Carries Book Reviews

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Title: Win Lose Kill Die

Author:  Cynthia Murphy

Publisher: Delacorte Press.

Publication Date: November 28, 2023

Page Count:  262

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

A high-school slasher with a lethal twist, perfect for fans of Holly Jackson! The students at Morton Academy are high-achievers, selected based on academic excellence. So when a series of murders target the school’s best and brightest, the pressure is on.

Failure is fatal…

At the historic Morton Academy, a school for high-achievers, everyone wants to be Head Girl and gain all the prestige and success that comes with the title. But when bodies start piling up, the students begin to worry that someone is too determined to take that crown.

Liz, Taylor, Kat, Marcus and Cole all set out to discover what exactly is going on. Is it the secret society that they have sworn allegiance too? The history of a cult that plagues Morton Academy? Or even a greedy teacher? They need to find the truth…and quickly.

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy is a young adult thriller novel that has a touch of slasher vibes from horror movies. The story in Win Lose Kill Die is a fast paced one told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator.

Those that attend the elite Morton Academy are overachievers that are already guaranteed into the colleges of their choice after graduation. But at Morton there is the elite of the elite at the school who are asked to join the secret society known as Jewel and Bone.

At the center of the secret society there is the “head girl” but no sooner than one is named that student is murdered. Liz and her group of friends Taylor, Kat, Marcus and Cole find themselves investigating just what is going on at the academy before they end up the next victim when yet another murder occurs shortly after the first.

Win Lose Kill Die by Cynthia Murphy was what I’d call a solid young adult thriller novel but one that wasn’t without a few flaws. The story is one that is fast paced which leads to not a whole lot of character development with the action pushing the plot along so I can’t say I wouldn’t have liked a bit more. The ending is a decent twist to the tale but also one that didn’t overly surprise me either so when said and done I rated this one at three and half stars and would give the author another read someday.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Cynthia is an author from the North-West of England. She has always enjoyed writing and when her English teacher accused her of plagiarism in Year 8, she thought she might actually be quite good at it.

She has a long-standing love affair with all things scary, reading Point Horrors at primary school before graduating to Stephen King in her misguided teens. Classic 90s and 00s horror movies are definitely her pub quiz strong point and her first love may well have been Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Studying for a degree in Art History and Archaeology meant that she developed a thirst for anything old, beautiful and very often dead. She tries to combine this with contemporary settings in her writing to make unique and chilling modern stories.

Cynthia is married to her best friend and they have a Romanian rescue dog, Loli, who you will see a lot of on Instagram @CynthiaMurphyYA.

**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.**

Hades and Persephone: The Golden Blade
Erica Hastings, Heidi Hastings
(Hades and Persephone duology, #2)
Publication date: March 1st 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Book 2 in the Hades and Persephone duology.

An illustrated novel with over 50 images.

After six long months, Persephone returns to the Underworld to reunite with the God of the Dead, Hades. But the kingdom she knew has changed, and dark secrets cast uncertainty over their love. As a sinister plot unfolds, Hades and Persephone are thrust into a desperate race against time. The answers they seek are shrouded in shadow, and a war for all souls looms on the horizon. As the final battle between good and evil draws near, the King and Queen of the Underworld teeter on the brink of losing everything. Will they triumph over the impending chaos, or will evil unravel their world?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Forger!” the king bellowed, his voice echoing across Tartarus. There was no answer. Hades leaped up, grasping the edges of the jagged mountainside, and began climbing the steep cliff until he reached the highest of the twin peaks. The amber flame of Tartarus lit the high mountain. “Unnamed One, show yourself!”

The ground began to shake, and a massive blue eye appeared at the edge of a mountain. Hades tightly grasped his bident and stared into the colossal orb. The eye was beautiful; the iris reflected infinity with whirling stars and planets, but in the center was an inky black pupil that left him with a feeling of despair, like a black hole in the core of a galaxy, a reminder that death was at the center of life.

“I seek answers from you,” Hades said, lowering his weapon.

The eye blinked once, and then a giant hand appeared, gesturing for the king to follow him. Hades moved to the edge of the mountain. The Cyclops was moving down the mountainside, astonishingly nimble for such a giant creature. Hades quickly jumped across the rocks to the ground, following the beast down the enormous stone stairs that led beneath the mountain. Cerberus paced behind him.

Once in his lair, the Cyclops turned to face Hades. The blacksmith’s hair hung in long, dark strands, and his body was filthy, his fingernails encrusted with dirt and grime. The smell emanating from him was revolting, and only a thin scrap of ancient fabric covered his groin, which was barely visible beneath his enormous, overhanging belly.

“What is your name?” Hades asked finally.

“I have no name,” the Cyclops smiled, showing a mouthful of enormous, malformed teeth. His voice was raspy from disuse, and his breath was like the air of Tartarus—foul and putrid. Cerberus walked hesitantly to the cavern’s entrance, his sensitive noses overwhelmed by the stench, but he would not abandon Hades.

“You forged the swords,” Hades stated.

“That was long ago, king. Oh, yes,” the Cyclops laughed at Hades ’surprise. “I know who you are.”

 

 

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Title: Mistakes We Never Made

Author:  Hannah Brown

Publisher: Forever

Publication Date: May 7, 2024

Page Count:  329

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

About the book:

Bachelorette fan-favorite and New York Times bestselling author Hannah Brown delivers the perfect beach read with her fiction debut—“a fun, fast, epic rom-com” (Abby Jimenez, #1 New York Times bestselling author). 

Emma Townsend can sum up her situationship with hot-as-hell romantic red flag Finn Hughes in one word: almost. They almost dated in high school. They almost hooked up after college. They almost took things too far one magical night. Their whole story is one series of “almosts” and “nearlys,” and now they just kind of can’t stand each other. Like, at all.

But this weekend, one of their mutuals is getting married . . . and Emma and Finn will have to pretend they don’t remember how disastrous it was the last time they were in a room together.

Emma’s doing a stellar job of playing it cool—until the bride goes missing. Now, with two days before the wedding, Emma and Finn are hitting the road in a sweet vintage sports car in hopes of salvaging someone else’s happily-ever-after.

Yet somewhere between Emma’s breakfast burrito throw down, a high-stakes kayak chase (it can happen), and an outrageous Vegas detour, these sworn enemies are crossing more than just state lines. As old feelings spark once more, Emma begins to question whether risking your heart is ever really a mistake.

Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown is a new contemporary romance novel. The story in Mistakes We Never Made is one that actually has two timelines with the characters having a past together which of course makes this a second chance romance.

Emma will do anything for her best friend Sybil, including being the best bridesmaid she can be despite her old friend/sort of old flame Finn being a groomsman. Surely Emma and Finn can survive one little wedding with all they had between them in the past. Before she knows it though Emma really needs to step up as bridesmaid and chase down a runaway bride and who else is there to help other than Finn.

First thing first, I will say that Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown has a storyline that may not be for every reader with there being a cheating element to the main couple. I will admit that I wasn’t totally on board with that fact either so my rating did fall to the three and a half stars wishing that we could have had some other conflict instead. Thankfully I do enjoy a good fast paced adventure type of story though as that side of the book made it a bit better although there was a little up in the air too that I would have liked answered so I questioned that when finished too…possibly a book two?

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Hannah Brown is a television personality, lifestyle expert, podcast host and New York Times bestselling author of God Bless This Mess. After winning Miss Alabama USA 2018, she went on to star on season 15 of ABC’s hit reality series The Bachelorette, win season 28 of Dancing with the Stars, and compete on FOX’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, where she ended up being one of two women who completed the course and outlasted the other 16 contestants, most of whom were professional athletes. 
 
Brown’s authenticity and charismatic personality have captivated her millions of followers, and she continues to inspire and empower others by instilling beauty goes beyond just what’s on the surface, advocating for mental health awareness, and emphasizing the importance of self-love. 
 
Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Brown currently resides in Nashville.

**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: Murder At The Bake Sale

Author:  Lee Hollis

Publisher: Kensington Cozies

Publication Date: Nov 30, 2021

Page Count:  281

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

Maya and Sandra are friends, fellow moms, and private-detective partners in the picturesque waterfront city of Portland—where sometimes their cases can get as rocky as the Maine coast . . .
 
While private investigator Maya Kendrick is still mentoring her new partner, PTA president Sandra Wallage, in the detective game, the two women don’t need incredible powers of deduction to know their marriages are on the rocks. With Maya’s ex-cop husband in prison and Sandra’s senator spouse separated from her, both find themselves investigating the dating scene. Until Diego Sanchez turns up dead. The flirtatious high school Spanish teacher who had eyes for Maya was poisoned by cookies from a bake sale fundraiser for a Portland High school class trip to Spain.
 
Hired by the students to find out who killed their popular and beloved teacher—including their own children—Maya and Sandra get a real education in parenting, relationships, and murder as their search for whodunit leads them deep into the unpleasant realities found in the small town politics and gossip of their Maine community . . .

Murder At The Bake Sale by Lee Hollis is the second book in the cozy Maya and Sandra Mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries the Maya and Sandra Mystery series is one that has a fully solved murder within each book so they can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. There will be of course be character development that carries over from book to book for those reading from the beginning.

The Maya and Sandra Mystery series is a little different than your average cozy in the fact it has two lead characters and changes the point of view between them to give both sides to the story. Sandra Wallage is a housewife and the PTA president that is married to a scandalous politician. Maya Kendrick is a an ex cop whose husband went to prison and now had become a private investigator that has a huge workload with her partner being pregnant and close to giving birth.

When Sandra’s husband became a victim of a gossipy website called Dirty Laundry outing him as a cheater and then the woman running the Dirty Laundry website was murdered it brought Sandra and Maya together to work the case. After that was solved Sandra found she enjoyed helping Maya and proposed being her new partner. Now the ladies are taking on a new case when hired by the students at their kids high school after the spanish teacher, Diego Sanchez, was found murdered after the high school bake sale.

I will admit that I wasn’t totally sure if I would enjoy The Maya and Sandra Mystery series when I first dove in with book one. The series is a cozy with some humor but along with having two main characters that alternate the point of view it’s also a little different in being a little darker than your normal cozy but I was certainly curious having an actual private investigator as one of the main characters so I did return to this second attempt. With my rating of this one being top notch it’s probably obvious that I did enjoy this second book even more than the first and while some may not enjoy the uniqueness of this series I will definitely be returning for more.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Lee Hollis is the pen name for a brother and sister writing team. Rick Copp is a veteran film and television writer/producer living in Palm Springs, California. Holly Simason is an award-winning food and cocktails columnist who lives in North Carolina.

The Closed Tunnel
Anthony Harold
Publication date: October 8th 2024
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Suspense

Ink & Cinema Official selection Best First Ten Pages 2023, USA.

Based on real materials.

What if we told you that 3,000 feet underground is a network of high-tech cities connected by tunnels? Yes, right now.

The main character of this story, Tony from New York, accepts a job from the strange head of a pharmaceutical company. It takes him first to the National Geophysical Research Lab on Long Island and then—unexpectedly!—underground.

He finds himself in Luxor Ville, the city of the elite, and explores Hearton City with genius scientists presumed dead or missing on the Surface.

Meanwhile, in the ancient tunnels, the world’s greatest physicists are conducting an unbelievable experiment that should redefine our understanding of the laws of the universe…

Why are the richest people buying up the last subterranean luxury apartments? How are NASA and Neil Armstrong connected to the underground world? How does the hostess of the Elusive Cafe predict the future?

And is there a common secret that unites Hearton City’s inhabitants, or is it an illusion?

Feel the forgotten vibe of the TV series Lost, unlock a jar of puzzles in the wave of The Da Vinci Code, and prepare for a journey into the depths like in Wool/Silo!

The Closed Tunnel units author’s own inventions, suspense, fantasy elements, physical experiments connected to Montauk project, mystery and thriller, fashion (!), real underground wonders, and a pinch of spice.

There are diverse characters, multiple POVs, Elusive Cafe, ancient board game, scientifically created oracle cards, and a central question: whom to trust.

Book Website

 

Author Bio:

Anthony Harold is the author of the upcoming sci-fi sensation The Closed Tunnel. This book explores underground cities connected by ancient tunnels and will hit shelves in April 2024.

Anthony holds a Master’s degree in Physics and a Ph.D. in Economics. He has an impressive background of nearly 15 years in the space industry, including developing space-based laser systems and managing finances for a leading rocket company.

Anthony dislikes most modern movies due to plot holes, so he prefers to read and, better yet, write. He’s passionate about delving into the mysteries of Earth, exploring ancient history, and studying the wonders of techno-civilization.

Currently living in Cyprus with his grown son, a lively Jack Russell terrier, and his talented wife, who doubles as his editor and marketer, Anthony enjoys spending his free time on the tennis court, jogging along the coast, or fishing.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

 

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