Spotlight and Giveaway: Strangers in the Villa

We're pleased to feature Robyn Harding's latest thriller, Strangers in the Villa. Robyn is one of Melissa's go-to thriller writers and this one kept her on the edge of her seat. A review is coming soon, but check out her Bookstagram post for now. Thanks to Grand Central, we have one copy for a lucky reader!

Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage.  

High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

"Cava, sunshine, and secrets—in Strangers in the Villa, Robyn Harding nails the vibe with a lush Spanish setting, a smart, layered structure, and characters so real you’ll invite them over for dinner…and then maybe change the locks. If The Drowning Woman was your kind of thrill-ride, cancel all your plans. This one delivers that same deliciously wicked mix of sharp twists, shifting loyalties, and a creeping sense of danger just beneath the surface." 
―Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Expat Affair

"Wow, does Harding know how to craft a deceptive tale! Mind games, brilliant plotting, and an unputdownable one-sit read awaits you when you pick up Strangers In The Villa. Clear your schedule and prepare to have your mind blown at this highly entertaining story that's sure to be an instant smash hit."
―Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of Their Double Lives

Robyn Harding is the international bestselling author of several novels including The Haters, The Perfect Family, The Arrangement, and Her Pretty Face. Her novels The Party and The Drowning Woman were both finalists for the Crime Writers of Canada best crime novel award. Her novel The Swap debuted at #1 on the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star Canadian bestsellers lists. She is also the screenwriter and executive producer of the independent film, The Steps. She lives in Vancouver, BC, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas. (Bio courtesy of Robyn's website.)

Visit Robyn online:
Website * Facebook * Instagram

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 17th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: One Beautiful Year of Normal

By Sara Steven

When August Caine receives a phone call from a Savannah attorney, she is blindsided by the news—her Aunt Helen has passed away. But how can that be, when August’s mother insisted Helen died in a car accident fifteen years ago? Determined to uncover the truth, August returns to the deep South, where the ghosts of her past—both real and imagined—await her.

Plagued by a memory splintered by her father’s unsolved murder when she was a child and further tangled by psychiatric treatments for the debilitating depression she struggles with, August realizes her survival depends on unraveling the mystery surrounding her father’s death. This means returning to the one safe place she remembers from the childhood she has mostly locked away inside her Aunt Helen’s home, and the ghost tours they created together. 

A chilling exploration of mental illness, mother-daughter bonds, and generational secrets, One Beautiful Year of Normal follows August as she pieces together the long-buried truths that shaped her family’s tragic past and confronts the question that has haunted her for Can the truth set her free, or will it unravel everything she thought she knew? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

It sounds a little cliche, but what a story! It’s the first expression that comes to mind for me when I reflect on my experience with One Beautiful Year of Normal. August is working through a lot of past trauma and familial strife–so much so, she’s opted to do as much as possible to distance herself from her former life. She’s done a great job of it for a long time, until she’s contacted in regards to her aunt’s death. As much as she’s in shock over a death that was meant to happen fifteen years prior, it also set the tone for me while reading about her experiences. I knew going in that there would be more conspiracy theories, hidden lies, and untold truths that would be divulged as chapters went on.

What August goes through in her childhood is downright scary. Aunt Helen becomes a lifeline for her, albeit a brief one, with jumps back into August’s childhood and experiences with Helen, then fast forwarding to the present time, a front row seat into the fallout of Helen’s death. The reader gets the sense that before Helen, there was no normalcy for a young girl who becomes her mother’s caregiver, moving from one place, state, and at times, countries in order for August and her mother to “stay safe.” With Helen, whenever we see the flashbacks, we see a tween who settles into the roots of her world. Into learning more about a father she doesn’t remember as well as she’d like to. Into making new friends that might possibly become future foundations for her. 

A year goes by awfully fast, as August soon realizes. There are a lot of unanswered questions and even more confusion when she learns more about her aunt and various scenarios she’d been unaware of in childhood, but had an inkling to all those years ago. Maybe there is a lot more to the fears her mother had. I appreciated how the flashback chapters made me feel like I learned more about a girl who had grown up way ahead of her years, to the woman in the present who in some ways is very much still tied to that girl and hasn’t escaped the past. It made me think of how so many of us are still dictated by our own pasts and childhoods, the way we were brought up, the family relationships we had, whether for the better or for the worse.

There were a lot of twists and turns–some I could anticipate, some that were downright shocking. I don’t know that August will ever fully “get over” what she’s experienced, but it was nice to see the transitions and changes she goes through in the process of delving into the truth. One Beautiful Year of Normal was anything but ordinary. It was an extraordinary five-star experience!

Thanks to BookSparks for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Spotlight and Giveaway: This Story Might Save Your Life

Today we are excited to celebrate the publication of Tiffany Crum's debut thriller, This Story Might Save Your Life! It sounds intriguing and we are loving the cover. Thanks to Lavender PR, we have one copy to give away!

Best friends Benny and Joy like to say they’ve been saving each other’s lives since the moment they met. Until the day Joy disappears and Benny is suspected of murder . . .

Benny Abbott and Joy Moore host one of the most beloved podcasts in the world. Each week, they delight listeners with a different “against all odds” survival story, gleefully finding the weird, life-affirming humor in near-death experiences. Since their first episode on Joy’s experience with severe narcolepsy, they’ve been the best friends everyone wants to befriend—and thanks to the meticulous management of Joy’s husband, Xander, they’ve built a lucrative empire.

The problem is, their next survival story may be their own. When Benny arrives at Joy and Xander’s one morning to record, he finds shattered glass and an empty house. The one clue shedding light on the couple’s disappearance is the incomplete, previously unseen first draft of Joy’s memoir. Benny is desperate to find them, even when the police soon zero in on him as their prime suspect.

Millions of devoted listeners think they know the “real” Benny and Joy. But as the hours tick by, and the odds seem increasingly stacked against Joy and Xander being found alive, not even the most devoted fans could guess the terrible secrets their favorite famous BFFs have hidden from the world—and from each other. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

"Both a riveting mystery and a love story, This Story Might Save Your Life is one of the best thrillers I’ve read this year." 
—Amy Tintera, bestselling author of Listen for the Lie

“I truly loved reading This Story Might Save Your Life. The pace was terrific, and it was so smart and engrossing. The pages practically turn themselves in this nuanced thriller. I couldn't put it down!” 

—Nina Simon, bestselling author of Mother-Daughter Murder Night

Tiffany Crum is a writer from Southern California. After many years in Los Angeles, she now lives with her husband and two teenage sons in Atlanta, Georgia. This Story Might Save Your Life is her debut novel. Visit Tiffany at her website and on Instagram.

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 15th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: Served Him Right

By Jami Denison

“That’s not fair!”

These may be the words of a child, but fairness and justice are values that humans never outgrow. From middle class workers paying social security tax on every dollar looking at millionaires only paying on a portion of their incomes, to sports fans scrutinizing refs whose calls seem to favor the other team, to high school students watching their sports-playing classmates get favors they don’t, there are unlevel playing fields everywhere. But perhaps no field is as obviously tilted as the one where men and women play. From Biblical times till now, men are prioritized and deferred to. Many cultures only consider men as leaders and expect women to obey them completely. Even in western countries, where the “Me Too” movement once held great promise for women’s justice, have seen backsliding in their attempts toward equality. In the U.S., the gradual release of the Epstein files reveals a justice system that puts the needs of wealthy and powerful men above their victims and the country as a whole. 

Sometimes fiction offers the only release.

In her latest thriller, Served Him Right, bestselling author Lisa Unger offers readers a chance to get even. Advertising exec Paul is a known lech, abusing co-workers and girlfriends and always getting away with it. But after he breaks up with Ana Blacksmith, he’s found buried in a shallow grave in the park. Then Ana’s best friend Iggy becomes deathly ill after a brunch where Ana prepared food. Is Ana an out-of-control killer? Or did Paul’s cruel past finally catch up with him?

Ana is a firecracker of a character. We meet her at the brunch she planned, an “ex-orcism” of Paul where her sister Vera and all their friends will be deleting Paul from their social media and blocking him on their phones. After Paul is found dead, Ana’s life gets even more complicated: The detective investigating her, Timothy, is a recent hook-up of hers that she met on an app for one-night stands. 

Served Him Right is a cornucopia of a book. There are multiple points-of-view: Ana, Vera, Timothy, Iggy, Vera’s daughter Coraline, and probably others I can’t remember. Ana’s backstory is incredibly complicated, and involves so many characters that readers may want to take notes as the story progresses. After their mother was jailed for killing their abusive father, Vera and Ana were raised by their aunt Agnes, who was an herbalist that grew a “poison garden” in their backyard. Years after Agnes’s death, the sisters are involved in “The Cove,” a group of women who utilize their knowledge of plants and herbs in ways that were once considered magic.

There’s a lot going on here, and while every plot element was entertaining, reading the book may feel like the literary equivalent of eating Thanksgiving dinner. The justice themes, the witchy portions, the back stories, Coraline’s friendships… it was a little too much for me, and I wished Unger had concentrated on just one element and saved others for subsequent books. 

With a title like Served Him Right, though, it’s clear which element Unger thought was most important. And perhaps by adding in the poison garden, she’s sending an additional message. Too bad she didn’t include instructions for growing wolfsbane. 

Thanks to Megan Beatie Communications for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Lisa Unger:
The New Couple in 5B
Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six
Confessions on the 7:45

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: Ava

By Jami Denison

There’s a saying that writers and other creators have heard for decades: If you want to send a message, call Western Union. (Does Western Union even exist anymore?) But some of our most celebrated works have been inspired by their authors’ need to say something: Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 1984. Animal Farm. The Handmaid’s Tale. As the United States seemingly continues its descent into fascism, brave voices will continue to speak out (and hopefully be published by major corporations) in both fiction and nonfiction. 

One brave voice belongs to Tennessee author Victoria Dillon, a pediatrician and former research scientist who studied avian genes. Spurred on by the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade, Dillon wrote Ava, a futuristic look at life under a government that routinely takes away women’s bodily autonomy, and how renegade geneticists fight back.

When 22-year-old research scientist Larkin unexpectedly becomes pregnant in Tennessee in the early 2030s, her initial shock turns to joy—and then horror when the baby is diagnosed with a fatal birth defect. Tennessee’s laws mean that not only will she be forced to carry the baby to birth, but she’ll be arrested if she tries to go to another state for an abortion. The pregnancy and heartbreak of being forced to hold her baby in her arms as she dies spurns Larkin to take part in an enormous underground project—find a way to genetically rewire women so they no longer gestate. Led by a doctor who lost his mother to pre-eclampsia, the scientists find their inspiration from chickens. 

Published by She Writes Press, Ava has a lot to offer as well as numerous issues. It’s a sweeping project that covers decades and generations, chronicling a nation that goes deeper and deeper into religious fundamentalism and the destruction of women’s rights in a scarily realistic way. And it goes thoroughly and descriptively into the science of genetics and biology, leading to unintentionally funny scenes such as a teenage girl laying an egg. 

Even with its issues, the book contains breathtaking scenes, such as when Larkin holds her dying baby, and, years later, when she goes into a pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test and is told she’ll need to take the test in the store and immediately become part of the state’s registry. Dillon really shines when she shows the personal ramifications of these laws on her characters. 

As an avid reader and strong advocate for women’s rights, I wish Dillon had concentrated on how Larkin and her best friend Audrey grew up and older while their rights were stripped away, and left the chicken storyline for another book. The Handmaid’s Tale portions of the book are insightful, scary, and compelling, while the genetics sections run the gamut from textbookish to easily parodied. 

Still, I would recommend Ava to anyone who worries about the future for women’s rights in this country. Dillon is a talented, knowledgeable writer with an impressive background and a lot to offer. She’ll learn a lot from this book and apply those lessons to her next one. 

Unfortunately, the current political environment gives her a lot to work with. Republicans in Tennessee just proposed a bill to give the death penalty to women who have abortions. 

Thanks to Books Forward for the book in exchange for an honest review.  

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Spotlight and Giveaway: Missing Sister

Today we are pleased to feature Joshilyn Jackson's latest suspense novel, Missing Sister, which released this week. It sounds intense and captivating and it is getting great reviews. Thanks to Tandem Literary, we have one copy to give away!

Revenge...It's all relative.

Born three minutes apart, Penny and Nix Albright grew up doing everything together, close as only twins can be. But when Nix dies in a tragic accident soon after college, she leaves behind a cryptic voicemail that has Penny guilt-ridden and desperate for justice.

Five Years Later

Penny has found new purpose as a rookie cop. She’s working to fulfill Nix’s dream of making the world a safer place, but following that dream becomes a nightmare when she’s called to her first murder scene. When she sees the victim, she knows him instantly. It’s Danny Bowery—one of three men she’s long blamed for Nix’s death—splayed in a pool of blood outside a posh Atlanta shopping center, almost as if she’d wished it so.

Stunned, Penny steps away to catch her breath and discovers a blonde in blood-drenched clothes gripping a box cutter. Before Penny can arrest her, the woman reveals that Bowery’s murder is part of a larger story that is far from over. A story about sisters. And with that, the killer disappears.

Now, Penny will stop at nothing to pursue this dangerous woman and learn why she’s avenging Nix’s death. The deeper she dives into the mystery, the less clear it becomes who is hunting whom in this captivating page-turner of hidden motives and deadly consequences.

“Deliciously sinister, this exploration of the uniquely intense bond only twins share is a winner. Joshilyn Jackson’s twisty storytelling is not to be missed.”
— Karin Slaughter, #1 NYT-bestselling author

“Penny is the perfect narrator: Whip smart, funny, flawed, big-hearted, and caught up in a wild ride of a story that kept me up way past my bedtime.”
— Sara Gruen, #1 NYT-bestselling author

“Multi-layered and constantly surprising, MISSING SISTER is a master class in voice and a terrific mystery — and proves, yet again, that Joshilyn Jackson is among the premier talents writing today. Do not miss this!”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of All This Could Be Yours

Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eleven other novels, including Gods in Alabama and Never Have I Ever. She writes both page-turning domestic suspense and Southern book club novels that revolve around timely women’s issues, raising questions about justice, motherhood, career, class, and the thorny mechanics of redemption. Her critically acclaimed work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. Jackson is also a former actor and an award-winning audiobook narrator. A recent expat from the American South, she lives in a gently haunted 150-year-old Victorian Rowhouse in upstate New York with her family.

Visit Joshilyn online:
Website * Blog * Facebook * Instagram

How to win: Use KingSumo to enter the giveaway. If you have trouble using KingSumo on our blog, enter the giveaway here. If you are still having issues, please contact us.

Giveaway ends March 10th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!

Book Review: The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives

By Sara Steven

Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are not your average housewives. They are all wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, the three women form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands’ brutal crimes. With their exes—some of California’s most infamous serial killers—dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves.

Headstrong Beverley compulsively tries to maintain control of everything around her, all while raising two children. Bookish Elsie fights day in and day out for the chance to make a name for herself in the newsroom, working among men who sneer at her career goals. Glamorous Margot refuses to take anything seriously and devotes all her energy to upholding the appearance that everything is fine—anything to quell the shame from her husband’s deceit.

They know people look at them and think only one thing.  How could they not have known, when their husbands were right under their noses, committing horrific crimes? How much guilt is theirs to carry? And yet when a string of killings hits the news, the three women—underestimated, overlooked, shrewd—decide to get to work.  After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

This dynamic trio really packed a punch! In an era when women had to work doubly hard to make it, all three had to deal with the stigma of having former husbands who are convicted killers. I love how they bonded together to take down the latest serial killer, combining collective knowledge and wisdom that no one else can truly understand. They become the best detectives, discovering clues and tricks that seem to go over the authorities’ heads, all in an effort to right the wrongs they feel partially responsible for. 

Each character brings her own special insight into the mix. My favorite is Elsie. She is the quiet, underestimated one, who feels lost in the shuffle while dealing with a profession that is mostly male-dominated. Yet, as the chapters progress, she grows more of a voice and viewpoint, taking less and less crap from everyone. Margot is the wild card, loud and brazen, never taking no for an answer. As hard-shelled as she appears to be, she doesn’t have nearly as thick skin as anyone could imagine, feeling a lot more wounded when she isn’t taken seriously. Beverly is a combination of the two, flitting back and forth between not knowing when she should have restraint, and when she should let go. She is often the voice of reason, even when reason doesn’t make sense. 

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, it felt like the ladies are on one gigantic crazy caper, collecting data while dodging potential death threats along the way. Interspersed with their viewpoints are the viewpoints from one potential victim, which really highlighted the dire need to find that person at all cost, before they become another tally on the death count. The last quarter of the book was an adrenaline rush, while the dynamic trio clicks all of the clues into place, and of course, it’s never who you suspected it might be–it never is, but that’s what makes it so much fun.

I enjoyed the period this book takes place in, along with seeing just how tough all three ladies are in their own unique ways. It was an engaging experience!

Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase it here.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!