Tag: mystery

The House on Prytania (Royal Street #2) by Karen White

Nola Trenholm is renovating Creole Cottage, the house she purchased in New Orleans and is dealing with the lingering spirits of past residents. She had thought these residents had passed over, but it seems there is something keeping them here. When her friend Beau asks her to contact her ex, Michael, for a little subterfuge she is not keen to re-engage, but when her house is inhabited by an evil spirit who she feels is connected to her ex, she takes the risk and opens the door to reveal a past secret.

The Royal Street series is a spin-off of White’s Tradd Street novels, books that I’ve never read. I will say that despite some references and characters showing up from those novels, I do feel like you can jump right into this series with book #1. Karen White writes a story that engages the reader and makes them want to keep reading to discover where the heck this mystery is going. At least that’s how I felt.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a spooky mystery and The House on Prytania delivered on the ghostly aspects of this story. The spirits inhabiting Nola’s house gave a creepy vibe that contrasted with what was happening as Nola investigated the almost normal mystery. Where this story shone was in Nola’s friendships. Her roommate and best friend was the absolute opposite of Nola and their interactions added a fun element to this novel that I feel like it really needed. I can’t wait for the evolution of Nola’s relationship with Beau to lover. Sorry, but I’m a romance fiend and despite his having a girlfriend, their chemistry is off the charts and you know that it’s coming in a future book.

I enjoyed The House on Prytania’s creepy vibe and fabulous characters and can’t wait to see how Nola evolves. I’ll be reading the next one for sure! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* The House on Prytania

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Deep Tide (Texas Murder Files #4) by Laura Griffin

Leyla’s two brothers are on the police force of their small town, Lost Beach, so she is not ignorant that crime is on the rise. She doesn’t expect to find her murdered employee in the alley behind her café. When a friend of her brother’s, law officer Sean Moran, starts asking questions Leyla realizes that this death may be linked to more trouble close to home. She uses her business connections to ask a few questions and finds herself at the center of the case. A case that soon consumes both she and Sean’s lives and creates a connection that binds them together.

Leyla’s café has been a meeting place in previous novels and Leyla herself an acquaintance of other characters stories, so I was excited to see that she is getting her own book. Leyla is an interesting character in that she’s a business owner and sister to a couple of officers on the police force. She’s not a stranger to murder since both her brothers are on the force, but she is normally a supporting character. During the opening chapter when she meets Sean Moran at her brothers wedding there was an immediate connection that I found interesting despite a lack of a mystery at that point in the novel. As soon as the murder lands on her back door? This story twisted into a romantic thriller, and one that I was thrilled to be reading.

Laura Griffin has a great style of writing that makes her stories very easy to read and immerse myself in. At the same time her characters are relatable and the reader can easily like them. Leyla has always been a likable character and because I already knew her I was two steps ahead emotionally by the end of the first page. What was going to happen to Leyla? Was I going to like Sean for Leyla? What kind of danger would Leyla involve herself in? So many questions! Laura Griffin quickly moved the story forward and those questions eventually were answered in a way that helped me connect and like her even more. Sean was a little harder to figure out because he was a new character, but I liked his immediate connection and the mystery that revolved around why he was in town.

Each of the books in the Texas Murder Files series can be read alone, although you’ll see characters from previous novels pop up. They don’t really have anything to do with the current mystery and I feel like their presence doesn’t detract or confuse the reader, so feel free to pick up this book, even though it’s numbered four in the series. I really enjoyed Leyla’s spirit and Sean’s efforts in taming it. It was a good mystery too!

❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest!

Click this link to purchase this book!* Deep Tide

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase a book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Bodie Kane, a successful film professor and podcaster, has overcome her difficult childhood, including her four years spent at an exclusive boarding school in Vermont, where her roommate was murdered in her senior year. When she gets invited back to the Granby School to teach a course on podcasting, she is overwhelmed by memories and is drawn to the case of her murdered roommate, Thalia Keith. Was this case mishandled? Did the correct person go to jail for her murder? Did her school and that small town botch the investigation? Bodie can’t help but pursue these questions to a brand new conclusion.

I loved this story! It brought back all of the feelings I had when I was listening to the podcast Serial about Adnan Syed’s case and whether he murdered his girlfriend 20 years ago. The fact that he was let out of jail not too long ago for being falsely accused helped build my interest in this fictional tale. I also love the narrator, Julie Whelan, who is super talented and whose voice always draws me in to the story she is narrating. I should also give credit to JD Jackson, who narrates Omar’s character over a phone from jail. It was so realistic and added to the very real vibe set by the story. Last, I give full credit to the author, Rebecca Makkai for creating a story and characters who drew me in and held me captive through 12 hours of an audio book. It’s a good thing I listened to this book over a weekend because I didn’t do anything else besides work puzzles on my Ipad while listening to this awesome story.

I mentioned above how listening to this book drew me back to my enjoyment of the podcast, Serial, but in this instance, because it was a fictional story, the reader got a point of view from someone who lived at that time, with the person who was murdered. As Bodie narrates her story from both current time and flashbacks, we learn who she is as a character, messed up and flawed as she was, but also as an adult who can look back and see through those flaws and it’s riveting to be along for the ride as she pieces things together. Bodie’s is not the only character in the story however, this is a fully fleshed out novel with schoolmates, best friends, and disappointed teenage angst. All of it very well written with a depth that captivated my interest. This novel deserves all the accolades and is on my “Best of” list for books I’ve read so far this year. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* I Have Some Questions For You

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (3/20/23)

I have gone down the rabbit hole of previous season’s “best of” book lists and have recently added to my already overburdened TBR. BUT, I’ve also knocked off a couple of these new, wonderful books from that list already. I’ve had an awesome week of reading and listening to some great audiobooks. Here’s what’s on my nightstand.

JUST FINISHED

I’ll admit to having looked at this book quite a few times, but I’d never picked it up because I’d read a couple of average “witchy” books last fall and didn’t want a repeat of mediocrity. However, I was sent a ‘best of 2022’ romance books list by an audiobook company and this book fell into that list. I took a look at it again, had an extra couple of credits and downloaded it to my Libro.fm app. I adored the English narrator, and loved the story. This book was so much more than a romance, it was really about an outcast finally finding a place where she belonged. Who can’t get behind a story like that? The narration was seriously good too.

JUST STARTED

This is a new one for me. I haven’t read the other books in the series, nor have I read any books by this author. However, it has a ghostly-mysterious feel and I was in the mood to switch up my genre’s and felt like reading a mystery. I literally just started it, so I’ll let you know how it goes!

The above two books are different choices for me but I feel really good about spending my time with these characters. How is your current book treating you?

Happy Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chicks Audio Review: Why Kill the Innocent (Sebastian St. Cyr #13) by C. S. Harris

It is London, 1814, and Jane Ambrose, music teach to Princess Charlotte, is found dead in a city street. Because of her ties to the royal family, they quickly try to shut down the investigation, but Sebastian St. Cyr and his wife hero refuse to allow the murderer to roam free. As their investigation unwinds it becomes apparent that there are a number of secrets being withheld and suspects who remain free.

I chose to listen to this audiobook after returning from a trip to London. I visited many of the places mentioned in this novel and I will admit that being able to visualize the places really added to my enjoyment of an already very well written and narrated novel. I was excited to learn more about Princess Charlotte who’s tomb I had just seen in the chapel at Windsor Castle. That guide had said that her monument was paid for by the public who loved her, and as Why Kill the Innocent unfolds, while fictional, also held true to her mistreatment by her father the Prince Regent.

From the moment that Jane Ambrose’s body was found, Hero was invested in finding out who could have murdered this gentlewoman. An educated woman with a gift in musical composition, she was held back from achieving accolades for her music just because she was a woman. As the novel unfolds we see how the last few days of Jane’s life held revelations that would make her act contradictorily to her nature leading her down the path to her death. Whenever I read a historical novel that focuses on a woman and her plight I feel so fortunate to have been born later in history but at the same time wished I had been able to fight for those changes to be made. Having a heroine like Hero, who is as modern as they come for this time in history, and see life through her eyes makes it even more real as I really identify with her independent nature. She is integral to Sebastian’s investigations in most of these later novels but especially in Why Kill the Innocent because of its political nature and her father’s involvement as a cousin to the Prince.

I have enjoyed listening to these audiobooks narrated by the esteemed Davina Porter. She is an amazing talent and I enjoy her voicing what sounds like 50- 100 different voices in each novel. I’m sure it’s not that many, but through Sebastian’s investigations he talks to many people, both male and female, accented and unaccented, and from different levels of society. Truly, I’m not sure how she does it but I enjoy listening to her a lot. If you haven’t listened to this narrator, please click on her name on Amazon and try book #1 in this series or Outlander. I promise you will enjoy her voice.

Why Kill the Innocent was a true mystery in that I didn’t guess who killed Jane Ambrose and enjoyed the reveal as it happened within the story. I love seeing the progression of all of the characters from book to book and look forward to seeing where they lead me in the next. If you haven’t read any of these stories, I think you could listen or read this one and enjoy the story, but I really think your experience will elevate if you know the characters as I do from book one. They have come a long way and I’ve enjoyed every moment. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Why Kill the Innocent

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Desperate Acts (Pike, Wisconsin #4) by Alexandra Ivy

As a teen, Lia Porter sees a woman running in terror in the woods then jumping off a bridge in the middle of the night. She searched briefly but never found her and forgets the incident until fifteen years later when a woman’s body is found. Nobody wants to hear her story until Kaden Vaughn shows up in town searching for his brothers fianceé who also disappeared at that time. After they each receives threats they join forces to investigate this cold case that nobody wants re-opened.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read an Alexandra Ivy novel and I’d forgotten how quickly she ropes you into the story. We get to know Lia first, and I found her fascinating. On the surface she looks like she owns a rundown market in this small town of Pike, but as the novel goes on we find out that she’s actually an investor with resources that allow her to run this store and stay a part of this community, not needing to make a lot of money. When Kaden Vaughn shows up, he’s immediately recognized for his TV show, but there’s a determination to find this woman that’s a contrast to his Hollywood good looks and persona. I liked how these two connected not only on the surface level, but they both also cared about finding out the truth and that truth was really interesting.

I don’t want to give away any of the mystery but I do want to say that boy, there is a lot of action packed into this novel. I feel like every chapter had a moment that propelled the story forward as well as gave back story that made me care about these two main characters and this small town. It held my interest, which nowadays seems quite the feat! There are too many distractions and if a book doesn’t grab me I tend to give up. Not this one!

Desperate Acts was a quick moving, easy read. Perfect if you’re going on a short vacation or have a weekend where you can relax on the couch and sink into the story. I have read mysteries that are more detailed but I tend to like quick moving over descriptions and that’s what I got in Desperate Acts. The perfect read at the right time for me! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Desperate Acts

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Murder at Haven’s Rock (Haven’s Rock #1) by Kelley Armstrong

If you were worried that the Casey Duncan series was finished you can rest easy. Haven’s Rock is the spin-off where Casey, Eric, and their close group of friends build their own version of Rockton. A version where they are in charge and can pick the people that live in their community. This novel opens with Haven’s Rock under construction and a couple of their construction members go missing. Casey and Eric are flown in to investigate. They don’t yet live there and are excited to see their town come to life, but missing people doesn’t seem to be the best omen to start fresh. When they discover a body that looks to be a homicide they decide to investigate her death, plus they still have the missing to recover.

I love these novels. They are the perfect mix of eeriness and comfort. That sounds weird but I feel like I know these characters so well that it’s easy to just slide back into their story, despite the mystery being new. Murder at Haven’s Rock is a new location, yet not too far away from Rockton so the landscape they are tromping through (or investigating) is very familiar. What is inside these woods are not. So there is an element of surprise that maybe the previous series had lost. I liked not knowing what was in the woods beyond a bear or two. It made me pay a bit more attention to the text not wanting to miss a nuance. That added to my reading experience and helped in creating that sense of eeriness and comfort.

Familiar characters, with a few new ones thrown in also meant I was kept on my toes. I didn’t know everything so there were surprises within the town as well. I really enjoyed the quirkiness of a couple of these characters and am looking forward to seeing where their future lies. I’m also looking forward to seeing how Haven’s Rock will be different than Rockton. Will it be Shangri La? My guess is that there will continue to be mysteries to look forward to in their new Haven.

If you have not read the Casey Duncan series you may miss some nuances to the story but should be ok starting fresh with Murder at Haven’s Rock. Either way you’re in for a great mystery and a fun weekend of reading. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review and it was honest.

Click this link to purchase this book!* Murder at Haven’s Rock

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

It’s Monday, what are you reading? (2/20/23)

Have any of you tried out Kindle Vella yet? I’ll admit that I’m not sure how I feel about it yet and think I might actually spend more money buying these tokens to read episodes than I would purchasing an entire kindle book. However, I did get totally hooked on this one episodic teen novel, which I’ll tell you about below. So, I guess using the word “hooked” does mean that the format is working. But for me, it will never take the place of purchasing and reading a book all in one go.

JUST FINISHED

Covert Hearts is the novel that I found on Kindle Vella and spent my Saturday reading. It’s a young adult serial, that has some great characters. Each episode, which are chapters, ended in a cliffhanger that just kept me going. There are three books in the series, and the episodes are typically released one week at a time. Or however often the author wants to release them. There are two books released and I’ll admit, they were a lot of fun to read! If you happen to give it a try I’d be interested to know what you think about Kindle Vella.

JUST STARTED

I just started this audiobook by Penny Reid and am really enjoying the story and narration. This series are written kind of like cozy mysteries, but with characters that started off in romance novels. It’s a lot of fun and pretty easy to follow in an audiobook while I’m driving or (at work, shhhh!).

Have you book hooked by a story this past week? Share the title here!

Have a great Monday and happy reading!

Deb

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

This Chick Read: Faithless in Death (In Death #52) by J. D. Robb

How is it that after 52 novels this incomparable author can still give us a fresh mystery? It truly boggles my mind. Faithless in Death brings back all of our favorite characters as they investigate what looks to be a pretty straightforward murder in the West Village. Artist, Ariel Byrd is bludgeoned to death in her studio, leaving behind a couple of wine glasses and a mussed up bedroom. Wealthy, elegant, Gwen Huffman calls in the murder over an hour after she discovers the body, and more details don’t add up. As they dig a little further, Eve discovers a motive that ties this murder to something much larger than a romance gone wrong.

I’m still about 5 novels behind the finish and can’t ever seem to catch up because this author writes quicker than I read. As it’s a futuristic mystery series I need to be in the mood and whereas I probably read 2 of them a year, the author also writes that many. The good news is that she doesn’t ever seem to stop so I can return to some characters that I’ve built a relationship with over many years and know I’m going to enjoy what I read. This story started off quickly and didn’t ever seem to stop and as Eve becomes smarter it seems that the people she’s trying to stop also become bigger. There are many surprises hidden in Faithless in Death and unfortunately I’m not going to spoil them for you here. Which makes my job a little tougher.

These stories are not all about solving murders, we also learn a little bit more about the characters as each story unfolds. In this novel. we find out that Mavis and Leonardo are buying a home and there is a small gathering to view the property. Eve’s interaction with her god-daughter are again precious. Mostly because Eve is confused by the little girl, but also because she didn’t have a childhood like what Mavis is giving her, so their interactions are bittersweet and lovely. These brief moments help create a connection between the reader and the characters that keep carrying us forward and wanting to learn more of their personal stories, which the author feeds us in these brief moments. Brilliant.

It would be hard to hit it out of the ballpark in every single novel in a 52 (now 57) book series but Faithless in Death was one of the great ones. You are “in the room” during all of the critical unveilings and are riding along with the crew as they investigate and reveal. There aren’t any secrets but you still get to take part in unraveling an incredible mystery. This was a good one folks! I’m glad I read it.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Click this link to purchase this book!* Faithless in Death

Copyright 2023 The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

*Amazon Associate- if you purchase this book through the above link I’ll receive a small stipend.

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads

Happy Release Day! The Gorgon Agenda (SPI Files #8) by Lisa Shearin

Have you, like me, been waiting on the next release in the SPI Files series? Wait no more! The Gorgon Agenda came out on January 24th on Kindle and in paperback. Here’s a quick peek.

THE GORGON AGENDA

Lisa Shearin

A planet-killing weapon, sinister sisters, and immortal monsters.

All in a day’s work for the agents of SPI.

I’m Makenna Fraser, seer for SPI (Supernatural Protection & Investigations). I knew SPI

protected some of the world’s most dangerous relics, but I didn’t know our draconic founder,

Vivienne Sagadraco, kept them in a vault deep below Manhattan.

Until the most lethal relic of all was stolen.

The Aegis is the shield once wielded by Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. The center of

the Aegis contains the head of Medusa, making it the ultimate weapon. All who look on it or its

reflection are instantly turned to stone.

Old enemies and new adversaries have descended on New York—and one of them now has the

Aegis:

Tiamat—Babylonian goddess of chaos, and Vivienne Sagadraco’s sister

Stheno and Euryale—Eight-foot-tall, snake-haired gorgons, granddaughters of the

Titans, and Medusa’s sisters

The Sisterhood of Medusa—An ancient gorgon military order

The Cabal—A supernatural terrorist organization

Those behind the theft have declared war on humanity, with a hatred that was millennia in the

making, and a heist that was centuries in the planning.

Our mission is simple yet impossible: Retrieve the Aegis and save the world. But we can’t do it

alone. We’ll need our friends, family, and some unexpected new allies if we’re to stop this

ancient evil once and for all.

Click this link to purchase on Amazon!* The Gorgon Files

On By deborahkehoeIn A Hot Chick Who Reads