Reviews: HER DEADLY GAME & WHAT HAVE WE DONE
Hey everyone! I hope your week is off to a great start. At this point, I’m just hoping mine will be better than last week. I spent most of the week fighting a sinus headache and then someone on my team at work resigned so there way chaos and drama galore. Between not feeling well and being tired of the drama, I pretty much laid on the couch like a blob every night from 5pm on. Needless to say, no blog hopping happened so my apologies for that. Anyway, enough of that, today I’m back to share some rare thriller reviews from me. Alex Finlay and Robert Dugoni are two authors that have been on my list of authors to try for years now, and I decided it was time to finally make that happen. Today I’m reviewing each of their newest releases.
Her Deadly Game Goodreads Author: Robert Dugoni
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
My favorite legal thriller reads are those that offer up a perfect balance of police procedure, courtroom drama, and well developed characters. Robert Dugoni’s latest standalone thriller, Her Deadly Game, delivers in all those areas and more.
The story follows Keera Duggan, a prosecutor in Seattle who has to leave her job for personal reasons. She ends up working at her family’s once successful but now failing criminal defense law firm. The family firm’s reputation has taken a hit since Keera’s dad’s alcoholism started to impact his performance in court. When Keera is retained by Vince LaRussa, a successful investment advisor accused of murdering his wife, Keera hopes that her return to the firm will help to restore its reputation, give her own career a jumpstart, and most importantly, help to repair her relationship with her dad, which has also become strained due to the alcoholism.
The LaRussa case itself was fascinating and kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved following all elements of the investigation, from the crime scene unit gathering evidence at the scene all the way through to the courtroom action once the case goes to trial. All of these scenes were so detailed that I truly felt like I was there watching the case unfold in person. I’m also always a big fan of underdogs, so I was Team Keera all the way. Keera is up against not only the fact that in cases like this, the killer often is the husband, but also the fact that the prosecutor on the case is none other than her ex-boyfriend who would love nothing more than to take her down in court. There’s also an anonymous tipster that has Keera chasing down possible leads in an intricate cat and mouse style game.
As riveting and twisty as the LaRussa case was on its own, the complicated family dynamic of the Duggan family was what really made this book a standout for me. Patsy Duggan, the patriarch of the family, built his firm from the ground up, earning himself the reputation as ‘The Irish Brawler,” along the way. Now that his drinking has made him unreliable, it’s up to Keera and her two sisters to keep the firm afloat. The sisters of course love their dad, but there is definitely tension and resentment that they can’t count on him. Some of my favorite scenes were those where Keera and her dad were working together on the case, with Keera holding him to his promise that he wouldn’t drink or let her down. I became so invested in their relationship and was rooting for Patsy all the way to keep his promise and not let his girls down.
Her Deadly Game was my first time reading one of Robert Dugoni’s novels, but it definitely won’t be my last! 4.5 STARS
What Have We Done Goodreads
Author: Alex Finlay
Publication Date: March 7, 2023
Publisher: Minotaur Books
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
What Have We Done is the latest thriller from Alex Finlay. This was my first time reading anything from this author and I have to say it was a pretty wild ride!
This twisty story follows five seemingly different characters who on the surface have little in common – Ben is a federal judge, Donnie is a mostly washed-up rock star, Nico is a television producer, Jenna is a former assassin turned housewife, and Artemis is a wealthy entrepreneur. What these five do have in common is that 25 years ago, they all lived at Savior House, a group home for orphaned teens. While Savior House was meant to be a safe place for these teens, instead it was an environment of abuse and neglect and also a place where several teen girls that lived there mysteriously disappeared. The home is eventually shut down and the teens all eventually go on to lead successful lives, although they all still have painful memories from their time at Savior House, as well as a deadly secret.
When one of them is killed, and attempts are made on the lives of the other four, it leads the now-grown Savior House kids to have a reunion they never expected to have. It surely isn’t a coincidence that all of them have been targeted and they need to get to the bottom of who is after them after all these years and why.
I love a good twisty thriller so I really enjoyed how this novel was structured. The story unfolds primarily from the perspectives of Jenna, Nico, and Donnie, who were best friends while at Savior House. We follow each of them from the moment the attempt is made on their lives and get their perspective on everything as they try to piece together what is going on, first solo, and then as a team once they finally meet up. The story also alternates between past and present so that in addition to following these characters as they try to figure out who is after them, we also get flashbacks to when they were teens and therefore get a bird’s eye view of all of the horrors that took place at Savior House.
While I really enjoyed the story overall, I did have a couple of issues as I was reading, the first being that I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. I was definitely sympathetic to what they were going through and how terrifying it must have been, but that was the end of my connection to any of them. I also found myself preferring some of the perspectives over others, Jenna’s was much more interesting than the others so I found myself skimming through their chapters to hurry up and get back to hers. Overall, I enjoyed all three perspectives, but this did make for an uneven read for me. The skeptic in me also found all of their career choices to be somewhat farfetched – entertaining yes, believable not really.
Even with those few issues, I would still say I enjoyed my first Alex Finlay novel. I liked the suspenseful build up to the reveal and that the closer we got to the reveal, the wilder the ride became, and I definitely loved that the story kept me guessing until the final pages. If you like twisty reads filled with dark secrets from the past, you’ll want to check out What Have We Done. 3.5 STARS
Top Ten Tuesday – Books on my Spring 2023 To-Read List
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 Books on My Spring 2023 To-Read List. I always enjoy this topic because I’m curious to see what my fellow book lovers are planning to read next. I am still on my quest to read more of the books I already own, so today I’m sharing a mix of ARCs and books from my own shelves that I’m hoping to read this spring. (Quotes are taken from Goodreads).
Books on My Spring 2023 TBR
1. YOURS TRULY by Abby Jimenez – “A novel of terrible first impressions, hilarious second chances, and the joy in finding your perfect match.”
2. THE PARIS DAUGHTER by Kristin Harmel – “From the bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names comes a gripping historical novel about two mothers who must make unthinkable choices in the face of the Nazi occupation.”
3. THE TRUE LOVE EXPERIMENT by Christina Lauren – “Sparks fly when a romance novelist and a documentary filmmaker join forces to craft the perfect Hollywood love story and take both of their careers to the next level—but only if they can keep the chemistry between them from taking the whole thing off script.”
4. THE GOLDEN DOVES by Martha Hall Kelly – “Two former female spies, bound together by their past, risk everything to hunt down an infamous Nazi doctor in the aftermath of World War II—an extraordinary novel inspired by true events from the New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls.”
5. LOVE, THEORETICALLY by Ali Hazelwood – “Rival physicists collide in a vortex of academic feuds and fake dating shenanigans in this delightfully STEMinist romcom from the New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis and Love on the Brain.”
6. THE UNDERTAKING OF HART AND MERCY by Megan Bannen – “Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the strange and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s an unforgiving job, and Hart’s got nothing but time to ponder his loneliness. Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been single-handedly keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat in defiance of sullen jerks like Hart, who seems to have a gift for showing up right when her patience is thinnest. After yet another exasperating run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself penning a letter addressed simply to “A Friend”. Much to his surprise, an anonymous letter comes back in return, and a tentative friendship is born. If only Hart knew he’s been baring his soul to the person who infuriates him most – Mercy. As the dangers from Tanria grow closer, so do the unlikely correspondents. But can their blossoming romance survive the fated discovery that their pen pals are their worst nightmares – each other?”
7. HAPPY PLACE by Emily Henry – “A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.“
8. THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden – “An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!”
9. BEFORE I LET GO by Kennedy Ryan – “Award-winning and bestselling “powerhouse” author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today).“
10. MAAME by Jessica George – “Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Jessica George’s Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.”
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Question: Have you read any of these or are you planning to read any of them?
Reviews: THE LOVE WAGER & THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER & LOUISE
Hey everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that Daylight Savings Time hasn’t thrown you too off kilter. Today I’m back with a couple of great new March releases from Berkley. I originally planned to post reviews for these later in the month, but I flew through them both so quickly that I just couldn’t wait any longer to share my love for them.
The Love Wager (Mr. Wrong Number, #2) Goodreads Author: Lynn Painter
Publication Date: March 14, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Lynn Painter is one of my go-to authors when I’m craving a hilarious and heartwarming read and her latest rom-com, The Love Wager, is all of that and more.
When the story opens, Hallie Piper is working at a wedding, tending bar. When Jack, the sexy best man, comes up to order a drink, Hallie hits it off with him, a little too well apparently, because they end up in a hotel room together. Hallie ends up belly-crawling out of the hotel room in a desperate attempt to avoid an awkward post- one night stand encounter, and she decides at that moment that it’s time to make some major life changes. She creates a profile on a popular dating app, hoping to meet her true love, and who does she see almost immediately as she’s scrolling for possible matches? Yep, you guessed it, Jack! Hallie messages him through the app, mainly just to mess with him, and the two of them end up actually becoming friends and actually putting a little friendly wager on which of them will find love first.
This story was just so much fun! Friends to lovers is a trope I enjoy anyway, but Painter really leveled it up when she added the one-night stand into the equation to make it more along the lines of a lovers to friends to lovers romance. Hallie and Jack were also both so likeable and had tremendous chemistry (no matter how many times they each tried to remind themselves that they were only platonic friends). I loved how they would set up their respective dates at the same place so that if things didn’t go well, they could give each other an out and escape to go get tacos together. The taco “not dates” were adorable and it was so much fun to watch these two clearly grow more and more attracted to each other, and more concerned for each other’s happiness and well-being, the more they hung out together. At one point, Hallie takes Jack to an event as her fake date and I was practically giddy watching the two of them interact because they had more chemistry than any of the real couples who were there. I was rooting so hard for them to see what I was seeing and just get on with it already, haha!
The Love Wager is a romance filled with heart and humor that has once again cemented Lynn Painter’s place on my list of auto-buy authors. 4.5 STARS
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise Goodreads
Author: Colleen Oakley
Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley was a must-read for me because it contains two elements that I love and don’t come across often enough, an older protagonist and an unlikely friendship. Throw in a cross country road trip and this book was simply irresistible to me!
The older protagonist is Louise Wilt, a sassy octogenarian who, at her children’s insistence, finds herself in need of a full-time caregiver after falling and fracturing her hip. Louise hates being old, hates the way people treat her because she is old, and she has lots of other opinions that she isn’t afraid to share at any given moment. The irony is that while she doles out her honest opinion to anyone who will listen, it turns out she’s hiding a boatload of secrets and has lived a life wilder than anyone could possibly fathom. Oakley has created an incredibly rich, well drawn character with Louise and I really loved getting to know her and learning about her secrets and what motivated her to do what she does in this story.
Tanner is the other protagonist in the story and she’s a 21-year-old woman who has been forced to drop out of college because of a career-ending soccer injury that cost her a full-ride scholarship. Tanner feels like her life is over before it has even begun. She’s angry at the world and lashes out at her family to the point where they kick her out. Desperate for cash and a place to live, Tanner takes the caretaker job and moves in with Louise. Tanner is just as much a complicated character as Louise is, and it was interesting to peel back her layers and learn more about her as well.
My favorite part of the book was the unlikely friendship that develops between Tanner and Louise once they get past the initial awkwardness of a 21 year old and an 84 year old being roommates. An unexpected but urgent cross country road trip is actually the catalyst for their friendship to really blossom and it’s a wild ride. I don’t want to give anything away about the road trip, aside from to say that it’s directly tied to all those wild secrets Louise is keeping. What I will say about the road trip is that it really provides the opportunity for Tanner and Louise to bond. They have some moving heart-to-heart talks, and I loved that they were both able to learn from each other. The trip was a wonderful time to gain some perspective for each of them, particularly Tanner, so that she could forge a new path forward for herself.
With its sassy protagonists who shouldn’t be underestimated, unlikely friendships, epic road trip, and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise is a gem of a book that has a little something for everyone. 4.5 STARS