It's all about the thrill: July 2022

Sunday, July 31, 2022

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

About the book:

The Secret History meets Ninth House in this sinister, atmospheric novel following a circle of researchers as they uncover a mysterious deck of tarot cards and shocking secrets in New York’s famed Met Cloisters.

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination.

Desperate to escape her painful past, Ann is happy to indulge the researchers’ more outlandish theories about the history of fortune telling. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction, and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

A haunting and magical blend of genres, The Cloisters is a gripping debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

MY THOUGHTS

Well well.. what do we have here?? I admit that I was SOLD at the cover alone..😍 Gothic vibes.. NYC…better yet.. The MET… tarot cards 🎴… a garden 🪴 full of deadly plants… GOTHIC VIBES…need I go on?! 😂

When Ann gets a chance to spend a summer as an intern at The MET she jumps at the chance… bye bye Walla Walla, WA… 💼 🏃‍♀️…she literally couldn’t get out of her hometown fast enough..

Except when she gets to The MET they assign her to a gothic freestanding museum called The Cloisters… that is known for their research in divination. Sooo not what she expected! 😳 Which BTW I goggled it and the photos are stunning. 😍

She became fast friends with Rachel… who basically was an “IT Girl” …👜👱‍♀️👠 💰 … then things got very interesting…I wasn’t sure if these two were really friends or frenemies..🤔

The writing was beautiful and so atmospheric… I could see the old walls of the office… the creepiness of the garden… and the darkness of the night. These girls were crazy to go there at night in my opinion.😳 I wasn’t sure what to expect…😬

As the story unfolds.. I was shocked at how the twists hit .. 🤭… they unfolded slowly as the story came together.. they were shocking to say the least. I did not see that coming…

A slow burn that drew me in and made me appreciate every detail. Beautiful writing.. very unique premise… a wonderful debut. I can’t wait to see what @heykatyhays comes up with next! 😍

Thank you @atriabooks for my gorgeous gifted copy!! Pub date is November 1st! 🥳🥳

Katy Hays is a writer and adjunct art history professor in California, where she teaches
rural students from Truckee to Tecopa. She holds an MA in art history from Williams
College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having previously worked at major art
institutions, including The Clark Art Institute and SF MoMA, she now lives with her
husband and their dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley, California.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Finding Tessa by Jaime Lynn Hendricks

About the book:

Jace and Tessa appear to be a young couple in love with nothing to hide. But looks can be deceiving.

When Jace Montgomery comes home late from entertaining clients, he discovers that his wife Tessa is missing. There’s broken glass at the back door. Clumps of her hair. Blood. The cops in their small New Jersey town have him pegged as a suspect, especially after he explodes at a reporter during a press conference. Jace maintains his innocence despite the mounting evidence against him, but when a coworker he's accused of having an affair with also disappears and a search warrant turns up an illegal gun in Jace’s home, all signs point to him as the culprit. What is he really hiding?

Finding Tessa is a smart domestic thriller where nothing can be taken at face value, where every twist reveals a deadlier secret than the one before. Fans of Gillian Flynn, Samantha Downing, and incisive, fresh psychological suspense won't want to miss it.

MY THOUGHTS

Have you met Tessa yet? 😍 So once again I am way late to the party…but wow!! 🥳This did not disappoint!! ❤️ I have heard this compared to Gone Girl… 👱‍♀️… and before you roll your eyes 👀….because we have heard that a million times… I am going to say … it definitely gave off some Gone Girl vibes… which I fricking loved!!!!! However… it was done 💯 % in it’s own unique way… and it was … brilliant… 😉

Listen to this… she dated him for a month… ran off and got married …. Husband and wife💍 for four months… and then Tessa goes missing..🤭… you know it is… always the husband.. I mean it really always is…😂…I don’t make the rules..🤷‍♀️

Okay these alternating POV’s … were fantastic!! When the twist hit…🤔😳🤭🤯…I was completely blindsided… So many times I wanted to say… OMG Tessa…walk away from that dude… Run 🏃‍♀️ girl .. Run.. 🤬…

Oh and the best… there was a dog 🐶.. named Candy…and guess what??? This is the only spoiler I will give you… 😉@jaimelynnhendricksauthor gets extra points for not harming the dog!!! 🙌🙌🙌 In fact… I think Candy had the best life out of everyone!! 🥰

Seriously.. this twist was so sneaky.. so unexpected… I actually had to read it again… because I couldn’t believe it!😳

A fantastic twisted page turner that I couldn’t put down. All the stars for this fantastic debut!! 🤩 How on earth is this a debut??? Looking forward to reading It Could Be Anyone.

❤️❤️ Have you read this one?? Did the twist blow your mind? 🤯If you haven’t read it.. what is the last book that had a twist that completely blindsided you??❤️❤️

Saturday, July 23, 2022

She Wouldn't Change a Thing by Sarah Adlakha

Paperback Release Date: June 7, 2022

About The Book:

A second chance is the last thing she wants.

When thirty-nine year old Maria Forssmann wakes up in her seventeen-year-old body, she doesn’t know how she got there. All she does know is she has to get back: to her home in Bienville, Mississippi, to her job as a successful psychiatrist and, most importantly, to her husband, daughters, and unborn son.

But she also knows that, in only a few weeks, a devastating tragedy will strike her husband, a tragedy that will lead to their meeting each other.

Can she change time and still keep what it’s given her?

Exploring the responsibilities love lays on us, the complicated burdens of motherhood, and the rippling impact of our choices, She Wouldn't Change a Thing is a dazzling debut from a bright new voice.

My Thoughts

I can’t wait to tell you about this book!!! OMG! I absolutely loved it!! Thank you so much to @suzyapprovedbooktours for having me along on this book tour! Also thank you @forgereads for this gorgeous gifted copy! 🥰

Where do I even begin? Have you ever been so surprised at how much you loved a book that you had a stunned euphoric feeling when you finished? Right here people…🙋‍♀️that is how I felt. You may say.. I don’t really care for time travel 🧳 books… and I will say… well this is not your typical time travel…. 🤷‍♀️it wasn’t silly and repetitive as ones I have read before… it was amazingly good. I can’t say much without spoilers… but let me try…😉

Maria is a therapist.. life is good with her husband and children.. then one day a patient springs a mind blowing 🤯claim on her.. and Maria ends up back at home with her mother… who is no longer alive… whattt?! 😳 Did I mention Maria is now 17???

Okay I can’t even tell you how brilliant and thought provoking this book is. It involves several different characters… and you are wondering how on earth this is going to come together… and then there was a moment where there was a fishing 🎣 pole… and it all made sense… and it was brilliant… absolutely brilliant!! 💖

From the fishing scene on.. everything fell into place. The epilogue was one of the best I have ever read… it was.. mind blowing…how is this a debut?? I have no idea..😍I have thought about this book for days and will continue to for a long time!!

All the stars 🌟 for this amazing.. creative.. original.. brilliant book!!

💖💖 Have you read this one?? What is the last book that left you stunned and thinking about it for days???

About The Author:

Sarah Adlakha is a native of Chicago who now lives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her husband, three daughters, two horses, and one dog. She started writing fiction shortly after retiring from her psychiatry practice. Her debut novel, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing, was a CNN most anticipated book of 2021. Midnight on the Marne is her second novel.Www.Sarahadlakha.com

Social Media:

Instagram : https://instagram.com/sarahadlakha

Twitter: @sarahadlakha

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adlakhabooks/

Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzyapprovedbooktours/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzyapprovedbooktours

Twitter https://twitter.com/SuzyAPBookTours

Bloggers On Tour:

June 15th- Maggie The Reader https://www.instagram.com/maggiethereader/

June 22nd- Geaux Get Lit https://instagram.com/geauxgetlit

June 22nd– Always With A Book – https://instagram.com/k2reader

June 23rd- Pages For Sanity https://instagram.com/pages.for.sanity

June 26th- Miss W Book Reviews https://instagram.com/misswbookreviews

July 6th- Tammy Reads https://instagram.com/tammyreads62

July 8th- Stacks and Snacks https://instagram.com/stacks_and_snacks

July 11th- Thrill By The Page https://instagram.com/thrillbythepage_

July 11th- Reading With Mere-https://instagram.com/readingwithmere

July 23rd- Mere Words In Arizona https://instagram.com/merewordsinarizona

July 23rd - Its All About The Thrill https://instagram.com/itsallaboutthethrill

July 23rd- American Lit Teacher https://instagram.com/americanlitteacher

July 26th- Stumbling Into Books https://instagram.com/stumblingintobooks

July 27th- Bookish SBE https://instagram.com/bookish_sbe

July 30th- Analyzed by Chris https://instagram.com/analyzedbychris

July 30th- Reading Is My Remedy https://instagram.com/reading_is_my_remedy

Monday, July 18, 2022

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand

About the book:

After a tragic fire in 1922 that killed 19-year-old chambermaid, Grace Hadley, The Hotel Nantucket descended from a gilded age gem to a mediocre budget-friendly lodge to inevitably an abandoned eyesore — until it's purchased and renovated top to bottom by London billionaire, Xavier Darling. Xavier hires Nantucket sweetheart Lizbet Keaton as his general manager, and Lizbet, in turn, pulls together a charismatic, if inexperienced, staff who share the vision of turning the fate of the hotel around. They face challenges in getting along with one another (and with the guests), in overcoming the hotel's bad reputation, and in surviving the (mostly) harmless shenanigans of Grace Hadley herself — who won't stop haunting the hotel until her murder is acknowledged.

Filled with the emotional tension and multiple points of view that characterize Elin's books (The Blue Bistro, Golden Girl) as well as an added touch of historical reality, Hotel Nantucket offers something for everyone in this summer drama for the ages.

MY THOUGHTS

Pack your bags💼 we are off to Nantucket. Cabana boy… please fetch me my drink…🍸…I am feeling fancy..😂🏝🍸💼❤️This book!! I loved it!!! I have only read three other books by @elinhilderbrand and I have loved them all… but this one is AMAZING! Definitely my favorite! ❤️

I am pretty much obsessed at this point with Nantucket 😂 I wonder how many people have vacationed there after reading @elinhilderbrand books!! 🤔 I know it is high on my list!!

Where to begin?? I loved it all.. Everyone knows everyone and everything..when you live on Nantucket.. apparently… 🤷‍♀️ The gossip is on fire 🔥 So when a billionaire says he is going to throw 30 million into a rundown hotel 🏨… Well that got everyone talking. Can he make it into the glamorous tourist destination??? You bet he can!!😉

A ghost 👻 you say?? I must admit I was so excited that there was a ghost!! 🤭 I think what I enjoyed the most were the characters. I felt I knew them all!! I was obsessed with finding out… WHO is Shelly Carpenter??? 🤔 I never guessed!! 😮🤫

I also loved how the book opened with us getting a glimpse of the dynamics of the island 🏝…and then the Chads… 😂 I didn’t know that this was a thing?!😂🤷‍♀️ This book was fantastic.. entertaining.. a bit of a mystery… I flipping loved it!! Lastly.. ohhh that cover!! 😍😍😍

Have you read this one yet?? What is your favorite @elinhilderbrand book? Does she make you want to be whisked off to Nantucket? 💼 ✈️

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket, which has been the setting for her five previous novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

Friday, July 15, 2022

Privacy by Nina Sadowsky

Release Date: June 14, 2022

About The Book:

Dr. Laina Landers is good at her job. She’s an accomplished therapist, dedicated and compassionate. When she is summoned by a panicked patient who is being held hostage by her husband, she intervenes and dissuades him. Laina becomes a media sensation. But as her star rises, a target is placed on her back.

Not everyone is impressed by Laina’s achievements. Someone has it in for her and is targeting what matters to her most: her patients. One by one, Laina’s patients spiral after they receive unsettling gifts that mock their deepest fears and hidden traumas. Liana’s own home is targeted, in a mysterious break-in where nothing is taken, but left behind is the same message sent to her patients: Watching you.

Enlisting Cal Murray, an ambitious and charismatic investigative journalist to whom she has an explosive attraction, Laina must examine her patients’ lives and her own to identify the culprit. All she knows for sure? It’s someone with access to her records. Someone who wants to destroy her stellar reputation, shatter her newfound success, and even, perhaps, end her life.

MY THOUGHTS

Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours for having me along on this book tour! 🥰A twisted… quick.. psychological thriller that had me up way too late! 😬

Dr. Laina Landers… 👩🏻‍⚕️yes that is her name…prides herself on her compassion and her discretion with her patients… but that is all blown to you know where 🤯when she is caught on live television… negotiating a hostage situation..😮… then… things got… creepy…😬😏

After getting this unwanted attention.. Laina and her patients start to get weird… gifts 🎁.. indicating.. someone is watching them. Eww so creepy!! Why?? How does this person know who her patients are?? Sooo many questions… sooo many suspects…🤔

I personally felt a connection with this book.. not because I am a creepy stalker..😂… but because it takes place in San Diego 🌴 and I have been to alot of the referenced places… which just adds to the story. ❤️I also really enjoyed the creepy stalker POV chapters…just because you know… my thriller loving heart🖤 loves that kind of stuff…🤷‍♀️

Then there was Cal… probably my favorite character…charming journalist that seems a bit infatuated with the good doctor… 🤫

Who is watching Laina and her clients? I had it all figured out… until I didn’t! The final twist was jaw dropping..🤯😮

🌴🌴🌴 Have you read this book?? Is this on your list? Have you read a book that takes place in a city where you have lived? That really was a fun dynamic for me! I literally could picture it.. like I was right there with the stalker..🤭😉😏

Thank you to Suzy Approved Tours, Nina Sadowsky and Bantam Books for my gifted copy!

About The Author:

Nina Sadowsky is an author, filmmaker, and educator. Her previous novels are Just Fall, The Burial Society, The Empty Bed, and Convince Me. She has written numerous screenplays and produced such films as The Wedding Planner. In addition to her work as an author and filmmaker, she serves as Program Director of NYU Los Angeles, a "semester abroad" program for advanced students considering careers in the entertainment and media industries.

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninasadowskythrillers/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ninasadowsky

Twitter: https://instagram.com/ninasadowsky

https://ninasadowsky.com/