very discreet job indeed….

Nanny Needed – Georgina Cross

Thriller, mystery, psychological, fiction. 

Rating 9/10

Sarah comes across a new job that seemed odd at first. Someone needs a nanny and it has to be discreet. Her fiancee, Jonathan, tells her that she should go for it. This nanny job could help them financially get more stable. She calls the number and sets up an interview. At the interview with the prospective family, she sees nothing but a rich family needing someone to take care of their child. Then there are some rather suspicious behaviors going on with the woman who wanted the nanny. There is something off about the child and her mother but there is no child. Sarah comes to realize that there is a darker plot going on and she got caught up in it. 

This novel took me on a rollercoaster of varying emotions and thoughts. I hadn’t suspected some of the twists and turns. I hadn’t expected the plot twist to happen in such a way that caused me to have to set the book down. Cross just grabbed the reader and kidnapped them with her plot. Yes, there was a slow build-up going on but that plot twist she executed was done so perfectly. I enjoyed reading this novel overall. It kept me on my toes for sure. 

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This was chilling to read…

The Wife Upstairs – Rachel Hawkins 

Mystery, murder, fiction. 

Rating 9/10

Jane moves into this town called Birmingham that is in Alabama to start a new life. She becomes a dog walker in a very rich neighborhood and is loved by all. When no one is looking she grabs some jewelry that no one will be missing in this society.  Eddie is newly widowed and takes an interest in Jane. Jane was told about what happened to Eddie’s wife Bea and her best friend Blanche. Wanting to know more she asks more about Bea and Blanche to these women who knew of them. However, curiosity leads her to get extremely close to Eddie. The legend of Bea haunts Jane to the point that Jane double guesses herself. She can start her new life as his wife. Nothing can be in between the two of them except her past creeping in and the police lingering longer than they should. 

I got this mostly for the synopsis and the curiosity of what happened to Bea. I consumed this book in one day because the way that the author wrote this book was guaranteed to keep the reader engaged and focused. The characters were very intriguing and mysterious in a way that kept me from wanting to close the book. The plot had some very dark twists that I hadn’t expected as well as certain perspectives. I honestly never read Jane Eyre to understand but this novel was supposedly was taking inspiration from that novel which later on I will hunt it down to read. Overall, enjoyed this novel and recommend it. 

had to read a Lisa Jewell book for my bday

The Night She Disappeared – Lisa Jewell 

Mystery, thriller, fiction. 

Rating 9/10

Tallulah is a single mother going through college and trying to take care of her child, Noah, with her mother. Her child’s father Zach wants to be more involved with both her and Tallulah but Tallulah wants something else. She wants to be a social worker and live with her mother without anyone judging her. After a night of Zach and Tallulah spend together, both have gone completely missing with the only person connecting them is Scarlett who provides nothing other than that they were simply friends. One year later, Sophie, an aspiring mystery novelist moves into this town alongside her boyfriend who works at the school. She finds a DIG HERE sign and decides to dig up. She digs up a ring and looks into the missing teens’ case. She turns the evidence over to the police unveiling a break in the case. 

I was so thrilled that Lisa Jewell came out with another novel. I love her thriller mysteries because each one is so unique. I enjoyed the diverse characters and their interactions that felt natural. As all her novels are. Furthermore, the writing of this novel was so well done and well spun. Watching it all unfold with the past and present timeline narratives made this novel work in a very thrilling dynamic novel.

truly magical inheritance..

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina – Zoraida Cordova

Inheritance, families, magic, fiction.

Rating 9/10

Orquidea is feeling her end coming and she invites her to her funeral as well as an inheritance to her descendants. Her magic. Those who grew up didn’t take the magic seriously and others were annoyed with it. There were a lot of secrets that the Montoyas kept from each other and all came out when the magic was handed down. There is a force that doesn’t want Montoya’s family line to have magic. 

This book recently came out and I was intrigued by the plot. I loved this novel and the cultural lore that was present in this as well as magic. I love novels that have lore and mythical explanations that help understand the novel’s plot more. This also had an interesting family dynamic that is intriguing and satisfying to see the bonds get stronger despite the weak bond at the beginning. The transformation of the Montoyas from the first chapter to the last was certainly so paced that nothing felt rushed. Some flashbacks helped the story along. All in all, this novel was beautifully and magically written.

a very haunting house

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mystery, thriller, fiction

Rating 9/10

Neomi heads to the High Place to where her cousin resides with her husband due to a recent letter that her cousin sent. Out of concern, she must investigate the odd behavior that was occurring with her cousin. As she resides she is told of the strict house rules as well as the story of the household. However, the townsfolk have a different story about the High Place. A tale of the ancestor going on a murderous rage that led to a suicide afterward with only one lone survivor. Her cousin talks in hallucinogen imagery that only she sees but no one else sees. After seeking a second opinion she was given the warning to leave before things got worse. As she continues to stay she comes across some more secrets about the violence that occurs. 

This was chilling in the sense that it slowly builds up. This was rather a short read but it was fantastic. I didn’t put it down and whenever I did I felt so bad. I needed to figure out what was going to happen. Then when it happened I was surprised. I was honestly hesitant about picking up this book until my boyfriend told me to just read it. He said it would be something I would like for sure and he wasn’t wrong. I did. The writing is well done and very descriptive. I felt like I stepped into the place and felt everything that the main character had felt. The characters were an interesting cast of characters for sure and the interactions felt so natural. Some mystery novels don’t have that feeling but this one did. The main character Neomi uncovering the secret and the truth was really interesting. It did take a long time because of the suspense build-up but it was rather interesting. Overall, I do love this novel. I did see this on TikTok and couldn’t pass up anymore on reading it.

a good Halloween mystery book to read…

We Are All The Same in the Dark – Julia Heaberlin 

Mystery, thriller, fiction. 

Rating 9/10

Odette is called to Wyatt’s house because of some suspicious activity. Wyatt shows her the young teenage girl he picked up who was surrounded by dandelions. The young girl has no eye and is mute. Odette thinks that this young girl is connected to the Trumanell Branson disappearance that happened a decade ago. Both cases are going to be tough as Odette’s past comes creeping up and she tries to solve the mysterious disappearance of Tru as well as the appearance of this young woman. 

This novel was thrilling and kept me on my toes throughout the novel. I couldn’t stop reading and wanting to know what happened to Trumanell Branson. I was trying to predict what had happened to the young woman too. The novel was very mysterious until the very end. There was a lot of emotion built up and I loved every moment of the novel. I was disappointed by the ending. Overall the writing causes the reader to be invested by the plot and narrative from the first to the last page. I prefer this as a moderate thrill novel because there are some intense scenes but it’s nothing too drastic. A perfect novel for halloween for sure.

this was eerily chilling read…

Mother May I – Joshilyn Jackson

Mystery, thriller, fiction. 

Rating 7/10

An old battered woman was standing outside of Bree’s window looking in. Bree thought she was seeing stuff but her husband also saw. Next thing she knows is that her son was taken and gets a mysterious phone call. She is given instructions to roofie Spencer at a party or else she won’t see her son. She’s also warned to never involve her husband nor the police. Bree does that precisely and after doing the deed, the Mother gives her another instruction. In order to get her son back she must trade her husband. Bree asks the help of her best friend and former cop to assist her with getting her son back. While throughout this cat and mouse chase, Bree realized that the man whom she married and had three kids with was not who she thought this man was. 

This was a little haunting and chilling. I was expecting more but it was not a lot of thrill. Just a mild thrill and mystery. However, it was nothing that I’ve read before. I hadn’t expected the book to go in a certain route. This novel goes over the crucial topic of college parties and how some women get raped due to them being all drugged up. When a woman is not sober she can’t give consent and that is what happened here in the novel. Consent should be between two sober adults. Bree’s reaction to her husband’s past was perfectly normal that she wanted him to make things right with the woman whom he had taken advantage of and ruined her for life. What was uncalled for was the kidnapping of a newborn child. This novel was a little hard to read towards the end and overall the writing was great.

I think I found a new author :D this was good

The Wife Upstairs – Frieda McFadden 

Thriller, mystery, psychological thriller, fiction

Sylvie is struggling to find a new job and in comes an opportunity. A nicely dressed man by the name of Adam offers her a job. To be a live in friend to his incapactiated wife, Victoria, and to help his wife not feel so lonely. Her ex wants her back and she doesn’t want anything to do with him but she needs to get away. Sylvie decides to take the job and moves in for the time being. She finds herself wondering what truly happened to Victoria. Adam tells her all the information she needs. However, Victoria wants Sylvie to read her diary. As Sylvie reads the diary she learns more about Adam and Victoria’s relationship and how utterly toxic it became. Victoria says a few names and Sylvie investigates the mysterious disappearances of two people that were visiting the house. Suddenly as she’s reading more of the diary she realizes the danger she is truly in and she needs to escape. 2

I had gotten this book on Kindle Unlimited (not sponsored) and I deeply was questioning whether or not this was going to be a good psychological thriller. Usually I DNF a lot of Kindle Unlimited books because they are either copy and paste of the same tropes but different characters. This was something I hadn’t come across and absolutely loved this novel. There were a lot of elements to this that were really thrilling. I loved how the main character was reading the diary and the diary was explaining more about the couple and how they met but through the wife’s eyes. After the fourth or fifth diary entry I was convinced that Adam was gas lighting Victoria and was playing the victim card. Something was suspicious with Adam from the start. Just watching the plot unfold was thrilling. I don’t blame what Victoria tried to escape. I just didn’t expect the ending of the novel at all. Sometimes endings really surprise readers like me.  Definitely recommend giving Kindle Unlimited a try and get this book to read. I simply loved this and want to own a physical copy of this novel.

didn’t expect this novel to be utterly good

The Girl Who Could Move Shit With Her Mind – Jackson Ford

Science fiction, mystery, thriller, fiction. 

Rating 11/10

Teagan has telekinetic powers and she is the only one to have them. Due to this, she is working for the government as a trade off from having doctors and scientists cut her open to do testing to see about her powers. Until someone was found dead in a particular way that makes her look like the murderer. She has only twenty four hours before clearing her own name. If she doesn’t find the murderer she will be trialed and sent to a lab facility. She would be erased from any records. Someone else in town has the same powers as she does. She hunts them down to confront them and bring them to light of justice. 

I got this mostly because of the title and the synopsis. This was utterly weird and I couldn’t believe that this book is hardly popular yet there are sequels so someone had to be reading it. I found myself laughing throughout this and intrigued with her perspective. I found myself reading this to the point where I lost track of time. I had such a fun time reading this novel and I might end up getting the sequels as well. This novel will take readers on a mystery thriller with a lot of science fiction involved. I also love where the novel takes place, which is Los Angeles. The descriptions of certain places, especially Skid Row, are vivid and really authentic. Other places described are rather realistic. The author must have been from Los Angeles to know the ultra specific areas and how they look. I enjoyed that in this book. I can’t wait to read more. I highly recommend this novel.

this book will make you hungry AF

Arsenic and Adobo – Mia P. Manansala

Mystery, whodunit, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Lila moves back home and begins to work in her family’s restaurant. Her ex-boyfriend walks in with his dad ordering food again. Derek always complains about the cooking and makes horrible reviews. While he was eating the dish he passed out. Lila, thinking this is a joke, tells him to stop acting. She eventually finds out the hard way that he was slowly dying from eating the food. Her family is devastated to hear that they have to close down until Lila’s name and the restaurant is clear of being a suspect. She and her best friend go to all the restaurants that Derek has reviewed and talk with them. She finds out she wasn’t solely singled out for being horribly criticised for her family’s restaurant food. When the detective finds new evidence and that Derek’s toxicology report came up with loads of arsenic, this makes Lila race to find the culprit that was trying to frame her.

I loved this mystery novel. I got it through Book of the Month (not sponsored) as one of my book of the month options. I liked the synopsis and the cover was so interesting. I was expecting one ending but got another ending. This novel threw me into so many possibilities of who killed Derek. I don’t usually read whodunit novels because they all were cliched but this was rather new and fresh. Also this had food mentioned throughout so reading this will warrant an appetite for not only wanting to know Derek’s killer but also food. I recommend this novel.