Monday, November 27, 2017

COYER Winter Switch!




COYER Switch has 3 components: The Strict, The List, and The One with the Twist. You can choose to do the three components in any order you’d like, but you’ll do each component once.


  • December 16 – January 12 The Strict
  • January 13 – February 9 The List
  • February 10 – March 9 The One With the Twist

The Strict:
This is good old strict COYER. The rules:
  1. Every book you read must be an eBook or audiobook.
  2. Every book must be either free or less than $5.
  3. No library books, borrowed books, or Kindle Unlimited.

The One with the Twist (I'm choosing physical books as my format):
  1. You can read ANY book. ANY price. Obtained any LEGAL way.
  2. The Twist is, you have to stick with one format. If you choose audiobooks, then only the audiobooks you read during this phase will count. If you choose eBooks, then only eBooks you read during this phase will count. ETC….

The List:
  1. Make a list of up to 30 books you want to read.
  2. Every book on the list must be in your possession BEFORE you put them on the list.
  3. You can add 5 new books for every 5 books you read.
  4. Books on the list can be any format, any price, obtained any LEGAL way… so that means library books, KU, borrowed, etc.

The Strict:
1) Bloodstains with Bronte by Katherine Bolger Hyde
2) A Devious Death by Alyssa Maxwell
3) The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
4. Another One Bites the Crust by Ellie Alexander


My List:

1) The Bride Wore Size 12
2) Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
3) Don't You Cry
4) Into the Wild
5) The Minaturist
6) Troublemaker by Leah Remini
7) Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
8) Three Times Lucky
9) Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh
10) The Panopticon
11) Every Fifteen Minutes
12) Good as Gone by Amy Gentry
13) Welcome to Nightvale
14) Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath
15) Busman's Honeymoon
16) The Last Dead Girl
17) The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
18) The Secrets She Keeps
19) Little Deaths
20) The Marsh Madness
21) Ruin Falls
22) Doom with a View
23) Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
24) The Blind
25) Lie to Me
26) Lies She Told
27) The Lives of Desperate Girls
28) The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood
29) Lady Killers by Tori Telfer
30) The Second Sister

The One With the Twist (physical copies of books)
1) Home Sweet Murder by James Patterson
2) Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
3) The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
4) Let's Play Dead by Sheila Connolly
5) Murder Beyond the Grave by James Patterson
6) Wolf by Kelly Oliver
7) The Bad Seed by William Marsh
8) Muffin to Fear by Victoria Hamilton
9) Gossamer Ghost by Laura Childs
10) Priceless by Robert K. Wittman


Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Blog Tour and Review: The Wife Between Us



Title: The Wife Between Us
Authors: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Publication Date: January 9, 2018
Genre: Psychological Suspense/Thriller
Recommended If You Like: books that keep you guessing, books that completely surprise you, female characters as the main characters, twisty psychological thrillers

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself. 

The Book:

This book gives very little away in the summary, and I will follow its lead. The Wife Between Us is billed in its description as a story that appears to be about a classic love triangle (ex-wife, her former husband, his current fiance), but may not be all it appears.

What I Liked:

I liked everything about this book!

It's rare every part of a book can completely surprise me, but this story absolutely did. I never knew what was coming next. This was one of those books that had me literally gasping out loud in total shock at numerous parts of the story. I immediately started looking back at previous pages, and the story completely held up when viewed through the numerous new lenses Hendricks and Pekkanen created.

Anything I Didn't Like?

For me, there honestly wasn't anything not to like about this book. It's so clever, and so well-orchestrated.

So...?

Read this book! You will not be able to put it down, and, like me, I suspect you will love every minute of being fooled by the authors' fantastically twisted tale.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Review: The Takedown



Kyla is one of the most popular girls in her school, picked to join a clique that has ensured her the high school existence she was sure she wanted-until someone comes along to tear it all down. A sex tape of Kyla and one of her teachers is released, but Kyla knows she hasn't slept with anyone. As she fights to discover who is trying to destroy her life, she's forced to examine just how great a life it is that she's been leading


The world Wang creates is also extremely unique. The book is set in the far future, when our obsession with new technology and social media have been taken to extremes. Screens are everywhere, and no one takes a single step without their Doc, a tablet that contains their whole life. Thanks to social media, everywhere you go, someone is always watching, and your every move is documented virally for the world to see.


This book takes topics that have been covered before-popularity, mean girls, the effects of social media, and society's views on women-and looks at them through a really creative and unique lens. Wang tackles all this while also making her book a twisty mystery that kept me guessing the whole time. I honestly never saw the denouncement coming.

I would definitely recommend this book. It's a unique and gripping addition to the young adult suspense genre.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Review: Death of a Pumpkin Carver



Title: Death of a Pumpkin Carver
Author: Lee Hollis
Publication Date: August 30, 2016
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: quick fun reads, mysteries set around Halloween, a female protagonist who knows herself, recipes with your mystery

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Hayley's ex-husband is back in town-and the prime suspect in a murder. Now, during the Halloween season, she must juggle writing her column and raising her children with clearing the former love of her life's name.

What I Liked:

This is a quick read, a fun cozy mystery that hits so many of the classic cozy mystery high points-including a strong female protagonist, romantic developments, and a small town setting. Hayley is a lot of fun to take a book journey with, and I love how well she knows herself.

The mystery was a fun one, and setting it around Halloween made it even more fun. There's all the trappings that come with Halloween, including a haunted house, a horror writer, and the pumpkin carver of the title.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I was able to call most of the twists in the mystery, including some of the biggest ones.

So...?

I enjoy this series, it's a lot of fun, and Hayley is a great protagonist. I definitely could read the rest of this series at some point.


Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Review: Death on the Patagonian Express




Title: Death on the Patagonian Express
Author: Hy Conrad
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: travelogues, mother-daughter duo, settings as characters

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

Amy and her mother, Fanny, run and write a highly successful trendy travel blog, TrippyGirl. Because of this, they are invited to ride on the New Patagonian Express, and blog about their experiences on a trip through South America. But when Fanny spies a corpse, that then disappears, and then possibly reappears, Amy and Fanny must prove there is a murder to solve, and find the answers.

What I Liked:

Fanny and Amy make a fun and unique duo, both as mother and daughter, and as crime solvers. They bring originality and humor to the story.

The setting was a great one, factual and fascinating, described in great detail. The traveling aspect allows readers to feel like they're seeing so much of South America.

Anything I Didn't Like?

The ending felt a little out of character for who the murderer was revealed to be. It took me by surprise, which is always good, but didn't really ring true to what had come before.

So...?

I liked, but didn't love this book. I felt like the mystery sometimes got lost in the characters and settings. This was a fun read, but I won't be rushing to get the rest of the series read.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Review: The Vineyard Victims



Title: The Vineyard Victims
Author: Ellen Crosby
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Recommended If You Like: the past coming back to haunt the present, strong female protagonists, wine facts

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:

When Lucie witnesses the death by car crash of a former presidential candidate-in the same spot where her ex-boyfriend once brutally crashed their car-she is sure it wasn't an accident. But everyone else wants her to leave well enough alone.

Lucie, however, refuses to drop her inquiries. As she discovers a connection to a past crime, she finds herself in danger from someone who thought their crimes were buried long ago.

What I Liked:

I love mysteries about crimes from the past, and Crosby does a really good job of weaving in the past into the present. Clues come out as Lucie learns them, upping the tension and the mystery.

Lucie is a great main character and narrator. She is strong and stubborn, refusing to give in when others would have given up. Her relationship with her fiance Quinn is a pleasant happiness in the midst of murder.

The setting also becomes its own character, which is always something I enjoy. The town really comes alive.

Anything I Didn't Like?

The solution is a good one that fits with everything that came before, but the very last few pages of the book come across as a bit cliched and don't entirely seem to fit with what we have learned of Lucie's character in the previous pages.

So...?

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. I definitely would like to read the rest of the series at some point.