How To Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper

4 Stars

Did you know a person can be murdered by ragweed? Okay, maybe that’s an overstatement, but the ragweed count where I live is tryna kill me, bruh. When I’m feeling uggy, there’s only one thing to do . . . .



That’s where my go-to-gal Molly Harper comes in. Both her Southern Eclectic and Naked Werewolf series have served as brain candy in the past and since Halloween is just around the corner I thought some more shifty good times were in order.

The story here is about our leading lady Jillian’s new job down in the swamp. She works for an organization called “The League” (extraordinary gentlemen excluded this go around) and has been sent to Cajun country because . . . .

Your town represents one of the few settlements where supernatural creatures from nearly all cultures live and work together in relative peace, and have for generations.

Jillian’s assignment is to figure out just how these beings have been so successful with their integration before all of us normies discover that everything we ever read about in fairy tales is real and to prevent a “War of the Worlds phenomenon all over again” – because, in case you aren’t aware . . . .



The only person in town who isn’t so keen on letting her in on all the community secrets is Bael, the local sheriff. You know what that means, right? They gonna bang . . . . .

Hey Girl. Yes. Cool people are.

Of course the sheriff in question looks something like this . . . . . .



So major sploosh. And also, per the title . . . . .



Things are gonna get HOT! *ba dum ching* I’ll be here all week, folks.

Oh, and random supes are popping up dead because DUH, it's pretty much obligatory for books like these to have a bit of a mystery for these meddling kids to solve.

This book made me like . . . . .



Jillian wasn't a pushover/damsel in distress - Bael was sex on a stick without all of the alpha male B.S. that doesn't always work for me. There was humor and there was whodunit. What more could a gal ask for in her smut?

I’m definitely reading the next one. I mean who doesn’t want to have sex with a grizzly shifter????

 

Someone We Know by Shari Lapena

4 Stars

A woman goes missing in a upper-middleclass neighborhood. Of course the other residents feel bad for her, but really how much can they do? Especially in a case like this – obviously the husband did it . . . .



There’s only one little problem, Olivia and Paul’s son Raleigh has admitted to breaking into a couple of the neighbors’ houses in order to hone his hacking skills. Olivia makes the rash decision to leave anonymous apology notes to the unknowing victims of her little cat burglar and assumes that will be the end of things. But like with most situations in life, nothing is ever simple and one of the houses Raleigh broke into just so happens to be Robert Pierce’s – the guy whose wife disappeared. Now the neighbors are not only talking about the missing wife, but who could be the kid breaking into homes. It’s only a matter of time before everyone’s skeletons start falling out of their various closets and . . . .



And also in some more immortal words of Aretha – who’s zoomin’ who????

I thought this was great fun. Despite not having a house on the cover (my old lady brain did appreciate the similarity to the cover art of An Unwanted Guest, though), this was right in my wheelhouse. Nosey neighbors! I do not interact with other humans voluntarily so I can’t say I’m of the caliber of people like this that I enjoy so much in books, but I do totally sit in the reading room and watch the only house I can see from my perch as the inhabitants come and go. (SIDENOTE: I’d say I’m a regular Edna Kravitz (and I’m sure only like two of you are old enough to even get that reference), but I am pretty much just a lazy peeping Tom. However, the only person in the neighborhood to ever tear down my walls and make a true friend out of me did so by knocking on my front door and saying “Hi, I’m Liv. I live across the street and I was wondering what color you painted your living room. I can see it when I look at your house from my house. Can I come in?” Anyone who has the balls to admit they have been spying on you is either destined to be your bestie or murder you so I decided to roll the dice on friendship and I’m still alive so I guess it worked.)

Where was I again? Oh yeah, this book that was enjoyable because it was about a potentially dead person and followed the basics. You know . . . . .



Shari Lapena’s first release The Couple Next Door was a bit “meh” to me, but after reading the aforementioned An Unwanted Guest and now this one, I have this to say . . . .



She’s an autorequest from me at this point.

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

1 Star

♫♪♫♪[COMMUNITY:]
In the heights
I flip the lights and start my day
There are fights

[WOMEN:]
And endless debts

[MEN:]
And bills to pay♫♪♫♪

I’m so disappointed that I found this to be disappointing, but sadly that’s the case. As you can see from above, this story reminded me a bit of another that was already done – and better . . . .



And before anyone jumps my ass and tells me these stories aren’t alike at all and . . . .



I realize that it may seem like a bit of apples and oranges – so let me explain. The problem with Dominicana is there is not much to it. Told from the perspective of 15-year old Ana who has been (smuggled, pretty much) into America by a “husband” twice her age, you only get to know what she knows and/or understands which translates into some pretty flat characters. Ana’s life mainly consists of the small apartment where she and Juan live and when monumental historical events (i.e., Malcolm X’s assassination) conveniently happen literally outside of her door she’s oblivious to their significance (which make them seem thrown in just to remind readers that this is an attempt at being a “historical” novel). Juan, the kidnapper/husband (depending on your viewpoint, I guess) has a job, is able to send money back to the DR and invests in property acquisition/building development with his brothers, but no details are given regarding anything. The story development would lead you to believe this arranged marriage was organized in order to benefit Juan’s family, yet he holds up his end of the bargain (spoiler here so watch out (view spoiler)[regarding bringing Ana’s mother and brother to the U.S. (hide spoiler)]). Why? Because family? I don’t buy it. Not from a rapey drunken abuser. Oh, and that’s another thing. Way to perpetuate racial stereotypes there. FFS, are authors today incapable of writing hardworking immigrant men? It’s like a damn dead horse being beaten. What else can I slam? Oh yeah, the writing is bizarre (I seriously thought this was a YA novel for a giant chunk), the school of Cormac McCarthy has been followed when it comes to the non-usage of quotation marks and the ending is pretty much unbelievable (again spoilsies: (view spoiler)[the mother who pretty much whored out her own child all of a sudden feels bad/finds it unacceptable that said child is a victim of domestic violence? (hide spoiler)] Yeah right).

So where does In the Heights come in? Well, not only is it set in the same neighborhood, but it does explain all of things Dominicana does not. You get to know where the characters came from originally and how they ended up in The Heights and you know their hopes and dreams and goals and who they love and why they love them and how important family truly is (whether via birth or simply association). Not to mention they are like the majority of immigrants who are hard-working and not women trying to have an anchor baby as soon as they set foot in the country or men who are all wife beaters! It is well written (by a TEENAGER, no less) and also????? It has songs I can drive my family crazy singing all the time . . . .





That right there is called a bonus.

I might recommend Dominicana to a high schooler looking for some diversity in their reading repertoire, but I don’t know if (m)any of my Goodreads friends would dig it. I’d be interested to see their take.

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

5 Stars

When Evvie’s husband (and high school sweetheart) passed away almost a year ago, everyone in their small town couldn’t help but offer her endless condolences. She opted to hole up in their dream home and everyone just assumed it was due her being overcome by grief. Dean was a World Series winning pitcher until he came down with a serious case of the yips. He’s been trying (and failing) to hide out himself, but it’s pretty hard when your own private island just so happens to be Manhattan. Thanks to their mutual friend Andy, Evvie finds some much needed extra income and a tenant for the rental addition on the back of her house and Dean finds a place to get away from the hounding press. Over the course of the next year they form a friendship and help each other find a way to move on.

If you know me you know I don’t hand out a lot of 5 Stars – especially to romcoms since I read a crapton of them. Fair warning to all of you before you go one-clicking this or requesting it from the library – my rating might be a little padded. As a life-long Cubs fan, this was a book that had me at hello the “yips.” Are you familiar with the yips??? They look a little something like this . . . .



Or this . . . .



Unfortunately for poor Dean, his ailment was in the form of throwing a strike rather than to first base so he wasn’t able to find a workaround like Lester has . . . .



Was that too quick? Lemme slow it down . . . .



So here’s the thing. Not only do I love baseball, but I love these stories that deal with real issues and not the typical B.S. that usually creates a bunch of unnecessary drama in romance novels where the whole thing could be resolved if the immature assholes would just FUCKING. TALK. TO. EACH. OTHER. which makes me get all stabby (bet you couldn’t tell that since I’m real subtle). I also am not necessarily always a fan of the real smexy sexytimes and enjoy more of a fade-to-black style in a story like this (and am VERY thankful no one turned into some sort of ass-slapper or filthy talker to scare me off). I loved that this was slow rolling in terms of getting to the romance stage – and more than anything I just loved Evvie and Dean . . . . .

“I’m only good at grilled cheese,” he said. “And Pringles. I’m also good with Pringles.”

“Just cans of Pringles, or, like, you cook with Pringles?”

“Just Pringles. I buy them, I open the package, and then I stuff them straight into my face.”

“Ah. Got it. That’s how I make Oreos.”

This was just a completely enjoyable experience for me.

The Passengers by John Marrs

3.5 Stars

In the not-so-distant future eight people get in their autonomous cars to start their day. They are: 26 year old pregnant Claire, 78 year old actress Sofia, 29 year old unemployed/homeless Jude, 40 year olds police officer Heidi and construction company owner Sam (married, but in separate vehicles), 46 year old Somali refugee Bilquis and 38 year old stay-at-home mother of five and non-English speaking Shabana . . . .

The only thing you need to know at this point is that in two hours and thirty minutes from now, it is highly likely that [they] will be dead.

And you thought the only thing to worry about with these self-driving cars was this . . . .



Not only have the supposedly unhackable vehicles been hacked and reprogrammed for a head-on collision with each other at 70 mph, but the entire experience goes viral when it starts being broadcast across the interwebs and interrupts an ongoing trial regarding who’s to blame for previous accidents involving smart cars. Now the jury will be forced to become executioners and decide . . . .



I was lucky enough to be sent a reader copy of this one quite some time ago, which I then placed on the Shelf of Shame with others of the same ilk who stare at me in my reading chair as I select library book after library book instead of them. It wasn’t until my friend Indieflower made a John Marrs reference in a comment about another book that the lightbulb went off in my head reminding me I had this. I can now confirm that it was indeed the best kind of bad (or maybe the best kind of good). I think I avoided this because I was expecting a Maximum Overdrive type of story – and let’s get real, nothing can compare to that level of camp . . . .



To say I was delighted to find myself experiencing something more along the lines of . . . .



Is a serious understatement.

This was some serious high octane junk food for my brain type of read and I couldn’t stop turning the pages as more about each of the characters was revealed . . . .



But it also had some had some pretty relevant undertones regarding implicit bias and the devolution of humankind courtesy of social media, confirming my beliefs that anyone who dare utter the phrase . . . .

“I am valued. I am listened to. I am an influencer.”

In my presence, will find me doing everything in my power to NOT give them one of these . . . .



3.5 Stars because the big reveal drug on a little too much for my liking – rounding up because the grand finale was delicious.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

2.5 Stars

WARNING: I AM GOING TO SPOIL THIS STORY. FOR REAL. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Right when Jules finds herself both jobless and homeless (thanks to an unfaithful boyfriend banging some strange in the middle of their apartment), a too good to be true opportunity pretty much falls in her lap – apartment sitting in a luxury building. In order to maintain the appearance of 100% occupancy and prevent any potential shenanigans until new tenants can be found, the co-op board of Manhattan’s Bartholomew pay a hefty sum for people to reside in empty units. Jules hops at the chance for free Central Park living that will net her a profit of $12,000 to start over after her three month stint is over. But what secrets are hiding within the Bartholomew’s walls? And what has happened to the other sitters who came before her?

Okay, so literally yesterday I wrote a review of a book that had a handful of similarities to other books that 100% did not bother me at all. I don’t know if it was the old “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” mumbo jumbo or that it was fresh enough that they seemed like shout-outs rather than rip-offs or what. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is . . . . .



In case you haven’t figured it out. I am the people in question here. I am fickle, I am a fuck and so is my “meh” rating.

Let’s start with the good first, though, shall we? To begin with, I read this LAST NIGHT. Like, I got off work, ran by the grocery store, pre-heated the oven to start dinner and opened the book. I was finished by 8:30 and had fed the humans I'm responsible for keeping alive annnnnnd washed the smelliest uniforms in the history of the world. Now, I know I read fairly quickly, but this was legit a fast read. Second, the book's timeline was fast too. Everything took place within a week which helped not only with the page turnability, but also when it came to the big reveal (no matter how RIDICULOUS *trademark Ron 2.0* it might have been). And finally, while I don’t live in NYC, I do work in a “city” and in order to get to the office I turn down this quaint little tree-lined street in the middle of high rises and ewwww that features a coffee shop and a corner restaurant/jazz bar and lofts with a little courtyard/fountain area that I immediately pictured as the building in question here . . . .



I love being able to put myself in the setting - or at least my flyover country version of it. So what went wrong????



Jules may not have been knocked up, but right away it was pretty apparent Riley Sager must be quite the Ira Levin fan because this baby was pretty much . . . . .



(And I literally just looked at the cover (because I read the Kindle version, but also checked out the hardcover in order to take a lameass book picture for Instagram) and saw Ruth Ware’s blurb comparing the two so it must be even more apparent than I thought.)

Obviously that had to be some sort of red herring, though, because it was waaaaaaaay too easy to sniff out. I will admit that I did not see the twist coming. However, when it did . . . . .



Seriously?



Urban legend????? Oh lort. I’m giving this one 2.5 Stars because I was highly entertained by that ending – just maybe not in the way the author intended me to be. (Rounding down because I could have really lived without the missing sister nonsense that didn’t go anywhere.) Please note I am TOTALLY in the minority here. Most of my friends gave it 4 or 5 Stars. Also note I’ll happily pick up whatever he releases next since they are fast and fun. 2 Stars = “it was okay” and it was absolutely okay for me.

The Whisper Man by Alex North

4 Stars

Twenty years ago Frank Carter spent his free time befriending young boys before kidnapping and murdering them. Before he was caught, five were dead. In the present, Tom and his son Jake have relocated to a new house in the town of Featherbank in order to start over after losing their wife/mother. Then another little boy goes missing . . . .



Is it a copycat? Did Carter have an accomplice? And exactly who has been telling Jake things he has no way of knowing???

First – to Alex North . . . . .



This is how you do a debut. I read this a couple of weeks ago when I was woken up on a Saturday by a seriously loud thunderstorm in the wee hours of the morning. Quickly realizing there was zero chance of going back to sleep as long as the booms were booming and the dog was trying to wedge himself inside my butt for safety, I brewed a cup of Joe and started this book – and never put it down.

Per the comment string below, please take note that you may walk away from this one with a sense of déjà vu. Obviously as soon as a young boy starts talking to things that may or may not be there, a couple of things could come to mind . . . . .



Or . . . .



And despite me not ever reading the book and having the memory of Dory the Blue Tang, the mere mention of a “corpse moth” can’t help but call to mind . . . .



But these similarities didn’t bother me. Most likely because I didn’t have time to really consider them since I was turning the pages so fast. Obviously I can’t give away things without spoiling the fun, but this sucker was tightly woven. I loved the mix of thriller/supernatural/police procedural, I thought all of the characters were pretty well fleshed out, and not only did I not know the whodunit, it was one of those rare and wonderful occasions where I didn’t even care about the whodunit because I was so wrapped up in the story as a whole. If you are looking for books to add to your October reading list, I recommend this one.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley!