Narrated by Stefanie Kay. Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
Cordelia Black was an unusual character to follow. At first she seemed quite interesting but the mNarrated by Stefanie Kay. Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
Cordelia Black was an unusual character to follow. At first she seemed quite interesting but the more the story progressed, the more I though of her as a messy weirdo. I kept wondering if she wanted to be (view spoiler)[in a relationship with Diane herself considering that she got so hostile towards Simon, Diane's new boyfriend, right from the beginning. Desperately trying to see "smoke" in his eyes, so she could kill him and add him to her growing "collection".
And what about Cordelia’s job as a pharmaceutical rep? When she discovered that OxyContin, the sleep aid she promoted and got her main income from, had been causing lethal side effect to the patients, and the pharmaceutical company had been covering it all up, then her only worry was how to forge signatures and cover up her actions. No thought of the victims there. What was the point of the drug scandal when there was no real conclusion to it?
Cordelia claimed to be oh so punctual, smart and organized, but then you see how she run late to deliver the cupcakes. She didn't have the signatures on the forms, so she had to forge them later to get out of the mess. She didn't check the place she delivered he bodies. What happened with Simon was complete mess-up, that only managed to show how unhinged and so full of herself she was. She wanted to kill the monsters, so they wouldn't hurt innocent children or oldies anymore, but she enjoyed the killings, looking forward for the next kill...she herself wasn't normal and things were clearly escalating out of her hands! And her obsession with designer clothes and shoes...huh (hide spoiler)]
If you are looking for another story about women taking revenge on bad men, then check out They Never Learn by Layne Fargo....more
Contemporary Romance Narrated by Carrie Hope Fletcher, Felix Scott Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
I liked the idea of the book - Daniel falling in love with aContemporary Romance Narrated by Carrie Hope Fletcher, Felix Scott Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
I liked the idea of the book - Daniel falling in love with a beautiful stranger he often meet on the 7:30 train. Nadia, often misses the train, and don't know that someone want to meet her till she read a post in the daily newspaper: To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?
At first the story sounded interesting but at some point it lost it's grip and felt incredibly slow. As we get Daniel and Nadia's POVs, then there's no surprises and you know all the time who the other is, what is going on, thus making story predictable and at times frustrating to read. Many things felt forced and didn't seem plausible. Come on, who falls in love with someone who's clothes have coffee stains? And why are you in a crowd with your takeaway coffee cup? Nadia spilled coffee on her own clothes, what if next time someone else get the spill of that dark coffee?
There were lots of side characters, lots of talk between them, many near-misses. When Nadia and Daniel finally meet, (view spoiler)[then author mostly rehashed about everything we've already read. Just when story should pick up and we should see them together at last...the story comes to an end. I could not help but wonder if it was a sign that they kept missing one another?
Nadia's and Daniel's character didn't really grow throughout the story. For me Nadia seemed to be pretty immature for her age. She was supposed to be a smart woman but she didn't appear to be very dependable or organized. Being on time for school and later for work is something we learn early on. Nadia seemed to be constantly late which is kinda unprofessional and not tolerated at the workplace. Then coffee on her clothes...how sloppy. She was whining that her skin was breaking out but she goes to sleep with her makeup still on. Come on! You always remove your makeup before going to bed, or sleeping with makeup on can clog your pores and cause breakouts.
Then there was that situation where she was supposed to meet with Daniel but he had already left the bar. What did she do? No problem, let's hook up with someone else from the bar. TBH Daniel's actions weren't much either - when he got the call from his Mom, he ran off like a kid, leaving "woman of his dreams" waiting. It got a bit annoying the way his father's death was constantly used. We were told that Daniel and his Mom were sad but I didn't really feel their loss and as I had never met the Dad, then he didn't seem real. And all the excessive alcohol and drugs consumption...oh, dear!
So many things could have been solved with the help of the some social media or even by giving his phone number to the barmen who could have given it to Nadia. Or Daniel giving his phone number to the newspaper in case the "Coffee Girl" contacted the newspaper. (hide spoiler)] Sigh....more
They tried to bury that fateful day. Now it’s back to haunt them...
2004: 18-year-old Janie was hit by a van and left for dead on the road. It was a mirThey tried to bury that fateful day. Now it’s back to haunt them...
2004: 18-year-old Janie was hit by a van and left for dead on the road. It was a miracle Janie survived but she got so serious injuries that she's now crippled for the rest of her life. The driver was never found. 2024: Robbie, a famous musician have been arrested for the crime and now he is in prison waiting for the trial for the things he did 20 years ago...
I Died on a Tuesday was mainly narrated by Vanessa, Janie and Robbie. It took some time to understand how their lives were connected. Author jumped between present day and past day events, and different PoVs which made story fragmented and disjointed.
Janie's and Robbie's POVs were slow, repetitive and often vague. It got frustrating to read (view spoiler)[how Janie kept on and on about her mom, how she was was going to find her. How she was about to start her new career. Then lying on the road after the accident. Then Robbie feeling guilty for the things that happened years ago. At the same time author was vague enough, so you didn't know what he was hinting at and how he was involved. Then there's 69-year-old Vanessa who's been contacted by a man who claims to be her grandson. But her baby died years ago. How can it be true? So much was going on that often didn't make sense. (hide spoiler)].
This was a frustrating read, too long and drawn out to be enjoyable....more
Contemporary Romance Series: The Heirs, #1 Release date 06-18-24 Narrated by Meg Sylvan. Length 12 hrs and 4 mins
This book follows Chase Stone who's estContemporary Romance Series: The Heirs, #1 Release date 06-18-24 Narrated by Meg Sylvan. Length 12 hrs and 4 mins
This book follows Chase Stone who's estranged super rich father bequeath his business and other assets to Chase and Alex. To Chase's surprise he learns that they have a half brother. He always knew that his father was a womanizer but Chase and his sister never knew that they have a half sibling.
Piper Maddox was the elder Mr. Stone’s assistant—fired two weeks before his death. Piper knows everything about Stone Enterprises and the man who built it. Chase decide to re-hire her because he need all the help to manage his new position at the Stone Enterprises and find his elusive half-brother.
Author was switching between Chase and Piper's POV, so we get to know both the hero and heroine. I mostly don't mind dual POVs but in this one it always pulled me out of the story when the switch happened, so I had trouble focusing and getting into the story. I already knew so many plot points thanks to the other POV, so story got repetitive, fragmented and boring.
I felt like Chase and Piper weren't solid enough and not well developed. So many things were told instead of shown. (view spoiler)[Chase lost his father. He and his father were estranged during his lifetime, but I didn't feel his loss and I didn't get why they didn't communicate. Very unexpected thing happened to Piper when she went to the doctor's appointment. Turned out that she was...pregnant. Woah? When did that happen?! When did she take those pregnancy tests we were told about?? Who was the father of the baby? I often felt like I wasn't part of the story and so many things were missing and happened without me knowing. When you read story from one perspective, then author has more time to spend with the main character, develop her story more in depth. Now she had to parallelly tell both Chase's and Piper's stories and in the end both character and plots lacked something that would engage me as a reader. (hide spoiler)]
The story felt very long and sadly this story failed to engage me. There will be two more books in this series. And I really struggled to finish book 1......more
Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Publication date : October 28, 2024
It was supposed to be the perfect weekend. Just you, me… and my chance Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Publication date : October 28, 2024
It was supposed to be the perfect weekend. Just you, me… and my chance at revenge. Until they arrived…
This was one of those stories that was hard to get into and I had trouble connecting with any of the characters. Alice, 25, and Finn, 42, are a couple. They book a lighthouse keeper’s cottage on the wild Irish coast hoping to have the secret getaway but it won't be long before another couple appears who claim they have also booking for the cottage...
Alice and Finn were supposed to be in love but I didn't get why their romance was forbidden and they had to secretly sneak around. One of them was married? Him being the boss..so what? Their age difference..middle aged men with 10+ year younger woman seem to be a norm these days. Vivienne and Mac, "The Other Couple", were also strange characters who seemed to plan something but what exactly?
It got annoying the way author constantly hinted that there were secrets and someone was planning something but reader was kept in the dark. There's that book description "my change at revenge". Hm, revenge? Everything was so vague. TBH at some point it got irritating and frustrating. You'd expect something to happen but the story just dragged on. Naturally everything will be revealed at some point but it will happen too late and to get there was too slow. I expected more gripping and thrilling story!...more
Finn, 10, is different from most other boys of his age. He would rather do some gardening and play his ukulele than play football. Unfortunately this Finn, 10, is different from most other boys of his age. He would rather do some gardening and play his ukulele than play football. Unfortunately this causes problems with other boys at school. His mother is very supportive and protective of him, but his father would rather he was like all other boys, so Finn causes friction between the married couple. So much that they are about to divorce.
Kaz, 59, works in a café and takes care of her younger brother Terry. Kaz struggle to hold down a job while taking care of her mentally ill brother and fighting the system when they decide that Terry is well enough to work despite his schizophrenia.
It was interesting to see how Finn and Kaz paths connected and how two strangers can become so important to each other. Author describe the emotions and situations both character felt so realistically that you could feel the characters frustration and emotions so well. It was easy to relate and symphatize with them. There are different topics handled like bullying, marriage problems, a mental health issues, poverty and many more. These are heavy topics but author handles them well and remind us how one moment can change our lives drastically....more
Narrated by Karen Peakes, 9 hrs and 46 mins Release date: 11-11-24
Just a year ago, Katrina Berg was a rising star in the AI chatbot start-up everyone wNarrated by Karen Peakes, 9 hrs and 46 mins Release date: 11-11-24
Just a year ago, Katrina Berg was a rising star in the AI chatbot start-up everyone was talking about, married with an adoring husband, and had more money than she knew how to spend. Then her world crashed. Her husband, Jason, was killed in a car accident. Her CEO was indicted and, as the company’s legal counsel, Katrina faces tough questions as the Feds take over and lock her out of her office. The final blow is the passing of her beloved grandmother. Katrina returns to her cozy Norwegian-flavored hometown in the Northern California redwoods and try to find out the truth of what really happened to her company and to her husband.
The story sounded interesting at first and I wanted to find out what had happened to Katrina's husband and her company. When authors started switching between multiple character viewpoints, then I started to feel like the story lacked clear focus. We never really met Katrina's husbandn or her grandmother, so I'm told that she's a grieving widow and sad about her grandmother but I didn't really feel it. ...more
Contemporary Romance / Romantic comedy Narrated by Maddy Withington, length 9 hrs and 30 mins Release date: 09-03-24
One 30-year-old whose life is not quContemporary Romance / Romantic comedy Narrated by Maddy Withington, length 9 hrs and 30 mins Release date: 09-03-24
One 30-year-old whose life is not quite the dream she'd hoped for. One best friend's wedding. One ex and his new partner. One slightly famous actor from New York. One photographer called Patrick. And a prediction that looks like it's about to come true...
This is one of those stories that is hard to put down. Anna is trying to keep her feelings completely under control and she don't want to ruin her BFF's wedding. But it can't be easy because her ex Joel will be also attending the wedding...with his new girlfriend!...also her mother who think it is time to get over Joel and start dating again. There are other characters who make her question her choices.
I really enjoy the banter and the chemistry, and it is easy to root for Anna although sometimes she could be quite annoying....more
Women's Psychological Fiction Publication Date: January 1, 2024
This author is usually hit or miss for me. Thankfully I enjoyed this story a lot.
The beWomen's Psychological Fiction Publication Date: January 1, 2024
This author is usually hit or miss for me. Thankfully I enjoyed this story a lot.
The beginning was a bit slow but at some point I was completely engrossed into the lives of Emma and Matthew. It was interesting to follow how Emma, a wealthy and independent CEO meet Matthew, a widower, and they quickly fall into a serious relationship. As this was a thriller, then it was obvious that not everything was how it seemed, so it was fun to disover what sort of machinations Matthew was up to and how it all ends....more
Domestic Thrillers / Psychological Thrillers Publication date : August 6, 2024
“Now I look beyond my initial observations, taking in the details I
Domestic Thrillers / Psychological Thrillers Publication date : August 6, 2024
“Now I look beyond my initial observations, taking in the details I didn’t see: There are no crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. No mirrors in Rose’s room or in the hallway. No china cabinets with clear panes. And workmen are replacing all the antique windows with sheets of clear plastic. Nothing in this house is made of glass.”
From the first chapter, I was caught up in the Barclay family drama and in Stella’s efforts to come up with the best solution for Rose, a 9-year-old girl who witnessed her nanny's death and haven't spoken since. Author managed to make everyone in the Barclay household suspicious, even Rose. At the same time author revealed more about Stella's own traumatic childhood and her divorce.
(view spoiler)[I didn't care for the lesbian relationship at the end of the book. Again. It feels like a new trend because my recent reads all had lesbian relationship. In Stella's case it was unnecessary turn of events - she was married to Marco. When they divorced and she found out her ex was dating again, she was hurt...then she's suddenly kissing with a woman...whoa, were did that come from??? Why people can not be just friends? Why add romantic interests? So tired of this trend in books, movies, and serials. (hide spoiler)]
“Often, what we see in art is a reflection of us. Of our optics. Our mindset. Have you ever tried to read a novel and not enjoyed it, then gone back at another point in time and loved it? The story didn’t change. But you did. This is an insight into who we are at any given moment and what we bring to our unique intersection with art.”
Women's Psychological Fiction Publication date : August 13, 2024 Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Caitlin Davies, Jeremy Carlisle Parker Length: 10 hWomen's Psychological Fiction Publication date : August 13, 2024 Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Caitlin Davies, Jeremy Carlisle Parker Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
At the beginning the story was interesting but I felt like it became disjointed and confusing when author added Bev's POV from 1999. I was confused who Bev was. How she was connected with June and the present day events. (view spoiler)[ Bev was Josh’s mother, June's first mother-in-law, so we learn a bit more about Josh's childhood through Bev's chapters. (hide spoiler)]
The main characters were not very enjoyable. I felt sorry for June that she had lost her new husband so tragically. But 10 years had passed. She now had new man in her life. She was about to get married ... June knew Josh for about 6 months but 10 years later, she's still obsessed. She lie to her fiance, drops everything and run off to find out about the other guy who looks like her dead husband. Why?
I had hard time to warm up or feel sorry for Bev. (view spoiler)[She acted hurt when her husband confessed of having an one-night-stand, yet, she was fantasizing about another woman and started an affair behind her husband's back. This felt hypocritical. It was also irritating the way author made character doubt their actions but neverless this didn't stop them doing things they shouldn't have. (hide spoiler)] I really didn't get what Bev's POV gave to the June's storyline other that make this book longer (view spoiler)[and show what a bad mother and wife she was. If Bev's POV was meant to give better look into Josh's backround, then it failed the task because it was more about Bev's affair and her dissatisfaction with being a mother and wife. Josh was rarely there in Bev's POV. (hide spoiler)]
When you don't mind characters who are self-centered and idiotic, then perhaps you'll enjoy this story more. But be prepared for long talks about the wine and wine-making. The characters can be frustrating and irritating, many things won't make sense. (view spoiler)[Bev's 17-year-old son had done something bad, so his parents sent him away. It was annoying the way author hinted at something but won't tell until much leter. When it was revealed, it didn't have the same impact it would have had if the "secret" had been told right away. What happened to Michelle, Josh's girldfriend? So was Josh involved in her drowning like Michelle's father accused? Or was Andrew to blame? Andrew who had sex with Michelle while pretending to be Josh. What Michelle wanted to tell to Bev before she died? I also could not understand how wife sees her husband's twin and can not realize that they are two different people. It's not possible that both adult twins were in exactly the same weight/height, wearing the same hairstyle, etc. That epilogue and many things what happened in this story were highly questionable. (hide spoiler)]...more
Holiday Romance Publication Date: September 26, 2023
I'm not much into characters who are lying, misleading, or otherwise distorting the truth. The way Holiday Romance Publication Date: September 26, 2023
I'm not much into characters who are lying, misleading, or otherwise distorting the truth. The way Laurel (33) was trying to pull off the scam of the year by convincing her boss Gilbert that she was married, mother of two children, took care of the farm and she was a wonderful cook on top of that...well, nothing of that was real! Hm, makes you think how easily we can be fooled by what we see in the social media.
Laurel was far from perfect but I could understand that NOT getting fired and becoming jobless again was scary option for her, especially considering how her previous jobs ended and what a crappy taste she had on men.
Laurel was a mess. She was good at things that weren't very useful and she had bad terrible taste in man! But I liked that she was working on her low self-esteem, her loneliness and terrible taste in men. Perhaps her fake husband Max would be much better choice although they have been sworn enemies since her twin sister Holly married Max's best friend...
Overall delightful and cozy rom-com to read for the holidays!...more
Teen & Young Adult, Paranormal Publication Date: August 1, 2023
What Lies in the Woods still remains my favorite book by Kate Alice Marshall. No One CaTeen & Young Adult, Paranormal Publication Date: August 1, 2023
What Lies in the Woods still remains my favorite book by Kate Alice Marshall. No One Can Know wasn't bad either. Perhaps because those were not young adult stories like The Narrow was.
The Narrow wasn't bad but it was a bit boring, I couldn't really connect with any of the characters or their problems.
This story was marked for reading age of 12 - 17 years, so I am clearly out of this age range......more
Categories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Publication Date: July 11, 2023 Narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, 10 hrs and 2 mins
At first this story sounded inCategories: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Publication Date: July 11, 2023 Narrated by Elisabeth Rodgers, 10 hrs and 2 mins
At first this story sounded interesting. When author started to jump back to the college days, then back to the present day evens, then back to the past events again...I started to loose interest and lost focus. There were so many characters to keep track of, keep in mind in which timeline you were currently in...the way it was written got tiresome. I didn't care for any of the characters and I've read similar stories numerous times before....more
Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Fiction Publication date : July 7, 2020
Can this book be read as a standard-alone? It can be but you will be missing Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Fiction Publication date : July 7, 2020
Can this book be read as a standard-alone? It can be but you will be missing so much backstory about Chloe and Annie, that I highly recommend reading book 1: Waiting for Tom Hanks first, then this one.
I quite enjoyed Chloe in first book. In this story author made her annoying and immature for someone in her late 20s. Chloe felt guilty for the things that were out of her control. She complained that she had to do everything alone, but when someone tried to help her, she was still unhappy and at a full martyr role. Gah!
As to the chemistry...hm, what chemistry? Chloe seemed to be nonchalant and nasty towards Nick. She used his kindness to her own advantage (no boss would tolerate Chloe's behaviour unless he's really smitten with her!). Was Chloe even sure if she was into men (view spoiler)[ or women - she had a relationship with a woman from her father's care home (Tracy), so this realtionship must have been quite recent. (hide spoiler)] But now I'm supposed to believe she's obsessed with Nick? If so why she was checking out other men and women? And Chloe's and Nick's different music taste wasn't in their favor. I guess author tried to make Chloe and Nick's confrontations about their different music tastes funny but I doubt I could be happy with a man who had completely different music tastes, so perhapst that is why I failed to see anything funny or cute.
Many things took away from the story the fun and enjoyment making it frustrating and annoying to read at times. (view spoiler)[I kept thinking how old was Chloe's father? Chloe was in her late 20s, so her father must be in his 50s-60s, which is quite unlikely age to suffer from so severe case of Alzheimer's that he had to live in a nursing home. Chloe's grandfather would be more likely candidate for this severe disease but there was no mentioning of any grandparents I think? Then Chloe's bisexuality and her brother's homosexuality..what that really added to the plot? Also her not wanting kids and just telling it to Nick, without any discussion or considering what he wants... (hide spoiler)] I expected much more. I guess Susan Elizabeth Phillips has spoiled me with her sassy heroines....more
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