Carries Book Reviews

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Title: How I’ll Kill You

Author:  Ren DeStefano

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: March 21, 2023

Page Count:  348

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

Your next stay-up-all-night thriller, about identical triplets who have a nasty habit of killing their boyfriends, and what happens when the youngest commits their worst crime yet: falling in love with her mark.

Make him want you.
Make him love you.
Make him dead.

Sissy has an…interesting family. Always the careful one, always the cautious one, she has handled the cleanup while her serial killer sisters have carved a path of carnage across the U.S. Now, as they arrive in the Arizona heat, Sissy must step up and embrace the family pastime of making a man fall in love and then murdering him. Her first target? A young widower named Edison—and their mutual attraction is instant. While their relationship progresses, and most couples would be thinking about picking out china patterns and moving in together, Sissy’s family is reminding her to think about picking out burial sites and moving on. 

Then something happens that Sissy never anticipated: She begins to feel protective of Edison, and before she can help it, she’s fallen in love. But the clock is ticking, and her sisters are growing restless. It becomes clear that the gravesite she chooses will hide a body no matter what happens; but if she betrays her family, will it be hers?

How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano is one of those books that’s tougher to label, we have a serial killer thriller mixed with some family drama and then a contemporary romance to set up the next kill. Just my cup of tea really! The story is told from the main character’s prospective in the present timeline with a bit of flashes back to their past.

Sissy is the youngest of triplet girls with her sisters, Iris and Moody, beating her out by minutes at birth. The three sister have only had each other their entire lives with not the greatest upbringings being abandones early on in life. This has brought the girls extremely close together, close enough to kill for one another.

Iris and Moody have already had their turns taking someone’s life and now they expect it’s Sissy’s turn. Sissy has always been the more level headed and the clean up member of their crew and isn’t totally sure she’s ready to kill but Iris and Moody are pushing her hard after arriving in Arizona. Sissy does meet a young man named Edison who would be her perfect victim if only she weren’t falling in love with him.

How I’ll Kill You by Ren DeStefano is a debut novel so I had no idea what to expect from this author but what I found was a creative and intriguing read. This one may not be for everyone with the romance side to a thriller story but I love crossing genres so it didn’t bother me as the relationship build between Sissy and her target. I also enjoyed getting to know all the triplets back stories and then the twisty thrill ride of an ending. Would definitely return to this author again if they continue writing.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Ren DeStefano lives in Connecticut, where she was born and raised. When she’s not writing thrillers, she’s listening to true crime podcasts and crocheting way too many blankets.

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**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: Good Girls Don’t Die

Author:  Christina Henry

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: Nov 14, 2023

Page Count:  331

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren’t their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.

Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…

Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong…

Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she’s in a dangerous situation and she doesn’t know who put her there or why. She’ll have to fight with everything she has to survive…

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end.

Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry is really a suspenseful thriller novel that does have a side of horror to it. The story in Good Girls Don’t Die is one that does change the point of view between the three main characters. The book also has a unique format in almost feeling as if reading three individual novellas that eventually intertwine together for the final chapters.

Celia awakens one day with the sense that things just aren’t right around her and her memory is foggy at best. What Celia does feel is that the house she’s in and the man calling himself her husband aren’t really familiar at all. Then there’s the little girl supposed to be her daughter, she’d remember a daughter wouldn’t she?

Allie is supposed to be going on a fun trip with a few close friends when her friend’s boyfriend decides to invite more people and turn it into a remote camping weekend at a cabin in the woods. Allie is definitely out of her comfort zone but when she falls asleep while driving having no clue how they got to the cabin she can’t help but feel things aren’t right.

Maggie wakes up to being hostage along with a group of other women around her and is told that her daughter is in danger. Willing to do anything to get home safe to her daughter Maggie goes along with what is being requested of her until things start going a little too far and those around her begin dying.

Good Girls Don’t Die by Christina Henry to me was a book that once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down. The story begins following the first character to a certain cliffhanger then jumps to the next and by the time I’ve been introduced to all three women and there situations I was completely in a trance trying to figure out the end. This is probably one that most folks need to suspend a little disbelief but I found it all to be an exciting page turner from start to finish.

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 GOOD GIRLS DON’T DIE, HORSEMAN, NEAR THE BONE, THE GHOST TREE, LOOKING GLASS, THE GIRL IN RED, THE MERMAID, LOST BOY, RED QUEEN, ALICE, and the seven book urban fantasy BLACK WINGS series.

Her short stories have been featured in the anthologies CURSED, TWICE CURSED, GIVING THE DEVIL HIS DUE and KICKING IT.

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.

You can visit her on the web at

Author website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads

**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 Keeper of the Irish Secret

Author:  Susanne O’Leary

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: January 25, 2024

Page Count:  260 

My rating: 3 stars

About the book:

A mysterious old house, an unforgettable romance and a lost granddaughter escaping to the stunning Irish coast…

Lily Fleury used to love visiting her eccentric grandmother Sylvia in Ireland, taking long sunset walks on the beach and exploring the nooks and crannies of the family’s old home Magnolia Manor. But when she arrives from Dublin broken-hearted, hoping to heal in Sylvia’s warm embrace, she finds the once ornate Georgian house in disrepair and the gardens wildly overgrown. Sylvia has always been fiercely independent, but Lily can’t believe she hasn’t told anyone she’s been struggling.

Lily knows she can’t leave until she gets Sylvia back on her feet. Although mysterious local builder Dominic agrees to help, from the moment Lily looks into his fierce green eyes they clash over how to fix the sprawling estate. It’s only when she hears the soft Irish lilt of his voice as he sings in the local pub that their arguments ignite a spark of passion neither can ignore…

But when Lily finds a trunk of tattered letters in the gatehouse, she discovers a devastating secret Sylvia has been hiding about Magnolia Manor. And she soon learns the real reason Dominic agreed to help out. Lily wanted to save her family home, and could see a life here with Dominic, but will the truth force her to leave the man who has captured her heart and never return?

Fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Sheila O’Flanagan and Debbie Macomber will fall head over heels for this gorgeous, feel-good new series set on the stunning windswept beaches of the west coast of Ireland.

The Keeper of the Irish Secret by Susanne O’Leary is the first book of the new contemporary romance Magnolia Manor series. As with a lot of romance series the Magnolia Manor series is one that changes the main characters in each new book of the series with the setting in this particular series tying them together so they all can be read as a standalone or even in any order if choosing to do so.

It’s been a few years since Lily Fleury made the from Dublin to visit her eccentric grandmother Sylvia at the family’s old home, Magnolia Manor. Nursing a broken heart Lily has had thoughts of returning home and living with Syliva for good but when she arrives Lily finds that Magnolia Manor is in quite a state of disrepair that she never expected and wonders why Sylvia didn’t reach out.

Lily wants nothing more than to dive right in and help her grandmother get the home fixed up so when she meets Dominic, a local builder, she is hopes for his help. Sylvia however hadn’t let Lily in on the secret she’s been holding onto and once Lily finds out she and her sister vow to help with Magnolia Manor anyway they can.

Susanne O’Leary is an author that has quite an extensive catalog of books and I’ve read quite a few of them over the years enjoying them all. One major appeal to this author is the beautiful remote seaside Irish settings in which her books are set and this new series had that same appeal. For I believe the first time reading one of her quick romantic reads however while I still enjoyed the setting in this one I wasn’t as excited over the characters or more specifically some of their actions were sort of driving me up a wall in here. Probably just me since I’ve always loved the rest I’ve read from this author but this one ended at the it was ok but not amazing level for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Susanne O’Leary is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She now writes full-time from her home in Dublin and a little cottage in Kerry.

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**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 Spelling Bee

Author:  Lee Hollis

Publisher: Kensington Books

Publication Date: May 21, 2024

Page Count:  276

My rating: 4 stars

About the book:

The murder of a moderator for a school competition spells trouble for Portland P.I. partners and moms Maya Kendrick and Sandra Wallage . . .

Twelve-year-old Rocco Fanelli is a spelling bee champ in the making. He’s the odds-on favorite to win the local middle-school bee and go on to the regionals, the state, and ultimately the nationals. Which is why someone is trying to intimidate him to drop out with a threatening note in his locker. Rocco’s concerned parents hire Maya and Sandra to uncover the culprit and ensure their son’s safety.

But the competition turns killer when a high school teacher who’s running the bee, clearly favoring certain students, is found dead in the school supply closet. Sandra had already confronted Ellie Lambert over unfairly grading her son Ryan—which now makes her a suspect.

She’s not the only one who tangled with the teacher, however, and with suspects ranging from helicopter parents to the school custodian, Maya and Sandra will need to put their heads together to spell out who had the motive and opportunity to silence Ellie Lambert . . .

Murder at the Spelling Bee by Lee Hollis is the third 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 mystery 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 Maya and Sandra have been hired by a spelling prodigy’s parents when the boy is threatened right before his big competition. The ladies find that there is a teacher at the school who is clearly favoring some students over others and she just happens to be in charge of the spelling bee. Sandra and Maya of course find themselves attending the competition only to end up as suspects yet again when the teacher in charge is found murdered and before long they have a long list of other suspects to hopefully find the murderer yet again.

I have been reading the Maya and Sandra Mystery series from the beginning and have been a little up and down with my feelings on each book. I really like that there is a real investigator as one of the major characters solving the crimes right along with the other protagonist who is the fish out of water in this case. However some things get a little too political to me at times in the series but thankfully this installment went back to the school setting again so I was more into the story than the previous book. I’d say if you like something a bit out of the ordinary for a cozy though this series might be a good one to try.

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.

**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.**

The Broken and Afraid
Monica Corwin
Publication date: August 1st 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I can still feel the sand under my nails. The blood on my skin.

Parrish’s blood on my skin.

It’s been a year since my friends, Poe, Gin, and I returned home from overseas and left military service. A year of waiting to take our fallen friend’s ashes to the ocean he loved more than anything else.

But we can’t do it alone. Not when every night is a circle jerk of nightmare fuel and none of us can even look at each other without breaking.

I need her. The nurse who saved my life, my ex, the girl I thought I’d marry one day. But she hates me. I’m only hoping she can put our past aside long enough for one final mission.

The Broken and Afraid is a why choose steamy road trip romance with ptsd reconciliation, sword crossing, and so much only one RV vibes.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

 

Author Bio:

Monica Corwin is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She is an outspoken writer attempting to make romance accessible to everyone, no matter their preferences. As a Northern Ohioian, Monica enjoys snow drifts, three seasons of weather, and a dislike of Michigan football. Monica owns more books about King Arthur than should be strictly necessary. Also typewriters…lots and lots of typewriters.

You can find her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/monicacorwin, on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/monica_corwin, on the web at: http://www.monicacorwin.com. Monica Corwin is also on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rosetyper9 and Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/monica-corwin

If you want up to date information on releases be sure to follow her here on Amazon or you can join her newsletter at monicacorwin.com

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