Carries Book Reviews

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Title: The House That Horror Built

Author:  Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: May 14, 2024

Page Count:  334

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

A single mother working in the gothic mansion of a reclusive horror director stumbles upon terrifying secrets in the captivating new novel from the national bestselling author of Good Girls Don’t Die and Horseman.

Harry Adams has always loved horror movies, so it’s not a total coincidence that she took the job cleaning house for movie director Javier Castillo. His forbidding graystone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom with terrifying props and costumes, as well as glittering awards from his career making films that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.
 
Javier values discretion, and Harry has always tried to clean the house immaculately, keep her head down, and keep her job safe—she needs the money to support her son. But then she starts hearing noises from behind a locked door. Noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help, even though Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows that not asking questions is a vital part of working for Javier, but she soon finds that the sinister house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry is a gothic paranormal horror story with an edge of mystery behind it. I would warn for those that want nothing to do with pandemic books that this one is set in the time of the pandemic but that plays only a small part of the set up of the story.

Harry Adams grew up with a horror movie obsession and now as an adult still appreciates the genre the most. After losing her job due to the pandemic Harry applies to work for the famous horror-movie director Javier Castillo cleaning his home where Javier has pretty much isolated himself since his wife and son’s disappearance.

With a boss like Javier who values nothing more than his own privacy Harry keeps to herself and does her work quietly and efficiently until the day she thinks she hears a voice from one of Javier’s rooms. After that moment each time Harry comes to clean something feels more and more off in the lonely old mansion but Harry tells herself it’s just the old creepy movie memorabilia and nothing more.

The House That Horror Built isn’t the first book I’ve read from author Christina Henry so I went in knowing her brand of horror before picking this up. When finished with this one I think it probably is my least favorite I’ve read so far though which was unfortunate. Still a solid horror novel that flew right by I was just left with wanting a bit more to it especially since the “twist” to the story seemed extremely obvious to me early on. Overall I rated this one at three and a half stars, totally solid rating for some but low for this particular author for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Christina Henry is a horror and dark fantasy author whose works include Horseman, Near the Bone, The Ghost Tree, Looking Glass, The Girl in Red, The Mermaid, Lost Boy, Alice, Red Queen, and the seven-book urban fantasy Black Wings series.

She enjoys running long distances, reading anything she can get her hands on, and watching movies with samurai, zombies, and/or subtitles in her spare time. She lives in Chicago with her husband and son. 

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: The Best Life Book Club

Author:  Sheila Roberts

Publisher: MIRA

Publication Date: May 7, 2024

Page Count:  380 

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

It started as a book club. It became a way to build a better life together.

Karissa Newcomb is ready for a new start in a new neighborhood, as far away as she can get from Seattle, where her husband cheated on her with the neighbor who was supposed to be her best friend. She and her nine-year-old daughter are moving on to the city of Gig Harbor on the bay in Puget Sound. She even has a new job as an assistant at a small publishing company right in Gig Harbor. Her new boss seems like a bit of a curmudgeon, but a job is a job, she loves to read, and the idea of possibly meeting writers sounds fabulous.

Soon she finds she’s not the only one in need of a refresh. Her new neighbors, Alice and Margot, are dealing with their own crises. Alice is still grieving her late husband and hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel of a car since a close call after his death. Margot is floundering after getting divorced and laid off in quick succession. They could all use a distraction, and a book club seems like just the ticket. Together, the three women, along with Alice’s grumpy older sister, Josie, embark on a literary journey that just might be the kick start they need to begin building their best lives yet.

The Best Life Book Club by Sheila Roberts is a women’s fiction novel that not only focuses on romance but friendship, healing and personal growth for the characters. The story in The Best Life Book Club is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters.

Karissa Newcomb packed up her daughter and herself to move away from Seattle to a new start in Gig Harbor on the bay in Puget Sound. Karissa had caught her husband with her neighbor who she thought was a really good friend so getting out of that city was the only way she knew to cope with both losses in her life.

Upon arriving in Gig Harbor Karissa begins a new job as an assistant at a small publishing company where she enjoys getting to know the authors and her new boss. Karissa also meets new neighbors, Alice and Margot, who have their own life’s dilemmas they are dealing with but the ladies all suggest forming a book club of their own to spend getting to know one another and escape their troubles.

Sheila Roberts is another author that has many many books out there and from those that I have read I always find myself enjoying the story and character. The Best Life Book Club was no exception to that fact with really four stories to follow along with each of the ladies that all had a little humor and a lot of heart and of course this one should appeal to the readers with the story focusing around just that, reading. Definitely an author I will continue to return to in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

With more than fifty books to her name, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller – and a fan favorite. Her Christmas perennial “On Strike for Christmas” was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel and her novel “The Nine Lives of Christmas” was made into a movie for Hallmark. Hallmark also made a sequel, titled “The Nine Kittens of Christmas.” Her most recent novel to hit the small screen was “Christmas on Candy Cane Lane,” which aired on the Great American Family Channel in 2022. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she’s not traveling, she splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: A Fatal Groove

Author:  Olivia Blacke

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks 

Publication Date: July 25, 2023

Page Count:  302 

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Second in the Record Shop series by Olivia Blacke, A Fatal Groove is a mystery for the record . . .

CATCHING A KILLER WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT.

It’s springtime in Cedar River, Texas. The annual Bluebonnet Festival is brewing and the whole town is in harmony. Juni Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie thought opening Sip & Spin Records was going to be their biggest hurdle, but the Frappuccino hits the fan when the mayor drops dead—poisoned by their delicious coffee.

Since Tansy was the one to brew the coffee, and Juni was the unfortunate citizen who stumbled upon the mayor’s body, the sisters find themselves in hot water. Family is everything to the Jessups, so with Tansy under suspicion, the sisters spring into action.

Between the town festivities, a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, and an accidental cow in the mix, Juni will have to pull out all the stops to find the mayor’s killer.

A Fatal Groove by Olivia Blacke is the second book in the cozy Record Shop Mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries each book in the series does contain it’s own mystery that is fully solved so it can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing if choosing to do so. Of course there will be some character development that carries over from book to book for those that follow the series from the beginning.

Juni, Tansy, and Maggie are sisters who all decided to take a risk together to change their lives by combining assets and opening Sip & Spin Records in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas. With vinyl records back in demand the girls thought now would be a great time to show their love for music but with a side of a coffee shop in the store to hopefully maintain business.

Now that Juni, Tansy, and Maggie have Sip & Spin Records up and running somewhat successfully they are excited it’s spring and time for the annual Bluebonnet Festival. However celebrating at the festival is put on hold for the sisters when Juni stumbles upon the body of the mayor and it seems he’d been poisoned. With Tansy having just given the mayor a coffee of course she becomes suspect number one and the sisters need to track another murderer before one of them ends up behind bars.

The Record Shop Mystery series is another I picked up from the beginning and am growing fonder of as it goes along. This one is slightly different with the other two sisters being involved and taking part with Juni as the main character and I’m always open to a different twist to the norm. The series does have all those cozy elements I enjoy too with a lot of laughs along the way along with a fun mystery to follow. When finished with this second book I’ll definitely be looking forward to more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Olivia Blacke (she/her) had her first ghost encounter when she was only five years old, but her first involvement with an active crime scene wasn’t until much later, when she accidentally stepped into a chalk outline on a Manhattan sidewalk. Armed with a Criminology and Criminal Justice degree, she finally found a way to channel her love of the supernatural and passion for writing into darkly humorous supernatural mysteries. She is also the author of the Record Shop Mysteries and the Brooklyn Murder Mysteries. She still wants to be a unicorn when she grows up.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: The Return of Ellie Black

Author:  Emiko Jean

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: May 7, 2024

Page Count:  316

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

The debut thriller from New York Times bestselling author Emiko Jean, The Return of Ellie Black is both a feminist tour de force about the embers of hope that burn in the aftermath of tragedy and a twisty page-turner that will shock and surprise you right up until the final page.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean is a suspense filled thriller novel. The story in The Return of Ellie Black is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters and also by going back to an earlier timeline along with the current timeline. This one also is on the dark side and not the easiest read about abuse.

Chelsey Calhoun knows what it’s like to have someone she loved go missing which has lead Chelsey to her life now as a detective. Twenty years ago Chelsey’s sister vanished and Chelsey continues to look today all the while trying to solve the cases of other missing girls that come along.

Two years ago Ellie Black was at a party when she disappeared without a trace and with little to go on was thought to be one case that would go unsolved. That is until now when Ellie has been found alive in the woods of Washington State. Detective Chelsey Calhoun is immediately on the case but finds it odd that Ellie stays silent about where she’s been and who has been keeping her.

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean was a solid thriller novel that kept the pages turning until the very end. The author did a good job setting up a somewhat dark abduction story while weaving back and forth from the past and present. My thoughts at the end though were it all seemed to be a bit rushed in the wrap up and I wasn’t totally sold on the ending overall so this one fell in at three and a half stars for me. Although a slightly lower rating I would return to this author in the future as the story was an engaging read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Emiko Jean is a New York Times best-selling author of adult and young adult fiction.Her books have been published in over thirty languages. Her work has been featured on Good Morning America as a GMA book club pick, by Reese Witherspoon as a young adult book club pick, and in publications such as: Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Cosmopolitan, Shondaland and Bustle. She lives in Washington with her husband and two kids.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Title: Beach Cute

Author:  Beth Reekles

Publisher: Delacorte Romance

Publication Date: May 14, 2024

Page Count:  384

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

From the author of the hit Kissing Booth series comes another sizzling story following three very different girls on summer vacation! Equal parts romance and humor, this is the perfect beach read for your next getaway.

Luna, Rory and Jodie are strangers in the need of a getaway… 
 
Luna has unexpectedly broken up with her boyfriend. 
 
Rory has to come up with a creative way to break it to her family she wants to pursue her art passion. 
 
And as for Jodie, she feels lost in both life and love. 
 
But these three strangers have one other thing in common: they are on their way to the same resort. As their lives collide under the sun, will they have a summer they’ll never forget?

Beach Cute by Beth Reekles is a new young adult contemporary romance read. The story in Beach Cute is one that is told by changing the point of view between the three main characters letting readers get to know each of them.

Luna, Rory and Jodie have never met but each have their own reasons for needing to get away for a vacation and are hoping the week away will do them some good. Luna had just broken up with her boyfriend, Rory has been struggling with what she wants to do in life and Jodie has just been feeling lost.

Whatever the reasons bringing them there all Luna, Rory and Jodie end up at the same resort to find things are not what they expected. Relaxation doesn’t come easy in a place where all electronics are prohibited and mandatory classes are enforced. Soon comes a friendship formed in the shared ordeal that they find will last a lifetime.

It’s no secret that I love a good beach setting in my books no matter the genre and while I may be older than the target audience for Beach Cute by Beth Reekles I just couldn’t resist. This was a fun story of three teens coming together at a time when they were trying to figure out who they were and bonding during what turned into an eventful vacay. Overall a great quick and fun read just in time for summer.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Beth Reekles is a rom-com author best known for her bestselling YA series THE KISSING BOOTH (now also a hit trilogy on Netflix). Her tenth book and debut adult novel, LOVE, LOCKED DOWN was published in February 2022.

Originally sharing her work on story-sharing platform Wattpad, Reekles signed a three-book publishing deal with Penguin Random House aged 17 before completing a degree in Physics at Exeter University. She was named one of TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Teens in 2013.

A self-confessed nerd, she is now a full-time author and enjoys uploading movie reviews to Instagram and learning languages in her spare time.

Find Beth Reekles on:

Twitter @Reekles, Instagram @authorbethreekles, TikTok @bethreekles