me he used to creep into her bedroom?) At this point, if this book were in print format, it would have been a wall-banger.

• Victoria doesn’t like to be touched and demonstrates nervous apprehension around John Gardner. If she’s supposedly a highly skilled detective in Chicago, of all places, I find it completely unbelievable that being in close proximity to a man, even with her background, would cause her to react this way. How did she manage to pass her psych evaluation to get hired by Chicago in the first place if this is the case?

• At the 25% mark, Victoria tells her friend, Janet, that she thinks Steve might be interested in more than friendship, but nothing in the story up to this point remotely suggests this.

• Steve interrupts John Gardner in his veterinary operating room during a surgical procedure. Not only is this beyond inappropriate, but quite tacky and doesn’t fit. Additionally, the reader is led to believe that out of the blue, there’s bad blood and hostility between the two due to Steve attacking John prior to the story beginning. If the author wants to refer to previous events, then build up to it. Please do not throw it at the reader as an afterthought.

• Gavin Jenkins rats out his parents and the bogus lawsuit they filed against the hospital Rebecca worked at and then tells Victora that his father, Maurice, had a thing for Rebecca, and either one of his parents could have been the killer. I get that kids may not always like or even love their parents, but to go to the lengths that Gavin does didn’t ring true for me.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this book did not work for me on any level, unfortunately. The choppy and uneven flow of the plot, one-dimensional characters and pointless red herrings made this book one I cannot recommend to anyone. The only character I did feel the slightest bit of empathy for in the beginning was Rebecca.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Her Sister’s Killer from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: My Sister's Wedding by Vicky Pattison

Title: My Sister’s Wedding
Author: Vicky Pattison
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: June 2017
Genre: Chick-Lit
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: For better or worse, two families are about to become one . . .

The Ashworth sisters couldn't be more different. Becky is focused, driven and about to marry her lovely fiancé, Daniel Balfour. Lizzie, on the other hand, bounces from one temp job to another, keeps falling for the wrong man and is a whirlwind of chaos in Becky's otherwise well-ordered life. But they love each other fiercely and the Ashworth way has always been family comes first.

As preparations for Becky and Daniel's wedding get underway, it soon becomes clear that the Ashworth way is not the Balfour way. Daniel's family have never thought Becky was good enough for him but he loves her and that's always been enough for the happy couple. But when Lizzie gets caught in the crossfire between Becky and the Balfours, Becky and Lizzie find themselves drifting apart at a time when they need each other the most. Will they be able to repair the damage before Becky walks down the aisle?

Warm-hearted, fun, witty and romantic, My Sister's Wedding will have you crying with laughter one second, and then crying with emotion the next. It's Vicky Pattison at her very best!

My Thoughts: I absolutely love it when I find a book where I immediately feel a connection to the characters. In this case, sisters Becky and Lizzie Ashworth are as close as sisters can be and then some. Their mother abandoned them when they were little and their father raised them. Lizzie was very young when her mother left, so Becky was the only mother-figure she had ever known.

Becky is a book editor, lives in Notting Hill with Daniel, who has finally popped the question. Everything is coming up sunshine and daisies. Unfortunately, Lizzie is a bit of a hot mess. After getting fired, yet again, she doesn’t seem able to hold down a job or even figure out what her life’s passion is beyond hitting the pubs and waking up with raging hangovers.

The proverbial fly in the ointment is Daniel’s family. His parents are complete snobs. Daniel’s sister, Nicole, is a total witch, who will stop at nothing to break Daniel and Becky up. She’s extremely competitive and wants her father to make her the head of their multi-million-pound company instead of Daniel. Her idea of charity is taking presents to a children’s hospital and sneaking out the back door without actually spending time with the children. She will use anyone to her advantage and for her benefit. She pays local paparazzi to be where she is so they take staged photographs that she will approve for publication. I kept hoping someone would push her into the path of a red double-decker bus.

Due to her imminent nuptials into one of the most prominent families in London, Becky finds herself at the center of a media frenzy, with her picture being taken constantly and companies sending her their products to try and promote. Things turn sour at Becky’s engagement party when a near brawl occurs between Lizzie and Nicole which drives a wedge between Lizzie and Becky. I was so taken in with the Ashworth sisters, I couldn’t put the book down, intensely anticipating what would happen next.

Meanwhile, Lizzie, who lied to her sister about having a job as a dog-walker, spends her days in the park taking photographs of dogs when she meets Justin, a singer she has had a crush on after seeing his band perform. As they get to know each other, things take a sudden turn when Lizzie and Becky’s mother turns up unannounced and the rift between the sisters gets wider.

I absolutely loved this story and the author had me laughing at so many moments in this book. I never sided with either sister but kept hoping they would find their way back to each other and clear the air. The story is told from alternating points of view from Becky and Lizzie, which made it easier to empathize with both of them. I honestly didn’t want it to end and really enjoyed some of the unexpected twists that the author throws in.

My Final Verdict: Readers who like a happily ever after without any cliffhangers should grab this book. Additionally, readers who like romantic comedies or books that feature characters the reader immediately feels a bond with will enjoy this and, like me, wish they were part of the Ashworth family. I will be on the lookout for more of this author’s work and am hoping I will get to spend time with these characters again.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of My Sister’s Wedding from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

Title: Little Secrets
Author: Jennifer Hillier
Narrator: Kirsten Potter
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: April 2020
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: All it takes to unravel a life is one little secret....

Marin had the perfect life. Married to her college sweetheart, she owns a chain of upscale hair salons, and Derek runs his own company. They're admired in their community and are a loving family—until their world falls apart the day their son, Sebastian, is taken.

A year later, Marin is a shadow of herself. The FBI search has gone cold. The publicity has faded. She and her husband rarely speak. She hires a PI to pick up where the police left off, but instead of finding Sebastian, she learns that Derek is having an affair with a younger woman. This discovery sparks Marin back to life. She's lost her son; she's not about to lose her husband, too. Kenzie is an enemy with a face, which means this is a problem Marin can fix.

Permanently.

My Thoughts: Little Secrets was my introductory ear-read to author Jennifer Hillier and it won’t be my last! This story was quite riveting and the lines between good and evil are definitely blurry here. After her four-year-old son is taken in broad daylight in a packed Seattle marketplace, Marin has lived her life just going through the motions. Video footage shows Sebastian leaving the area with someone dressed as Santa and no trace of him is ever found. She had one attempted suicide several months ago, but she had made a promise to herself that if Sebastian is found dead, she will be following him.

Fifteen months later, Marin is seeing a therapist, participating in a support group and has hired a private investigator to keep searching. Through the P.I., Marin discovers her husband, Derek, is having an affair. Though I do not condone Derek’s actions, their marriage is practically nonexistent. They rarely see one another or speak and for all intents and purposes are living separate lives.

The rage that Marin feels is so palpable and so blinding in its intensity it drives Marin to do the unthinkable and remove the threat to her marriage from her life. While I had a hard time with Marin’s decision, I certainly understood it and I felt massive quantities of empathy and compassion for her. It’s certainly easy for someone to Monday morning quarterback the situation, but how can any of us say, with complete certainty, how we would react to our child being taken and then having this bombshell land in our laps? I enjoyed that this story dives into Marin’s choices and her thoughts and feelings about it, which drive her to make other choices.

I really wanted to hate the other woman, Kenzie, but she elicited some empathy and compassion from me too once I got to know her backstory and understood what was driving her motivation. As with Marin, I didn’t approve of the choices Kenzie was making in life, but she is one of those characters that make an impact. She’s a survivor, she’s had loads of experience getting the short end of the stick and she knows that nobody is going to look out for her so she has to do it herself.

Marin’s best friend, Sal, was also an interesting character and his unwavering love for Marin was keenly felt. I also enjoyed the scenes with Marin and her support group, listening to their experiences and how they were coping with their own loss and pain.

This story packed quite a punch and Ms. Hillier does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into Marin’s life with all the feels. I began to feel anxiety whenever the private investigator reached out, terrified at what news she had to impart. Please, God, let Sebastian be found alive. I went with the unabridged audio format for this book and I think my enjoyment of this story was in great part to the wonderful narration by Kirsten Potter. Her performance brought these characters to life and their thoughts and emotions were portrayed realistically.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story was equally intense and convincing. At the heart of the story, my main concern was who took Sebastian and what happened to him. My need for closure was strong and Ms. Hillier delivered on all fronts. I highly recommend this story to readers who love thrillers and novels of domestic suspense. All the threads are neatly tied off with this story, though I can’t say it ends with a happily ever after, there is hope for healing.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Little Secrets from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Narrator: Jim Dale
Publisher: Pottermore Publishing
Publication Date: November 2015
Genre: Childrens / Young Adult / Fantasy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: There it was, hanging in the sky above the school: the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue, the mark Death Eaters left behind whenever they had entered a building... wherever they had murdered...

When Dumbledore arrives at Privet Drive one summer night to collect Harry Potter, his wand hand is blackened and shriveled, but he does not reveal why. Secrets and suspicion are spreading through the wizarding world, and Hogwarts itself is not safe. Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the Dark Mark: there is a Death Eater amongst them. Harry will need powerful magic and true friends as he explores Voldemort's darkest secrets, and Dumbledore prepares him to face his destiny...

Having become classics of our time, the Harry Potter series never fails to bring comfort and escapism. With their message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new readers.

My Thoughts: This book definitely did not hold the same shock factor for me in this reading that it did 18 years ago. On this, my fourth read of Half-Blood Prince, knowing what’s coming helped me actually focus more on the story instead of worrying about what may or may not happen. On the heels of Book 5 when Harry lost Sirius, I was dreading finding out who Harry would lose next. If Rowling could kill off Harry’s godfather, then nobody was safe. Having grown up without his parents, unfortunately, Harry has become accustomed to losing the people he loves.

After a long summer at the Dursley’s, Harry is collected from Privet Drive by none other than Professor Dumbledore who takes Harry on an excursion to contact an old colleague and then escort him to the Burrow.

Harry, Ron and Hermione finally receive their long anticipated O.W.L. exam results and Harry finds himself in an advanced Potions class with a new professor, Horace Slughorn. Potions have never been Harry’s favorite class, especially when Snape was the instructor. Harry acquires a potions book that belonged to someone calling himself the “Half-Blood Prince” and following the notes and tips provided within the book by the previous owner, Harry outperforms Hermione.

Harry is convinced that Draco is up to something sinister and spends a lot of time trying to figure out what it is. There are a few occurrences of students being cursed by unknown perpetrators that add to the suspense of the story. I enjoyed that Harry is made Captain of the Quidditch team and puts together a team that will hopefully win the House Cup.

The best part of the book, for me, are the private lessons Harry has with Professor Dumbledore where he learns what Dumbledore already knows about Voldemort’s early years and family. Through Dumbledore’s memories, Harry witnesses Dumbledore’s first meeting with the boy who would become the most evil wizard of all time. Harry is also tasked with finding out the true memories of one of the professors that had been tampered with. Harry has his work cut out for him in this installment and as with the whole series, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Also, the narration of the audiobooks is absolutely brilliant and makes my enjoyment of this series so much more. Jim Dale is no stranger to the arts, being a highly talented and experienced actor, himself. The decision to use him for the narration was and continues to be perfect. Once again, as always, much love and all the stars to J.K. Rowling for bringing Harry and this wonderful world to life and then sharing it with us.

My Final Verdict: As with most of the fans of this much beloved series, I have watched the movies and though Snape is quite despicable in the books, I was completely head over heels with Alan Rickman’s performance. Though most people should find his actions in the book deplorable, Rickman’s performance in the movie made me feel heartbroken, but a little sympathetic. Though there are always many every time I read these books, I can’t help but notice some major differences between the books and the movies that really stood out for me. These observations didn’t create any negative feelings or take away any enjoyment of the story, but were more of an hmmm, that’s interesting moment.
• The muggle Prime Minister is aware of the wizarding world
• Cornelius Fudge has been replaced as the Minister of Magic by Rufus Scrimgeour (I can’t remember if that is ever addressed in the movies at all, but I do recall him making an appearance in the first half of Deathly Hallows)
• In the book, Narcissa speaks the words of the unbreakable vow and not Bellatrix
• Dumbledore collects Harry at the Dursley’s, not at the London tube and disrupting his potential date
• Ginny and Molly have an intense dislike for Fleur. This was interesting because the movies don’t spend any time on the courtship between Fleur and Bill until it’s time for their wedding. Additionally, Ginny calls Fleur ”Phlegm” behind her back, which I found hilarious
• Harry, Hermione and Ron use extendable ears to eavesdrop on Draco when he is in Borgin and Burkes and Hermione goes into Borgin and Burkes to try to determine what Draco wants held for him on reserve
• Tonks finds Harry on the train and fixes his broken nose and not Luna
• Luna is announcing the Quidditch match, or rather, making offhand remarks about complete nonsense, infuriating McGonagall which was quite entertaining
• Bellatrix isn’t one of the Death Eaters on the astronomy tower
• At the end when Harry is dueling with Snape, Buckbeak attacks Snape to protect Harry

REVIEW: Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Title: Pretty Little Wife
Author: Darby Kane
Narrator: Xe Sands
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: December 2020
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Debut author Darby Kane thrills with this twisty domestic suspense novel that asks one central question: shouldn’t a dead husband stay dead?

Lila Ridgefield lives in an idyllic college town, but not everything is what it seems. Lila isn’t what she seems. A student vanished months ago. Now, Lila’s husband, Aaron, is also missing. At first these cases are treated as horrible coincidences until it’s discovered the student is really the third of three unexplained disappearances over the last few years. The police are desperate to find the connection if there even is one. Little do they know they might be stumbling over only part of the truth….

With the small town in an uproar, everyone is worried about the whereabouts of their beloved high school teacher. Everyone except Lila, his wife. She’s definitely confused about her missing husband but only because she was the last person to see his body, and now it’s gone.

My Thoughts: Pretty much from the beginning of the book, the reader is made aware that Lila’s marriage is terrible. The fairy-tale ending that Lila was hoping for when she and Aaron got married is far from the reality. He’s abusive and controlling. Their conversations are layered with contempt and hostility and he’s dead. Lila should know because she’s the last one to see his body. The problem is now that Aaron’s body is no longer in the place she left it. She left it in a very public place, hoping it would be discovered as well as the evidence of the atrocities he had committed. But, no, the body is gone and instead of the police investigating an assumed suicide, they are now investigating a missing persons case and logically wondering why Lila doesn’t seem upset about her husband’s disappearance.

The provocative questions I had at the start were did she kill him? If so, why? Where is he? Is he really dead? Lila is not a likable character but as I got to know her, I began to respect her ability to survive and think fast on her feet. I didn’t agree with a lot of the choices she makes, but by the end of the book I had a lot of admiration for what she has gone through and survived and come out on the other side with scars and damage she keeps neatly hidden.

Finding out you’re married to a monster is pretty bad, but better the monster you know, right? Lila has experience dealing with monsters. She’s been dealing with them her whole life. It took me a long time to figure out who the current monsters were and what they had planned, but though I found this book good, it really didn’t really knock my socks off. The ending was well played and I had to hand it to Lila. I can’t decide whether she’s a true victim and survivor or if she is another monster but I was impressed with her determination to not only survive, but win.

I chose the unabridged audio format for this story. Xe Sands’ performance was quite good blending the tension, suspense and emotions of the characters together making their behavior, decisions and actions believable.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this story to fans of mysteries, thrillers and domestic suspense novels. Some of the subject matter may be hard to read as it may be triggering.

REVIEW: Flying by the Seat of my Knickers by Eliza Watson

Title: Flying by the Seat of my Knickers (The Travel Mishaps of Caity Shaw #1)
Author: Eliza Watson
Publisher: Elizabeth Watson
Publication Date: February 2016
Genre: Chick-Lit / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Why run from your troubles when you can fly instead?

When Caity Shaw is fired from her first job that doesn’t require an elf uniform, her older sister, Rachel, an event planner, hires her to work a meeting in Dublin. Caity jumps at the opportunity to travel abroad and escape her pathetic life. However, even four thousand miles from home, there’s no avoiding debt collectors, an overbearing mother, and haunting memories of a controlling ex.

While in Dublin, Caity suffers a series of humiliating mishaps, causing her to lose even more faith in herself. Caity struggles to earn Rachel’s respect — and to keep Declan, her hot Irish coworker, at arm’s length. Declan repeatedly saves Caity’s butt and helps boost her self-confidence, making it difficult to keep her distance from the charming womanizer. When Declan helps her research her Irish grandmother, Caity discovers the mysterious past of the courageous woman she barely knew might hold the answers to her future.

My Thoughts: Flying by the Seat of my Knickers is the first book in a series by new to me author Eliza Watson. Please note this series is best read in order as each book follows our main character, Caity Shaw, on her travels. This story is set in Ireland and I found it to be well researched and illustrated in my mind so eloquently that I really need to get myself over to the Emerald Isle. Note to self: update bucket list.

Upon first meeting Caity, the first thing I noticed is she’s a hot mess. She is newly single, after leaving an abusive relationship with her narcissistic ex who was stalking her. It got so bad that her performance at her job suffered and she was fired. Now, she’s working for her sister, Rachel’s events planning company, trying to prove to herself and everyone around her she can be a functioning adult. She is struggling to learn her job, not mess it all up, not make her sister regret hiring her all while trying to figure out what her next step will be. Now that her car has been repossessed back in Wisconsin and the only job prospects sitting in her email inbox is a seasonal gig as an elf and working at the local motor mart convenience store, let’s just say that Caity has hit rock bottom and the only direction for her is up.

In addition to this, yes there is more, Caity learns that her grandmother came from Ireland and in between doing her job and getting information from her mother, she is tracing her genealogy to find out where her grandmother came from and discover if there are members of her family left in Ireland. I found this bit quite interesting as I am experiencing this with my husband who is researching his family tree and finding relatives he never knew he had. I am hopeful that there will be more time spent on this in future books.

Caity works with Declan and Gretchen. I thought Declan was a great character and though there is some hint of attraction, nothing happens, but the relationship may develop over the series. On the flip side, Gretchen was a complete witch. I found her to be condescending and full of herself. When she isn’t flipping her hair and making pouty lips and fluttery eyeballs at Declan, she’s trying to sabotage Caity in front of Rachel.

My Final Verdict: It appears that each book in this series features a new travel destination, so readers who love stories set in interesting locations will enjoy this series. I liked Caity for the most part, but she needs a lot of work. She needs to grow a spine, stand up for herself more and take her power back. There wasn’t a lot of time spent on the abusive relationship, but I had a good sense that she is terrified of her ex showing up and this detour pulled me out of the overall story a few times. The next book in the series takes place in Paris and it will be interesting, if not entertaining, watching Caity try to make her away around. Hopefully, Declan will be there to offer a hand.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Flying by the Seat of my Knickers from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.