Category: Adult Fiction Reviews

REVIEW: A Grim Reaper's Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

REVIEW: A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer by Maxie Dara

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Kathy’s work for SCYTHE, escorting the souls of the newly dead to processing, is simple. Predictable. And newly-divorced and pregnant Kathy can use some “predictable” in her life.

But the soul she’s supposed to be picking up is at first missing. And then later, when she finds him, he’s belligerent and hostile, insisting he was murdered. So now she’s stuck with a mouthy teen soul as her sidekick while she tries to hunt down the truth.

Review

This was fun! I adored the relationship between Connor (the soul) and Kathy throughout the book. And the role Kathy’s ex played in the story was a sweet addition.

The world building here is fun – the role of SCYTHE, Kathy’s job responsibilities, etc.. I liked the combination of genre’s too – mystery, fantasy, with a little second chance love story to work out on the side. The pieces all came together for an engaging story with a fast-paced ending with a sweet, emotional touch. I loved this quirky story and would absolutely pick up a sequel. (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

REVIEW: Fangs for Nothing by Steffanie Holmes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bacchanalia House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Winnie has a new gig helping someone who needs a professional organizer. And the timing is perfect, getting her out of London and away from her mom and the memories of Patrick… and Claire.

Alaric’s butler has hired the organizer to help him prepare for a ball his mother insists on holding in his home. The problem is that the organizer is a human. And Alaric is a vampire.

Winnie’s job might be too much for one woman to handle in three weeks. But she’s joining a local book club – The Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven – and they have a murder to solve. And that’s a nice distraction from her childhood trauma, from her ex-fiancé and ex-best friend who are in town, and from the completely inappropriate feelings she is developing for her client.

But instead of distracting her from her boss, she ends up faking a romantic relationship with him – at first to fool Winnie’s ex and then to fool Alaric’s mother – who has shown up with a woman she expects him to marry.

Review

So fun! I immediately fell in love with this – the characters, the world building, the romance, and the mystery. And the story is LONG – I felt like I really got to dig deep with this. And when I finished the ARC, I immediately bought my own copy and pre-ordered the sequel, A Grave Mistake. Together the books kick off the author’s Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven series, which is a spinoff of an earlier Nevermore Bookshop Mystery series. I haven’t read that series, but plan to try it out. [Sadly for readers, book two has been postponed and pre-orders have been canceled. Happily for the author, she has secured a publishing deal! So book one is being re-released and book two will come out later this year. I guess I will have to re-read Fangs for Nothing while I wait!]

The mystery here – humans drained of blood by a rogue vampire – takes a back seat to the romance, and I was okay with that.  (Pieces of the mystery will carry over into book 2.) The romance between two broken people dealing with past trauma was the central focus, and I adored it so much I was a little sad to discover that Winnie and Alaric won’t be the POV characters for the sequel – but only a little sad because the premise for book 2 is fantastic!

I don’t generally love vampire stories – and I definitely don’t seek them out. But this, while also spicier than my usual read, really worked for me. The world building is well done and clever, and the pacing is terrific. I have an aversion to the word “smut,” so I didn’t love it’s use in the book, but it was a small price to pay for the overall experience of this fantastic story. This was the first book in a LONG time that trumped my other hobbies and chores and bedtime and kept me reading any chance I could find until I finished.

Paranormal romance and fantasy fans as well as vampire fans should definitely pick this up.  This checks a few of the same boxes as my 2024 find, the Riley Thorne series – the paranormal aspects (vampire here, psychic there) in a romance/mystery combo story. This is quite a bit darker than Riley as well as being more serious and more spicy. But I loved it all the same! (Language, sex. Trigger warning: Hoarding, nightmares, obsessive-compulsive behaviors)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ – Outstanding!

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

REVIEW: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Violet has been preparing her whole life to attend Basgiath War College as a scribe, just like her father. But following his death, her mother, General Sorrengail, decides she must join the Riders Quadrant instead – the most ruthless and deadly path at Basgiath.

The cadets who survive the initiation and early training have the chance to bond with a dragon which means developing a magical gift and riding that dragon into battle. But there are fewer and fewer dragons willing to bond with humans. So the competition is fierce. Violet has never been physically strong or healthy, so she’s already at a significant disadvantage. And on top of that, there are others at Basgiath who want to kill her.

Review

Yes, I know. This book pubbed almost 2 years ago, and was almost immediately a huge hit. But my copy sat on my TBR bookcase for ages. I don’t always love books with a lot of hype, so I was reluctant to take my chances with it. Then book 3 released to great fanfare, and it felt like time.

This absolutely lived up to the hype! I was sold from the start, and never wanted to put the book down.

This felt comfortable and familiar from the start – I’ve read this sort of book before. The heroine who isn’t supposed to be special, who has to overcome all sorts of trials to prove herself – both to others and herself. The bad boy love interest. All familiar. And all ABSOLUTELY my jam. By the time I got to the dragon portion of the story, I had already ordered the next two books so I could get completely caught up with the series. It’s so fun to finally understand all the memes!

If you love these sorts of stories as much as I do, be sure to give this one a try if you haven’t already! (Language, violence, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Funny Story by Emily Henry

REVIEW: Funny Story by Emily Henry

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

When Daphne’s fiancé, Peter, calls off their wedding, she’s blindsided. He had always insisted his best friend, Petra, was just a platonic friend. But now they are together – and Daphne’s alone.

Petra’s fiancé, Miles, invites Daphne to move into the extra bedroom now that Petra is with Peter. They can lick their wounds and try to put their lives back together.

When Petra and Peter announce their upcoming wedding, Miles and Daphne both RSVP in a drunken haze. But when Peter calls, patronizing and dismissive, Daphne puts on a brave front and tells him Miles will be her plus 1 as they’re now a couple. Now, she just has to clue Miles in on their fake relationship.

Review

This is my first Emily Henry in awhile, and I enjoyed it. It took me a few chapters to get into it, and I even thought about DNFing. But then every year end favorites list I saw on social media included this book. I had to give it another try.

Once I was in a better reading space, I completely fell for Daphne and Miles both. I loved the fake relationship – and then the not-quite-fake relationship that grew between them.

And that fun romance would have been enough. But several of the female characters, including Daphne, had these great moments of personal growth or insight that seemed to jump off the page. These paragraphs were the icing on the cake of this story.

Henry fans should definitely pick this one up. Romance fans, especially those who like fake relationship stories, should not miss this. The painful lies and subterfuge you sometimes get in a fake relationship book are not present here, to my great relief. (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: The Night Woods by Paula Munier

REVIEW: The Night Woods by Paula Munier

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free, electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

On a walk in the woods, a very pregnant Mercy and her dog Elvis discover a dead man in the home of their friend Homer. And they find Homer and his bloodhound in the woods, and Homer is gravely injured.

Then a wealthy landowner goes missing during a forest hunt with some of his guests. And Mercy – or Troy – receives an ominous, threatening note on the door of their home.

Mercy’s family and friends would like her to hunker down and wait for the baby, going as far as assigning her a teenaged “keeper.” But she’s determined to help Homer find the truth of what happened to his murdered friend.

Review

I enjoyed this 5th book in the Mercy Carr series. Mercy and Elvis are great, as always. I enjoyed how the author worked things to let Mercy be Mercy while also acknowledging her pregnancy and how that would impact her usual investigating.

One of my favorite things about the book was how Mercy honestly deliberates about her preparedness – and even suitability – for parenting. It felt so vulnerable and so honest. And also so true to the character.

Troy and Mercy are delightful together – as usual. He is protective and concerned while never asking or expecting Mercy to be someone she is not. It’s a beautiful partnership/relationship. The addition of Tandie, the teen, to the core group was a treat! I’ve said many times how much I love an amazing child or teen character, and Tandie fits that same feature I have loved in other things.

Series fans should totally pick this up to stay up on Mercy’s story. The mystery is good – twisty! – but it took a backseat for me to the baby/pregnancy deliberations and the group dynamics which I loved. Newcomers should really start the series from the beginning to get the most from this.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

REVIEW: Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North

REVIEW: Star Trek Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way by Ryan North

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and IDW Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

A choose-your-own-adventure comic starring Beckett Mariner and the crew of the Cerritos was a must see for me. I have fallen in love with Star Trek Lower Decks over the last couple of years, and it is my go to comfort watch these days.

In this book, Mariner discovers the Cerritos crew is either acting strangely or completely missing, and she tries to save the day. Sounds just like an everyday episode of Star Trek!

Sadly, the ARC was NOT formatted to make the choose-your-own-adventure work. I couldn’t jump pages depending on my choice, so I could only scroll back and forth trying to find the right page. I ended up just flipping page by page and trying to put the story together that way. I determined that there are a lot of ways to die in this story!

I will definitely be looking for a print version of this since it contains the characters I already love. I’d be wary of an e-book version just based on my ARC experience. I’d give the overall concept here 4 stars, but only 2 for execution. Until I can verify a print version, I’m giving this 3.5 stars.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

REVIEW: Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Her twin’s call couldn’t have come at a better time. Naomi had crawled out of a church basement window in her wedding gown just before the call came through. Showing up in a town called “Knockemout” to rescue her sister was just the distraction she needed. Except her sister then stole Naomi’s car and her purse, broke into her hotel room, and then abandoned Naomi’s pre-teen niece.

A niece Naomi hadn’t known existed.

Knox had shown up at the Café to make sure Tina left town without causing any more trouble. That gave him a front row seat to “Not Tina” and her no good, very bad day. So he offers some help for both Naomi and her niece, Waylay. But he’s determined to ignore that zing he feels whenever Naomi is around.

Review

Lucy Score was one of the cornerstones of my reading in 2024. First I discovered and then devoured the delightful Riley Thorn series. Then I gave this a try – another winner! I laughed through the whole book while falling completely in love with the whole slate of characters, from Naomi, Waylay, and Knox to their families and friends and the central townspeople. If this book is any indication, this series is going to be a lot steamier than the Riley Thorn books. (EDIT: After having read all three books – yes, this series is a LOT steamier than the mystery series.) But the banter and sarcasm and humor are absolutely the same. And I loved this!

This is the first in a trilogy focused on three male characters in Knockemout – Knox, his brother Nash, and their friend Lucian. I wasn’t even half way through this when I ordered the other books in the series. Looking forward to reading them! (Language, sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ – I loved it! Would re-read

[Book 2 – Things We Hide from the Light = ♥♥♥♥½. Book 3 – Things We Left Behind = ♥♥♥♥.]

REVIEW: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

REVIEW: Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Ernest Cunningham lays out the tropes and expectations of the “holiday special” mystery and then takes readers through his own “holiday special” which he compares to an Advent Calendar – “23 clues and a killer.”

Ernest’s ex wife has been arrested for the brutal murder of her romantic partner, a wealthy philanthropist. And she asks Ern to solve the mystery.

Ernest starts working through Lyle’s business associates from his foundation as well as the recovering addicts working at the theatre with magician Rylan Blaze. Before Ernest gets very far in his investigation, another body drops, and he has to determine who killed both of the victims – before Christmas.

Review

Wow, was this twisty! Once I started, I didn’t want to put it down. [One of the features of Ernest’s latest story is it can be read like an advent calendar, one chapter a day for each day of December until Christmas. But I know I wouldn’t have been able to stop at one chapter a day!]

Fans of earlier books in the series will be happy to know there are a few new rules this time around for the “holiday special.” I thought the insertions of Ern’s post-story reflections as he writes were less intrusive this time around – or maybe I’m just more accustomed to the unusual storytelling now that we are three books in. I’m still reeling over the big reveals at the end – this was SO cleverly put together. And it’s actually a holiday mystery with holiday elements – not just a full mystery that happens to take place in December.

Series fans should NOT miss this one! It’s so good. I think newcomers could start here as there aren’t many references to Ernest’s past or insider knowledge necessary. But I think Ern’s style – of storytelling and of mystery solving – makes more sense in the context of the series read in order. (Some language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

REVIEW: A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Helen Monroe is the “writer in residence” in Briar Creek this winter. After completing her long-running thriller series (by killing off her main character), Helen is working on a new, secret project.

Helen’s “biggest fan,” Jackie Lewis, has also shown up in Briar Creek. And her presence has alarm bells going off in Lindsey’s head. Lindsey has dealt with a stalker before, and this feels all too familiar. And when Jackie crashes a community event trying to paint Helen as a plagiarist who stole Jackie’s book ideas, Lindsey’s fear is confirmed.

But Jackie isn’t the only person with a grudge or vendetta against Helen. Helen’s novels based on true crimes have angered the families involved. And a new member of the library board has a vendetta against Helen as well.

So when  Lindsey discovers a dead body, she has some investigating to do.

Review

This was great! A few holiday activities give this a Christmas-y feel, but the story is a solid mystery for readers to enjoy at any time of the year.

I loved the writing-based mystery, and the many twists kept me guessing to the end. I loved getting to spend some time with Lindsey and Sully and their friends while watching the mystery unfold.

Newcomers could easily start this series here. The mystery is terrific and doesn’t rely too much on series history. But the Library Lover series has been a favorite for me for awhile – so be sure to check out the whole series. And once you are hooked, you can check out Jenn McKinlay’s other mysteries and romance books. You won’t be disappointed.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

REVIEW: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Lula Dean is on a crusade to rid the town libraries of “pornography.” It doesn’t matter that the erotic cookbook was put on a shelf as a prank. Lula has found her calling.

Beverly Underwood has been Lula Dean’s long-time nemesis. And as the head of the school board, Beverly has a front row seat as Lula and her “Concerned Parents Committee” attack the various school and public libraries with their “righteous” intensions. And the townsfolks are ready to watch the “filth” burn. Beverly is blindsided by the whole thing. But her college-aged daughter, Lindsay, is inspired to action.

In the dark of night, Lindsay swaps out the prim books in Lula’s Little Free Library for the banned titles confiscated from Lula’s crusade, setting them inside the jackets of Lula’s “approved” titles.

And then people in the town start reading those banned books – without Lula noticing.

Review

What a brilliant story! Once the premise is set up, most of the chapters focus on one person and one book from Lula’s library – and how reading that book changes something for them. It’s a series of fascinating short stories from a variety of perspectives.

Positioned around those vignettes is the larger story of Lula, Beverly, and the town. It’s stunning – like watching something get woven together. In the end as the threads are finally pulled taut, you see the whole picture come together in a way that is nothing short of brilliant. It’s a creative structure that elevates an excellent story to a whole other level. (I feel the same way about The Candymakers for kids.)

This is thought-provoking – and funny. But it’s also grim at times. I was captivated by the folks in this town and the way books influenced families and kids and siblings and spouses. The ending is supremely satisfying – including an epilogue from 2034 that was more than I even hoped for.

This will definitely be one of the top reads for me in 2024!

(Language, some sexual content. TW: racism, homophobia, rape, gun violence, suicide, white supremacy/Christian nationalism)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ – Outstanding!