Book Review: "Trust Issues" by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan and Greg Wands

Being on Bookstagram I have lots of friends who love thrillers, including my friend Kim. When she really raves about a book, I listen! This is the second thriller I’ve read recently because of her, and she hasn’t steered me wrong either time!

Hazel and Kagan are sister and brother, and they simultaneously support one another and tear each other down. Even though they’re adults, neither is particularly good with money, so they often turn to their mother for help. But she’s had enough, so when she refuses to keep funding the siblings, it strains her relationship with both.

When their mother dies under mysterious circumstances, they’re understandably sad. It’s not long, however, before their grief turns to greed, and they wonder what their inheritances will be. Imagine their surprise when they learn their mother cut them both out of her will.

Hazel and Kagan were both depending on the money from their mother’s estate, so they’re none too happy to be left empty-handed. They’re convinced that their mother’s second husband is to blame—and they want to make him pay, both literally and figuratively. The siblings find an unlikely partner in this mission, which takes them up and down the East Coast.

This is definitely one of those books that keeps you guessing, where you know not everything is what it seems, but you don’t know what to believe. It’s good to go into this book relatively blind.

The authors have written three books together under the name E.G. Scott. I’ve not read any of those, but I definitely will now, because I thought this was great! I devoured this and still wanted more.

Book Review: "The Business Trip" by Jessie Garcia

Ugh. I really was excited about this book, although I had seen mixed reviews. It just didn’t work for me at all.

Jasmine is finally ready to escape her abusive relationship. She’s saved her money and plans to sneak away in the middle of the night. Her first destination is Denver, but she’s eager for a fresh start.

Stephanie is the news director for a television station. She’s heading to San Diego (through Denver) for a conference.

Even though they’re from the same town and wind up on the same flight to Denver, Jasmine and Stephanie have never met. Yet it’s not long before both women text their friends about meeting a man—the same man—and each says they’re falling in love. Soon after, their texts become less frequent and then stop altogether.

Stephanie’s friends and colleagues start to dig into her texts and suspect that something isn’t right. Jasmine’s friend wonders what might’ve happened to her, too. All signs point to the man they both say they met. But what happened?

I thought this started out really strong, alternating between Stephanie and Jasmine’s stories. But then the story is taken over by a bunch of peripheral characters, those connected to the two women, and then the final section lays out exactly what happened. (So much telling, not much showing.) There are some twists that I saw coming, some I didn’t which required complete suspension of disbelief, but overall, I was really let down.

Book Review: "Broken Threads" by Sagit Schwartz

I definitely fall prey to the whole #Bookstagrammademedoit concept, but never have I finished someone’s review of a book and immediately bought the book. At least until I read the review of Sagit Schwartz’s excellent short story, “Broken Threads.”

Clare has always dreamed of being a bestselling author but she can’t seem to land a deal. The longer it takes, the more resentful she becomes of those who do succeed, especially those she believes she has more talent than.

When Clare’s longtime job as a technical writer is eliminated because she can be replaced by AI, her desperation grows. She knows her historical fiction novel is excellent, but no agent will talk to her because she’s older and not photogenic. But with barely any money to cover rent, she’s willing to try anything.

Her last shot is approaching her neighbor, Amber, who has built a career as a successful influencer. Nearly everything Amber owns or wears has been given to her in exchange for mentions. Clare thinks having Amber promote the book will be a great idea, but Amber doesn’t think that effort will be successful. And then Amber suggests that she tell people she wrote the book, and in exchange, she’ll give Clare 50 percent of the profits.

Of course, when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. The book becomes a huge success but Clare starts suspecting that Amber is ripping her off. And then Amber winds up dead.

I devoured this in a very short time and I honestly could’ve read a full-length version of this. @sagitschwartz had me hooked from the very first word! This was a great story and so timely.

Book Review: "Summers at the Saint" by Mary Kay Andrews

Pack your bags and join Mary Kay Andrews at the St. Cecelia (better known as “The Saint”), a famous resort on the Georgia coast. The Saint has been a haven and a playground for wealthy travelers for decades, and its exclusivity rankles those who can’t afford to stay there.

When Traci first saw the pink building that looked like a fairytale castle, she wanted to go there, but as a local “ain’t,” her kind wasn’t welcome. She was able to land a summer job there for several years, which led to her meeting and marrying one of the heirs to the resort. Now, a widow in her 40s, she’s determined to return The Saint to its glory days, before the pandemic took its toll.

Faced with unprecedented staff shortages, she increases salaries, provides housing for employees, and recruits new staff, including the daughter of her former best friend, who worked with Traci years ago before ending their friendship. Traci even convinces her niece to abandon her study-abroad plans and work at The Saint for the summer.

What Traci doesn’t fully grasp is how the deck is stacked against her. She has to deal with the machinations of her brother-in-law, who wants nothing more than to wrest The Saint from her hands. And it turns out there’s a lot of nefarious goings-on behind the scenes, which threaten to take the resort down for good. When a member of the staff is killed, and someone comes looking for answers about an incident at the hotel years ago, Traci realizes she can only depend on herself—and maybe one or two others.

There’s no shortage of family dysfunction, drama, people behaving badly, even murder and violence. Who’s responsible for the chaos that has broken out, and why? Can Traci turn things around at The Saint before she winds up in danger—and/or loses a place that reminds her of her late husband?

Andrews knows how to tell a story and paint an evocative scene, and this hooked me from start to finish. It's definitely a little darker than many of her books. There’s suspense, romance, intrigue, grief, even rehashing old memories. I definitely enjoyed my time at The Saint!

Book Review: "Happy Medium" by Sarah Adler

Sarah Adler made me a fan with her spectacular debut, Mrs. Nash’s Ashes, and her new novel was equally fun and romantic.

Gretchen Acorn (not her real name) is a medium, helping people communicate with their dead loved ones. The truth is, her abilities are about as genuine as her name, and she comes from a long line of con artists. But Gretchen prides herself on not taking real advantage of her clients—she only helps those who truly would benefit from her “services.” (And if that helps pay her bills, so be it.)

When one of her clients asks Gretchen to help her bridge partner by investigating the phenomena that seem to interfere with his selling his family farm, she’s a tiny bit apprehensive. However, her client is going to pay her handsomely, so how can she pass up helping an old man?

She makes some quick discoveries when she arrives at the farm. First of all, her client’s bridge partner isn’t a little old man—Charlie is young, hunky, and doesn’t want anything to do with a fraud like Gretchen. And much to her surprise, Gretchen meets Everett, a distant family member of Charlie’s, who happens to be the ghost that’s been causing all the trouble on the farm. (So maybe there’s some truth to this whole medium thing after all?)

Everett, who has been haunting the farm since the 1920s, is a little annoying and quite a bit of a flirt. He asks Gretchen to convince Charlie not to sell the farm or he’ll face the same curse that killed Everett. But Charlie doesn’t believe Gretchen, so she vows to stay on the farm to make sure she wins him over. Of course, that entails actually working on the farm (physical labor is not her strong suit), and the more time she spends with Charlie, the more she realizes she needs to be honest—with him and with herself.

Everett is one of the best characters I’ve encountered in some time. The banter between him and Gretchen cracked me up. This was a sweet, steamy, and enjoyable romp that made me smile.

Book Review: "The Hotel Nantucket" by Elin Hilderbrand

The Hotel Nantucket has romance, second chances, even a ghost story!

I’ve never been to Nantucket but every time I read one of Elin Hilderbrand’s books I want to go there even more.

When a London business magnate decides to purchase the Hotel Nantucket, a once-grand hotel fallen on hard times, it energizes the community. Lizbet, fresh off the breakup of a long-term relationship, hopes becoming the hotel’s general manager will be the fresh start she needs. And Grace, the ghost of a young chambermaid killed in a fire at the hotel nearly 100 years earlier, hopes the hotel’s resurgence may lead to the truth about her death coming to light.

The hotel becomes a sought-after paradise with a restaurant/bar run by a celebrity chef. The owner—who communicates only via email from London—has one mission: the hotel must be awarded 5 keys by famed reviewer Shelly Carpenter, a feat that has never happened before. But chaos always seems to strike when those guests who could be Shelly arrive.

As Lizbet takes tentative steps toward a new romance, the hotel staff has their own secrets, and Grace the ghost has to decide when to cause trouble and when to lay low. Will the hotel succeed? Will they get their 5-key rating? Will the mystery of Grace’s death be solved?

As with all of Hilderbrand’s books, the setting is so incredibly vivid. While I enjoyed many of the characters individually (and there are a lot of them), I didn’t feel the story gelled quite the way some of her others have. There was almost too much going on to be completely immersed. But I still have some of her backlist to dive into!!

Book Review: "The Lies I Tell" by Julie Clark

Tense and twisty, The Lies I Tell got me thinking.

“I spend hundreds of hours on observation and research….When I’m done, I know everything I possibly can about you, and most of the people around you. By the time you’re saying nice to meet you, I’ve already known you for months. Does this worry you? It should.”

She’s been Meg, Maggie, Margaret, Melody. She’s been a college student, a life coach, a real estate agent. Over the years, Meg has perfected the art of the con. She knows how to get what she needs and disappear before she gets caught.

Kat's life was upended 10 years ago, and she’s always blamed Meg. And when Meg comes back into her orbit, she’s determined to expose her for what she’s done. But as they draw closer, she doesn’t know what to believe about Meg. What is her end game this time? Whom has she targeted? And is she going to get the best of Kat again?

I found this absolutely fascinating and compelling. I loved Julie Clark’s last book, The Last Flight, and this has cemented her as an auto-buy author for me. There were twists I anticipated and twists I didn’t, and in the end, the book definitely surprised me a bit. Meg and Kat were fascinating characters.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review! The book will publish 6/21.