My Review for The Traitor by Ava Glass

The Traitor by Ava Glass may well be up there with my top reads of 2023. It was soooooo good! I turned the pages so quickly, I’m surprised they didn’t rip! It was simply brilliant, very James Bond-esque, fast-paced, and full of spies, traitors and gadgets. I was just over halfway through when I thought I’d worked out who ‘the traitor’ was and I was right, although as the book progressed I did begin to have my doubts! Working out who the baddie was didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact, it probably made it more fun as Emma and her colleagues tried to work it out, too.

I loved the vivid descriptions which Ava Glass produced as she wrote about Emma’s time on the yacht and in the various European cities. It all just felt so warm and inviting, a great contrast to what was going on in the spy world!

The Traitor is the first book I have read from Ava Glass and although it’s the second in the series, I really don’t think this matters. It can definitely be read as a standalone, but I will be going back and reading the first one.

Thank you to Century Books UK for the opportunity to read and review The Traitor by Ava Glass.

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My Review for Shadow Angel (Detective Beth Katz #2) by D.K. Hood

I love this new team of Detectives Beth Katz and Dax Styles that D.K Hood has created.

They’re back with a new serial killer to bring down. A serial killer who has a very weird set-up, which only becomes more strange as you read further. As with the first book, I was hooked. I wanted to finish it to discover whether weirdo got his comeuppance, but I also didn’t want it to end.

Beth doesn’t like these bad guys in the world and sometimes both she and Styles go rogue and go a little off-piste to remove them from society, but this is what makes both of them such interesting characters. I’d definitely want her on my side in a fight!

I’m hoping I don’t have to wait too long for the next book, but in the meantime, check those trigger warnings and get yourself off to the bookshop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read Shadow Angel by D.K. Hood.

Book Description

An absolutely addictive and nail-biting crime thriller (Detective Beth Katz Book 2):

In a dark cabin, a young woman sits totally still. Long dark hair hangs over her shoulders and heavy makeup adorns her pale face. Cherry red lips offer a hint of a smile, but she won’t ever smile again. Her body is already cold to the touch…

When black crows are spotted circling over an abandoned cabin in the woods near Rattlesnake Creek, FBI agent Beth Katz and her maverick partner Dax Styles fear something is very wrong. Beth has been hunting serial killers for years, and as she races to the forest she vows to serve her own form of justice, whatever the cost…

Cassie Durham’s friends reported her missing when she didn’t return home from a local bar a few days ago. Now, Cassie sits in darkness, her last breath taken days before. Beth notices the rouged cheeks and bright blue eyeshadow are nothing like the pictures she’s seen of Cassie alive. Did someone add the heavy makeup and pose her like this after death?

When another woman vanishes from a night out, Beth is convinced a twisted killer is in town. A clue on the dark web leads her to a local late-night hangout. Going undercover, she learns that when both girls vanished they were being watched by someone at the back of the crowded room.

Noticing a man following her every move, Beth knows she has one chance to capture him. With a knife in her pocket and hellbent on saving another innocent life, Beth is already sure she’s going to be the killer tonight. Otherwise she will become his next victim…

Author Bio

D.K Hood is The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Million Copy Bestselling Author.

D.K's spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K 's imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title "Queen of Suspense" by her reviewers, D.K 's writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

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My Review for Dark Angel (Detective Beth Katz #1) by D.K. Hood

Wow! What a start to a brand-new series by D.K. Hood. Detective Beth Katz is great, I loved her and her sidekick, Dax Styles. We have recently visited Montana, so the mentions of bears and elk, and the scenery, had me invested from the beginning.

Hood brought me right into the heart of the story with her writing, describing scenes in such detail I could almost smell the metallic tang of the blood and the yummy smells of TJ’s diner.

Beth has her own unique way of dealing with serial killers, but you’ll have to read Dark Angel to discover just what that is and what happened in her tragic past.

There are lots of trigger warnings so check these out before you buy the book, but as long as you’re ok with them all and you enjoy an FBI police procedural with a difference, then I’d highly recommend Dark Angel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review Dark Angel by D.K. Hood.

Book Description

A gripping and unputdownable FBI agent thriller (Detective Beth Katz Book 1)In the dark pine forest surrounding the quiet town of Rattlesnake Creek, the body of a young girl lies on the ground. Her angelic blonde hair spills over her shoulders and her unblinking eyes stare up toward the sky…

It was Beth Katz’s serial killer father who made her like she is: a successful FBI agent and an unstoppable vigilante dedicated to hunting down murderers who have evaded capture. Beth will push herself to the limits to deliver justice. Even if it means killing those who deserve to die.

When the body of missing schoolgirl Brooklyn Daniels is discovered in a secluded patch of woodland on the outskirts of town, Beth and her partner Dax Styles race to the scene. Brooklyn and her best friend left home to pick wildflowers a week ago and vanished without trace.

Taking in Brooklyn’s body carefully laid on a blanket and the dress neatly folded next to her, Beth suddenly freezes. She’s seen this before: in the files of a cold case. The perpetrator takes two girls—one vanishes, the other is killed and left with her clothes beside her. Now Beth knows she has a twisted serial killer on her hands, she’ll stop at nothing to catch him. Even if it means going against Dax’s orders…

Desperate to find the other missing girl, Beth’s heart pounds as she puts herself up as bait and walks into the secluded forest, knowing evil is lurking nearby. With Dax watching her every move, Beth prays the gamble pays off. Can she outsmart the murderer, or did she just walk into a trap? And when Beth finally comes face to face with the killer, will she hand him over or serve justice of her very own?

Author Bio

D.K Hood is The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon Million Copy Bestselling Author.

D.K's spine chilling, fast paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K 's imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title "Queen of Suspense" by her reviewers, D.K 's writing style offers her readers a movie style, sizzling fast thrill ride.

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My Review for I'll Miss You This Christmas by Lucy Mitchell

I cried, I laughed, and I talked aloud to the characters. I’ll Miss You This Christmas is my first seasonal read for 2023 and it’s set the bar high for the others on my TBR.

I had to shout at Emily and Rory often throughout the book. They were frustrating and neither of them was admitting to what they wanted, which was ultimately each other. Felix was adorable, and I loved how he was communicating with his Mum. Such an awesome thing to do to keep her memory alive. Baxter was a sweetie but I have to admit, I was a little worried that he’d get squished somewhere on all those long train journeys!

Lucy Mitchell writes sensitively about some heart-crushing subjects and she does so with love and compassion.

If you want a book for Christmas, then I’d definitely recommend asking Santa for this or just buy it for yourself at any time of year. Hell, I read it in 30 degree heat in the garden in September!

Thank you to Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read and review I’ll Miss You This Christmas by Lucy Mitchell.

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My Review for The Island of Adventure (Adventure Series #1) by Enid Blyton

This weekend was hot, far too hot to do anything at all. This is unusual in September in the UK, but there you have it. I needed something easy to read that was going to require zero effort, so I reverted back to my childhood and picked up one of my Enid Blyton books. The Island of Adventure is the first in the Adventure series and one I haven’t read for aeons! I remembered the characters' names, Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy-Ann, but that’s all I remembered. I didn’t recall how they met or how their adventures started, so it was like going in as a first-time reader.

The Island of Adventure is fast-paced, exciting and, as the title suggests, adventurous. I love Enid Blyton’s writing, her sense of wit and all her old-fashioned ideals. You know the ones, where women should stay at home and do the housekeeping, the kids should probably be at boarding school and the Dad earns the money. Well, as long as you see past all this - the book was first published in 1946, so just keep that in your head - it’s a brilliant escapism for a few hours. Oh and it’s also full of bad men who lock kids in a cave when they get caught and don’t care if they get lost and starve to death in mines! What isn’t to love! I forgot how I used to read quickly to find out what was going to happen next, and this hasn’t changed. I often skimmed to the end of the page to see if the baddies were going to get away!

From what I can gather from my Bookstagram friends on the other side of the pond, Enid Blyton, although known worldwide, never quite made it across the Atlantic, and I have no idea why, but honestly, I would urge you to introduce yourselves and your children to this amazing author. I promise you won’t regret it.

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My Review for The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, read by Samara MacLaren

If you love witches, fantasy, magic and a book that can make you believe all this could be real, then I can guarantee you will love The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Mika Moon packs up all her belongings and takes herself and her dog to a remote location in Norfolk, and very quickly finds herself wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of Nowhere House.

Until I started listening to this book, I had no idea that it was set in Norfolk in the east of England. I moved here just last summer, so a book set in the same place I’m living gets a huge tick. Then I found out that the author lives just a few miles up the road in Norwich, a city in Norfolk, so I get even more excited!

Each and every character is unique and quirky and lovable. There’s excitement and magic, spells and romance, acceptance and family and love.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator, Samara MacLaren, was outstanding. She brought the characters to life and added atmosphere along the way. 

If all this sounds like your sort of thing, then I’d urge you to grab a copy for yourself ready for the witchy season.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.

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My Review for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Classic Lit Book Club’s August read was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and I was so excited to read this one. I chose the Wordsworth Edition just because the cover was so pretty.

I had already seen the movie, the one with Leonardo DiCaprio, but I couldn’t remember much about it apart from the parties! I gained so much more from reading the book. Gatsby very much wanted to be the life and soul of the party and thought he could buy people’s love and affection. It was sad that most of the people (in fact probably all of them apart from Nick) couldn’t have cared less about Gatsby. They turned up to his parties, had a good time at his expense, and went home again.  

I really disliked Daisy, whether it was intentional or not, she used people. In my opinion, she was selfish and didn’t think about how her actions would affect those around her.

The ending is tragic and not something I remembered from the movie. I kept going back over the same page time and again, asking myself whether I’d really just read that.

I am definitely going to re-read this when I get a gap in my schedule. I think it is the sort of book where you would discover something different the next time around. 

This is one of my favourite quotes from Nick and sums up the book nicely I think. 

“I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”

Thank you to #classiclitbookclub for choosing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as August's book to read. I'm looking forward to Frankenstein in September.

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