Reviews: Later & The Burning Girls
/30 Comments/by Sharon
Hey, it’s Sharon and for today’s Thriller Thursday I am reviewing two books from two great horror authors. Stephen King’s new book Later (Hey, what would a Thriller Thursday be without a Stephen King book? LOL) and C.J. Tudor’s new book The Burning Girls. I couldn’t wait to read these books, and I am happy to say they did not disappoint.
Later Goodreads
Author: Stephen King
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Publisher: Hard Case Crime
Stephen King is my all-time favorite author, and even though his new book, Later is not as long as his other books (it’s only 250 pages, short for a Stephen King book lol) he is still able to pull me in and make me become fully invested in the story and characters. It was everything I wanted/expected in a Stephen King read.
Jamie Conklin has a secret; he can see and talk to dead people. His mother urges him not to let anyone know what he can do. If anyone were to find out, they would use Jamie for their own purpose, and he could end up in a life-or-death situation. Which is exactly what happens when a New York city detective enlists Jamie’s help in stopping a killer from performing one final act from beyond the grave.
It is Jamie’s job to find out where this killer hid his final bomb, because you see when you ask a dead person a question, they have to tell the truth.
The book is narrated by Jamie Conklin, as he tells the story of his life, starting when he was 6 years old and through his teenage/young adult years. For the most part, the dead people that Jamie sees keep their distance and they fade away after a few days. That is until Jamie is thirteen years old and is pulled into the case with the NYPD. For some reason, this dead person does not fade away and keeps following Jamie. Jamie sees him outside of school, standing on the street late at night, and even in the elevator in their apartment building. Jamie needs to figure out how to make him go away, because he does not want to find out what will happen if he doesn’t.
I loved Jamie. Especially young Jamie, who just pulled at my heart strings. There is a scene at the beginning of the book when Jamie is six, he is walking home from school with this mother and he is holding a paper turkey he made. He thinks it is the cat’s ass, that is until they get to their apartment and find out their neighbor Mrs. Burkett has died. When Jamie sees Mr. Burkett crying, he tries to cheer him up by showing him his turkey. But then he sees Mrs. Burkett and when he proudly shows her his turkey, she tells Jamie it is more like what comes out of a cat’s ass. Aww Poor Jamie. I just wanted to hug him.
I also loved the relationship between Jamie and his mother. It is just the two of them and they both are protective of each other. They had a very special bond. And I as I was reading, I kept hoping nothing bad was going to happen to either of them.
This is a horror story, but it is also a coming-of-age story as Jamie navigates through life, as the boy who can see and talk to dead people. If you are a fan of Stephen King, I recommend this book and think you will love it. 4 ½ stars
The Burning Girls Goodreads
Author: C.J. Tudor
Publication Date: February 9, 2021
Publisher: Ballantine Books
C.J. Tudor has become a must-read author for me. I loved her earlier books, The Chalk Man, The Hiding Place; and The Other People so I couldn’t wait to read The Burning Girls. I am glad to say that it lived up to my expectations.
Chapel Croft is a small village in Sussex, England. Five hundred years ago eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake, two of which were children. Thirty years ago, 2 local teenage girls went missing. And two months ago, the local vicar killed himself. Every year to commemorate the anniversary of the protestant martyrs the townspeople have a bonfire in the cemetery next to the chapel and burn twig figures, known as the burning girls.
Reverend Jack Brooks and her fourteen-year-old daughter, Flo, have just moved to Chapel Croft. Jack will be the interim vicar until a permanent one can be found. Jack is hoping for a fresh start for her and her daughter. As soon as Jack and Flo arrive, a small child covered in blood shows up at the chapel. Then Jack receives a package, that includes an exorcism kit. Flo befriends a strange local boy, has a few run-ins with some bullies and is having strange sightings of the burning girls. While cleaning out the basement in their house, Jack finds folders that belonged to the previous vicar which contain research into the 2 girls that disappeared thirty years ago. As Jack investigates these strange occurrences, she finds that the people in Chapel Croft do not want their secrets to be revealed and will do whatever they have to do to stop that from happening. So much for the peaceful fresh start Jack was hoping for.
The book is told from the POV of Jack and Flo. I loved their mother/daughter relationship. I especially liked Jack though, she was a down to earth flawed character and not your typical vicar. She smokes (behind her daughter’s back lol), drinks and swears when it is called for. And she is also a mother that will do anything to protect her daughter.
This book was filled with lots of twists and turns and I couldn’t wait to see if the martyrs, the missing girls and the vicar that killed himself were connected or not. I thought I had things figured out a few times, but I was wrong each time. The tension and suspense really pick up at the end with a final jaw dropping twist. 4 ½ stars
Can’t Wait Wednesday – ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams
/24 Comments/by Suzanne
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in since I first started blogging, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams. It’s no secret how much I have adored this entire series and it’s also no secret how much I’ve loved Vlad the Russian as a secondary character in each of the first three books. I’m ecstatic that he’s finally going to get his own book and that the synopsis sounds so amazing. I can’t wait to see Vlad and his book club bros in action in his quest for romance and true love. I also can’t wait to meet The Loners since they sound like they’re potentially going to be a hilarious new addition to this beloved cast of characters.
ISN’T IT BROMANTIC? by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publication Date: July 20, 2021 by Berkley Books
From Goodreads:
With his passion for romance novels, it was only a matter of time before Vlad took up the pen to write a novel the Bromance Book Club would swoon over.
Elena Konnikova has lived her entire adult life in the shadows. As the daughter of a Russian journalist who mysteriously disappeared after speaking out against government corruption, she escaped danger the only way she knew how. She agreed to marry her childhood friend, Vladimir, and move to the United States, where he is a professional hockey player in Nashville.
Vlad, aka The Russian, thought he could be content with his marriage of convenience. But after four years, it’s become too difficult to continue in a one-sided relationship. He joined the Bromance Book Club to learn how to make his wife love him, but all he’s learned is that he deserves more. He’s ready to create his own sweeping romance–both on and off the page.
The Bros are unwilling to let Vlad forgo true love–and this time they’re not operating solo. They join forces with Vlad’s senior citizen neighbors, a group of meddling widows who call themselves The Loners. Just when things finally look promising, the danger from Elena’s past life intrudes, and the book club will face their first-ever life-or-death grand gesture as they race to a happy ever after.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on My Spring 2021 TBR
/56 Comments/by Suzanne
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is a Books on My Spring 2021 TBR. As you’ll no doubt notice, my TBR is again heavy on the rom coms and women’s fiction since that seems to be where my inner mood reader still wants to be. I do have a sci fi, a couple of fantasies and some historical fiction mixed in there though there’s a little variety going on. I’m excited that so many of my favorite authors have new books coming out this Spring, and I’m also excited that I’ll be reading Karen White for the first time. She has been on my list of authors to try for a couple of years now and it’s finally going to happen.
I also went beyond a Top 10 list because I also wanted to share some older titles I’ll be working my way through. So far this year I’ve read 20 older books I already own so I’m very motivated to keep working on that goal. 🙂
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Books on My Spring 2021 TBR
ARCs
1. THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren
2. PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry
3. MALIBU RISING by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4. THE INTIMACY EXPERIMENT by Rosie Danan
5. THAT SUMMER by Jennifer Weiner
6. THE INFINITY COURTS by Akemi Dawn Bowman
7. PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir
8. HANA KHAN CARRIES ON by Uzma Jalaluddin
9. HEART & SEOUL by Jen Frederick
10. THE LAST NIGHT IN LONDON by Karen White
Older Books I Own
11. THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by T.J. Klune
12. CHILDREN OF VIRTUE AND VENGEANCE by Tomi Adeyemi
13. WHEN WE LEFT CUBA by Chanel Cleeton
14. A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow
15. WINTER GARDEN by Kristin Hannah
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