Be Careful of Who You Invite Into Your Home

Title: I Invited Her In
Author: Adele Parks
Genre: Thriller
Source: Kindle eBook
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars


Out of no where Mel received an email for her old college friend, Abi.  Abi is in trouble and needs Mel's help, a place to stay.  Despite not speaking in over 15 years, Mel invites Abi to stay with her family "for as long as she needs. Mel is overcome with nostalgia and loves having her past come back to her.  But not everything is as it seems as Abi begins seeing a new mystery man.  All of Mel's secrets come out and Abi seeks revenge.

I have to say this book was a HUGE disappointment.  As I kept reading, I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't.  I guessed everything fairly early so all the big reveals were not all too surprising.  This book honestly made me mad because it was almost laughable at times.


I did not like any of the characters.  I felt they were all annoying especially Mel.  She let her old friend basically rule over her life and take over, to the point of excessive drinking and dare I say neglecting her children.  Her family walked on egg shells to make sure she was comfortable even so far as letting her use the master suite.  It was all just a bit unbelievable for me.  This was supposed to be a thriller, but there was nothing thrilling about it.  It sounded so promising, but it fell super super flat.  There was absolutely zero edge, zero suspense that made me want to keep reading.


The story dragged on and I kept reading hoping it would get better, NOPE.  The characters are too cliched, the plot too predictable.  There was nothing that really kept me interested in this other than to see if the story would pick up.  I should have DNF'd it, but I wanted to persevere through it.  I almost wish I did DNF and moved on to a better book.


I would not exactly recommend this book outright, but if you enjoy a slow paced, predictable novel, then give it a shot but if you want something very suspenseful then move on and pick something else up.

The Gilded Wolves

Title: The Gilded Wolves
Author: Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Hardback
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 paws


The Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up some ancient secrets.  Severin Montagnet-Alarie has been able to steal a compass which hides the location of a tower of Babel fragment.  He is not the only one who is seeking this artifact.  When the Order of Babel coerces him into helping them with a recovery mission, Severin is offered the one treasure he could never pass up: his true inheritance.  To complete his mission, Severin calls upon the aid of a group of unlikely friends, an engineer with a debt to pay, a historian banished from him own homeland, a dancer with a sinister past, and a brother in arms if not blood.  Together they will explore the darkest parts of Paris searching for their treasure and hope to stop anyone from gaining access to the fragment.

There are so many things one can say about this novel.  I absolutely loved it.  I have become a quick fan of Roshani Chokshi as I have also read Star-Touched Queen and Crown-Of Wishes.  The Gilded Wolves was everything I was expecting and more.  It is just so magical and includes mathematical riddles which I absolutely loved.  The math aspect gave the novel such a unique quality to it that I haven't seen done yet, and kudos to Chokshi for including it in her novel.  I knew I needed to clear some time to read this one and actually told my husband I needed that time to devote to this novel.  He is super understanding about my reading needs.


I so wanted more about the Tower of Babel fragments, and I have a feeling we may see more of them in hopefully some future novels?? -hint hint- Chokshi's way of describing things makes you feel as if you are apart of the story.  I could almost taste the food, see the sights, feel the heat of flames and so much more.  The characters I am so in love with!  Enrique is my kind of historian and Trystan is amazingly shy, I feel if he was real he would be my crush.  I wanted so much more from his character, more of his backstory and his love of Goliath.  Chokshi gives readers so much of characters that we feel for them, it is almost as if the characters become a part of us.  I love it.


I am mad at myself for not reading this novel sooner and letting it sit on my shelf for so long.  I was drawn in from the very beginning and couldn't stop reading, one night I was up until the wee hours of the night needing to finish this novel and find out what happens.  And then the very last line!  OMG Roshani what are you doing to me!


Everything about this book I loved.  The world building, the character building, even the snippets of a love interest.  I cannot wait for more.

Exciting Conclusion to the Foruth Monkey Killer Trilogy

Title: The Sixth Wicked Child
Author: J.D Barker
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Source: Paperback
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws


The words "Father, forgive me"  could have a multitude of meanings.  For Detective Sam Porter, they conjure memories of a past long buried and forgotten.  For Anson Bishop, they connect his childhood to his present as he reveals the truth that has been hidden for decades.  Written on near each new victim, the words connect multiple victims to the Fourth Monkey Killer.  Though the bodies are found in miles apart, in Chicago and South Carolina, clearly they are somehow connected.  Now Chicago Metro and the FBI are fighting through a cloud of chaos as they try to track down not only a killer, but a rogue officer and struggle to find a solution to potential mass pandemic.  When Anson Bishop, suspect in the 4MK murders he reveals a story that is not only unexpected but couldn't possibly be true...could it?  Finally the Fourth Monkey Killer's motive is revealed and the case is finally put to rest.

What a conclusion to a fast paced trilogy!  I have enjoyed this series from the very beginning with Fourth Monkey Killer and Fifth to Die, and now Barker keeps the suspense and breakneck pace with this chilling conclusion. There is so much going on throughout the novel, that it doesn't seem like much focus is on the bodies, especially after Anson turns himself in.  The novel is lengthy coming in at about 624 pages, there is a lot of action and suspense throughout the story.  While it does take a few chapters to pick up the pace, once it does; readers are in for a wild ride through Anson's past to discover the motive to the murders.


Characters are all likable, even ones that get introduced in this novel, and the antagonist.  You cannot help but like and wonder if Anson could really be the Fourth Monkey Killer or not.  He is very compelling in his case that he isn't the killer.  I liked getting the different viewpoints, and we get a few more than we have in the other books.  While they may seem like too much to some readers, it is needed to grasp the full story.  There are so many unexpected twists and turns that each viewpoint reveals that you don't want to miss something.


Porter I liked from the beginning, and while it started to look like he was either mad, or a part of the crimes, I was rooting for him the whole time.  He is intelligent and knows his suspect inside and out which could at times make things more difficult for him.


Anson Bishop is the perfect antagonist to Sam Porter.  He is cunning, smart, and resourceful.  He knows what he has at his disposal and uses it to his fullest advantage.  The diary entries were a geat addition to the story to give us not only clues, and backstory but an insight to a crazed mind.  You almost want him to NOT be the killer.


This is a trilogy that I would highly recommend to anyone.  Barker has done a phenomenal job at creating a story that is unique and stands our from the other novels in the genre.  I cannot wait for the movie/tv series that are in the works.