Days after a young pageant queen named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. The most obvious suspect is one of her fans, an older man who may have gotten too close for comfort. But Jenny’s half-sister, Virginia—the sarcastic black sheep of the family—isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.
But for Jenny’s case and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.
Infused with dark humor and driven by two captivating young women, The Prized Girl tells a heartbreaking story of missed connections, a complicated family, and a town’s disturbing secrets.My thoughts:This covers some dark terrain, and I don’t just mean murder. Both Jenny and Virginia live with secrets, and while Virginia is trying to find Jenny’s killer, she’s also unravelling her own past.The plot twists and turns, keeping you guessing right till the very end.For a small town there’s a lot of terrible people doing terrible things, reminding me of some recent Netflix binges, and that’s no bad thing.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Category: reviews
Blog Tour: Happy Family – James Ellis*
Germaine Kiecke was a foundling, an orphan. Now she is a successful art academic who defines herself by her profession and prefers to experience the world through art and an augmented reality game called Happy Family. But when the artist Tom Hannah, the creative force behind the game, moves to Spain, surrounds himself with high walls, three large dogs, and a runaway who teaches him to think like a tree, his existential melt-down threatens all Germaine holds dear.
James has written two novels, The Wrong Story and An Other’s Look, and a novella, Fizz. He has had published a number of prize-winning short stories and a travelogue of his journey through Central America. He has a Master of Studies in Creative Writing and is a member of the Society of Authors, English PEN and the International Flann O’Brien Society. He is an occasional presenter on Frome FM’s On-Air Book Group, a contributor to Carers UK’s creative writing campaigns and was an ambassador for a Shooting Star – a charity for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
My thoughts:
This was a strange, darkly comic novel. Everyone in it is slightly unhinged, most of the plot takes place in a depressing Spanish village, where the characters essentially act appallingly apart from Germaine, who observes all of this chaos with a sort of detachment, despite being the nexus in some ways for all of the people being there.
Despite this, I actually really enjoyed this book, crazy subplots and all. The characters are well drawn, I could really see them all running around in the hills, driving clapped out cars and being chased by an assortment of dogs.
Book Review: Of Curses & Kisses – Sandhya Menon
Will the princess save the beast?
For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?
His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can’t shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…
As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.
My thoughts:
A contemporary retelling of Beauty & the Beast, set in an exclusive boarding school with an Indian princess and a British Duke’s son as the protagonists.
I really enjoyed the author’s previous book, When Dimple Met Rishi, and this was equally as fun.
Modern technology is the real villain here, with Jaya’s sister being the subject of some nasty gossip at home and the grapevine suggesting it’s Grey’s family’s fault.
This means Jaya isn’t remotely interested in the actually quite interesting Grey, and of course a series of misunderstandings, accidents and coincidences conspire to bring these two together again and again.
This was just a good fun read. And we all need some of those.
I was kindly gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.
Blog Tour: This Lovely City – Louise Hare*
The drinks are flowing. The music’s playing. But the party can’t last.
London, 1950. With the Blitz over and London still rebuilding after the war, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for help. Arriving from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush, he’s taken a tiny room in south London lodgings, and has fallen in love with the girl next door.
Touring Soho’s music halls by night, pacing the streets as a postman by day, Lawrie has poured his heart into his new home — and it’s alive with possibility. Until one morning, while crossing a misty common, he makes a terrible discovery.
As the local community rallies, fingers of blame are pointed at those who had recently been welcomed with open arms. And before long, London’s newest arrivals become the prime suspects in a tragedy which threatens to tear the city apart. Immersive, poignant, and utterly compelling, Louise Hare’s debut examines the complexities of love and belonging, and teaches us that even in the face of anger and fear, there is always hope.
My thoughts:
With the Windrush generation in the news again, for all the wrong reasons, this is a timely novel about those first arrivals and their new lives in London.
They face racism, both institutional and individual, a struggle to find somewhere to live, work, love.
Lawrie is an empathetic protagonist, you really feel for him as he’s scapegoated and railroaded by a biased copper and a suspicious community.
But it’s Evie’s story that really made me sad, the daughter of a mixed race couple, raised by a single parent, surrounded by white faces and ignorance her whole life.
This is at its heart a love story, not just that of Lawrie and Evie, but of mothers and daughters, of friends, community and music.
Moving and well written, I think Louise Hare is definitely going to be one to watch, this debut novel is powerful and much like Pandora’s box, there’s hope under all the darkness.
Book Review: Belle Rèvolte – Linsey Miller
Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.
Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.
Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.
But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it’s too late.
My thoughts:
A French inspired, queer, role swap story with magic.
I thought this was great fun, Emilie and Annette are great characters, as her friends and allies, as they fight to save their country and stop the corrupt king and generals from slaughtering innocents and dragging their people into endless war and mayhem.
The plot is clever and full of joy, even as it heads towards the culmination of the story and the two girls join forces to fight back against their enemies.
From discovering their gifts and learning how to use them, to falling in love and finding their person (Annette’s gentle kitchen based romance with Yvonne is a delight).
Miller explores gender identity and queerness through these characters, but doesn’t make it the focus of the characters’ side plots, just part of who they are – which is refreshing.
While it works well as a standalone novel, the ending leaves it open to the possibility of a sequel, which would be interesting.
I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.
Blog Tour: Containment – Vanda Symon*
Chaos reigns in the sleepy village of Aramoana on the New Zealand coast, when a series of shipping containers wash up on the beach and looting begins. Detective Constable Sam Shephard experiences the desperation of the scavengers first-hand, and ends up in an ambulance, nursing her wounds and puzzling over an assault that left her assailant for dead. What appears to be a clear-cut case of a cargo ship running aground soon takes a more sinister turn when a skull is found in the sand, and the body of a diver is pulled from the sea…
a diver who didn’t die of drowning…
As first officer at the scene, Sam is handed the case, much to the displeasure of her superiors, and she must put together an increasingly confusing series of clues to get to the bottom of a mystery that may still have more victims…
About the author
Vanda Symon is a crime writer, TV presenter and radio host from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series has climbed to number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best crime novel. She currently lives in Dunedin, with her husband and two sons.
My thoughts:
This was very twisty and turny with plenty of red herrings. Well written and gripping, showing the dark underbelly of the sunny New Zealand coastal towns.
I really enjoyed the way the author conjured up the landscape, even though I’ve never been to New Zealand, I could picture the ocean and the various buildings the characters enter. I could even imagine the differing officers and persons of interest quite vividly.
The plot is clever and the characters have nuance and shade, Sam’s a cop but not unwilling to colour outside the lines, making her feel more realistic and I liked her partner Smithy.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Blog Tour: Venators Magic Unleashed – Devri Walls*
Welcome to Eon.
An alternate dimension where fantasy and paranormal is reality, and humans sit at the bottom of the food chain. In this world of unadulterated power and ability, the innocent suffer greatly.
The ruling council of Eon has selected two humans, born of the Venator bloodline, and brought them through the gate—wishing to manipulate their strength and special abilities for the council’s corrupt purposes.
But, Grey and Rune have very different ideas. When their college dorm is infiltrated by creatures from another realm, Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and old friend Grey Malteer are thrown into unexpected, twisted chaos. While Rune and Gray are able to escape, Ryker is kidnapped away to Eon, the alternate world from whence these dark beings came. With the help of a supernatural guide, Rune and Gray must now travel to Eon to save Ryker, and discover the illuminating truth about their ancestry.
In this new world of fae, vampires, werewolves, and wizards, power is abundant and always in flux. Rune and Grey are being set up as pawns in a very dangerous game and must find their way through – and out of – Eon before it consumes them.
Devri Walls is a US and international bestselling author. Having released five novels to date, she specializes in all things fantasy and paranormal. She is best known for her uncanny worldbuilding skills and her intricate storylines, and her ability to present this all in an easy-to-digest voice.
Now gearing up for her first national release, Devri is excited to introduce her sixth novel, book one in the Venators series. She loves to engage with her loyal following through social media and online sessions she organizes for her readers.
Devri lives in Meridian, Idaho with her husband and two kids. When not writing she can be found teaching voice lessons, reading, cooking or binge watching whatever show catches her fancy.
My thoughts:
This was an interesting idea – two humans are pulled through a portal into a world inhabited by magical beings. Humans are at the bottom of the heap and have limited powers of any sort.
This was very readable and enjoyable, Devri is a good writer with a strong understanding of plot and world building.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Book Review: Anna K. – Jenny Lee
Meet Anna K! Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way…
At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna’s brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.
As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.
Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy’s timeless love story, Anna Karenina—but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.
My thoughts:
A wonderful retelling of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina on the Upper East Side, with a Korean-American Anna, courtesy of the author’s own heritage.
Anna Karenina is of course hugely tragic, and while this shares some of that, it is a much more gentle book, I definitely cried more at the Russian original.
There’s humour among the moments of sadness, and it’s very Gossip Girl for a new century at times, so no surprise that it’s already being adapted as a TV series by HBO.
With an ethnically diverse cast, and social media as the way gossip spreads, as opposed to Tolstoy’s letters and whispers, this is a smart, fierce update.
Jenny Lee’s writing is assured and she clearly knows her source material, Anna and Vronsky are sympathetic characters, even though they’re not always on the moral high ground.
The other characters are also well drawn and interesting, the subplots enjoyable and fully formed, creating a whole world around the great love story at the heart.
I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.
Blog Tour: The Other Mrs – Mary Kubica*
Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbour, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.
But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.
As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.
My thoughts:
This is a clever, clever book. Without spoiling it or giving too much away, nothing is quite what it seems in this story. People cannot be trusted, narrators are avoiding things and there’s some heavy duty gaslighting going on.
I want to discuss the only issue I had with this book, but I worry it would spoil it for readers, so if you’ve read it, come to Twitter and DM me so we can discuss please.
Other than that this is a well written, twisty thriller that shocks when the real killer is revealed.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
Blog Tour: Deep State – Chris Hauty*
Hayley Chill isn’t your typical West Wing intern. Ex-military and as patriotic as she is principled, she is largely vilified by her peers and lauded by her superiors – it’s a quick way of making enemies. It is Hayley who finds the body of the White House chief of staff, Peter Hall, on his kitchen floor having died from an apparent heart attack. It is also Hayley who notices a single clue which suggests his death was deliberate, targeted. That he was assassinated. Unsure who to trust, Hayley works alone to uncover a wideranging conspiracy that controls the furthest reaches of the government. And Hall is just the beginning – the president is the next target. Hayley must now do the impossible: stop an assassination, when she has no idea who the enemy is, all while staying hidden, with Peter’s final words to her ringing in her ears: Trust no one. Because the Deep State will kill to silence her. And they are closing in.
***
It is entrenched. It is hidden. It is deadly.
Who can you trust?
Chris Hauty is a screenwriter who has worked at all the major movie studios, in nearly every genre of film. He currently lives in Venice, California, in the company of a classic Triumph motorcycle and a feral cat. Deep State is his first novel.
My thoughts:
This is a clever, twisty turny thriller. The twist at the end in particular is pretty jaw dropping.
Well written, pacey and gripping.
I really liked the little asides telling you about how some of the characters end up, they were entertaining little snippets that broke the tension in the plot and helped you focus on all the political intrigue and sneaky double dealings.
I’ve passed my copy onto my Grandad who loves a good thriller and likes to ring me up to tell me his favourite bits.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 