Review: It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara

It Should Have Been You

by Andrea Mara

Release Date: January 13, 2026

2026 Pamela Dorman Books

Softcover ARC; 384 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593832097

ASIN:  ‎ B0F4QBTJLN

Audiobook: B0F6PVJPHN

Genre: Fiction / Thriller

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

2 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

You press send and your message disappears. Full of secrets about your neighbors, it’s meant for your sister. But it doesn’t reach her – it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead.

As rumor spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighborhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat.

The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what’s even more chilling is that she had the same address as you – 26 Oakpark – but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won’t be long before you find out…

 

My Thoughts

It Should Have Been You actually had an interesting premise. You type a really snarky message on WhatsApp intended only for your sisters to see and realize afterwards that you accidentally sent it to the entire group. By the time you realize, too many people have seen it and the word has spread. Logically, this can and does happen to people. I've even seen it at work when someone hits the 'reply all' button but really should have just hit the reply button to privately message someone.  Luckily, at work, it's just been funny and nothing serious, and you get the nice instructions on how to reply to people properly in your socials, but this one was quite serious.  And for the first hundred pages, I actually enjoyed the mess, the panic, the discussions, and other whatevers happening around the message despite the lack of character development. And the sloppiness of the execution of the story sort of fit along with what was happening in the story.  Then, the tone changed and I found myself starting to roll my eyes and descended into the pit called 'unbelievable' and to mimic some of the references thrown around in the book, came to a 'That's all folks!' ending for me. 

 

The story followed Susan and her family, but it was told mainly from Susan's POV. It didn't really matter whose POV as I didn't really connect with any of them as there was little in the way of character development. And I don't know if switching the POV helped the story or hindered it as the transitions between characters weren't smooth at all. It just made it difficult to emphasize with any of them.  And even if Susan was the MC, she was definitely whiny and annoying as she made mistake after mistake, not thinking anything through, and while I sympathize with the fact she had a baby four months ago, it got old blaming baby brain on every...single...thing...she...did...wrong. And what really rubbed me the wrong way, especially as a retired teacher, where were the consequences from her job? She was a teacher and saying what she did about a student, hell no.  The focus was on the family dynamics and how it exposed the sisters' lives, but it certainly goes much deeper than that.

 

So, this leads us into the execution of the story.  At first, it was interesting and somewhat compelling as I could imagine a scenario like that happening.  And while thrillers do tend to push the improbable, they still have to be believable, and unfortunately, there were too many things that you had to accept as the story went along.  When you start getting into hard-to-believe scenarios, the tension disappears and all you want to do at that point is finish the book, which is exactly what happened to me.  I mean, when you try to throw in too many things in a pot of stew, but don't actually know how to cook the stew, you get a mess. This analogy sums up the plot exactly in this book; too many things thrown in to mix up the plot and you've got a bit of a mess. 

 

Verdict

It Should Have Been You definitely had relevance to today's social media world and the SNAFU that can happen when you do something you shouldn't, but what really bugged me were the lack of consequences for everyone involved, including the 'friendship' that happened in the end. What? While I enjoyed the mess and the confusion and the panic that occurred when the message first went out, the lack of development in both the plot and the characters turned me right off the rest of the book.  I'm glad to see other people enjoyed this book, but I was not one of them.  

 

Review: Grace by A.M. Shine

Grace

by A.M. Shine

Release Date: February 10, 2026

2026 Head of Zeus - an Aries Book

Ebook ARC; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1804547984

ASIN: B0FB37BFS5

Audiobook: B0FD43DR87

Genre: Fiction / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Off the west coast of Ireland lies a lonely island, isolated and wilfully forgotten. Some say there hasn't been a child born on the island for thirty years. Others speak of strange deaths there, decades ago. But no one really knows what happened. Locals believe that the dark times are behind them.

They are mistaken.

Grace, adopted at four years old, has never known where she came from. A mysterious phone call leads her back to the island where she was born – and where a terrible evil has been disturbed.

As the evil starts to spread, Grace finds herself dragged back into a living nightmare that threatens to engulf anyone who steps into its path.

 

My Thoughts

Grace had a fantastic setting and the atmosphere was downright eerie, an island off the coast of Ireland called Croaghnakeela Island.  I have since learned that this island is an existing island and the author incorporated the island as well as Irish folklore into the story. I am currently reading a history of the British Isles and understand there are thousands of islands in the area so while the name of the island exists, I am assuming (hoping) the author took liberties with the story and the people who actually live there. 

 

Let me start with the setting as that was the best part of this book.  We have this island where no children exist, houses are falling into disrepair, the only delivery man refuses to step foot on the island, fog shrouds it perpetually, and legends abound as to what is going on on the island.  A priest was transferred there six years ago and the islanders have successfully kept him in the dark as to its secrets and what happened thirty years go, but he senses the malevolence of the island and the spirits focused on the people.  I loved the blend of folklore with what was happening as that was truly interesting and kept me engaged.  I love it when things are eerie, ghostly, and there are big, dark secrets.

 

Unfortunately, the setting wasn't enough to elevate the story as I found it meandering and the characters weren't fully developed.  Yes, the author tried to give a few of the characters a voice by telling their stories as to what happened all those years before, but by doing so, lost the overall tension and fear that was so prominent in the first third of the book. Even though there were some very interesting things that were revealed through these POV, I did wonder if there was a better way for the story to be told. I really enjoyed Father O'Malley's POV and would have preferred the story stay there as he was ignorant of what was happening and as he discovered what was going on, the tension and the fear would have increased substantially as he learned more and more.  As I've previously mentioned, some really interesting things were revealed, but they were lost in the meandering story line, and other things that I found fascinating were glossed over as if they weren't important, things I think the priest would have questioned. As a result, the overall story felt unfinished or incomplete. 

 

Verdict

Grace definitely had a lot of potential and the setting just screamed atmosphere with the fog and the unsettling stories, but the overall story line fell a little short, in my opinion.  Although I loved the folklore and the legends, I would have liked more information on what was happening.  I really enjoyed the first third of the book, but the ending felt a bit rushed and honestly, predictable.  Overall, I do recommend that you read this novel if you love horror just for the atmospheric elements in the book as they were great, but I will acknowledge the execution fell a bit flat for me.  And the twists? Honestly, when you read a lot of horror you don't get surprised by them anymore as you sort of expect them so not being surprised by them didn't affect my overall rating.   

Review: Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting and Why we Keep Looking by Alice Vernon

Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting and Why We Keep Looking

by Alice Vernon

Release Date: September 2, 2025

2025 Bloomsbury Sigma

Ebook ARC; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1399418706

ASIN: B0F4FX2HTG

Audiobook: B0F9FXJ7P8

Genre: Non-Fiction / Paranormal

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Ghosted follows the journey of paranormal investigations from the Victorian era to the modern day, examining how our fascination with ghost hunting has changed alongside technology and culture. Where we once gathered around tables, observing and recording every movement of the medium, we now take electronic equipment and app-laden phones around haunted locations to catch ghosts digitally. Where theatres and concert halls held sold-out performances by conjurers recreating the tricks of fraudulent mediums, we now delight in picking apart and exposing the evidence presented on reality television programmes.

In this book, Alice Vernon embarks on a journey to encounter a ghost, travelling to some of the UK's most haunted locations and encouraging readers to interrogate their own scepticism and belief. Ghosted examines what we are looking for, why we are looking for it, and why have we never given up the ghost.

 

My Thoughts

Ghosted was an interesting book that delved into the history of ghost hunting and we we have been so fascinated with the paranormal throughout the centuries. While the history of ghost hunting goes back thousands of years, with the development of science and technology, the rise of interest in the subject has grown exponentially and this thought does exist that perhaps we are on the cusp of discovering why ghosts exist and capturing scientific evidence, a concept that drives even more and more people to 'ghost hunt' and to be interested in the paranormal.  The author mentions that our interest in the subject goes far deeper than simple curiosity, that we are looking for comfort, for something that helps us when we are suffering, something that I did find interesting.  However, while I did find the material to be fascinating, there wasn't anything really new in this book and I didn't feel like the scientific exploration went deep enough.

 

The book traces our journey from earlier times to Victorian times when it was quite popular to attend seances, gathering around tables, using spirit cabinets, and other paraphernalia to attract spirits, to modern times where it is popular to go to haunted locations with expensive technology and videotape the experiences.  Like today, there were societies set up to investigate the claims put forth by these mediums and even magicians, like Houdini, were able to show how some of the fraudulent schemes worked in their acts.  Again, while I enjoyed the discourse around the events that happened, I would have liked to have seen a more rigorous discussion around the events, especially the use of the so-called 'spirit cabinets'.  I am not necessarily an unbeliever, but I am a skeptic, and as a scientist with a history background, the lack of discussion of the sources did bother me quite a bit.  I understand the author wanted to let the reader make up their own mind about what was happening, but the surface-level thinking was too shallow for some of the sources that were used. The book was quite easy to read however, and it moved along chronologically. I especially enjoyed the chapters during the Victorian era as that is when the rise of spiritualism occurred, and I did find it interesting how even the aliens were brought into the discussions in order to make sense of what was happening. Quite an interesting time period! The author interjected a lot of humour into the book and I chuckled over the Scooby Doo references.  

 

Verdict

Ghosted was interesting as a non-fiction history book, but it was definitely lacking when it came to the scientific exploration as that was done on a quite superficial level.  And if you think, well, this is the paranormal, how can you analyze that? You can definitely analyze documents, especially someone who has training in the field.  The interrelated/independent data can be analyzed and discussed as there were plenty of people who wrote about what they saw and experienced. However, I did enjoy this book, the author had a good sense of humour, and I especially loved it when the author bought a haunted doll off EBay and her colleagues would not go near it. Now, I am a skeptic, but I have to admit, the porcelain dolls my mom gave me are secured in their respective closets. I did watch the first Chucky film when I was about 14 and am not taking any chances.  

 

Review: Never: The Autobiography by Rick Astley

Never: The Autobiography

by Rick Astley

Release Date: January 13, 2026 (First published October 10, 2024)

2026 Pan

Ebook ARC; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1035049417

ASIN: B0FG3K6X7J

Audiobook: B0D5MP3Y78

Genre: Non-Fiction / Autobiography / Music

Source: Review copy from publisher 

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

'Fame didn’t actually make me happy. I was an insecure twenty-year-old and being famous made things worse. It was an era all about the way you looked and I still don’t know how I squeezed through. I did enjoy myself for a lot of it, but, at some point, you’re looking in the mirror and 'Is this it, then?' Clichéd as this sounds, success is never going to mend something that is broken. You just have to work that out for yourself. And something was a bit broken in me – I think it is with almost everybody who gets on the stage.'

 

Balancing nostalgia, fresh perspectives and introspection, Never begins with family and unconventional upbringings; journeys through the tumultuous and glamorous world of pop; and takes pause for self-reflection. Rick goes beyond the blinding lights of the stage – giving an intimate look at the man behind the hits – and is a portrait of truth, artistic evolution and the astounding power of contentment.

 

My Thoughts

Never: The Autobiography was heartwarming, and I definitely enjoyed reading about his early childhood and his early years in the business.  I was a huge Astley fan as I really loved his voice, and because he was popular before the days of the Internet, I remember trolling through magazines to get more information about him. It was such a different time period in terms of how music reached the world.  Because of this, I never really gave it a thought when I didn't hear about any more of his songs being released or if he was working on a new album.  Again, so different from today when you could just look up to see if he had a podcast, website, etc... to get information.  

 

The memoir was quite well-written and he was quite candid about the difficulty of growing up with both a father and a mother who both suffered from some type of mental illness and the impact that had on his life and affected his overall relationship with both of them.  He talked about the years of therapy it took to work through the effects it had on his life, his decisions, and how he avoided confrontation or how he avoided standing up for himself, especially in terms of his music career.  At the same time, he developed close relationships with his siblings and with Lene, the woman who would eventually become his partner in life, stable relationships that gave him a support system to grow and develop into a more confident and secure individual.  But in order to grow and develop, he had to give up his music career for a while, and this is the part I found the most fascinating.

 

Rick Astley shared the difficulties he had in the music business, how he doesn't really have any regrets with the decisions he made, but at the same time, there is also this lingering sense about what would have been if he had had more control over his own musical career.  There are so many stories out there about careers being destroyed because record companies wouldn't allow an artist to grow and develop and make the music they really wanted to make, not really understanding the talent they had within their hands, and this is probably the case with Rick Astley as well.  He was able to understand that he needed to break free before he lost himself completely, and took a fifteen year break from music, but how many musicians burn out and get lost in that web of exhaustion that Astley explained in this book? How many of these musicians succumbed to alcohol and drugs because of the pressure to go, go, go, all the time? Reading about how he came back was a treat and definitely sent me down a few rabbit holes, listening to music I haven't listened to in quite a while.  The book did drop quite a few names, but it was not pretentious and I loved his reaction when he met Paul McCartney the first time. 

 

Verdict

Never: The Autobiography was fun to read and I definitely added some new Rick Astley songs to my playlist as I was not aware he had put out three new albums the past few years, and they are albums I really, really like. The book was a personal journey through his life and accepting the things you can change, but also the things you can't. It was also about taking hold of what's important in your life and realizing there are times you have to put yourself first, and that's not necessarily a selfish thing to do. It did enable him to return to something he loves and to something he continues to pursue passionately.  Honestly, if you are a fan of 80s music, I would definitely recommend this book.  

 

Review: The Murder at Redmire Hall by J.R. Ellis

The Murder at Redmire Hall (Yorkshire Murder Mysteries, #3)

by J.R. Ellis

Release Date: September 13, 2018

2018 Thomas & Mercer

Ebook Edition; 299 Pages

ISBN: 978-1503904941

ASIN: B07C23S4D4

Audiobook: B07G7FBN41

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

2 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Lord Redmire’s gambling habit has placed him in serious debt. Determined to salvage his fortune by putting Redmire Hall on the map, the aristocrat performs an impossible locked-door illusion on live TV. But as the cameras roll, his spectacular trick goes fatally wrong… Special guest DCI Jim Oldroyd has a front-row seat, but in all his years with the West Riding Police he’s never witnessed anything like this. He sees Redmire disappear―and then reappear, dead, with a knife in his back. As Oldroyd and DS Stephanie Johnson soon discover, nearly everyone at the event had a reason to resent the eccentric lord. But how did the murderer get into the locked room―or out, for that matter? When the only other person who knew the secret behind the illusion is brutally silenced, the case begins to look unsolvable. Because as Oldroyd and Johnson know, it’s not just a question of who did it and why ―but how ?

 

My Thoughts

The Murder at Redmire Hall is the third book in the Yorkshire Murder Mystery series, and while I love a locked-room mystery, this one fell a bit flat for me.  The author obviously loves Agatha Christie, and I am not opposed to a more modern-day tribute to her mysteries, but I also don't think her style always works very well in the modern world.  

 

First of all, I do enjoy Oldroyd as a main character and I have no gripes with his character development. I was happy to see a bit more of Steph in this book and to learn a bit more about her, but realistically speaking, I don't read these books for the character development of the police detectives as I am interested in the murders and the motives behind them. This is where I think an author needs to really push the development. In this case, this book fell flat on its face.  I personally thought the list of suspects was so stereotypical that I was rolling my eyes a lot of the time. Let's take a look shall we? We've got the victim, a lord who is a gambler and about to lose everything. Then there is the covetous brother who thinks everything should have gone to him and is extremely jealous and frankly, annoying. Next, we have the divorced wife who is perfect because she put up with ex-husband's doings over the years and naturally, raised one spoiled child and one perfect child who is set to inherit the estate. And of course, we have the ex-fling who is invited even though the ex-wife is there. What? And then there are the servants. And I am using that word because that's exactly how they were treated in this book.  So, did we time travel to 1920s or are we in the 21st century? I get that this was a bit of a spoof on the characters from Christie's books, and the author did try hard to bring that aspect to this book, but I don't think it worked. You can do an homage to Christie and still have interesting characters. 

 

So. why is this important? Well, in the modern world we have this thing called forensics and actual police procedural work.  You know, when you bring in SOCOs and other personnel to actually investigate and send things to a lab. They would have been tearing everything apart and found a lot of the things that were mentioned in passing, like a safe, for example. But no, we have interview after interview, with little being revealed. And even then, one of the biggest clues got missed.  So, this didn't sit right with me at all. But the plot moved along in its bumbling way and we got the big reveal at the end, ala Hercule Poirot style.  Yup, you got it. Let's bring everyone back to the table, let's reveal things that aren't really necessary because you have a beef against rich people, and when the person is finally revealed, they reveal all their motivations no problem, as if they aren't going to be roasted on a spit in prison for the next 25 years.  Oh, and despite no one figuring out the locked-room mystery for years, naturally Oldroyd figures it out. Of course.

 

Verdict

The Murder at Redmire Hall is a locked-room mystery and definitely an homage to Agatha Christie, but really, that's as far as it should have gone. I did like the concept of the locked-room and I am, and will always be, a fan of locked-room mysteries as I think they are fascinating, probably going back to my Agatha Christie reading days.  I would have liked to have seen some actual police investigation into the murder however, as there was so little it was almost laughable.  The characters were cliched and stereotypical and I almost bowed out when the author had Oldroyd do his big reveal the way he did, but I stuck it out. I will probably read the next book in this series (mostly because the publisher gave me the whole series to review), and while I did enjoy the first two books in this series, I was not a fan of this one. 

 

Review: The Library at the Edge of the Wood by Liz Delton

The Library at the Edge of the Wood (Cozy Cottage Series, #2)

by Liz Delton

Release Date: February 16, 2026

2026 Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing LLC

Ebook ARC;  265 Pages

ISBN: 978-1954663336

ASIN:  B0GCVDZ5FX

Audiobook: B0GMKDWDJD

Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Cozy

Source: Review copy from author

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

On his way back from delivering a parcel one day, Everson stumbles across an empty cottage at the edge of the wood, where he quickly discovers its there’s magic within these walls, and he can make this place into the secluded home of his dreams.  His dreams, of course, include wall to wall books. 

 
Born with silver hair and pointy ears of the “cursed” faerûn, Everson has always had to hide his identity, particularly ever since his mother married the lord of Wrestia—and he’s kept to himself ever since.

Can he create the welcoming library of his dreams, or will it crumble to ruin before he even gets started?

My Thoughts

The Library at the Edge of the Wood was exactly what I needed at this time, a lovely, cozy fantasy that was fun to read and with delightful characters.  I read a lot of heavy material including historical non-fiction and grimdark fantasy, so I have really taken a huge nosedive into searching out these slice-of-life fantasy stories and love them because I don't have to worry about the MC being punished, being destroyed, being downtrodden, being destroyed again, being punished again and again, you get the point. While there was some tension, it was relaxed and enjoyable. 

 

The plot did move along quite quickly, but this book represents a lot of what I look for in cozy fantasy.  It was very much character-driven with a host of wonderful secondary characters and a MC in whom I could definitely relate. It was comforting and relaxing as I knew that the stakes would be low for our MC and everything would work out for him, everything a cozy fantasy needs to be. However, don't underestimate the themes in this book as it does explore childhood trauma, prejudice, loneliness, poverty, illness, and other themes, but does so lightly and a lot of them were resolved quite easily. This is the reason why I didn't give the book a full five stars as I did feel like themes could have been explored more deeply without destroying the overall comforting feel of the book, but I do understand why the author chose not to do so. I definitely enjoyed the theme of family woven throughout the book, and how family does not necessarily include your blood relations, but can include different kinds of family as well. I think this is where the author managed to add a good layer of complexity and nuance to the book as well as a bit of tension, but not too much as I knew it would all turn out well.  

 

Everson was a delightful main character, one who is thoughtful, kind, and caring. Because he is part faerun and has 'cursed' blood running through him, he has spent his life hiding his true identify, and I enjoyed watching him break out of his shell and grow to embrace every part of his heritage.  He always kept that hopeful attitude of building something great for his community and never hesitated in sharing every gift he received, something I enjoyed reading about.  I loved his interactions with the people in his community and enjoyed watching his library grow and develop.  

 

Verdict

The Library at the Edge of the Wood was a delightful cozy fantasy and I enjoyed both the world-building and the development of the main character. It was exactly what I needed at the moment, a low-stakes fantasy that only had a little bit of tension, but honestly, still contained some themes that are worthy of discussion and could have been explored a little bit more without destroying the overall comforting feel of the book.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an engaging read, comfort, and low-stakes tension, but at its heart, is about a welcoming library and a love for reading.  

 

Review: Dead Memories by Angela Marsons

Dead Memories (D.I. Kim Stone, Book #10)

by Angela Marsons

Release Date: February 22, 2019

2019 Bookouture

Ebook Copy; 459 Pages

ISBN: 978-1786817723

ASIN: B07KYS8SPF

Audiobook: B07NGVZBBB

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

She ruined their lives. Now they’re going to destroy hers.

Faced with a killer who is recreating traumatic events from her past, Kim must face the brutal truth that someone wants to hurt her in the worst way possible. Desperate to stay on the case, she is forced to work with profiler Alison Lowe who has been called in to observe and monitor Kim’s behaviour.

Kim has spent years catching dangerous criminals and protecting the innocent. But with a killer firmly fixed on destroying Kim, can she solve this complex case and save her own life or will she become the final victim?

 

My Thoughts

Dead Memories is the next book in the D.I. Kim Stone mystery series, and this series continues to deliver on multiple levels.  This one is personal to Kim as the murders mimic traumatic events in her past and she not only has to work on solving the cases, but has to relive the memories and cope with the onslaught of emotions she thought long buried.  Personally, I really enjoyed the psychological aspects of this novel much more than the mystery although the mystery was fascinating as well.  I did have some difficulties with this book though that lowered my overall rating.

 

First of all, while I really enjoyed the psychological aspect of this novel, I still don't think it went far enough and explored it enough, almost as if the author was afraid to take it to the next level. I mean, Kim was being forced to relive extremely traumatic moments in her life, things that she had kept quiet and locked away, and not only were they being ripped out of her, they were being done in a way that was very, very public.  It is fine to have this emotionally stunted person who is leading a team of investigators, but do her a bit more credit when everything goes pots up. My biggest concern however wasn't with Kim's development, but more with the secondary characters. Gosh, the development in the first eight books was fantastic, and then we arrive in this book and then it seems like the secondary characters are just there to do...what? I don't know. I absolutely loved Stacy in previous books, but in this one she just seemed to be on the side, the token LGBTQ character. Personally, I felt like the author wasn't sure which character to follow, but to a reader it is clear the MC is Kim and the rest of the story needs to revolve around this character or it simply won't work.  So, when I mention we need more of Stacy, we need more of her in her job, working with the team. I don't necessarily need more of their personal lives, especially if it veers way off the story line and has nothing to do with what is happening.

 

The plot itself was interesting and while I liked the mystery, I did think the execution was a bit erratic and some of the dialogue was silly, especially the visits to the prison and the discussions with the prisoners.  I mean, these are dangerous people that Kim put away and some of the dialogue just felt so stilted and unconvincing, relying a lot on sexual innuendo and threats.  The POV also switched to some of the characters in the prisons and I personally thought those were useless and distracting.  I think a lot of what works really well in these books is when most of the POV is Kim's.  While the plot moved along rather quickly and I always like the investigating side of things, I wasn't convinced when the killer was revealed nor did the motives seem completely believable. I thought it might go in a different direction, at least I was hoping it would, but it didn't. I think I wanted to be shocked, horrified, like in previous novels, but this one was a bit of a letdown.

 

Verdict

Dead Memories definitely had some strong moments that I enjoyed quite a bit and I was glad to see the focus on Kim and her secretive past.  And while the psychological aspect was good, I did think the author could have gone a bit deeper and darker with Kim and the trauma from what she was experiencing.  The plot moved along rather quickly, but some of the POVs were fillers and unnecessary, and I thought some of the dialogue, especially the scenes in the prison were trite and silly, relying more on threats and sexual innuendos. I would also like to see the development of the secondary characters in their roles and utilized a bit better than in this book. Also, why do authors continuously have their DIs go alone on dangerous missions because they don't want to jeopardize the rest of their team? Sounds stupid to me because isn't that why you have backup?  

 

 

 

 

Review: Dead Fake by Vincent Ralph

Dead Fake (Bleak Haven, #1)

by Vincent Ralph

Release Date: January 20, 2026

2026 Wednesday Books

Ebook ARC; 256 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250372123

ASIN: B0F5PDV41V

Audiobook: B0GH8NKFJK

Genre: Fiction / YA / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Would you Swipe to Die?

When the new craze takes over Bleak Haven High, Ava Wilson refuses to join in. As the niece of an infamous murderer, it’s the last thing she needs.

The mysterious website allows people to view their own ‘death’ – an AI generated version of their final slasher-movie-moments. But, when some of her classmates’ deepfakes are replicated in real life, Ava can either catch the killer…or be the next victim.

 

My Thoughts

Dead Fake is the first book in a planned trilogy revolving around a town suffering from a past history of brutality with several 'slasher' episodes in its past. The story features Ava, a teenager whose own family suffers with a notorious past, one that Ava is not sure she is in complete agreement. I really enjoyed this book, enjoyed the characters even though they could have used a bit more character development, and thought the ending set up the second book quite well. 

 

I really liked Ava as a main character and enjoyed her character development as she faced new trials and tribulations with a possible new serial killer in town, one linked to her family's past. She is a bit of a loner due to her family's history, but has a solid friend group to help support her when events start spiraling out of control.  Having taught high school for many years, I did think the cliques and the groups were realistic, and enjoyed the different dynamics that came into play as new classmates and characters were introduced. The way the author introduced the new characters also fed into the plot as it created tension and suspicion within the cliques and towards each other heightening the fear that was slowly spreading through the school community.  Ava had to endure a lot of gossip and suspicion herself when events started happening and I have to give her credit for being brave and continuing to keep her head high as it would not have been easy.

 

The plot moved along rather quickly, and the author did a great job keeping the tension at a high level throughout the book.  Because Ava's family has a dark past, there was this atmosphere that surrounded them all of the time, almost one of urgency so people didn't start turning on them.  The new app situation in this book was kind of cool and I did wonder if I would have swiped it myself to see what my own situation would have been.  I would like to think I wouldn't have, but as a teenager I hate to say it, but I probably would have considering my love of horror and mystery.  The ending to this book was satisfying even if I figured it out. Definitely a lot of themes to explore in this book as well, trauma, friendship, loyalty, suspicion, death, lying, cheating, family, and so on. 

 

Verdict

Dead Fake is one of those books that I can't really explain very well why I liked it, but it just resonated with me.  It wasn't that it was wholly original or that I didn't guess the killer because I did, but I just empathized with Ava and her situation and liked how she had this strong moral code. Maybe it's because she didn't feel entitled to know everything whenever the police were involved, tried to stay out of dangerous situations, and was very loyal to her friends.  The author did manage to create a slasher vibe with the story and the town and it just seemed to work.  

 

Review: Lost Girls of Hollow Lake by Rebekah Faubion

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake

by Rebekah Faubion

Release Date: January 27, 2026

2026 Delacorte Press

Ebook ARC; 384 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593900437

ASIN: B0F8N3ZXLT

Audiobook: B0F9QLGVB8

Genre: Fiction / YA / Horror

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Eight were lost. Five were found. None will ever be free.

For Evie Williams, life is about to get a lot more complicated. Haunted by the events of a school trip to Hollow Lake National Park that went disastrously wrong, Evie and her friends returned changed, their lives forever marked by the mysterious Island they encountered—and the three girls they left behind.

Now, someone is picking off those who were involved, one by one. Their families, friends, and even online investigators are all caught in a deadly game. The stakes are raised when Evie receives a chilling to save her loved ones, she must return to the Island.

 

My Thoughts

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake had a really cool premise; one that featured a supernatural world and all the legends that go with that world, legends with which the people of the community grow up and are familiar, and one that featured feminine power and resilience. And although the narrative weaves around trauma, secrets, and something unspeakable, for me there was something missing that made this less than compelling.

 

I really enjoyed the mystery of the island and how only a few select people actually see it and hear it. Evie has seen it a few times over the years and has been drawn to the legends and the lore for years, but when her classmates go on a science trip that takes her close to the island, she realizes there are eight other girls who also see and hear it, something that sets them all up for trouble.  The island had great atmosphere, but while the descriptions were its strength, they were also this book's weakness.  Let me explain. The author did a great job at setting up an eerie little world on the island with disturbing elements and the girls found things that belonged to previous people who had attempted to land on the island. The explanations were so vague however, in order to keep things 'mysterious' that I started to question what was happening and stopped believing in the paranormal aspect of this book.  It also became a real distraction from the more interesting things that were going on and that was the relationships between the girls and their mental health as they faced deteriorating conditions after being kept on the island for so long.  

 

Evie was a great character and when the book begins, you realize that there is this big secret the girls are keeping about what happened.  Now, having read a lot of horror novels in my life, my mind automatically went to the worst possible scenario and it could be that when the reason was revealed and it was not even close to what I imagined, I was a bit let down.  So did that mean I expected more from the horror element? Yes, I think so.  Would a YA novel be prepared to go down that route? Depends on the author, I guess.  However, Evie and the other girls did experience a lot of trauma on that island and this is where I thought the author did a great job, at revealing the after-affects of what happened on their lives and on their relationships.  I did wish it would have gone a bit deeper and dug a bit harder, but it was still good.  For the record, I didn't like the ending and who ended up being the killer. I figured that's who it was, but hoping the author wouldn't go down that route as it seemed way too easy a solution. 

 

Verdict

Lost Girls of Hollow Lake had a great premise and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel. I thought Evie's character development was great and enjoyed the dual timeline of the novel. I did think there wasn't enough development of the paranormal stuff from the island to make it convincing, and I definitely didn't like who ended up being the killer as I thought there wasn't enough development to make it credible. Would I read another book by this author? Yes, definitely. Would I recommend this one? Yes, definitely, as the writing was compelling and there were a lot of great elements in this book.   

 

Review: I Don't Wish You Well by Jumata Emill

I Don't Wish You Well

by Jumata Emill

Release Date: January 20, 2026

2026 Delacorte Press

Ebook ARC; 400 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593811023

ASIN:  ‎ B0F8M4RPKN

Audiobook: B0F9R2993P

Genre: Fiction / Mystery / YA

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Five years ago, the infamous Trojan murders turned the small town of Moss Pointe, Louisiana into a living nightmare. Four teen boys—all star players on Moss Pointe High's football team—were murdered one after the other by a Trojan-mask wearing killer. 

Eventually, the murderer was unmasked. But the community has never forgotten—and some folks in town still wonder whether the police got it right.

Eighteen-year-old Pryce Cummings is one of them. An aspiring journalist, Pryce is pretty sure he just stumbled upon evidence that throws the killer's guilt into question. But in Moss Pointe, digging into the past is anything but welcome. There's so much more to what happened in there five years ago, and Pryce is ready to crack it all wide open . . . if he lives to tell the tale.

 

My Thoughts

I Don't Wish You Well was a very intense, riveting, and emotional read about a town trying to heal after the murder of four its football heroes five years ago only to have everything ripped open again as an inspiring young journalist finds evidence that the killer is not who everyone thought.  I truly did not know what I was expecting going into this book, but I wasn't expecting the roller coaster of emotions as well as the layers of thought-provoking themes that were developed as the story progressed. 

 

I loved Pryce as a main character and rooted for him from the beginning. He was definitely flawed and made a lot of mistakes as a rookie journalist while investigating; unfortunately, some of those mistakes were quite costly to both the individual as well as to the community.  His character development was sos good though, that you couldn't help but root for him as he learned from his mistakes and grew both as a person and as a journalist.  I enjoyed learning about his relationships with his family members as well as with other people he grew up with in the town.  Izzy was another great character and his development added another level to what was happening in the town, or should I say, what was being hidden in the town all these years.

 

The murder of the four football players was not the central plot of the story, but more the catalyst to Pryce's current dilemma as he discovered that the killer of the four boys may not be who the townspeople thought all along.  The plot moved along quite quickly as Pryce investigated, and boy, did he uncover a lot about his town. Corruption everywhere, all to protect the mighty football team. The twists and turns were unrelenting as Pryce investigated, some of which I was expecting, most of which came as a complete surprise. Naturally, people don't like having their secrets uncovered which made things difficult for Pryce and for his family. I actually thought the whole family dynamic part of this book was some of the best of the book.  Some of the themes touched upon in this book were: bigotry, homophobia, abuse (physical, sexual, and mental), drug abuse, abuse of power, lying, cheating, repression, loyalty, forgiveness, revenge, and the list goes on.  It took me a couple of days to write this review as I had a lot to think about with regards to the themes in this book.  The murder of the boys literally set off a chain of events that burst open a dam of toxicity in this town that was ready to burst at its seams.  

 

Verdict

I Don't Wish You Well definitely had a lot going on in the story, and there was a lot to unpack.  It wasn't always an easy book to read as there was a lot that was happening beneath the surface of the investigation, and the author had this way of writing that drew you into the lives of these characters and made you empathize with them quite a bit.  Both the plot and character development were quite good and the ending was satisfying.  Although this book is a standalone, I would absolutely love to read another book that features Pryce and another investigation.  Personally, I would also love to read about how the aftermath of this book affected the people in this town as well. 

 

Review: X Marks the Haunt by Lindsay Currie

X Marks the Haunt

by Lindsay Currie

Release Date: January 6, 2026

2026 Delacorte Press

Ebook ARC; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593811672

ASIN: B0F8NC2WG5

Audiobook: B0F9QGCDFS

Genre: Fiction / Middle Grade / Ghosts

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

4 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Thanks to his mother’s job at a local graveyard, twelve-year-old Will Stone has some unique talents. For one, he knows exactly how a burial vault works and why they’re used. For another, he’s great at genealogy and can decode centuries old records. 

 
But when a centuries old crypt key is lost, his normally peaceful existence at Graceland cemetery is shattered. Trees wither and die. The lake becomes covered with a sinister green slime that threatens to choke out anything living in it. And suddenly, the graveyard’s reputation isn’t the only thing in jeopardy . . . Will and his friends' safety is, too.

A dark force has been unleashed within the cemetery gates, and along with his friends Stash, Michelle, and Henry, Will must use his unique skill set to figure out which restless spirit is draining the graveyard of life, and how to end the haunting for good.

 

My Thoughts

X Marks the Haunt was a really fun middle grade ghost story that I finished in one day as I couldn't put it down.  I have read quite a few MG novels set in graveyards and cemeteries, but this one focused quite a bit on the genealogy of the graves, how they were located, and how a family member could find someone whose grave didn't have a marker.  All of this information was blended quite nicely within an interesting ghost story that would definitely appeal to readers of this age group. 

 

Will is the main character in the story and he loves the fact his mother is the director of the Graceland Cemetery, a cemetery which actually exists in Chicago (and don't even get me started on the deep dive I did when I discovered that!!). However, he is also lonely, having only one true friends, and because one of his classmates is being bullied because his family owns a funeral home, Will is reluctant to let other kids know where his mother works until one fateful class trip.  I really enjoyed Will's character development as he grew to trust other people in his class and opened himself up to new friendships while navigating the difficulties of his existing friendship as this was happening.  The other characters were a lot of fun to get to know and I really liked how the author incorporated these new friendships into both Will's life and into the story.  It felt real and genuine, making Will understand that the can share his passion for the cemetery with others and stand up for what he admires against those who tease him about it.

 

The story was a lot of fun as well.  It did take a lot of time for the action to get going with regards to the ghost story, but I truly didn't mind as I was enjoying the interactions between the students and anticipating what was going to happen.  I absolutely love cemeteries so I liked learning about this one.  I've been to Chicago and honestly, if I had known this was there, I would have done a tour.  While it was quite light on the supernatural and the 'frightening' compared to other middle grade novels I have read, and I also didn't feel the sense of tension and danger for these kids, what was happening was still a bit scary and heck, going into a cemetery at night is frightening no matter what. I also really enjoyed the little bits of lore that were thrown into the story as well.  There were many themes to explore in this book; friendship, family, loyalty, secrets, rumours, vengeance, revenge, lying, sickness, and death. 

 

Verdict

X Marks the Haunt had a setting that pretty much set the whole tone of the book, a cemetery. I enjoyed the story and thought the character development was really good. The plot did take a while to get going, and because it's light on the scary side, would be a great book for those who are looking to dip their toes into the genre and don't want something too scary.  For me, the friendship was the highlight of the book, but the writing style certainly kept me engaged and entertained.  While it looks like a standalone, I am really hoping there will be a sequel featuring these characters (and this cemetery) as this was a lot of fun to read.  

 

Review: God's Junk Drawer by Peter Clines

God's Junk Drawer

by Peter Clines

Release Date: November 11, 2025

2025 Blackstone Publishing, Inc.

Ebook ARC; 560 Pages

ISBN: 979-8874830878 

ASIN: B0DVJNMD3C

Audiobook: B0FQPNMFQ6

Genre: Fiction / Sci-Fi / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher/publicist

 

3.5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Forty years ago, the Gather family—James, his daughter Beau, and his son Billy—vanished during a whitewater rafting trip and were presumed dead.

Five years later, Billy reappeared on the far side of the world, telling an impossible tale of a primordial valley populated by dinosaurs, aliens, Neanderthals, and androids. Little Billy became the punchline of so very many jokes, until he finally faded from the public eye.

Now, a group of graduate astronomy students follow their professor, Noah Barnes, up a mountain for what they believe is a simple stargazing trip. But they’re about to travel a lot farther than they planned …

Noah—the now grown Billy Gather—has finally figured out how to get back to the Valley. Accidentally bringing his students along with him, he’s confident he can get everyone back home, safe and sound.

But the Valley is a puzzle—one it turns out Noah hasn’t figured out—and they’ll need to solve it together if there’s any chance of making it out alive.

 

My Thoughts

God's Junk Drawer is one of those books to which I was drawn because I am drawn to stories whereby people are accidentally sent back in time to different time periods, and seeing how they would actually survive.  And would it actually be possible to survive these trips, scientifically.  I grew up watching Land of the Lost in the 1970s, so I've pretty much been fascinated by the concept since I was around five years old.  This book had a lot of the elements of that tv show and quite a few surprises I wasn't expecting, but it took me longer to read it than I expected because I sort of lost interest around the fifty percent mark as it really slowed down.  However, there was enough that was intriguing that I did pick it back up, and I am really glad I did.

 

Noah, at first, appeared to be the main character in the story, but the story was told in different POVs, something over which I was glad as I actually grew quite irritated with the character as the story progressed.  For someone who possesses a PhD in physics, he was quite dense and it drove me absolutely batty that he was not willing to listen to other people and their theories most of the time, falling back constantly on the fact that he was there when he was ten and knows the valley better than anyone.  For cripes sake, he was TEN!!!  How much science do you know at ten years old? How much do you completely understand at that age?  And why would you expect nothing to change in 40 years?  

 

Now, I did really enjoy Sam and Parker's POV, understood their uneasiness, their questions, their concerns, and how the reality of the situation made them think outside the box.  I especially enjoyed Sam's growth and development as a character and looked forward to the chapters that were about him.  When you are thrown into a dangerous situation with limited options, Sam was the one who dealt with every obstacle thrown his way.  I also liked how he matured over the time period as he realized his idol, Noah, was not exactly who he appeared to be, and he slowly took charge of situations.  You never know how people will react in dangerous situations until they are tested and it was interesting to see how the various characters reacted to the dangers around them. Of course, if you did something silly, chomp, chomp by one of the allosauruses roaming the land.

 

Did I mention there were dinosaurs? Oh yes, many of them. Plus, robots, aliens, and so much more. This is where all the mystery comes into play.  There are people from many different timelines, including neanderthals, and everyone had to survive this crazy valley in which they were thrown.  The plot was not what I was expecting, and there were quite a few surprises in store for me, one of which I did not guess at all.  The story started with quite a bang, continued with some explosive action scenes that do include some dinosaurs, and then...slowed down to the point where I put the book down for about a week.  I literally could not put down the book at the beginning as it was intense, and the latter part of the book was the same way, but the middle part lagged.  It's not that it wasn't interesting, but we get caught up in Noah's refusal to accept that things changed over the years, plus some other mysteries, things that did slow down the story considerably. The characters spent a lot of time discussing their situation without really doing anything, just talk, talk, talk. But what I did find interesting is that I was never on the edge of my seat wondering if the rest of the college kids were in danger during most of the action scenes, if they would make it out alive.  I should have been flipping the pages wondering how things would turn out, but that tension just wasn't there. 

 

Verdict

God's Junk Drawer was definitely unique and for the most part, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I would have liked a bit more character development and I definitely would have liked a bit more tension, more uncertainly with regards to the fate of the people, but the twists and turns and the mysteries were quite interesting. For those who are not too impressed when there is a lot of science in these books, the author did manage to keep it to a minimum, and to a degree that was fairly easy to understand.  I did think there needed to be a better balance between the action and all of the explanations as that seemed to be where everything slowed down.  Overall, a fun book and one that I would recommend.   

Review: The Six Loves of James I by Gareth Russell

The Six Loves of James I

by Gareth Russell

Release Date: December 2, 2025

2025 Atria Books

Ebook Edition; 496 Pages

ISBN: 978-1668049686

ASIN: B0DV674KT4

Audiobook: B0DW1WW4QH

Genre: Non-Fiction / Historical / Biography

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

5 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Gareth Russell’s “rollicking, gossipy” (Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets), and scholarly voice invites us into James’s world, revealing a monarch whose reign was defined by both his public power and personal vulnerabilities. For too long, historians have shied away from or condemned the exploration of his sexuality. Now, Russell offers a candid narrative that not only reveals James’s relationships with five prominent men but also challenges the historical standards applied to the examination of royal intimacies.

This biography stands as a significant contribution to the understanding of royal history, illuminating the personal experiences that shaped James’s political decisions and his philosophical views on masculinity and sexuality.

 

My Thoughts

The Six Loves of James I was both riveting and fascinating. Having just read The Scapegoat: The Brilliant Brief Life of the Duke of Buckingham by Lucy Hughes-Hallett (review coming shortly), I was happy to read another accounting of this king, but from a different perspective.  And while it did focus on the men who influenced him, this book was so much more than that, something that I really appreciated. This book satisfied me in a way that many others have not.

 

I am very familiar with the life of King James I, but somehow the author made me feel something new for this very fragile king, a connection that made me empathize with this man who struggled with so much on his shoulders from such a young age. Even though I have read about it frequently, I don't think I can still grasp the enormity of the responsibility he had from such a young age, dealing with the tragic outcome of the falling out of both his parents, Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley, two people so equally despised their names still reverberate throughout history today.  The political shenanigans from the fallout and what happened afterwards left their indelible mark on this man, something that would haunt him for the rest of his life and colour his perceptions of people and events.

 

While this book implies it's about the love life of James I, it is so much more than that, showing how much James relied on his relationships in order to survive the day to day struggles of ruling a country that had so many political issues. I liked how the author outlined exactly what James was up against, showcasing his brilliance and his intelligence in dealing with so much, and quite successfully. But there was the darker side to everything as well, and the author wrote about those episodes clearly, leaving it up to the reader to decide for themselves what they choose to believe about what happened.  I certainly appreciated the different viewpoints as well as the new research that is exploring some other theories about some of the events that occurred throughout his reign. And perhaps more information will come to light in the future that will change what we know about some of the events that happened as well. To understand things through a man's eyes who possibly had ADHD and more than likely experienced PTSD (both of which were definitely terms that were non-existent during this time period), it gives valuable insight into some of his choices and his reactions when dealing with dangerous situations. I also really liked how the author looked into different sources to give us a better understanding of his physical characteristics, his personality, his intelligence, and other traits that have been twisted over the years, and how this would have happened.

 

I thought the author did a great job outlining the relationships that James had in his life, the men as well as with his wife and his children. It really gave us a great viewpoint to see who James leaned on during certain times in his life and how important these relationships were to him, but it also gave us great insight into how fragile he was, and how much he needed support and love to keep going.  While others around him may not have agreed with his choices, he certainly seemed to choose well and managed to control the vipers at court for many years and balance the power that could be so dangerous at court.  

 

Verdict

The Six Loves of James I was an interesting book, and I will admit that this monarch is one of those monarchs over whom I long have had a huge fascination, both for the contradictions about his life and reign as well as the amount of obstacles he had to overcome.  This man survived multiple assassination attempts, religious issues, the death of his children, the loss of his parents, treasonous lords (and ladies), tumultuous relationships (including his wife),  the witch trials, the trials over the unification of two countries, quarrelsome courtiers, money issues, and so much more, using intelligence and a whole lot of patience.  And there was no way he could have done this without being extremely cunning.  That being said, if you are going into this book expecting an outline of James' sexual life, this is not what this book is about. It's more about James' relationships and how it shaped his life throughout his reign, and that suited me just fine. 

 

 

 

Review: An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

An American in Scotland (Scottish Isle Mystery, #1)

by Lucy Connelly

Release Date: April 4, 2023

2023 Crooked Lane Books

Ebook Edition; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1639103508

ASIN: B0B5Z1TDP2

Audiobook: B0BX4LSW45

Genre: Ficton / Cozy / Murder

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

3 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.

Emilia soon learns she has bigger issues at hand.  Her luck continues when she discovers that part of her new responsibilities includes being the coroner for the very body she found. Finally, when the body goes missing before she can even begin the autopsy, Emilia must convince the townspeople that a crime did, in fact, occur. The deeper she digs into the picturesque town, the more suspicious she becomes.

 

My Thoughts

An American in Scotland is the first book in the Scottish Isle Mystery series, and I was sent all four books in the series by the publisher.  I was intrigued by the setting because it's set in Scotland, but I was concerned because of the title as I was prepared for lot of stereotyping, and this is exactly what we got in this book.

 

So, let's talk about the things that I really liked about this book. First of all, I loved that the medical office and the house were in a church. One of the things I adored about the Rachel Morgan books (Kim Harrison) was that she lived in a church as I always thought that would be so cool.  Instead of tearing them down, the fact they are sold and used as homes or businesses combines the history of the building and the modern use.  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was set in Scotland as I have visited the country a couple of times and it's beautiful.  

 

Emilia is one of those main characters that is rather annoying however, but the secondary characters kind of even out the fact that she is so annoying. For a doctor who worked in ER, she makes some rather rash decisions, and I got tired of her condescending attitude. And since when do you do research about a place by watching British television shows, and since when do you not read the fine print on a document you sign for a job offer? Holy hell. She shows up to Scotland surprised by the weather conditions and has to pretty much purchase a new wardrobe. I shouldn't be so surprised by this however, as I live in a snowbelt and have seen people rush to buy boots and parks when the first snowfall hits where I live as well, but when you are going to live there permanently? 

 

The mystery was actually interesting, but I did think Emilia was the weakest link in the whole thing.  For a doctor who has learned to keep one's counsel over the years and keep one's mouth shut due to privacy issues, she certainly has not demonstrated she has learned either of these and I would be concerned if she was my doctor.  She blabs information to the wrong people and keeps pertinent information from the people who really needed to know said information.  And I'm not even going to get started on the issues I had with the medical stuff in this book as that was just lack of research on the author's part and too many liberties were made (as if people who read the book don't have any medical training and won't know the difference).  I think Medical Imaging Technologists would have a field day with the errors in this book.  Let's just say an untrained person would not be able to run an MRI, x-rays, etc... by doing some online courses.  The pace however, moved along quite quickly, and I really enjoyed the secondary characters in the story.

 

Verdict

An American in Scotland had a pretty interesting mystery, but I honestly just couldn't connect with the main character as she made so many silly decisions and the author relied too much on the reader having to just go with the flow of things. The lack of research about the medical stuff bothered me as I felt it was just assumed people would not realize that it was just not possible for a young, untrained woman to have that much knowledge through the internet considering some of these programs take 2-4 years at college to complete, each. I did love the descriptions about the Scottish countryside and the weather as I could definitely relate to the cold and the snow, and I was not really surprised the main character was not prepared for the weather as she was not prepared for anything else either, but it would have been nice if some of the things were actually in the dialect of the area and not Americanized, as I am sure they don't use dollars there (LOL).   While I will read the next book in the series, I won't be rushing to do so soon.