Book Review: The Last by Hanna Jameson

PUBLISHER: Atria Books

PUBLICATION DATE: April 9th, 2019

……

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this novel via NetGalley.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends into nuclear war—along with twenty other survivors—who becomes obsessed with identifying a murderer in their midst after the body of a young girl is discovered in one of the hotel’s water tanks.

Jon thought he had all the time in the world to respond to his wife’s text message: I miss you so much. I feel bad about how we left it. Love you. But as he’s waiting in the lobby of the L’Hotel Sixieme in Switzerland after an academic conference, still mulling over how to respond to his wife, he receives a string of horrifying push notifications. Washington, DC has been hit with a nuclear bomb, then New York, then London, and finally Berlin. That’s all he knows before news outlets and social media goes black—and before the clouds on the horizon turn orange.

Now, two months later, there are twenty survivors holed up at the hotel, a place already tainted by its strange history of suicides and murders. Those who can’t bear to stay commit suicide or wander off into the woods. Jon and the others try to maintain some semblance of civilization. But when the water pressure disappears, and Jon and a crew of survivors investigate the hotel’s water tanks, they are shocked to discover the body of a young girl.

As supplies dwindle and tensions rise, Jon becomes obsessed with investigating the death of the little girl as a way to cling to his own humanity. Yet the real question remains: can he afford to lose his mind in this hotel, or should he take his chances in the outside world?

……

MY REVIEW:

Imagine multiple places around the world being hit with a nuclear bomb… Imagine also being on the other side of the world from you family when this happens. That is the reality of Jon, the main character in this novel. He is away for a conference in Switzerland, and his wife and children are back at home in the USA. The world as everyone knows it goes into sudden and complete chaos!

2 months later, the hotel Jon is staying at in Switzerland has 20 people in it. Some stay at the hotel, others leave and head to the city in the hopes of reaching civilization and finding help. What ensues is chaotic, some commit suicide, some go crazy, and some do not know what to do. Supplies get short, tempers rise, fights break out, and the story follows Jon’s journey as he deals with the chaos.

A gripping novel that was interesting and terrifying at the same time.

……

MY RATING: 3/5 stars

Book Review: Perfect Stranger by Jake Cross @bookouture @NetGalley @JakeCrossAuthor #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblogger #bookblog #booksonthebookshelf #PerfectStranger

PUBLISHER: Bookouture

PUBLICATION DATE: August 21st, 2019

……

Thank you to Bookouture for the eARC of this novel via Netgalley.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

You’re living with a stranger. It’s your daughter.

Following a whirlwind romance, Rose and Chris’s marriage has been unshakeable for twenty years. But when Katie turns up on their doorstep, blonde, wide-eyed and beautiful, their perfect life threatens to crumble to pieces. Because Katie says she’s Chris’s long-lost daughter, the product of a forgotten summer fling.

Kind-hearted Rose invites Katie to stay, despite Chris’s protests. The poor girl has only just lost her mother – they can’t leave her out on the street. But soon after Katie moves in, strange things start happening. Someone crashes into a neighbour’s fence. An unexplained fire starts in the couple’s kitchen. And a family friend coming to visit disappears on the way to the house. Chris insists Katie has to go. But it’s Chris who won’t explain where he was at the time their friend went missing… 

The couple’s dream life seems to be turning into a nightmare. With dark secrets about Chris’s history with Katie’s mother coming to light, Rose no longer knows who to trust. Soon, she isn’t sure whether she’s invited a dangerous stranger into her home, or whether she’s been living with one all along…

A chilling thriller that will make you question everything you think you know about your loved ones. Fans of The Woman in the Window, Then She Was Gone and The Perfect Child won’t be able to put this book down.

……

MY REVIEW:

Wow this book had me shook! I didn’t know what to believe, who to believe.. So full of secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, and revenge. This book will have you hooked as you read page after page.

Imagine having a happy life. You are married and have a teen daughter and your life is good. Suddenly by chance you meet a young woman who claims to be your daughter from a fling many years ago. What would you do?

I enjoyed this book as slowly everything is revealed bit by bit. We learn the truth, the lies, the deception, and boy is it juicy! If you love a good thriller then look no futher than this novel!

With a shocking ending that will leave you wanting more, this book will be a hit!

……

MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Book Review: The Pasengers by John Marrs @BerkleyPub @penguinrandom @johnmarrs1 #ThePassengers #bookblogger #bookblog #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf #partner

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLICATION DATE: August 27th, 2019

……

Thank you to Berkley for gifting me a hardcover copy of this book to read and share my review with others. All opinions are my own.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

You’re riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, “You are going to die.” 

Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man.

From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world. But the public will show their true colors when they are asked, “Which of these people should we save?…And who should we kill first?” 

……

MY REVIEW:

This book had me literally hooked from the very start. Imagine living in a world wher the advancement of technology allows the public to be “passengers” in their very own, self-riving car. I mean, to me it is terrifying! Would you be able to trust a self-driving car to get you where you needed to go? It would certainly have it’s advantages, allowing you to focus on other things while being driven to your destination.. but would it be 100% safe?

This book had me gasping and I turned the page to see what would happen next. Imagine being one of the 8 passengers trapped in their self-driving cars, and being told they were going to die and the whole world was watching their ordeal. Imagine still being the public, watching all of this tragedy as it unfolds on all the tv and news channels, wishing you could help or do something, but knowing there was nothing you could do and that you were helplessly watching the terror unfold live. And more than that, imagine being one of the people trapped in the viewing room, and having to be the ones to decide who will die first, and the impossible decision of who to save.

Captivating chapter after chapter, this novel will have readers biting their nails and sitting on the edges of their seat as they read along to the very shocking ending!

……

MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware @RuthWareWriter @SimonSchusterCA @simonschuster #TheTurnoftheKey #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster

PUBLICATION DATE: August 6th, 2019

……

Thank you the Simon & Schuster Canada for gifting me a paperback copy of this book to read and share my review, as well as an eARC via Netgalley.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss—a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten—by the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare—one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unravelling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn’t just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music, or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn’t just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn’t even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant.

It was everything.

She knows she’s made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn’t always ideal. She’s not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she’s not guilty—at least not of murder. Which means someone else is.

……

MY REVIEW:

Wow! Just WOW!! Ruth Ware does it yet again with another heart-pounding, addictive novel! Way to go Ruth! This book was so good I literally flew through the chapters eager to see what would happen next. I loved Rowan’s character. She was determined to fight for what she wanted in life, although she didn’t always make the best decisions, and seemed like a truly nice young woman. After moving into the Heatherbrae House to care for three young girls while their parents were away on business with work, Rowan finds herself living in a beautiful, modern home with many perks. Slwoly but surely strange things begin to happen in the home that Rowan is unable to explain. Things begin going missing, being misplaced, strange noises are made, the two oldest girls act strange from time to time and she has a rough go of it as the family’s new live-in nanny. Determined not to give up Rowan does her best to take care of the girls and be the best nanny that she can possibly be, despite it all.

With shocking twists and turns, this novel will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as you read along and flip the pages. With revelation after revelation, and a shocking end that will  have you saying WHAT!? this book was seriously amazing. You must read it now, you will love it!

……

MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: Say You Still Love Me by K.A. Tucker @kathleenatucker @AtriaBooks @SimonSchusterCA @simonschuster #SayYouStillLoveMe#bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Atria Books

PUBLICATION DATE: August 6th, 2019

……

Thank you to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, for gifting me a paperback copy of this book as well as an eARC via NetGalley.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Life is a mixed bag for Piper Calloway.

On the one hand, she’s a twenty-nine-year-old VP at her dad’s multibillion-dollar real estate development firm, and living the high single life with her two best friends in a swanky downtown penthouse. On the other hand, she’s considered a pair of sexy legs in a male-dominated world and constantly has to prove her worth. Plus, she’s stuck seeing her narcissistic ex-fiancé—a fellow VP—on the other side of her glass office wall every day.

Things get exponentially more complicated for Piper when she runs into Kyle Miller—the handsome new security guard at Calloway Group Industries, and coincidentally the first love of her life.

The guy she hasn’t seen or heard from since they were summer camp counsellors together. The guy from the wrong side of the tracks. The guy who apparently doesn’t even remember her name.

Piper may be a high-powered businesswoman now, but she soon realizes that her schoolgirl crush is not only alive but stronger than ever, and crippling her concentration. What’s more, despite Kyle’s distant attitude, she’s convinced their reunion isn’t at all coincidental, and that his feelings for her still run deep. And she’s determined to make him admit to them, no matter the consequences.

……

MY REVIEW:

A great novel full of romance, fond memories, heartache, and the rekindling of old love. Piper is a successful business woman. She comes from a hardworking family, works at a high pressured job, and is a strong, independent woman. She is faced with many pressures such as working closely alongside her ex-fiance, working for her father’s company, and the pressures and stressors of everyday life. One day she runs into someone she thinks she recognizes from her past. A man who looks very similar to the young boy she fell in love with at summer camp many years ago….the boy she fell in love with, who left her broken hearted. Is this the same boy she loved all those years ago?

I enjoyed Piper’s character. She was powerful, strong, and knew what she wanted in life and wasn’t afraid to fight for it. She was an interesting character and was kind, funny and smart. I enjoyed reading glimpses of the past when Piper was a young girl and attended the summer camp where she met many people including the love of her life, Kyle. I enjoyed reading about their adventures as teens together and their love story unfold. A great novel that you will enjoy from beginning to end.

……

MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Blog Tour Book Review: The Perfect Son by Lauren North @Lauren_C_North @BerkleyPub #ThePerfectSon #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview #bookreviewer #booksonthebookshelf #blogtour

PUBLISHER: Berkley

PUBLICATION DATE: August 13th, 2019

……

Thank you to Berkley for inviting me to be a part of this exciting blog tour and for gifting me a paperback copy of this book for me to read and share my review.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A disturbing and shocking debut novel of psychological suspense about a recently widowed mother, her young son, and the lengths she’ll go to in order to keep him safe.

When Tess Clarke wakes up in the hospital the day after her son Jamie’s eighth birthday, she’s sure of these things: She’s been stabbed, her son is missing, her brother-in-law and her grief counselor are involved. But no one is listening to her.

After her husband, Mark, died suddenly in a terrible accident a few months earlier, the only thing keeping Tess together is Jamie. As they struggle to make sense of their new life without Mark, they find joy in brief moments of normalcy like walking to school and watching television together. Life is hard without Mark, but Tess has Jamie, and that’s what matters.

But there in the hospital, confused and surrounded by people who won’t listen, Tess’s world falls apart. To save her son, she must piece together what happened between Mark’s death and Jamie’s birthday, but the truth might just be too much for her to bear.

……

MY REVIEW:

WOW!! This book had me feeling all the feels. Imagine losing your husband due to a tragic accident and finding yourself mourning and raising the child you had together all alone. Your son is the only thing you have left in your life after losing your husband and you will do anything and everything in your power to keep your son safe and happy. You will protect him at all costs and ensure he leads a happy and healthy life despite the pain and sorrow you are both enduring.

I loved Tess’s character. She was a smart, caring and interesting woman who seemed to really love her husband and seemed liked a really great mom. Her character was a very likable character. As for her brother in law and grief counselor turned new best friend I was weary of them and didn’t trust the . They didn’t  seem to have Tess’s best interests at heart and even seemed to be working together to bring her down many times. It felt as though they were trying to get the money Tess was getting after her husband’s death.

As the chapters unfold you get the bigger picture of what is going on and it all comes together. Without giving too much away I absolutely LOVED this book! There were so many shocking surprises and twists that I did NOT see coming and I loved that. I thought I had it figured out but boy was I wrong! And that shocking reveal at the end….ohh I loved it!!

Well done for a debut novel! You must read this book now!

……

MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: Blood’s Nexus by K. MacBurn #BloodsNexus #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLICATION DATE: March 29th, 2019

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Graduating high school should have been the last step to getting out from under her step-father’s thumb, but somehow Taylor gets saddled with house-sitting for the entire summer.

It was going fine until the nightmares started, then that weird arch in the storage garage caught her attention.

Curiosity should come with a big flashing warning label.

Now trapped in another world, something is hunting her and her only allies are an inexperienced guardian and a perverted old monk.

……

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Being from a small rural town in Nova Scotia Canada I was always on the lookout for new, exciting adventures. When I realized that there wasn’t a lot around I started to write my own.

Over the years I have written so many short stories that no one has ever read I took that next step and am sending a few into the world. Simple reads, that are boiling over with action and a little fluff are my goals in every piece while drawing from my martial art and Corrections background to put realism in fight scenes, and my antagonists.

In short, I hope you find the adventure you are searching for in my works.
Peace!

……

CONNECT WITH AUTHOR K. MACBURN:

Author Website| Goodreads| Amazon| Instagram| Facebook

……

MY REVIEW:

Gripping, immersive, and intriguing. Blood’s Nexus had me hooked from the start. What starts off as what should have been any normal summer for a teenager turns out to be not so normal for young Taylor. The synopsis of the book had me hooked. What could Taylor’s stepfathers arch in the storage garage be for? Why would he have it?

I found this book to be fast-paced and it had me turning the pages to see what would happen next. I enjoyed the mystery of the arch and this whole other world Taylor found herself in, as well as all the various unique characters we are introduced to in the story. All the characters have their own interesting personalities, and some made me laugh with their wit and spunky attitude. I especially enjoyed the guardian’s character whose task was to protect Taylor in this other world. Why would Taylor need protection in this alternate world? Who is on the hunt for her, and what could they possibly want with her?

Taylor herself is a badass female, and she was an interesting character in the novel. She was determined to fight for what she believed to be right and was caring and kind towards others. I feel bad for her having such an evil step-father. He was a mean character and didn’t seem to be all that fond of Taylor.

I really enjoyed the ending of this book. I did not see that coming at all! I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see where the journey and story takes us to next!

……

MY RATING: 5/5 stars

Book Review: The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke @LUAuthors @AmazonPub @LizandLisa #TheTwoLilaBennetts #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger #booksonthebookshelf

PUBLISHER: Lake Union Publishing

PUBLICATION DATE: July 23rd, 2019

……

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me a paperback ARC copy of this book to read and share my review.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

……

MY REVIEW:

What a wild ride! This book is so unique in the way that it was written… two possible storylines of two possible lives of Lila Bennett. It was so interesting to read the novel the way it was written like this and I really enjoyed the dynamics of the books and the duality of Lila’s life. Such an interesting concept of a novel and it was entertaining and full of twists and surprises.

Lila is a complicated character in this novel. She is full of secrets and has let many people down. No one is perfect, of course, but Lila has made her fair share of mistakes and wronged other people. Now it is up to her to right those wrongs, before it is too late. Will Lila succeed?

A novel that will have you immersed so deep into the story that won’t notice the time flying by until you are at the end of the book. Great job on this book. I look forward to the next novel you write together!

……

MY RATING: 4/5 stars

Book Review: The Rumour by Lesley Kara @TransworldBooks @LesleyKara #TheRumour #booksonthebookshelf #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookblog #bookblogger

PUBLISHER: Bantam Press, Penguin House UK
PUBLICATION DATE: December 27th, 2018

……

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book via NetGalley.

……

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .

Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.

Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.

So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?

……

MY REVIEW:

This book, wow! I was addicted from the very beginning right through to the end. Just a few words is all it takes… and those words quickly spread like wildfire throughout the small town! What started off as a seemingly casual comment, full of innocence, turns into the biggest rumour the town has seen for a long time – Sally McGowan is back in town and living hidden from everyone under a new name and new identity. She could literally be anyone. No one has seen her for years, and the town is trying to determine who it could be. Is it true, or just a silly rumour?

Everyone is on high alert and determined to find out the truth. They want answers, and are on a mission to uncover the mystery of who Sally McGowan truly is.

I enjoyed how fast paced this novel was. It takes you on a wild ride and you will not be able to put this book down. I was flipping through the pages wanting to know more. The twists and turns are gripping and entertaining, and there are many shocking revelations that will rock you and that you won’t see coming!

……

MY RATING: 5/5 stars