rchellelynn's reviews
235 reviews

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

Discipline by Marc Avery

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Guisippe aka “Discipline” had it rough growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia. No matter how hard he tried it didn’t seem like he could catch a break. When life finally starts to turn around for him he ends up behind bars. Feeling completely railroaded he decided to seek revenge on every person that ever wronged him. 

Meanwhile, Aden [homicide detective] is grappling with the loss of his marriage and learns that he’ll have to reluctantly take on a new partner. Christian is transferring to the Philadelphia PD for bigger opportunities but he’s not happy to hear that he’s partnered with Aden. Aden’s former partner just so happens to be Christian’s small-town partner and they also happen to be enemies. 

When a string of murders start popping up around the city and the connections are made- Aden and Christian are hot on the trail of Discipline. 

What I loved: 

This was a fast-paced read that had a great plot and I enjoyed the ending. 

What I didn’t like about this:

There were a few different storylines explored throughout the narrative that I felt like had potential to be further developed. Towards the last 30% of the story, it started to feel rushed. 

Overall, this is a good read and I’d like to dive deeper into this new-to-me authors catalog. 

Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*I received an Advanced Reader Copy courtesy of NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

Rose is rebuilding her life. After filing for divorce and distancing herself from her former best friend, she’s immersed in her work as a journalist- breaking a story on a well-known, shady billionaire. All is well until she receives a frantic call from Zoey saying she can’t find her sister and Rose’s former bestie- Eve. 

Despite their fallout, Rose senses something is wrong and embarks on a mission to find her. The suspects are piling up and her life is certainly in danger but she’s determined to find out what happened to Eve and where she is. 

From the 1st page I was hooked and rearranged my reading schedule to finish this in one day. Shanora Williams thrillers always leave me hooked because they’re fast-paced with amazing plot twists- this book was no different. 

This was such a good, addictive page-turner. 

Immoral by Toni Larue'

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Sex lies and videotapes are the ultimate demise of Jae. 

She’s a talented psychologist with a bright future if only she could escape her troubled past. Life is going well for the most part until Jae meets King Daniels. 

King is gorgeous and charming but he’s her client who was accused of stabbing his girlfriend in mistress after getting caught in the act. This paired with some alarming news from her past sends Jae on a downward spiral and she soon finds herself risking it all. 

Keith is certain that Jae is the love of her life but his background as a police officer and private investigator tells him that she’s hiding something. After some digging he soon uncovers all of her nasty little secrets, but will this be the end of them?

Immoral is a thrilling page-turner with an unexpected twist that I loved. I’m a huge fan of Toni Larue and her thrillers never miss. 

We Don't Talk About Carol: A Novel by Kristen L. Berry

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

*I received the ARC of this book courtesy of NetGally. All opinions expressed are my own*

Sydney Singleton abandoned her dreams and passion for a career in journalism for a more “sensible” career and she’s going along to get along in life until she uncovers a dark family secret. 

After learning about her Aunt Carol who went missing nearly 60 years ago Sydney is determined to find out what happened to her.  Alarmed that she spent her entire life unaware Carol existed she soon finds that she, along with a handful of other Black girls went missing in the 1960’s with no public outcry, media spotlight, or police interest. 

As she desperately tries to solve the mystery she’s also juggling to fulfill her husband's wishes, considering her family’s reputation, chasing leads, and trying to bring attention to the missing girls. 

This had an unlikely and excellent plot twist and addressed the very real issue of the lack of public interest regarding Black Girls and Women who go missing. 

As a Black Woman so much of this story resonated with me - the family secrets and respectability as well as the Black Mother and daughter dynamics. I also live in LA and have ties to Raleigh [the primary setting] so the familiarity made this even more enjoyable. 

What impacted my rating?

1. There were 2 story gaps that I didn’t think were completed. I wanted completion with Lawrence [her Dad] - I don’t know why he was the way he was.
2. Yvonne [Micheal’s sister]: What did she know? What was she hiding? She did all of that and for what?
3. I think it could have been about 75 pages shorter

Overall, excellent debut and I think it’s worth reading and adding to your mystery collection. 

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Edward Stark is a retired Chief of Police and local hero credited with taking down “The Butcher” - a notorious serial killer that terrorized the greater Seattle area. Faced with the realities of aging after the death of his wife he decides to move into a retirement home and gift the Stark family home to his Grandson, Matt. 

Matt is at the peak of his career, an in-demand chef with a food truck and boomin’ restaurant and the star of his unscripted reality show but life as he knows it is falling apart. He’s constantly fighting with Sam [his girlfriend] and uncovers unspeakable secrets hidden in “The Chief’s” home. 

Sam is determined to prove that her mother was a victim of The Butcher- even though it makes no sense according to the timeline. Matt’s been constantly pushing her away since his move and she’s noticing how he’s changed. More than anything she’s on a quest to find out what happened to her mother but recent events have her chasing new leads. 

This was an absolute page-turner and by page 9 my jaw had already dropped. I never knew how the plot would twist but I loved reading every minute of this. 

Sins of Christie by Linette King

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Christie had a rough childhood. When she loses the only support system she has she makes the most of a hard life and finds herself in a world of crime. A recent job leads her to an old acquaintance and she’s faced with a decision that will forever change her life. 

While I considered that this is a Novella, there were still some loose ends, and the ending was rushed. 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

This is the story 8 generation-long story of a family separated by the slave trade. Effia and Esi are half-sisters who suffer a very different fate when one is sold as a slave and the other is married to a colonizer. 

We’re introduced to their descendants who endure Chattel Slavery, forced prison labor, and unspeakable racism. The impacts of Imperialism and Colonization are central to this story and you begin to understand how the displacement of the African/African-American still impacts families today. 

Each descendent of Effia and Esi shows up as an intriguing, layered character and you won’t want to put this book down once you pick it up. 

This has easily become one of my favorite books and it deserves all the praise. 

Mr. Dixon by Linette King

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence