Review: Alchemy of Secrets - Stephanuie Garber - October 2025 After falling head over heels for Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart series and Caraval, I've learned something important about reading order: sometimes it matters more than you'd think. While I adored Caraval, I made the mistake of meeting Jacks first in the Broken Heart series. When I later encountered his portrayal in Caraval books two and three, I just couldn't reconcile them , I'd already fallen for the version of him I knew, and seeing a different side felt impossible to accept. So when I picked up Alchemy of Secrets, I'll admit my expectations were cautiously optimistic. I thought it would be a solid, perhaps average read. Reader, I was spectacularly wrong. From the first chapter , a gripping twenty pages that had me cursing my lunch break's inevitable end. I was completely hooked. Stephanie Garber has crafted something truly special here, weaving together mythology, folklore, a...

Review: Captive Films - Book #2.1 - Jillian Dodd - March 2015 When I needed a palate cleanser between heavier reads, I reached for Captive Films 2.1 by Jillian Dodd, and it delivered exactly what I was craving—a fast-paced, drama-filled escape that I devoured in one sitting. This installment picks up right where the previous book left off, and let me tell you, Knox is making some spectacularly bad decisions. After jumping to conclusions about Ariela (classic Knox), he decides the mature response is to grab his brother and friends for a wild night in Las Vegas to drown his sorrows. Meanwhile, poor Ariela is desperately trying to reach him to explain, but he won't answer his phone. Typical guy move, right? I found myself yelling at the pages, wanting to shake some sense into him. Of course, what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas—especially when you're connected to Captive Films. Photos from their debauchery hit the papers, and suddenly everyone is scrambling. Keatyn a...

Review: The Killing Game - JS Carol - October 2016 Reading slumps are the worst. You know that feeling when every book you pick up feels like a chore, when pages blur together and nothing seems to capture your attention? That's exactly where I found myself a few weeks ago, desperately scrolling through recommendations, hoping something would spark that old familiar excitement. That's when I stumbled across "The Killing Game" by JS Carol, and honestly, it couldn't have come at a better time. The premise immediately grabbed me: JJ Johnson, a Hollywood fixer who specializes in making A-list problems disappear, finds herself in the ultimate crisis when what should have been a routine power lunch turns into a deadly hostage situation. When a gunman storms into an upscale LA diner frequented by celebrities, armed with a bomb rigged to his heartbeat, JJ and the other patrons become pawns in a twisted game where fame becomes a target. The entire narrative around the four-...

Review: Captive Films - Season One - Episode #6 - Jillian Dodd - December 2014 When all else fails when you are trying to read a book, it's sometimes great to have authors on hand that you know that no matter what you will just slip back into their worlds and characters and enjoy. Me, Jillian Dodd is one of those authors as I have had the Captive Films series on my Kindle for years. In Episode #6, Ariella is at the house planning Keatyn and Aiden's wedding but of course, tensions are about to rise as her first love Riley - the one whose heart she broke along with her own is about to turn up with upcoming actress Jennifer. The night ends of course in drama and Ariella and Riley get the chance to talk about things - this seems like it could be a turning point, but of course, her ex-husband-to-be has to turn up. Will Riley and Ariella miss out on their HEA again? Vanessa and Dawson had a rocky ending in Episode #5, but things have seemed to be patched up as their love continues ...

Review: Final Kill - Book #1 Maggie Flight Series - Kate Bold - November 2024 Scrolling through my Kindle trying to find something to read, I was in the mood for a thriller read, and what better than a freebie I scored from Amazon. Criminal Profiler Maggie has been called in as someone is killing in Hollywood and leaving bodies in public view, they are also replicating famous unsolved murders like the Black Dahlia case. The other reason why Maggie has come back to LA is that she is looking for her brother Cole. They haven't seen each other in years after he ended up getting into a bit of trouble, she hasn't given up and when one of their suspects mentions him, she looks like she has a lead. Maggie has to be careful though as no one from the FBI knows about her past and her brother. What will happen though when Maggie catches wind of the identity of the killer and ends up on his tail? Will she be his last victim or can Maggie catch the bad guy? Final Kill was a good thriller ...