Still not out of the woods with my mental health dip so still sticking to mostly unchallenging reads, but I did hit 100 books so here’s my remaining reviews.
95 Just Say Yes by Maxine Morrey
Maddy is a wedding planner who takes an overly structured approach to life. When she takes on a wedding job in Ireland, she’s forced to work closely with Lorcan, the best man who encourages her to step outside her comfort zone. There’s a slow build attraction and a background of loss and trauma, but it’s quite a sweet romance
96 The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier
In 1985 detective Edward Shank killed the serial killer known as the “Beacon Hill Butcher”. Shank is now retired and as he’s moving into a nursing home he retired hands over the family home to his grandson, Matt.
During renovations Matt uncovers a crate in the backyard with horrifying contents. Matt’s girlfriend, Sam, is a true-crime writer, and is investigating her mother’s unsolved murder and she suspects that her killer was the Butcher. And then the killings start, is there a Butcher copycat or was the wrong man killed back in 1985? I didn’t like this at all. I can cope with a certain level of grimness if the story is worth it but this book committed the cardinal sin of being both grim and predictable.
97 The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
This book tells the biblical story of Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob by his wife Leah. Told in Dinah’s own words, it really brings to life the world of ancient women and their bonds, traditions, and the secret rituals they share inside the red tent. The story is a little different from the biblical version, with the women given more agency, but I guess that’s the point. I absolutely loved this, and it was a bold for me.
98 Count to Three by TR Ragan
Dani is private investigator who haunted by the disappearance of her daughter years earlier. Her assistant Quinn is similarly haunted by her mother who went missing when she was a child. When another girl goes missing, Dani and Quinn are determined to find her with the help of a boy who witnessed the abduction. Didn’t like this one. Pretty boring and predictable.
99 Her Perfect Family by Theresa Driscoll
During her graduation ceremony Gemma is shot by an unknown assailant. As Gemma lies in a coma, a former police officer, now working as a private investigator, is drawn into the case, uncovering secrets that suggest the Castles’ seemingly perfect life hides something far darker. This was mildly intriguing with a few decent red herrings along the way but the ending was silly and melodramatic.
100 The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
Kristen is a funny, no-nonsense woman who has everything under control, including her plans to have surgery that will prevent her from having children. When she meets Josh, a kind, funny firefighter who dreams of a big family, their instant connection is undeniable. But as their friendship deepens into something more, Kristen struggles to reconcile her feelings with the different futures she and Josh both want.
Thanks to whoever recommend this author to me. This is one of the best romances I have read in a long time. It manages to portray a realistic romance and main characters while still giving that sweet dopamine hit you get with the best romances.
101 Out of Time by Jodi Taylor
The latest in the Time Police series. I quite liked this one but felt they could have developed the incident from the Time Wars more, the Matt / map thing was left hanging. But I felt very distracted by the fact that Max seems to have forgotten the identity of one of her colleagues which was so jarring I couldn’t really focus and enjoy this one. Maybe I have forgotten a point that explains why she doesn’t remember the previous identity. If not this is a pretty big hole in the plot.