booksthrilljessica's reviews
348 reviews

7th Circle by Tate James

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

Hades is the boss of the Tri-state Timberwolves, a gang thought to have been extinct however this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Hades was the mastermind behind the massacre that took out the Timberwolves five years ago. Well the Timberwolves of the old guard, including her own father. Under Hades’ rein she has multiple thriving businesses and most of all respect. The only thing missing is someone she can love. Will she find what she needs from a newly hired male dancer, Lucus? Or will she find solace in someone that has been right in front of  her since the beginning? 

Overall rating 3/5

I felt many times throughout this book as if I missed a prequel or if this was truly book 1 in the series. The FMC would reference things from the past as if the reader should know what happened without much context. However, I did like that Hades was a strong female character who stood her own ground and did not succumb to the will of any man in her life. 

*Thank you to Tate James, SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books | Bloom Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

A Curse of Breath and Blood by K.W. Foster

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

4.0

Aelia Springborn is betrothed to King Gideon Ironheart, but she is in love with another. She must leave her love, Caiden, behind and start her new life as it is her duty. 

Five years after Aelia is married off we find that she is now dubbed the Traitor Queen. Now living as a mercenary, Aelia, will do whatever it takes to survive and never return to her brutal and vengeful husband. She also struggles with multiple addictions just to cope with the nightmares and PTSD that she suffered at the hands of Gideon. 

And now as if in a puff of smoke, Caiden appears back into Aelia’s life. Only to deliver the unfortunate news that her sister has been taken by the man she hates the most, Gideon. Aelia must break a deal with her ex lover to defeat Gideon and rescue Baylis. 

Along their journey Caiden and Aelia find themselves in a predicament… vowing that Aelia will erase all his memories of their love together, in exchange for his help, they inevitably find themselves still deeply in love. But they must fulfill their bond to forget or fate will intervene. 

Overall rating 4/5

I was perplexed by the choice in the beginning of this book to quickly show Aelia’s past love to then be thrown into a marriage. Then just as suddenly the story jumps ahead five years. This had me wondering if the past could have just been explained within the present timeline. I loved how all the characters in this book were flawed and how they embraced these flaws. It was refreshing from the normal fantasy books where the MFC is usually perfect or a hero. Filled with complicated and dynamic characters this book has a different feel, yet holds true to a core romantasy. 

And that ending…….. I can't, I need more and appreciate that this wonderful gritty book had a HFN cliff hanger. 

*Thank you to K.W. Foster, Aethon Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

House of Thorns by Isabel Strychacz

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Avery went missing five years ago. What happened that terrifying night the Peartree family fled their ancestral home, Brier Hall? When three sisters entered the house only two escaped. 

Now Ali is convinced that she needs to return to Brier Hall to find her sister. However, Lia is not ready to return to the house of nightmares. She has suppressed as many memories of their time in their previous home and is not ready to return and remember what she wants to forget. Lia is convinced that Brier Hall is alive, somehow searching and calling them back home. But when Ali goes missing Lia must find out if she is another drug bender or if she truly went back to Brier Hall. Can she find her sister before it is too late? Or will the same thing that happened to Avery take Ali too? 

Overall rating 4/5 

Reminiscent of Poe, this gothic story is well developed and successfully spooky. The only issue I had with this book is that it is almost exact rendition of The Haunting of Hill House at least with the same key points in the plot. I wish we got to see more from the mother and her experience at Brier Hall. I think this would have added to the storyline to help us understand why she is so detached from life. The eerie atmosphere and world building created a sense of dread, not knowing what would happen to the characters. Especially seeing this develop through the intense anxiety in Lia. After reading this book I couldn’t help but feel as if I shouldn't look in a mirror at night. 

 

*Thank you to Isabel Strychacz, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review. 

 

The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Two women who both have experienced tragic losses and who have both lived in the same house and who have the same enemy. 

Laurel and her family have just moved into their dream home on Cold Creek Lane, but their happiness is short lived. Laurel who has two young children is living the day to day life of a struggling stay at home mom. Laurel is trying her best to be the good mother that she always wanted. After her mother’s death Laurel has struggled with confidence which is strained when they move to their new home. 

Corey is now living back with her mother and in a dead end job. She has lost everything: her home, her husband and her child. On top of everything nobody even believes Corey that someone else was involved in her daughter’s death, but she knows who is responsible she just needs to prove it. And now the same events are happening to the new owner of Corey’s house, Laurel. Who is responsible and will the tragic events of the past happen again? 

Overall rating 4/5 

I love how Alterman shins a light on how hard parenthood is and the constant demand that society puts on women to be the perfect mother. The struggles and anxiety that Laurel exhibited was so evident and relatable. The slow buildup of how Corey and Laurel seemed to both be going crazy by the events afflicted by one person made me invested to find out the ending. I appreciated how Alterman touched on the topics of addiction and grief. 

 

*Thank you to Liz Alterman, Severn House and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review. 

 

One Year Ago in Spain by Evelyn Skye

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Being a successful New York Lawyer, Claire has always lived her life practically versus with passion but she is ready for a change. Claire was not prepared to find the love of her life when she met an aspiring artist, Matias. As the two form an intense relationship Claire is still holding back, unable to make a lasting commitment. While Matias, on the other hand, is ready to take their love story to the next level. However, Claire’s world comes to an abrupt halt when Matias is involved in a fatal accident leaving him in a coma. She must travel to Spain for the one she loves, before it is too late. 

Finding herself in Spain, Claire contemplates what Matias really means to her and is surprised when his soul appears to her and only her. Matias must fall in love with Claire all over again if he is ever to return to his earthly body, but the problem is that he has no idea who she is. Can Claire prove her love to Matias, and in return gain his love all over again? 

Overall rating 3/5 

This was a great concept to the fairytale love story that we all want and wish for. I do find the concept of finding one's soul and having a full blown love relationship with it complex and unbelievable. But being as this is a fictional book it is an interesting concept to have not only one fall in love with you but to have their soul fall for you as well is endearing. I do feel as if the storyline was a bit slow and was hard to read at times. But if you love a true love story with struggles and a happy ending then this book is for you. 

 

*Thank you to Evelyn Skye,  Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review. 

Scalebound by Logan Piercey

adventurous emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Princess Aurelia is a scalebound, she has dragon’s blood within her veins and the Old Religion magic flowing within her soul. But she must keep hidden because she lives in a world that has made it a priority to hunt down any existing dragons and all Scalekind. But Aurelia knows she needs to come out of hiding if she wants to save her kingdom and its people from the Deathlies. Aurelia must set out on a quest to find the last dragon egg that will tell her how to defeat these deathly magical creatures.  

In a distant part of this world is Damian, a man who has recently lost his beloved to none other than a dragon. Filled with disdain and vengeance he has now devoted his life to becoming an assassin wanting nothing more than to bring his love back to life. Stumbling upon a sorcerer who promises Damian a way to grant his wish he must find and kill Aurelia; he sets out on his own journey. What will happen when the two meet? Will they both find what they are looking for or will fate intervene? 

Overall rating 5/5 

I loved this book with all my whole heart and soul. I was immediately immersed into this world and the characters. The way Piercey wrote in depth about the characters, and the storyline was everything! The way my heart broke many times and then was uplifted made me emotional and kept me engaged. This was a low spice, closed door romance but made up for that with the world building and fast paced action scenes. I can’t wait to see more from Piercey! 

 

 

*Thank you to Logan Piercy for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review. 

Ruthless Sinner by Cora Kent

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Adalina Martinelli has only known torture and captivity. She has been treated this way her whole life by her very own father, Tammaso. But that is about to change….. 

Enter Dante Terlizzi, a brooding and incredibly violent mob boss and he has his sights set on Adalina. He wants to break her, he wants to possess her, he wants to use her as a pon for revenge. But he never thought he would fall in love with this strong, spritely and fierce woman. And now he must face the consequences of his actions by fending of Adalina’s father who will do anything to get his daughter back dead or alive. 

Has Dante finally met his match? What lengths will he go through to keep her safe? 

Overall rating 4/5 

This was my first dark mafia romance, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. However, if a man said the things that Dante says to Adalina, we would have never heard from Dante again…..  But in the context of this book I couldn’t help but swoon over Dante and his -you touch her and you d!3- mentality. My heart broke for Adalina and how she never truly knew what a healthy relationship was, but she was definitely a product of her environment and found her perfect match in Dante. I can’t wait to see what becomes of Lucia in the second book. 

 

*Thank you to Cora Kent and Booksprout for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

2.0

The Unraveling by Vi Keeland

adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

When Meredith McCall’s famous hockey star husband sustains a serious injury while playing he soon becomes addicted to his pain medication. Meredith lives in a state of denial of who her husband Connor has now become. Ironic since she is a psychiatrist, however this allows for a series of tragic events that will end up altering her life forever. 

When Connor steals Meredith’s prescription pad to sustain his addiction he finds himself not only dead due to his reckless actions but also responsible for running over a mother and her child killing them as well. 

Meredith is having a difficult time adjusting to her new life as a widow, and now being held responsible for her negligence. But when she sees Gabriel Wright, the father of Connor’s victims on the street, she has no control over her own actions or thoughts. She must follow him, she must know how he is doing. And now seemingly unbeknownst to Gabriel he has come to Meredith for psychiatric care unaware of who she truly is. 

Overall rating 3/5 

The amount of denial, and unprofessionalism exhibited by Meredith is unbelievable. How can she truly be so unaware or bury her head in the sand in regards to Connor’s behavior let alone her own. A psychiatrist who openly stalks, and takes advantage of her patient/victim is so volatile. I did not like this character, but maybe that is the way Keeland wanted the reader to see the MC. I do wish the storyline moved faster or added another POV. I do like that there was a happy ending of sorts and feel that this whole story represents unhealthy relationships, but maybe at only a surface level. 

 

*Thank you to Vi Keeland, Atria Booksand Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review. 

Wings of Lies by M.S. Quinn

adventurous emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

When Lucille Chiara wakes from a deep slumber she has no recollection of who or where she is. The only thing she does know is that a man in a cowboy hat is after her. As Lucille finds out what she truly is, a Nephilim (half angel, half human) through her magical ability to dream walk, she must also come to terms with being betrayed by the only two people she has trusted, Oliver and her mother. 

The more Lucille is able to dream walk the more her memories come back to her slowly filling in the gaps of who she is and what she is ment to do in this new world.  But when held captive by the devilishly handsome Aspen, Lucille must face certain memories that she has suppressed whether she is ready or not. Will she finally find and confront her mother or will she not like the answers she seeks? 

Overall rating 4/5 

I do feel like this story was a bit bogged down in the beginning with the different characters and world building which made it hard to follow. That being said I did enjoy Quinn’s visualization of angels and demons, and truly appreciated that at the end of every chapter certain words/phrases were defined. The slow burn, enemies to lovers dynamic between Lucille and Aspen was remarkable. I can’t wait to see what will happen if there is book two and from whose perspective. 

 

*Thank you to  M.S. Quinn and BookSirens for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.