"Belladonna" by Adalyn Grace

 Overall, I loved this book! It gave me Wuthering Heights vibes with an Agatha Christie mystery thrown in. 

Five Stars!

All her life, Death has followed Signa Farrow.

He was there when her parents and all the guests and staff members of Foxglove were mysteriously poisoned and died at a party when Signa was just a baby. 

He was there throughout her childhood as a string of guardians, who were more interested in Signa's money than her welfare, perished within a fews years of accepting Signa into their homes. 

Now, he has followed Signa to Hawthorne Manor. 

Despite their own recent tragedies, the Hawthorne's, a distant relation to Signa's parents, have graciously invited Signa to live with them for the next 6 months until she turns 19 and is able to claim the inheritance that her family left to her upon their deaths. 

Signa discovers that her hope that Death will not follow her to her new home is in vain when she arrives at Hawthorne Manor only to discover that her cousin, Blythe, has contracted a mysterious life-threatening illness. It is the same illness that took Blythe's mother, Lilliana,  just months before. 

Signa can feel death's presence in the cold and unsettling Manor.

But that is not the only presence she senses.

Lilliana's spirit is not at rest, and her ghost haunts to grounds, crying and wailing in the night. The Hawthorne family is plagued by her restless spirit and Blythe's impending death. 

Signa is determined to stop Death from taking anyone else from her and Signa feels like, for once, she might be able to help because she has secrets of her own. 

Signa can see ghosts and she is tied to Death in a way that no other mortal have ever been. 

Signa suspects that Lillian's death wasn't due to an illness at all, and someone is targeting the remaining members of the family. Her best chance to save her new family is to ally herself with Death in order to catch the murderer before they strike again. 

As Signa and Death begin to work side by side to catch the murderer, the connection between them grows, and Signa realizes that there is more to Death than she ever could have imagined. 

This amazing gothic murder mystery has just the right amount of intrigue, suspense, plot twists, and romance to make a great book! I was hooked within the first few pages.  Signa was an intriguing character who really found herself as the story progressed. She was so unsure of who she wanted to be when the story began, but through the trials she experienced, she was able to take hold of her destiny and become who she was meant to be. 

Death was swoon worthy! He was so mysterious in the beginning, and as revelations were made throughout the story, you better understood his role in Signa's life and in her future. 

I am looking forward to starting book two!

"A Taste For Love" by Jennifer Yen

 "The Bachelorette" meets "The Great British Baking Show" in this romantic comedy about food, family, and finding what makes you happy.

Liza Yang has never been good enough for her mother. She's not a model like her beautiful, intelligent older sister, she doesn't want a sensible career like accounting, and she does NOT want to date any of the Asian American boys that her mother is constantly trying to set her up with. 

The one thing Liza has always been passionate about is baking. Liza's mother is the owner of one of the most popular bakeries in the city, and Liza's passion for creating and experimenting with new recipes is one of the few things she has in common with her mother. 

In an attempt prove her skill and passion for baking, Liza agrees to help her mother judge their annual junior baking challenge contest, which her mother's bakery puts on every year as a scholarship opportunity for young bakers.  However, on the first day of the baking challenge, Liza finds herself the star of her own personal bachelorette reality show. Instead of choosing talented, aspiring bakers, her mother has selected 10 Asian American young men that have been pre-approved to date Liza.  If that isn't embarrassing enough, her mother also provided them a detailed bio on Lisa and offered her up as a prize. Not only will the winner receive a scholarship, but this year's winner will also receive six private baking lessons with Liza. 

When Liza realizes what her mother has done, she is beyond embarrassed and her rebellious tendencies urge to her to push back against her mother's ridiculous plan. There's only one problem: James Wong. He's handsome, stoic, gruff and surprisingly kind at times, and Liza finds herself irresistibly drawn to him despite her resolve to not give in to her mother's scheming. 

As Liza battles her growing feelings for James, and fights for her mother's approval, she realizes that just like some of her recipes, life doesn't always go as planned, and the best recipes are often created when you follow your heart. 

This was a super cute romantic story that is perfect for readers who are looking of a light, feel-good read. The descriptions of all the different food that appeared in this book made me want to crawl inside it so I could taste it all for myself!

"You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight" by Kalynn Bayron

I just closed my library copy of Kalynn Bayron's "You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight" and I honestly am not sure that I can collect my thoughts enough to write a coherent review. 

I am just sitting here in a mild state of shock as I try to process this story and that ending. 

 

If you are a fan of 80's and 90's slasher flick like the "Friday the 13th" franchise, the "Halloween" series, the "Scream" saga or any other horror movie of this type, then you NEED to get a copy of this book today!

Charity is the official Final Girl of Camp Mirror Lake, a remote location where guests pay to be terrified in a full contact terror simulation based on the popular slasher film, "The Curse of Camp Mirror Lake". Charity's job is simple. Play the part of a fellow guest, help give the clients the ultimate terror experience, and survive the night. 

But this year, things aren't quite going as planned. As the end of the season approaches, Charity and her friends find themselves short-staffed when some their Camp Mirror Lake coworkers decide to bail on them before the final game of the season. And then weird things start happening...

A dead owl left on the cabin's steps.

Previously locked doors being found unlocked and open.

Shadowy figures seen inside their hidden tunnels.

A dark hidden history about the camp comes to light. 

Charity and her friends begin to realize that they aren't the only ones at Camp Mirror Lake, and they are about to learn the true meaning of terror. 

As in watching any slasher-flick, I like to think that I will be able to guess the plot twists and surprises that will be coming within the story. However, this story had me constantly coming up with theories and then discarding them as new information was revealed and as characters were introduced or killed off. There were so many surprises in the last 50 pages of the book that my head is still reeling! I don't want to say more or I will be giving away too much, but this is is definitely worth the read!

The story was extremely fast paced, jumping into the action on page one, and when the story did slow down, the creep factor of the scenes was hair raising. The characters were all likable and while some of the side characters were a bit one dimensioned, it didn't take away from the story. 

If you need a suspense filled, action packed, slasher story, RUN to the library or a bookstore today!!!

 

 

Begin Again by Emma Lord

 Need a cute, sweet college romance?

Then, look no further than "Begin Again" by Emma Lord. 

"Begin Again" is Emma Lord's 4th book and is a cute romantic comedy about what happens next when all of your carefully made plans go awry. 

Andie Rose has dreamed all her life of attending Blue Ridge State University and following in her mother's footsteps. She's going to go to Blue Ridge State with her High school sweetheart Connor, major in Psychology, compete in the ribbon hunt so she can join a secret society, graduate, start a radio show, become a TV personality, marry Connor, and write a memoir about her amazing life.  It's the perfect life, mapped out in detail. 

What could go wrong?

The answer is...a lot. 

Andie doesn't get accepted into Blue Ridge State after high school. Despite being very bright, Andie's grades suffered after she devoted too much time and energy ensuring that her boyfriend, Connor, got the grades he needed to get accepted in Blue Ridge State with her. Ironically, Connor heads off to Blue Ridge State and Andie goes to a local community college after high school. 

But Andie always has a plan. 

She will go to the community college for a semester, raise her grades, get accepted as a transfer to Blue Ridge State at semester, and everything will be back on track. She will be attending her dream school, following in her mother's footsteps, and she will be with Connor.

This is where the story begins. 

Andie has been accepted into Blue Ridge State as a transfer student, which is almost unheard of . Her life is finally back on track.

Now, she is going to surprise Connor at his apartment tell him the good news. 

Only, Connor isn't there.

After finding a stranger living in Connor's apartment, Andie calls her boyfriend, excited to begin their life at Blue Ridge together, only to find out that Connor has transferred to the local community college. To be with her.

With her carefully laid out plans once again starting to fall apart, Andie has to make some tough decisions about her future, and how she is going to "fix" this mess.

But despite the chaos going on in her personal life, Blue Ridge State is everything Andie hoped it would be and more. 

An amazing roommate, an underground radio show, and a potential new love interest cause Andie to take a closer look at her life and force her reevaluate all of her carefully laid out plans. Because sometimes when everything seems to fall apart, the only thing you can do is "Begin Again".

This sweet romance, despite it mostly lighthearted tone, had a lot of depth to it and addressed issues such a parent death, grief, dysfunctional families, guilt and much more. 

Andie was a sweet, endearing character who found a place in my heart simply through how much she cared about the people around her. Her friendship with Shay and Valeria is what every new college student dreams of. 

At times, I did find the pace of the story a little slow, but the witty banter between Andie, Shay, Valeria, and their RA Miles kept me engaged. I even laughed out loud a few times.

So if you are looking for a story to warm your heart and put a smile on your face, then get your copy of "Begin Again" today. 

"None Shall Sleep" by Ellie Marney

 Holy "Silence of the Lambs", Batman!

I did NOT expect to enjoy this book as much as I did! I was looking for a good mystery to change up my current reading options and instead I got this beautiful YA mash-up of "Silence of the Lambs" and "Criminal Minds".  It was GREAT!

If you enjoyed "The Naturals" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, then this book needs to go on your TBR list ASAP. 

This YA thriller is told from multiple perspectives but the two main characters are teens whose lives have been drastically altered by serial killer. 

Emma Lewis- a teenage survivor of a serial killer's murder spree. Emma fought back against her attacker, fled to freedom, and led police to the serial killer's hideout, ending the string of murders in Ohio. She now studies pediatric psychology so she can help other kids who have dealt with trauma. 

Travis Bell - the son of a law enforcement officer who was killed during the arrest of a prolific serial killer. Travis has followed in his father's footsteps, and wants to work to catch killers like the monster who killed his father. 

The story is set in the 1980's and begins with Special Agent Cooper of the FBI approaches Emma and Travis with a unique proposition. He wants to create special team that will interview incarcerated juvenile serial killers to gain insight into their motivations, their thoughts processes, their methods, etc all in the hopes that the information they gain will help the FBI stop future serial killers; and he believes that Travis and Emma are exactly what he needs. With their backgrounds in law enforcement and psychology, their personal history with serial killers, and with both Travis and Emma being close in age to the offenders, Cooper believes that Travis and Emma will be able to get the juvenile serial killers to share details that other investigators haven't been able to get.  

Emma, reluctant at first, hopes that by joining this team she can help sooth the wounds on her soul left behind by her own harrowing experience. Travis agrees more readily as it is a way to make his father proud and stop other families from feeling the pain his family felt. 

However, while Emma and Travis are only supposed to be working with cold cases, their interviews put them on the trail of an active serial killer known as The Butcher. And to catch this serial killer, they are going to need some help. 

The FBI sends Emma to interview Simon Gutmunsson, a notorious teenager serial killer known by the media as "The Artist". The FBI believes that Simon may have information or insights that could lead to the capture of  The Butcher, and they believe he will talk with Emma.

This is where the book really takes on a "Silence of the Lambs" feeling with Simon playing the role of a much younger Hannibal Lector and Emma portraying the somewhat innocent Clarice. The interactions between Simon and Clarice (oh, I mean Emma) were some of my favorite parts of the story. Looking for the clues hidden in the conversations between these characters kept me reading into the small hours of the night. 

The support system between Travis and Emma, while not romantic in this book, was a great aspect of the story. Usually, halfway into a book, I am rooting hard for characters to get together, but I didn't feel like I needed that for Emma and Travis. There is definitely a deeper connection between these characters than just work partners, but it has a slow build feel that I am looking forward to in the next book. 

The climax of the story was amazing! I could NOT put this book down. I can't say much more than that without giving away too many important details, but I am already pre-ordering book two, "Some Shall Break", for it's release in June 2023. 

This was not your typical "who-dun-it" mystery, but an more in depth examination of  human kind and what it really means to be a monster.

 Don't miss this one. Get a copy from your local library!

"Eat You Heart Out" by Kelly Devos

 Eat Your Heart Out is a funny but edge of your seat story about a group of teens who are forced to go to a "Fat Camp" by their rich parents. However, not long after they arrive, they realize something is very wrong with this camp as their fellow campers begin turning into crazed zombies with an insatiable hunger that they will do anything to satisfy. With the power out and no cellphones or landlines available to them, this ragtag group of teens will have to work together is they are going to survive. 

So I literally just finished "Eat You Heart Out" by Kelly Devos. All I knew going into this book was that is was a satirical story about a group of kids who get sent to a "fat camp" by their wealthy parents and they end up facing a zombie hoard that starts eating everyone at camp.

Before starting this expected some gore, some humor, and even potentially some light romance. I mean, look at that cover. 

The valentine pink background and all the pastels did not prepare me for how sad and tense this book made me feel at times. 

This story dealt with guilt, fat shaming, dysfunctional families, sacrifice, and so much more. It really had all the feels. 

The overall story is great and I truly enjoyed all the characters. This story is written in first person from the perspective of  six teens who find themselves at Camp Featherlite. Five of the teens have been sent there to begin "their weight loss journey" and the sixth teen took the job as a camp counselor out of desperation as he needed money to pay for his college tuition. 

Each chapter starts with the first and last name of the character who is narrating that section of the story. It did get hard for me at times to keep track of which character was narrating. I would have to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to reference which character's mind I was currently in. However, this style did allow me a much deeper look into each characters' motivations, their backstory, and their internal response to the situation the found themselves in. Kudos to the author for creating six realistic characters that all had some form of character arc or development throughout the book. No static characters here.

I also enjoyed how the story connected to horror movies by highlighting the stereotypical roles that usually appear in these types of films. Allision, the movie buff of the group, pointed out the connection between these stereotypical roles and their own ragtag group pretty early on in the story. There was Action Girl, the Courageous Captain, the Jerk, the Outcast, the Nerd, and the Basketcase. But who was who? This lead to a lot of speculation on my part on who would survive and who would be zombie food, and I was very invested in finding out if the characters stuck to their "assigned rolls".

My favorite part was probably when "action girl" was beating off zombies with a yellow oar. That was epic!  Makes sense why that scene made it on the cover as well. 

I loved that the heroes of the story weren't your typical "All-American" teens, but just regular kids put into an impossible situation and forced to do what ever they have to in order to survive. 

This story was fast paced, action packed, and at times humorous and surprisingly emotional as the characters faced challenge after challenge and the loss of their camp mates and their friends.

Teaser: The tension was ramped up even more when one of six teens reveals a secret that raises the stakes for the rest of the group and creates an even greater sense of urgency for the characters to get help as fast as they can. 

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for something to read that is different from so many of the other YA books out there.  There is great character development, a powerful social commentary on the way "fat" people are viewed or portrayed by society, and strong messages about that way we treat people who are different than ourselves. Definitely put this one of your TBR list.

"The House of Salt and Sorrows" by Erin A Craig

 "A House Of Salt and Sorrows" is a haunting Gothic retelling of the fairy tale classic "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". 

This book definitely get 5 stars for its creep factor. 

Our introduction to the story begins with a funeral. 

The Duke of Highmoore, Orten Thaumas, once had twelve beautiful daughters, a loving wife, and an almost perfect life on their island estate. But tragedy struck when his beloved wife died giving birth to their 12th daughter, Verity, and since that fateful night death seems to follow the Thaumas women.

 One died of plague.

One died in the bathtub.

One died after falling from a library ladder.

And now the fourth eldest daughter, Eulalie, has died under questionable circumstances after falling from a high cliff and smashing into the rocks below. 

Was it an accident?

Did she jump?

Or was she pushed?

Annaleigh Thaumas, now the 2nd eldest daughter of the Duke of Highmoore, is determined to find out what really happened to Eulalie and why her sisters keep dying.

The towns people whisper that their family is cursed, and that anyone who gets too close to the Thaumas girls risks meeting the same fate. But Annaleigh doesn't believe in curses. 

That is, until she starts seeing the spirits of her departed sisters. And these spirits are definitely not at peace and seem to have sinister intentions towards the household occupants. 

However, only Annaleigh and Verity can see their spirits, and no one believes Annaliegh when she tries to tell them that her sisters' death were no accident. 

While trying to solve the mystery of the "Thaumas curse", Annaleigh also tries to comfort her sisters, especially her oldest sister Camille. While Camille is also grieving the deaths of her sisters, she is also lamenting the fact that every eligible bachelor on the island believes them to be cursed and it is unlikely that she will ever find love. And with the near constant deaths of her sisters, the remaining Thaumas sisters are never able to end their mourning period to attend balls and functions where they could meet potential beaus. 

So when Annaleigh hears rumors of a magic door used by the gods that can transport a person anywhere they wish in the entire world, she and her sisters begin to search for it, hoping to find a way to leave their island home and their grief behind for just a few hours so they can enjoy their lives and search for love. 

What follows are nights filled with music, dancing, and handsome partners who escort them around ballrooms throughout the entire world. For the first time in a long time, the Thaumas girls are happy. 

But death never seems to be far from Annaleigh and her sisters, and something far more sinister than they could ever imagine is waiting for them. 

This book is a great choice if you are looking for a spine-tingling supernatural read. I kept thinking to myself as I read this book that it would make a great horror movie. The descriptions of the spirits and the scenes they appear in are down right chilling. And what is creepier that a small child talking about the ghosts of her dead sisters and making drawings of those ghosts in their death states? Eerily accurate drawings of sisters who died when she was just an infant and she should have no memory of. 

I was immediately pulled in by the mystery surrounding the curse, and the cute romance included in the story provided a nice break from the sinister ghosts, the deaths, and the grief that surrounded Annaleigh. 

The only downside of this story was that is got a little confusing at the end. This is in no part the author's fault, it is simply a natural result of the plot and the reveals that are made toward the end. I had to read several parts a couple of times to keep track of what was happening and what had already happened. I can't really say more without giving too much away, but overall, it was a satisfying conclusion to the story. 

This was a great retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" and the dark Gothic elements just pushed it to the next level. I will definitely be recommending this one to other readers. 

The narrator for the audiobook version of this story did an amazing job as well!