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dig_the_plot's Reviews (98)
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
Such a great short story! The ending is everything and so much more! It’s a tale of deceit, a woman scorned, love and rejection. It even has humor. So much packed into a short 38 pages. These short stories are so satisfying. This is the 3rd book in the Hush Collection from Amazon Original Stories in which deception can be a matter of life or death. (You can read these for free with Amazon Prime.)
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book: Vacancy In Room 10
Author: Seraphina Nova Glass
Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
I really enjoyed this concept in the beginning. The setting is in a run down motel turned into low budget apartments called the Sycamores. All of the tenants had their own problems and reasons for living at the Sycamores. But where it went wrong for me was there wasn’t really a dominant story line. I would have preferred Henry and Anna to be the focus of the book. Cass and Callum just provided an unbelievable storyline for the most part and I needed their names to start with different letters. It’s a thing. I can’t help it. The shocks weren’t shocking and the twists weren’t twisty.
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is April 9, 2024.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This can be compared to a Bonnie and Clyde story with a little bit of Twilight. I love stories like this that are so twisted that you are rooting for who are technically the bad guys. And that’s essentially what Ashley Winstead has done. Are we going to sympathize with Ruth and Everett because we understand why they did what they did even though it was murder? This book looks at religion, small town politics, sexual abuse, child abuse, murder, drugs and so much more. It’s dark and disturbing and the ending couldn’t be any more perfect. This book has redeemed Ashley Winstead for me. If you are looking for a book for a book club this is it. So much to talk about and dissect!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had high hopes for this book and I feel like my review is going to shock you. I did not like this book. I mean it’s not horrible but it’s not what I consider a gothic thriller. I loved the prologue and was excited about what was to follow then I read it and was no longer excited. There were so many things wrong with this story. The one thing I did like was the setting of an old sanitorium in the middle of a dangerous snowstorm. The scene was set for a spooky story but it failed to deliver. I didn’t like Elin at all and she wasn’t a very believable detective. Will was completely useless and she should have let him be buried in the snow. Nothing about this story was plausible including the ending. This is set up to be a series but Elin needs to go back to the academy.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have mixed feelings about this book. None of these characters were likeable which I admit added to the story. But at the same time I found myself not rushing to pick this up and finish it. It’s filled with dark humor which is my favorite but it was sooooo slow. Yawn. There is a lot going on beneath the surface that won’t be revealed until the end but it took forever to get there. I wasn’t really shocked with the twist either which added to my lower rating. By the end it felt like someone else was finishing the story. As if the author wrote as much as she could laid it down and someone else came along and finished it. It was weird. The ending was just okay and it was left open ended which I have read could possibly lead to a sequel which I strongly advise against. My favorite part was Jane and her witty dark remarks. Three stars seemed fair. Didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it.
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes
The story opens in present day New York. The narrator is facing spending Christmas alone which is of her choosing. People invite her over but she is quite content being alone. While purging her spare bedroom she throws away a DVD box set of Seinfeld. At this point I almost stopped reading because I do not need that kind of negativity in my life. I love Seinfeld! But I digress. She discovers a diary and begins reading an entry dated exactly 30 years prior. The book is divided into days and entries like you would find in a diary. The diary belongs to Ashley Smith, an American art student living in London who found herself alone for the holidays. Emma Chapman, a fellow student, invited her home with her to come and stay at Starvewood Hall. If it were modern day it would be described as a Hallmark movie which I need it noted that I can’t stand. Ashley soon learns that Emma’s brother Adam is being investigated for the murder of a local girl. This doesn’t deter Ashley from falling in love with Adam. And what follows is a dark and chilling tale. This is a novella so it’s a short story. But there is great character development and the twists were jaw dropping. Even Ashley’s character questioned if she was part of a cold gothic thriller which she was. Swanson sets the atmosphere with the old manor house that has old cold rooms and set way back in the woods. This was incredibly clever and packed a horrifying punch. I loved it! The author stated he “and I hope it’s a book for everyone who enjoys a little murder dropped into the festivities.” I do, Peter, I really do.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m honestly on the fence about this one. I loved parts of it and then there were parts I felt were meh. I definitely would have rated it lower if it had not been for the illustrations. Mallory Quinn is a recovering addict and takes a job as a nanny for Ted and Caroline Maxwell for their 5-year-old son Teddy. Mallory immediately connects to Teddy. Teddy has an active imagination, an imaginary friend Anya and loves to draw. At first it’s your typical drawings….stick figures, rabbits, his family. But soon it becomes much more evil and Mallory can hear Teddy talking to Anya in his room. Mallory discovers that a woman may have been killed in the guest house she’s staying in and their neighbor tells her that the spirit is using Teddy. Overall it wasn’t really that scary. The drawings added a depth to it that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. The twist at the end wasn’t forceful enough to proved an aha moment. It slid right past me. I would have much preferred a different ending. I’m not really sure how it won Goodreads Horror award but nevertheless it did. After finishing the book the reviews alluded to a lot to controversy surrounding this book. I read and take books for what they are. I don’t think he was trying to change the world when he wrote it. It’s just an okay read. Nothing scary here.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the 4th book in the Hush Collection from Amazon Original Stories in which deception can be a matter of life or death. (You can read these for free with Amazon Prime.) Edward “Fitz” Fitzhugh works for the Fairview Daily Examiner and was at his desk when a call came across the scanner. There had been a kidnapping. A car was found with the door open and a note signed the Gravedigger. The kidnapper leaves limericks and if you solved them then the person kidnapped would be found. Kelley “Dottie” Wyandotte was a staffer at the newspaper with Fitz and half his age. She usually stayed frustrated with Fitz most of the time because he was older and refused to advance with technology. I really enjoyed the banter between Fitz and Dottie. This story was longer than the others in this series which allowed for more character development. This story contained several twists and shocking moments. This one was satisfying from beginning to end. I will definitely be checking other books out by this author.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book: For The Last Time
Author: Heidi Perks
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Pub Date: December 5, 2023
This was a very clever story. It’s told from two POV’s Maggie and Erin. Will and Erin begin to have marital problems that Will doesn’t understand. Erin is scared of him and just knows he has done something but has no idea what. Eventually Will has to move out. They both agree to see a therapist Maggie Day. Maggie somewhat sides with Will from the beginning and that makes Erin mad. Maggie becomes way too involved in their marriage and their problems and soon discovers there is a connection to the murder of her sister Lilly years ago. This is what I like to call a solid read. I found myself staying up wanting to read one more chapter. I did feel like there was some repetition that could have been avoided but a very easy book to read. It’s not the most compelling book I’ve read this year but I very much enjoyed the plot and the way the author delivered it.
Thank you Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is December 5, 2023.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the 1st book in the Hush Collection from Amazon Original Stories in which deception can be a matter of life or death. (You can read these for free with Amazon Prime.) What a book! Leah’s dad has isolated her and her siblings on a remote island. They left their home in the middle of the night because he claimed a war was coming. Only after they got to the island did they notice their mother never made it. Now it’s been 10 years and they are still living on the island and their dad is even crazier. He says “they” are getting closer and they must build a wall. This little story was full of twists and was a great short read. Ruth Ware is one of my favorite authors and this short story did not disappoint. She packs a lot into these 31 pages. I kept reading there was a hidden message or something political in it. I just read it for what it was and didn’t dig too deep into it and really enjoyed it.