Book Review Round-Up #35

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

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Starting 2024 SO freakin’ strong with this legendary Agatha Christie novel.

Truth?

I knew she was good – but I didn’t know she was THAT good. This book’s ending blew me away. I couldn’t guess the killer and even though it started a little slow, the nursery rhyme was eerie enough to catch my attention.

Can’t wait to read more murder mystery thrillers this year.

Mafia Boss (The Accidental Mafia Queen) by Khardine Gray

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This was my first mafia romance book, and honestly, I was disappointed there wasn’t more mafia business in it. Call me nerdy but I liked the idea of learning about mob/mafia fictional life. Tell me everything. In short, if you have any other recs, let me know.

This series though is about Luc who’s taking over the business of his dad’s best friend (the mafia boss) but with one condition – he has to marry the mafia boss’ daughter, who happens to be an undercover detection agent in LA.

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage

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This was in my goodreads review and I’m adding it here too because it’s silly but also I cannot stop thinking about it. I genuinely enjoyed this book. It got a killer 4-star rating for me but I absolutely cannot stand the cover of this novel.

Nothing against the artist at all because I think the print and design are wonderful! But I don’t want it on the cover of my romance book. Plus this book is a contemporary romance! She’s a bada$$ horseback racer who’s always in cut-off shorts and cropped band tees! She looks nothing like this cover.

Anyway, this is one of the best romances this month and I recommend it. Big thank you to Rylie who practically shoved it down my throat to make me read it. 😅

Unrealistic Expectations by Andie J. Christopher

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Though there were a lot of Unrealistic Expectations in this novel, I had a lot of moments where I felt like this relationship might actually work in real life. The communication by the end of the book showed real progress for the two MCs and I appreciated how the author touched so much on sexism in society.

I felt heard, which I wasn’t expecting from a fictional contemporary romance. For that alone, this is a great book to pick up. Plus, the MMC has a bad boy rep who was shot on social media, and the FMC is the author of a dating book to help men understand women but she just got broken up with by her longtime live-in boyfriend. I loved that the MCs knew each other from college but he knew he wasn’t good enough for her.

His & Hers by Alice Feeney

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Oooooohhhh this book. I read it in 2 days and stayed up til 4 am to finish it because I couldn’t go to bed without knowing whodunit. This is my third novel by Alice Feeney and, if you can’t tell, I love her work. The writing is spectacular but the plots and plot twists are what get me every time.

This one, however, was significantly more triggering than the others and I recommend reading the trigger warnings for this one. I wasn’t expecting or emotionally prepared for the 70% mark.

Other than that, the suspense was amazing, and the plot twists were crazy.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

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Due to the hype, I was expecting this book to be a little different. It wasn’t bad! I think it just got overhyped and so many people recommended it to me that it kind of heightened my expectations.

I figured it out at the 70% mark. That said, the writing was easy and the chapters are super short. I liked it! I would consider picking up another one of Alex Michaelides books.

Mile High (Windy City #1) by Liz Tomforde

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This book took forever and because of that, I gave it a 3 star but the story was captivating and Liz Thomforde set us up for the next book in the series easily. That said, this book should have been 1/4 shorter. It was a 17-hour audiobook!

I really loved the FMC. She was strong, dished right back, and volunteered at the local adult dog shelter in her spare time. I liked that this book was sexy and fun but fair warning, the MMC is easy to despise at the beginning. In the end, you love them.