southernbibliomom's reviews
182 reviews

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Wow! This definitely kept me up too late turning just 1 more page! It is so tense and such a wild ride. Told from the perspectives of three characters, it keeps you just off balance enough. The story centers around husband and wife Adam and Amelia who are coming to Scotland to holiday at a remote chapel turned vacation home as a way to save their marriage. They both have secrets, but it’s the house and a mysterious woman who lives on the property that become their immediate concern. Who is she? What does she want? Who really got them to this particular vacation rental? And will they all make it out? So many swings for me in this and man what a twist! Highly recommend!!

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This is book 6 in the Cormoran Strike series. They just keep getting better. However, I will say this one went on a little longer than I think was necessary. It centers around a YouTube turned Netflix hit called The Ink Black Heart. The female co-creator is being relentlessly bullied online by the creator of an online game that began as an homage to the cartoon. However, with the news of a major motion picture, the bullying escalates until it ends in murder. Robin and Strike have been hired by the movie studio to figure out who this anonymous bully/murderer is. The deeper they get into the investigation, the more bodies keep piling up. Ending with a bang. While I think the middle investigation into the plethora of suspects could have been cut down a bit, it was a really good and intriguing story. I really liked how some of what we learn as a reader is through reading private online messages, so it really immersed me into the story. And the tension that is between Robin and Strike as each come to terms with how they feel and the ways they try to deny or work through said feelings is so very them. One thing that is consistent throughout all of these audio books is narrator, Robert Glenister. He is outstanding. Probably the best narrator I have ever heard. It really feels like I am hearing all different people. Which is amazing considering the number of female characters he has to do. I very much appreciate he doesn’t use that high pitched squeaky tone for women that many narrators use. He is perfection! Highly recommend!

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

2.25

This book was ok. But it was so slow and boring through a big chunk. I pushed through but it was almost like a tween wrote the ending. One caricature bad guy. All bad for not really great reasons. No depth. No complication. He might as well have had a mustache he twirled while cackling. I did like Grace and Alberto and Marta. I liked the theme of guilt and how it can steadily take over your life. How sometimes the hardest thing you can do is forgive yourself, move on and find joy again. But even in that, the main character doesn’t deal with certain aspects of her guilt, she’s just sort of told it’s ok I did it too. I felt like this had potential, but wasn’t flushed out well. Disappointing.

Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

This is my favorite of the Cormoran Stryke series so far. The case was so heartbreaking. Dr. Margaret Bamberer (I listened on audiobook so not sure of name spellings), went missing decades ago. The police assumed it was the work of a notorious serial killer and had closed the case. Her daughter, however, wanted answers. Stryke and Robin take the case. Not only did I find the investigation as captivating as watching a true crime doc, but the evolving friendship between the two detectives is so heartwarming, especially with the underlying tension. I really liked seeing Robin come into her own and take a stand for herself. Really well done installment of this series. 

The Plight Before Christmas by Kate Stewart

emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

When I started reading this I thought this would be a fluffy rom-com. It is funny and it is a romance but it’s not fluffy. Whitney is dealing with a string of “bad luck.” She loses a promotion that should have been hers, breaks up with her boyfriend, and has her car kick the bucket. She decides to bury her troubles with whiskey and a family Christmas. But even that doesn’t work to plan when her brother brings home her college ex. The man she dearly loved and who also ripped out her heart. With  some family trying to protect her and some trying to push them back together, it is a ride. There is tension in all of the sibling marriages but the focus is on Whitney and ex Eli, who vows to at minimum give her the apology she deserves and at most get her back. When Eli confesses why he did what he did, I almost cried. He is a man fighting to get where he is and now he is fighting for her. I liked this story that reveals how hurt really can fester and change us, but also shows that love can heal a lot. I loved watching Whitney remember her worth. I would have given it 4 stars but I really hated her brother. He was a jerk throughout it all and never had a redeeming moment. Not one apology to his sister for demeaning her in defense of a friend he had only known for a short time (he never knew Eli until recently). He spent the whole time letting his sister and wife do all the work and criticizing both of his sisters. Giving him a pass made no sense. At minimum I wanted to see Eli put him in his place, but really the honor should have gone to Whitney. Other than that all the characters were wonderful and I would read more about this quirky and lovable family.

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

emotional reflective 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

3.5

Cute romance that also deals with some heavy issues. Lexie has just learned she has inherited 1/2 of her dad’s travel agency after he dies. However, Lexie isn’t sure she wants it. Both because she likes her never settling down lifestyle and because she was very estranged from her father who left her when she was young and then barely saw her after. Theo is an employee of the agency who inherited the other 1/2. They clash as Theo thinks she didn’t care about her dad and Lexie thinks this is just one more time her dad showed he cared more about her sister who got the “easy, no strings” inheritance. Plus, she thinks Theo hates her. But working together begins to reveal the truth and soften hearts. I really like Theo and Lexie. Both are dealing with their own form of parental trauma and having to decide if they know the whole truth, what they are willing to forgive, and how much they will let their pasts determine their futures. Really sweet story that does have a rather abrupt ending. 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous challenging tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Another great addition to the Strike series. This is my favorite so far. I liked the hint of possible political intrigue. The growth of the relationship between Cormoran and Robin is sweet. I like their friendship. And I finally got the scene between Robin and her husband I’ve been wanting. Good book. Good series.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

These books are solid mysteries. The relationship between Strike and Robin makes me want to keep reading.  The narrator is great!

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0