Book Reviews Archives - Puregoddess University

Audible Book Reviews- The Best Thrillers and Murder Mysteries Round 2

February 5, 2020 No Comments

Hello and welcome! I have a really good collection of murder mystery thrillers to share with you! I ventured out a bit to some new authors and genres that include more of the supernatural alongside good old mysteries. So sit back, grab a beverage and let’s dive in!

1.) Verity by Colleen Hoover

Book summary-
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, the husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen accepts the job and arrives at the Crawford estate to work on Verity’s last book in the series. She plans to research and go through Verity’s notes and chaotic office to discover notes and plans for the book. Lowen finds a hidden manuscript that turns out to be an unfinished autobiography by Verity.

The manuscript details horrible secrets that shock Lowen and leave her not knowing if she should tell Jeremy. Now Lowen is finding herself falling in love with Jeremy as he cares for his ailing wife who harbors deadly secrets. Should Lowen tell Jeremy and alter his life forever or should she stay quiet?

This is an amazing book that will keep you on your toes the entire read! I listened to the audiobook version in one day! This book had a few twists and turns and honestly, I did not see the ending coming. All of the characters involved were well written and real. Although the choices by the characters were sometimes frustrating and odd this book delivers a good mix of mystery with a hint of the supernatural. It made me think that there are villains in all of us but to what extent?

There were some things about this story however that didn’t make sense as to why it was important to be mentioned, I assume it was to add more to the character. Overall though I highly recommend this book, seriously it is a very fast and entertaining read!

2.) The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb

Book summary-
Grace Alban has spent more than two decades away from her family estate Alban House on the shores of Lake Superior. Her mother’s untimely death brings Grace and her daughter back to her childhood home. Now, Grace must deal with her own inner demons and old family secrets that have been in her family for many years. Was her mother murdered or was she a victim of the Alban Family curse?

Grace finds a hidden manuscript that could be the key to a long-ago mystery that took place at Alban house, the disappearance of her aunt and the suicide of a world-famous author. All of this happened during a scandalous party more than 5o years ago and has never been solved. Will Grace and her daughter be the next victims of this Alban family curse? Who can she trust? Now with the help of a new friend the handsome reverend Mathew Parker, will they uncover the truth in time?

This book was amazing! I loved the history of the family and how the author went from the past to the present flawlessly. The Alban family spans many generations and the mystery keeps you on your toes with some good plot twists. The ending had a real cliff hanger and left you wondering if the story will truly end. I love old spooky mansions, mystery and a bit of the supernatural all thrown in. Of course, the budding romance of Grace and Mathew was really cute, I loved their dialogue and it was believable to the reader. Really easy to read or listen, highly recommend this one too. Very enjoyable and the plot twist was a real surprise!

3.) Daughters of the Lake by Wendy Webb

Book summary-
Kate Granger returns to her childhood home out on Lake Superior after a horrible breakup to her marriage. The body of a murdered woman and her baby wash ashore near her home. Now the mystery begins, who is this woman and why does Kate know her? 100 years ago, a love story has a tragic end and now the dead lady from the lake is reaching out to Kate in her dreams. Now Kate must help this lady and right a long-ago wrong and solve a 100-year-old murder mystery.

As you can see this is the second Wendy Webb book that I have recently listened to. I actually did three of hers in a row! She is truly an amazing author and I will have more of her books coming up in another review.

This was a really great story and this one had a lot of supernatural creatures, folklore, love, and good old murder mystery all wrapped into one novel! The story takes place in a sleepy town on Lake Superior that spans over 100 years and a few generations of families. The story flows with a lot of character back story but it was very detailed and interesting.

You have to pay attention to the characters but once you do it is easy to go back and forth between the past and the present. I really liked this one a lot especially the more supernatural aspect of it and the many ghosts that walked the halls. A very good read indeed, the audiobook was fantastic!

4.) The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Book Summary
Rowan Caine comes across an ad for a fulltime live-in nanny position that seems too good to be true! Desperate to quit her job and start over Rowan accepts the job and heads out to the beautiful Scottish Highlands and Heatherbrae House. Heatherbrae house has a rich and dark history all of its own. Now the house has undergone a complete remodel by the current owners and turned into a modern smart house.

Soon after Rowan arrives strange occurrences start happening around the house. The children do not like her and she finds this job turning into a complete nightmare. Along with the eerie things lurking around the house, the feeling of always being watched, a horrible accident happens and she is accused of murder! Now in jail Rowen writes to her attorney and tells her side of the story.

I absolutely loved this story! I liked Rowan the character and the house it was really good. The twist at the end was very good and I really liked how Rowan told her story and how this book unfolded. There are TWO really big plot twists that you do not see coming. This is a great book and I really loved the audiobook version. Well narrated and I highly recommend this one!

I hope you enjoyed my book reviews, I do have a few more that I will share in another blog post very soon!

To download Audible and enjoy two free audiobooks you can go here:
https://amzn.to/2x5jl9q

Book Reviews

Audible Book Reviews – Summer Reads Round 1

June 25, 2019 No Comments

Summer is here and it is HOT in Texas! Now is the time to sit back with a glass of ice tea and stay in the air conditioned house for a good read!

I love reading but sometimes I really prefer the Audible versions of books so I can multi-task. Audible books are great for long car rides or when you are cleaning your house and want to listen to something at the same time. So here is a list of some recent audio books that I have listened to. Most if not all of these books are also available in paperback. All links will be in the descriptions below, enjoy!

1.) The Missing Years by Lexie Elliott– Lexie Elliott is the author of the French Girl which I read last year and loved! She is an amazing author and this book was very good. This book takes place in the Scottish Highlands and centers around the main character Alisa Calder.

Alisa’s mother dies and she inherits this old Scottish manor that is steeped in mystery. The townspeople tell her scary old tales of the manor, animals are afraid to venture onto the property and she feels like the manor is watching her. She moves to the manor along with her half-sister Carrie. Once there they begin to experience weird happenings in the house alongside trying to find out what happened to her dad who went missing 27 years ago.

This book had many suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were very well developed and believable. Very good twist at the end of the book! Highly recommend and worth reading, five stars!

2.) The Au Pair By Emma Rous– This book was very well done and it keeps you guessing. The story centers around three siblings, two of them twins and the recent death of their father.

While cleaning out her father’s office Seraphine Mayes discovers a strange photo of a woman she doesn’t know with her older brother and a photo of her mom with only one baby shortly after she gives birth to twins. On the night of her and her twin brother’s birth, their mother commits suicide.

Seraphine and her brothers never knew the whole story of their mother’s death and knew anything of this au pair that abruptly left the night their mother died. Wanting to find out the truth Seraphine tracks down the au pair and slowly learns that there was more to the story of their mother’s death. As she begins to piece together the mystery of that night, scary threats start appearing and now she is in danger. Along with the town’s folklore of her family and new threats will she find out the mystery of the au pair and what happened to her mother? Highly recommend this book, a great super thriller read for the summer.

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine. The first in the three book trilogy.

3.) Still House Lake Trilogy- By Rachel Caine– This is a 3 part book series and I loved it! I just completed the third one in the series but recommend you read the first two first.

Story centers around Gwen Proctor and her kids who are the family of a notorious serial killer. Unbeknownst to Gwen and her kids of the true evil that lives with them and how they are put on trial after he is caught. Gwen is falsely accused of helping her husband to commit these heinous crimes and several online hate groups turn against her and her kids. Gwen is acquitted and goes into hiding but is always looking over her shoulder.

Gwen and her kids live in fear for their lives from online vigilantes and her ex-husband in prison who wants revenge on her. Gwen has worked hard to create a new identity in a new town for her kids and herself. Everything is going fine until a new body appears in the lake right by her house and she starts receiving familiar letters from an unknown assailant. Now she must do whatever it takes to protect her family and trust no one. The books in the series are Stillhouse Lake, Killman Creek, and Wolfhunter River. All three are fast reads.

4.) I’ll Never Let You Go By- Mary Burton – This is a great book by one of my favorite authors. It does start out a bit slow and so you need to pay attention to the beginning characters and details but then it gets really interesting. The characters are likable and believable with a lot of back stories that are worth knowing. The end has a major twist and I did not see it coming!

Four years ago Leah Carson’s husband came close to killing her by stabbing her 23 times. Her husband flees and she is told he died in an accident but they never found his body. Now four years later in a new town, weird things start happening to Leah. Missing keys, flat tires, and flowers on her wedding anniversary. Now another woman she knows is killed with exactly 29 stab wounds and Leah is in fear that maybe her husband is back to finish the job. Highly suspenseful and a really fast read.

Hope you enjoyed this book review for Summer round 1. Round 2 will be up in a month or two. Let me know if you read any of these books and if you have any good book suggestions.

Book Reviews, LifeStyle

The Last Mrs. Parrish By Liv Constantine- A Book Review

September 12, 2018 No Comments

We have all been there jealous and envious of others. There always seems to be that perfect girl or golden couple who have it all. We look at them and think to ourselves, why can’t I have what they have? Yes, we have all had those moments of self loathing, feeling less than others and coveting material possessions and lifestyles of the rich and famous. Some people always seem to have it made while we struggle with our simple lives. Ok, maybe not to that extreme lol but we can relate to the main character Amber Patterson and how she wants to live a better life than her own.

This was an excellent book, very compelling and a fast read. I really enjoyed the richness of the characters and how the plot slowly unfolded. You get the chance to see things from different perspectives and the end is mind blowing! Learn more about the story line below.

The Last Mrs. Parrish Synopsis:

The story is about a girl named Amber Patterson the typical plain Jane from the wrong side of the tracks. She is very jealous and envious of socialite Daphne Parrish. The IT, girl who seems to have it all looks, money, friends and the perfect marriage. To the unknowing eye it looks like she takes her lavish life for granted.

Amber decides enough is enough, she lays out a carefully crafted plan to get close to Daphne. She wants Jackson, Daphne’s husband and Daphne’s life for herself but will Amber’s past come back and bite her in the but? Will her plans fall apart before she lands her prize?

This book is great, goes along with the “looks can be deceiving” and “be careful what you wish for” type of story line. I was definitely intrigued by this book and how the story was told by both women’s perspective. I highly recommend this book, keeps you guessing what the outcome will be and the twist at the end is great!

About the Authors:

Liv Constantine is the pen name of USA Today and WSJ bestselling authors and sisters Lynne Constantine and Valerie Constantine. Separated by three states, they spend hours plotting via Face Time and burning up each other’s emails. They attribute their ability to concoct dark storylines to the hours they spent listening to tales handed down by their Greek grandmother. The Last Mrs. Parrish, a national bestseller, is their debut thriller. Visit their website at www.livconstantine.com

To get your copy of the Last Mrs. Parrish click on this link.

To download Audible and enjoy two free audio books you can go here: Audible Membership Free Audio Books

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