Secrets Of The Nile

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my first Lady Emily Mystery, and despite the fact it is the 16th novel, I fell right into the story without needing the explanations of her previous books.

A spectacular vacation planned by Lord Bertram Deeley for his close friends is taking place on a lavish cruise on the Nile. But Lord Deeley falls dead during the first dinner party and the cause of his death is cyanide. Has one of the guests arrived at the party with a vicious plan to kill their host? As Lady Ashton and her husband take a closer look at their peers, they uncover a scandalous reality, every single guest has a motive to poison the late Lord Deeley, but who took the advantage of the opportunity and murdered their host?

The remarkable story of the murders that are taking place on the historic Nile. Although the novel does have a very close writing style to the famous queen of mystery Agatha Christie, this story is its own gem. Not a big fan of a large number of characters, although it worked so well in the novel and the author has utilized every one of them in a great thrilling fashion. The last plot twist was wonderful, although I have predicted it, loved the explanation provided by the author. Even though I liked the novel, it was a very slow and long read. The second sub-story was good, but not impressive. It made the point it was supposed to make, just took a very long time getting there. Nevertheless, I loved Lady Emily Ashton and her corkiness and looking forward to reading more of her adventures.



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Bring Me Back

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The novel is written in a typical thrilling B.A.Paris style.

Layla vanishes from the rest stop on the way home from a romantic holiday. Years after her disappearance, the grief brings Finn and Ellen, Layla’s sister, together. As they are about to start a new chapter of their lives, an elderly neighbor catches glimpse of the missing girl. Is Layla alive? And if so, why is she playing games instead of reuniting with her loved ones?

A gripping thriller, that I have been waiting for years to read. What took me so long? I was on the edge of my seat throughout the novel and finished it in one day, that’s how you know this is a page-turner. Spoiler alert – I always knew that Layla was alive. But I didn’t expect the whole psychological confusion behind the character. The revelations of the last chapters are mind-blowing. Phenomenal read, this is B.A.Paris I love and admire.



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The Silence Before Dawn

The Silence Before Dawn by Amanda Lees

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Marianne’s resistance network has faced a betrayal. But anger and heartbreak won’t stop her and her intention to free France from the dirty and bloody hands of german soldiers. Going from one mission to another, Marianne meets people who help her accomplish her goals.

Whenever I was beginning to lose interest, the author managed to pull me back into the pages of the book with yet another thrilling twist. Great story of the resistance and their war against the Nazi occupiers. Fast pacing and intriguing WWII read. A wonderful set of characters, too many to my liking, but an author made it work. The novel left me with many unanswered questions, and hopefully, the next book of the series will have all the answers.

Thank you NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel in the exchange for my honest review.



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Verity

Verity by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An opportunity of a lifetime falls onto Lowen’s hands, and she is chosen to co-write the upcoming novels with a Queen of mystery Verity Crawford. After signing the deal, Lowen’s life, like puzzle pieces, begins to fall into the right places. And now, seating in the chair of the notorious writer, and reading her autobiography, against her own will Lowen begins to fall in love with Verity’s family. But suddenly, she hears a noise upstairs, in the bedroom that belongs to a paralyzed woman.

Love CoHo, but I was not impressed with this novel. It felt as if I have read this before. The plot was annoyingly predictable. The autobiography felt unrealistic and overplayed. And the letter at the end of the book felt overemphasized. It was too long and explained to an excessive degree. I didn’t feel any suspense while reading the novel and was hoping for a gripping twist at the end but was left disappointed.



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The Code Breaker

The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful and informative biography of Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna. This is a very different kind of read, not my usual type and it took me longer than usual to finish it. Correction, it took me a long time to begin the book, once I started – it was hard to put it down. Walter Isaacson has a very specific way to simplify and describe a very complex world of science.

In this book, the author describes the development of CRISPR, and how it leads a team of scientists all over the world to create covid-19 vaccines, edit DNA, and open a world to a list of new “medical miracles”. Although the book includes numerous medical researchers and scientists, it mainly focuses on Doudna and the work that was done in her lab.

Thank you, Goodreads for a free copy of the book.



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Other People’s Secrets

Other People’s Secrets by Meredith Hambrock

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oakwood Hills has been more than just a place of work for Baby and people living in the surrounding area. And now, since her adoptive mother’s passing, it is her place of living. But unexpected news crashed Baby’s world. Her beloved resort is under new ownership, and the new owner’s plan is to rebrand the good old resort. Baby doesn’t share the same hopes for the new kind of business the new owner is planning on bringing to Oakwood Hills, so she takes the matter into her own hands.

I have so many issues with the main character. To me, Baby was extremely unlikeable, a bully, a drunk, and a lawbreaker. Although she had semi-good intentions at heart, her approach to the situation was absolutely awful. I didn’t find her actions heroic, and she constantly got herself and her fellow townspeople in trouble. The novel had a promising start but the more I read into it the more annoyed I was with Baby and the storyline. Nevertheless, I would read more novels written by the author. Thank you, NetGalley for a free copy of the novel.



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The Prisoner

The Prisoner: A Novel by B.A. Paris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After the death of her father, Amelie’s life hits very rock bottom. Within a few years, she manages to improve her lifestyle and marry one of the wealthiest bachelors in London. And now, seating on a mattress in a pitch-dark room, she looks back at the last two weeks of her life determined to break free of her captivity and make her husband pay for his wrongdoings.

Huge fan of B.A.Paris but this book just didn’t trigger the excitement in me as her previous novels did. The plot was good, but it was incredibly easy to predict the ending. The split dual timeline revealed all the exciting twists very early in the book. There were a few thrilling moments here and there, but I felt disappointed by the novel at the end. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the author’s new novels, and in a meantime, I will look into her oldies.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free and advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.



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