REVIEW: The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth

Title: The Younger Wife
Author: Sally Hepworth
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik; Caroline Lee; Jessica Douglas-Henry; Zoe Carides
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: April 2022
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.

THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.

THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?

My Thoughts: When I was so much younger, I was all about the romance and happily ever after in my reading. I never realized how much I was missing out by not expanding my reading experiences to include thrillers and suspense stories. I am so glad it didn’t take until now to rectify that as I would have never had the wonderful experience reading this book provided. This is one of those books where I was riveted to the page in high anticipation of what was going to happen next. The drama, anxiety and fear continuously ramped up and, like several characters, wondered if I was imagining what was going on.

Though I have a few of this author’s titles in my library, The Younger Wife was my first time reading this author’s work. I will be adding more of her backlist to my library because she is that good. Her ability to create characters that are easy to empathize with as well as characters that are surprising, both good and bad are part of why I enjoyed this story so much. I thought this story was going to be about Rachel and Tully going to war with their future stepmother and conflict with their father over divorcing their mother who has dementia. This story went completely over that rail and into territory much darker, more sinister and completely unexpected. There are several trigger inducing moments in this book but the author was very concise in relating them to the story that made sense and was integral.

Additionally, the audio narration performed by Barrie Kreinik, Caroline Lee, Jessica Douglas-Henry and Zoe Carides was excellent. I love audiobooks and I am loving multiple narrators more and more. I feel it gives the story more depth and gives the reader a better insight to the characters.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this book completely knocked me off my feet. So many twists and turns that left my jaw hanging open. I’ve come to accept that not all stories get a swoon worthy happily ever after. Some stories deliver a swift punch to the throat that leaves the reader feeling as ambushed as the characters and that is a wonderful thing. I highly recommend this book and if I could give this book all the stars, I would.

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

REVIEW: Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman

Title: Night of the Living Deed (Haunted Guesthouse Mystery #1)
Author: E.J. Copperman
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: October 2013
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Home repair meets haunted happenings in the first charming, hilarious Haunted Guest House Mystery!

Newly divorced Alison Kerby wants a second chance for herself and her nine-year-old daughter, so she's returned to her home town on the Jersey Shore to transform a fixer-upper into a charming--and hopefully profitable--guest house. But when a bump on the head leaves her seeing not only stars but spirits, Alison realizes the real challenge she's facing is out of this world.

The two residing ghosts are Maxie Malone, the foul-tempered former owner of the house (who has definite opinions about Alison's design plans), and Paul Harrison, a private eye who'd been working for Maxie--both died in the house on the same night. The official cause of death was suicide, but the ghosts insist they were murdered, and they need Alison to find out who killed them--or the next ghost in the guest house will be Alison herself...

My Thoughts: I discovered this series when the first seven books were made available to me through my Audible membership. Since I gravitate towards paranormal themes, this cozy mystery series sounded like something that would appeal to me and I was quickly engaged in the lives of the characters and the events occurring in this fixer upper historical home.

This story sets the reader up not only to be entertained but also to want get to know these characters more, so I will be continuing the series. The author gives a very cohesive blend of mystery, charm and humor as Alison and her friends, both the breathing and non-breathing variety, try to piece together clues to learn who killed Maxie and Paul and is now threatening Alison. The final reveal also came as a surprise as the author does an excellent job of providing many potential suspects to sift through.

The audio narration was performed by Amanda Ronconi and she did a very good job of bringing these characters to life. Both the author and the audio narrator are new to me and I will be looking for more of their work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a great start to what I think will be a very enjoyable series. Fans of cozy mysteries, paranormal elements and things that go bump in the night will find this series appealing.

REVIEW: The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Title: The Dispatcher (The Dispatcher #1)
Author: John Scalzi
Narrator: Zachary Quinto
Publisher: Audible Originals
Publication Date: October 2016
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Buy the Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone - 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know. But it changes everything: war, crime, daily life.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher - a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death's crosshairs, so they can have a second chance to avoid the reaper. But when a fellow Dispatcher and former friend is apparently kidnapped, Tony learns that there are some things that are worse than death and that some people are ready to do almost anything to avenge a supposed wrong.

It's a race against time for Valdez to find his friend before it's too late...before not even a Dispatcher can save him.

My Thoughts: Interesting story premise that executed well with a fantastic audio narration by Zachary Quinto. Imagine a society where murder is virtually impossible to commit. 99.99% of the time, murder victims return no worse off. Nobody knows how or why and in cases of accidents, disease or natural causes, the dead stay dead. Tony Valdez is a dispatcher. His job is to kill people who are close to death to give them another chance. When Tony learns one of his colleagues has been kidnapped, he finds himself working with the Chicago Police Department to find him.

At first, I thought, so what if he doesn’t find him? If he dies, he’ll show up back at home, no harm, no foul. However, with most things in life, there are loopholes, which I will not disclose here as it would ruin the story for you.

I enjoyed the story and meeting Tony and Detective Langdon. Their initial mutual mistrust and eventual grudging respect played very well. Tony’s initial reluctance to get involved made sense as his line of work hovers over a very thin line bordering on the illegal. It’s not really in his best interests to work with the police, but he knows that he is his friend’s only hope.

This is the first book in a series and just based on the events portrayed in this one, I recommend the series be read in order.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this story be read in audio format as Zachary Quinto delivers a stellar performance, employing the right amount of emotion and tension in his narrative. Readers who enjoy thrillers and police procedural stories should pick this one up.

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.