Category: blogging

Never Coming Home by Kate Williams
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Publishing Date: June 21, 2022

Synopsis:
The beach read you have been dying for! When ten of America’s hottest teenage influencers are invited to an exclusive island resort, things are sure to get wild. But murder isn’t what anyone expected. Will anyone survive?
Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination. Think white-sand beaches, turquoise seas, and luxury accommodations. Plus, it’s invite-only, no one over twenty-one allowed, and it’s absolutely free. Who wouldn’t want to go?

After launching with a showstopping viral marketing campaign, the whole world is watching as the mysterious resort opens its doors to the First Ten, the ten elite influencers specifically chosen to be the first to experience everything Unknown Island has to offer. You know them. There’s the gamer, the beauty blogger, the rich girl, the superstar, the junior politician, the environmentalist, the DJ, the CEO, the chef, and the athlete.

What they don’t know is that they weren’t invited to Unknown Island for their following—they were invited for their secrets. Everyone is hiding a deadly one, and it looks like someone’s decided it’s payback time. Unknown Island isn’t a vacation, it’s a trap. And it’s beginning to look like the First Ten—no matter how influential—are never coming home.

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours (you can click HERE to see the tour schedule) and the publisher for sending me an eArc of the book to read.

You might recognize Kate William’s name and that’s because she is the author of The Babysitter’s Coven series. This is Kate’s fourth book. I have yet to read that series and after reading this I am kind of curious about that series now. I just might have to pick it up to read. Would it be something I would enjoy?

This was a roller coaster of a read. I probably could have read it in one sitting but I had to stop and break it up into two days just because I know how my brain works and if I had read it in one sitting I would have been up all night.

When I first got the email about this tour I was intrigued, Ten Influencers, One Island, One Week, and someone bent on revenge, yes sign me up please.

I should mention that there are several trigger warnings in the book such as death, gore, and suicide and a few others.

This island is called Unknown Island set somewhere remote in the South Pacific and there is only one way in and one way out. The island appears to be located in a beautiful spot but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Looks can be deceiving. Once these ten influencers arrive they discover that this is nothing like they were told it would be.

Someone launched a marketing campaign for Unknow Island that went viral and it got everyone’s attention. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. ( I instantly thought of Fyre Festival!) This was the world’s most exclusive destination. It was invite-only and no one over21 was allowed on it. The mission was that it was going to represent a new kind of travel, one that would allow travelers to avoid crowds and meet & mingle with curated strangers. No one knows who the owner is except that is a foreign philanthropist billionaire.

The ten influencers are:
Emma Jane (LA, 18-year-old, spoiled rich girl who is into true crime)
Justice (Kansas, 17-year-old, environmental activist)
Robby (17-year-olds, Youtube sensation chef, restaurateur)
Xander (Texas, 19 years old, football star, TikTok star for dancing)
Chelsea (LA, transgender, 18-year-old, youtube beauty guru)
Margot (NYC, 20-year-old, CEO of her own company)
Graham (Minneapolis, 19-year-old, ex-City Council member)
Manny (Miami, 19-year-old, DJ)
Frankie (18-year-old, a superstar who is TikTok famous has her own make-up and clothing line, cohost & produces reality tv)
Celia (California, 16-year-old, gamer)

When I saw the list of characters at the beginning of the book I knew I had to keep a piece of paper beside me to take notes and I am so happy that I did because so much was going on.

All these influencers think they are there because of their social media following but soon realize that it has nothing to do with their following but the deep dark deadly secret that each of them keeps to themselves and someone wants payback.

No sooner do they hit the island than things begin to go wrong. They all receive a letter after breakfast with a list of the influencers and their crimes. Then just like that one of them is murdered and a cryptic message appears on the Unknown Island’s Instagram page. It doesn’t take the group long to figure out that they will all be picked off one by one. As it continues to happen they realize that someone in the group is behind it but who and why?

I was way off in who I thought it could be and I wasn’t right in any of my guesses only when I got to the end that I was like of yea I see it now.

I loved how the author made sure the reader got to know a little bit about the characters and what they were hiding. The story behind their secrets. Although I do have to admit that I was curious about why this particular group was curated because looking on the outside you know they are all influencers, do they know each other? Someone did a lot of work/research to curate this group.

The book is told from multiple points of view and at first, it was a little confusing but once I started to take notes it was a bit easier to follow.

This book definitely makes you realize that just because someone does something bad doesn’t mean they are a bad person. It’s not our place to take the law into our own hands. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I think sometimes that there is a gray area in there.

I didn’t realize until I went to write my review that this is a modern-day retelling of one of Agatha Christie’s books, And Then There Were None. I definitely need to pick this up and read it. Have you read this?

The moral of the story is never take a free luxury vacation from a stranger you have never spoken to before.

If your looking for that summer beach read then I highly recommend this.

Book Links:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Chapters Indigo
Indie Bound

About the Author:
Kate Williams has written for Seventeen, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Vans, Calvin Klein, Urban Outfitters, and many other brands and magazines. She is the author of The Babysitters Coven trilogy: The Babysitters Coven, For Better or Cursed, and Spells Like Teen Spirit. Kate lives in Kansas. To learn more about her and her books, go to heykatewilliams.com or follow @heykatewilliams on Instagram.

Author Links:
Website: http://heykatewilliams.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heykatewilliams/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18681662.Kate_Williams

Tour Schedule:
https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2022/05/07/tour-schedule-never-coming-home-by-kate-williams/

Title: Go Hunt Me
Author: Kelly DeVos
Publication Date:  June 14th, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Horror

About the book:

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets, this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

Content warnings: Some discussion of sexual harassment and abuse, death, violence, gore

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours (you can click HERE to see the tour schedule)

This is Kelly’s second book, and her debut was Fat Girl on a Plane. I definitely need to pick it up because it’s been on my TBR since it came out.

When I first saw this in my email I was intrigued by it and decided I needed I wanted to read it. I was looking to mix up my reading a little bit. I would say that this is a YA Horror/Thriller kind of book.

I have to say I was slightly confused in the beginning and then it all began to make sense after that. I should just quickly mention that there are no vampires in this book.

I did enjoy this and I kept saying WTH am I reading for a good part of the book. I also hand plenty of WTH moments. As much as I wanted to read this in one sitting I wasn’t able to because I knew my overactive imagination would make me dream about this at night.

The book is told from Alex’s point of view. The story was told between flashbacks, police interview tapes during the aftermath and a movie script that Alex wrote. The book’s timeline starts out 153 days ago up until 209 days later.

The book follows seven friends, Alex, Maddie, Reagan, Carter, Kenna, Jax, and Hazel who are all horror buffs. They all get into their retrospective colleges/universities, except Alex who was put on the waiting list. All of them want to be in the film industry in some way. When they find out Alex doesn’t get in the group decide Alex has to make her script into much more than what she submitted to the school. With the help of a go fund me account and a celebrity who just moved into the community they all fly to Romania to film it. Only to find out the celebrity ditches them in Romania.

The setting was definitely fitting for the movie. It’s an old eerie castle that is under construction and they were told it was safe for them to film there, or is it? Then factor in how far they are away from civilization, the creepy dark woods, and the constant rainy weather. Although when they get there they realize that it’s not at all what they thought it would be. There is definitely more to this castle them meets the eye.

As they begin to film strange things begin to happen. One friend goes missing and is found dead and then it seems like someone is picking them off one by one but who? As each death happens they begin to become more grotesque. Who would do this and why?

I don’t want to say much more for fear of giving it all away. Even though I started off a little confused and wonder what I was reading I did enjoy this. Although I wish there would have been more details of why and how it all came to be.

The pacing of the book, in the beginning, is okay as it was setting things up and the second half hit you in the face with everything that was happening. It was all action-packed. After reading it I definitely could see all the foreshadowing and wish I would have picked up on that sooner because after I read it all made sense. I definitely did not see that happening as I was reading it. The book was filled with twists and turns. I was shocked when I found out who the killer was. I didn’t see that coming right away.

I definitely would read future books from Kelly.

About the author:

Falling For My Hot Neighbor
Rachael Brownell
Publication date: June 9th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

There’s a professional line in the sand. One I refuse to cross. I can’t afford to if I want to keep my secrets safe. To keep my life from falling apart again.

Those boundaries are tested when he moves in across the hall.

My new neighbor might just be the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. He’s also my patient’s brother which is why he’s off limits. But with him this close, I find it hard to ignore my attraction to him. To deny the spark between us. To avoid the magnetic pull I feel.

Because Alex is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man.

Kind and sweet, with a dirty mind and a touch that lights a fire inside me.

And he loves my son.

Which scares me the most.

It’s not just my heart at risk. The closer Alex gets, the more I fall for him, the more I risk exposing everything I’ve worked so hard to keep hidden.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“How long has it been since you’ve been with a man?”

I whip my head in his direction, my jaw dropping open. I’m not sure what I was expecting him to ask me, but it wasn’t that.

“That long, huh?” he asks when I don’t reply. Heat from embarrassment rushes into my cheeks.

“No,” I lie.

“That doesn’t answer the question, Harley.”

He practically purrs when he says my name, my insides heating up at the sound of his voice. Damn him. He knows exactly what he’s doing to me, and he’s doing it on purpose.

“A while but probably not as long as you think.”

“When is the last time you were on a proper date? The last time you let loose?”

“Longer than it’s been for you I’m sure. My turn. What—”

“How. Long.” His words are pointed as he scoots closer to me, placing his hand on my thigh. My body heats at his touch, my leg burning like it’s on fire.

“Over a year,” I say, attempting to swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat.

“That’s a damn shame is what that is, Harley. Too long. You should take care of yourself more often.”

He’s propositioning me. I can feel it in my bones. He hasn’t said the words, but the implication is there.

Author Bio:

Rachael Brownell is an Amazon bestselling author of contemporary, New Adult, and YA romance.

She lives in Michigan with her husband, son, snuggly dog, and hateful cat. She moonlights as a bartender a few days a week (her excuse to get out of the house and socialize) and writes full time. She published her first novel in 2013 and since she’s released more than 30 additional titles.

Rachael writes all kinds of romance – dark, sexy, sweet. She started her career writing young-adult romance and as she matured, so did her characters and her writing. These days, Rachael writes steamy, new adult romance. Her favorite tropes to write are small-town and friends to lovers.

When she’s not hiding in her office, writing her next novel, you can find her hanging out with her family, watching her son play baseball, or running on the treadmill at the gym (though she skips more days than she goes).

Website / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Pinterest / Instagram

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Title: Jingle Bells in June
Series: Book 21 in the Little Duck Pond Cafe
Author: Rosie Green
Pages: 202
Pub Date: April 22, 2022

Mackenzie Morris, the newest recruit at the Little Duck Pond Café, is the perfect addition to the team. But beneath her smiles, Kenzie is hiding a dark secret. It’s the reason she fled to Sunnybrook, desperate for a fresh start that would help to lay the ghosts that haunt her.

The challenge of turning her hobby into a business is a welcome distraction, and to her relief, she finds that her range of quirky pottery mugs and vases appears to be in demand. Alone and scared when she arrived, she’s slowly making friends and starting to feel as if she belongs. Meeting a lovely guy called Aidan seems to confirm this and it looks as if love might be on the horizon.

But then Kenzie makes a devastating discovery that threatens to crush her newfound happiness. Aidan is the one person she yearns to confide in. He’s also the one person who can never know the truth . . .

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3jDyibP

This past year I stumbled upon Rachel’s Random Resources book tours and I am so happy I did because I have been discovering some really good new to me authors and some really good books. Thank you, Rachel. Rachel graciously provided me with the eBook so that I could read it for my stop today.

This was a super quick read that I read in one sitting. Just be forewarned you might want to have a tissue on hand. The beginning is emotional. I will tell you that this book will give you every feeling possible.

This is the 21st book in a 23-book series. I believe all the books are under 200 pages long. After reading this I plan on reading this series as I enjoyed the newest one. Before I begin my review I have to say that I am not sure if each of the books is stand-alone per se or if you need to read the previous ones. So with that being said, I will try to keep my post-spoiler-free just in case.

The main character is Mackenzie and she just moved to Sunnybrook. She is working at the Little Duck Pond Cafe. She is trying to turn her passion for doing pottery into a business of her own. There is so much to Mackenize and the author does a fantastic job in telling it in such a short time.

If you were to look at Mackenzie you would think she has nothing to hide but in reality, she does have a few secrets. Can she keep her secrets hidden?

Then Mackenzie meets Aidan and I have to say Adian sounds like the perfect guy. I loved their interactions. You can see Mackenzie is struggling because she wants to confide in someone but she knows if she does it won’t be good. Can she keep this from Aidan or will he find out?

Will she get the fresh start she has been looking for or will her past come back to haunt her?

I am excited to start this fantastic series and see how it starts and see where it goes.

Author Bio

Rosie’s series of novellas is centered around life in a country village cafe. Look out for ‘Sun, Sea & Strawberry Shortcake’, a sunshine-filled drama full of fun and mystery, out in June 2022 and including the return of character favorites, Ruby and Hudson.

Follow Rosie on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green88

Title: The Love Fragments
Author: Eleni Cay
Publication Date:
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Buy Links https://amzn.to/3zmSm9k

Trigger Warning: The book contains some scenes of violence and rape which could be distressing to some

About the book:
London, 2035: Dr. Katie Kuznetsov is a tech-savvy, fresh graduate who’s wrestling with Multiple Sclerosis and is starting her climb up the academic ladder. While watching her parents’ marriage fall apart, she’s battling the old-fashion ideas of her analog-loving fiancée, Mark. Katie attempts to spice up her relationship with social media dating. She meets mysterious businessman Aron and leaves Mark for the promise of a perfect relationship. At first, Aron seems like an ideal boyfriend, but his constant disappearances and lack of communication make Katie doubt her sense of self. When Katie discovers his secret, her life splinters into micro-aggressions and lies. In addition, she battles a relapse of Multiple Sclerosis, her parents’ untimely divorce, and the breakdown of her relationship with old friends. Can Katie restore her faith in the integrity of people she meets online and off? Will she be able to piece her life back together and repair her belief in the wholeness of love?

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank Kelly Lacey & Love Book Tours for allowing me to be a part of this book tour and for graciously providing me with an eBook of the book to read for my review stop today.

When I received this email about this tour I quickly jumped at the chance mainly because the main character of the book has MS (Multiple Sclerosis) and I have been struggling to find books where there are any main characters with MS. They are few and far between. If anyone happens to know of any please let me know in the comments down below. I am looking for fiction books.

This is the second book in the Seven Kinds of Love series. The first one is The Love Virus which I instantly purchased to read. Not quite sure if this is a dulogy or if there will be more books coming out.

The main character is Katie and she is 28. She was diagnosed with MS when she was 19. So this takes place roughly 9 years later in 2035 in London. Another one of my favorite cities. Since I have yet to read The Love Virus I am not sure how the book ended and since this is the second book I will try not to give too much away.

Katie has graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology and is excited to move forward with her career. She is engaged to her long-time boyfriend Mark. He has been there to help Katie from the beginning. Dealing with and managing MS is not easy on the person who has it and the people who are helping. I can totally relate to this.

Issues start to develop between Katie and Mark. Katie thinks the solution to their problems is spicing things up, Now this is where I think Katie went wrong in the plan because she goes to a dating app. It’s on that app that she meets a man named Aron. Katie basically thinks that Aron is the next best thing to sliced bread. She breaks up with Mark and ignores her friends and family. Think that the grass is greener on the other side, but is it?

I have to admit in the beginning I was thinking that Aron seems too good to be true and I was right because he starts to mysteriously disappear and the lack of communication between them happens. Where is he going and what is he doing? What will Katie do when she uncovers the truth about Aron?

I was instantly hooked and wanted to read, which is a good thing, I thought the pacing was perfect. I pretty much devoured this in a day.

Eleni did a fantastic job with the book and it is so relatable. I am so happy that I grew up when I did, all before social media. I definitely think I would struggle with it had I been growing up in this era. Too many think that what they see online is real. Social media influences people’s perceptions of things and relationships. You might think that so and so has the perfect relationship because that’s what they show online but behind closed doors, it’s a whole other thing. I have heard so many stories of just that, it’s all perfect outside but a nightmare inside.

I definitely would continue this series if more books were to come out.