REVIEW: Exquisite by Sarah Stovell

Title: Exquisite
Author: Sarah Stovell
Narrator: Katie Scarfe
Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd.
Publication Date: June 2017
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Bo Luxton has it all - a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District and a clutch of best-selling books to her name.

Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. When they meet at a writers' retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops.... Or does it?

My Thoughts: Exquisite by new to me author, Sarah Stovell, has so many twists, turns and jaw dropping moments, this reader began to feel a little vertigo. This story doesn’t come with any warning labels, but if I were to give one, it would be to hold on tight as this ride moves really fast and gets quite bumpy at times. The reader should also prepare themselves to be triggered as well as shocked and outraged at the behavior displayed. The gaslighting is so well crafted and over the top that I couldn’t help feeling a lot of the same emotions displayed within the pages of this story.

When Bo Luxton and Alice Dark meet at a writer’s retreat, the reader is made to feel like Alice will greatly benefit from Bo’s mentoring and feedback. All Alice has ever wanted to do was write a best-selling novel and when she has the opportunity to attend, she jumps at the opportunity. Bo and Alice feel an instant bond and camaraderie and a friendship develops. Bo provides the mothering nurturing quality that Alice has missed out having her entire life. Alice makes Bo feel young again with the stars in the eyes enthusiasm she hasn’t felt in a long time. Bo’s focus on her daughters doesn’t completely fulfill her and, for me, it felt like Alice was a project Bo takes on. Alice needs her help to be all she can be.

Something much more deeper and intimate develops between these two women and, as the book is told from both women’s perspectives, it clouds the issue for the reader when the relationship turns toxic. At times, it was a struggle to determine who the protagonist was.

The audiobook format of this story was excellent. The narration, performed by Katie Scarfe was brilliant. She supplies the perfect intonation and emotion to give the reader an excellent sense of who these characters are, without giving the reader too many clues to the character’s true nature.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this book was simply amazing. Stovell authors a story that holds the reader’s interest weaving the events surrounding these intriguing characters in a finely structured knot. I was floored as the story concluded with events that I wasn’t expecting, but thoroughly enjoyed. I highly recommend this book to fans of the mystery, thriller and suspense genres as well as readers who like stories that keep the surprises coming in the most astonishing ways.

REVIEW: Dark Water by Robert Bryndza

Title: Dark Water (Detective Erika Foster #3)
Author: Robert Bryndza
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: October 2016
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Beneath the water the body sank rapidly. She would lie still and undisturbed for many years but above her on dry land, the nightmare was just beginning.

When Detective Erika Foster receives a tip-off that key evidence for a major narcotics case was stashed in a disused quarry on the outskirts of London, she orders it to be searched. From the thick sludge the drugs are recovered, but so is the skeleton of a young child.

The remains are quickly identified as seven-year-old Jessica Collins. The missing girl who made headline news twenty-six years ago.

As Erika tries to piece together new evidence with the old, she must dig deeper and find out more about the fractured Collins family and the original detective, Amanda Baker. A woman plagued by her failure to find Jessica. Erika soon realizes this is going to be one of the most complex and demanding cases she has ever taken on.

Is the suspect someone close to home? Someone is keeping secrets. Someone who doesn’t want this case solved. And they’ll do anything to stop Erika from finding the truth.

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice and The Night Stalker, comes the third heart-stopping book in the Detective Erika Foster series.

My Thoughts: Once again, Robert Bryndza delivers a fantastic installment of his Detective Erika Foster series with Dark Water that has Erika working on a most difficult case involving the disappearance of a little girl twenty-six years earlier. During a routine narcotics investigation, Erika’s team discover the skeletal remains of Jessica Collins who disappeared without a trace over two decades ago. Despite the initial arrest of a suspect, nobody was ever convicted of the crime and the family never received closure.

This story really grabbed me hard and wouldn’t let go. I felt a lot of empathy for this little girl and her family, but also for Erika. The grief she lives with everyday over losing her husband at times paralyzes her and she demonstrates so much empathy for this family that I wondered if she was getting too close and losing sight of the investigation.

The most interesting thing with this investigation for me are the forces at work in the shadows trying to intercept intel and plant tracking devices to stop any forward progress. Who killed this little girl and why, but the bigger question is how far are they willing to go to ensure their identities remain buried? With books of this genre, I have to be extra careful not to focus too much on solving the crime as it can sometimes detract from my enjoyment of the story. I could not even begin to try to solve this one.

This author does a brilliant job of weaving all the threads of this case together so precisely that it was impossible for me to form a conclusion. I even began to suspect that the original suspect may have been set up. I had a lot of empathy for Erika and the frustration she is feeling. Erika also receives unexpected visitors when her sister and three children arrive for an unannounced visit. I had to admire how she compartmentalizes her surroundings with precision and excellent detail as she does with her case assignments.

It took me until the last 7% of the book to realize who the villain was, which was about the same time Erika does and what a shock it was when it was revealed. This author does an amazing job of capturing the reader’s attention and emotions with intense plots, surprise twists and fascinating characters. There are currently eight books in this series and I look forward to what Erika takes on next. To completely understand Erika’s backstory and the interpersonal relationships going on, it’s vital that this series be read in order.

My Final Verdict: Overall, if you like gritty, dark, tense stories with twists, turns, and surprises that knock you off your feet, this is a great series to go with. Robert Bryndza is an author everyone should be adding to their must-read list.

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

REVIEW: One Less Problem Without You by Beth Harbison

Title: One Less Problem Without You
Author: Beth Harbison
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: July 2016
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Meet Prinny, Chelsea and Diana. Prinny is the owner of Cosmos, a shop that sells crystals, potions, candles, and hope. It’s also a place where no one turns down a little extra-special cocktail that can work as a romance potion or heal a broken heart. But Prinny is in love with her married lawyer and she’ll need nothing short of magic to forget about him.

Chelsea works as a living statue at tourist sites around Washington, DC. It's a thankless job, but it helps pay the rent. That, and her part-time job at Cosmos. As her dream of becoming a successful actress starts to seem more remote and the possibility of being a permanently struggling one seems more realistic, Chelsea begins to wonder: at one point do you give up on your dreams? And will love ever be in the cards for her?

Diana Tiesman is married to Leif, a charismatic man who isn’t faithful. But no matter how many times he lets her down, Diana just can't let him go. She knows the only way she can truly breakaway is if she leaves and goes where he will never think to follow. So she ends up at Cosmos with Leif’s stepsister, where she makes her homemade teas and tinctures as she figures out whether she'd rather be lonely alone than lonely in love.

In Beth Harbison's One Less Problem Without You, three women suddenly find themselves together at their own very different crossroads. It will take hope, love, strength and a little bit of magic for them to find their way together.

My Thoughts: I haven’t had very good luck with this author, which is a shame, really, because the titles of her books are so catchy and look like fun. If you are looking for a whimsical chick-lit type of story, this is not the author. Instead, this book is more women’s fiction with some dark undertones.

One Less Problem Without You introduces the reader to three women, Prinny, Chelsea and Diana. Prinny owns and operates a new age mystical store named Cosmos. Chelsea works in the store as well as trying to get her acting career off the ground. Diana is Prinny’s sister-in-law who has just left her cheating creep of a husband and is welcomed into the fold by Prinny. All three of these women have had the worst luck when it comes to finding the one, but find acceptance, support and friendship with one another.

There are some triggers in this book for me such as domestic violence, sexual assault and adultery, but these events moved the story forward and gave me more empathy for these characters. The story moves at a good pace and the bond these women form was heartwarming to witness. These women were easy to relate to and root for. The story is told from all three women’s perspectives both in the past and in the present.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this story to fans of women’s fiction who like books that feature strong characters who rise above the struggles and disappointments life has handed them to take back their power.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of One Less Problem Without You from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.