The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski

How far would you run to escape your past? Three couples. Three days. A family getaway to die for.

Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings—heirs to a copper fortune—gather at their luxury winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It’s a tradition they’ve followed nearly all their lives, and now they are back with their significant others for a much-needed weekend of rest and relaxation, away from the public spotlight.

With lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, the trip should be the perfect escape. But it soon becomes clear that even a remote idyllic getaway can’t keep out the problems simmering in each of their lives. As old tensions are reignited, the three couples are pushed to the edge. Will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates?

When a torrential rainstorm hits, plunging them into darkness, the answers prove all too deadly

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Available Today – December 26, 2023!

Doesn’t the description just draw you in?? I loved the imagery throughout the novel. I was just picturing a massive mansion on a vineyard with just a bit of spookiness with the dark forests and rain storm approaching.

The characters left a lot to be desired. There have been so many books about a naïve woman being thrown into her wealthy partners family and struggling to fit in. So sadly Lauren didn’t stand out to me. I wanted more darkness from the siblings (Harper, Richard and Zach). I felt like an outsider looking in and not really understanding the dynamics of the family, especially when it came to the partners.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. Loved the concept, but sadly wished for more depth from the characters. Always a downer when I guess the “bad guy” immediately.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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The Vacation by John Marrs

How far would you run to escape your past?

For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn’t far enough.

The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn’t as easy as they’d imagined.

And they soon discover that it doesn’t matter where you are or who you are – if you can’t lay the past to rest, coincidence, fate and deception have a way of catching up with you when you least expect it.

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Available Today – December 19, 2023!

I was super excited to join the blog tour of The Vacation by John Marrs. I’ve been hearing so much about Marrs, but have been struggling to get copies of his previous novels. I have only read The One by him and I loved it, so jumped right in once I got my advanced copy!

The Vacation starts off very slow. Each short chapter follows a character in present day, but then would jump back in their past. I was getting super confused on who was who and how the characters were connected.

The novel finally clicked for me around 70% (which is way too long, I probably would of given up earlier). I finally figured out the characters and why their backstories were so important. I was hooked for the last part of the book and was shocked by some of the events.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. I really want to read more of Marrs novels. Even though this may of seemed like a miss, I still enjoyed it and appreciated how he was able to weave the stories together.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I Love It When You Lie by Kristen Bird

The Williams women don’t just keep secrets…

They bury them.

Just days before her eightieth birthday, Pearl Williams has the gall to up and die on everyone. Now her granddaughters must make plans for a proper send-off…all while their own lives unravel a little more each day.

Tara, the pastor’s wife, makes a series of decisions that could scatter his flock. Then there’s June, who would do anything to have a baby of her own, even if her husband won’t. Clementine, the youngest, is entangled in an affair with her professor, desperate to ignore who he really is. Finally, there’s Stephanie, the sister-in-law—an outsider who knows all the family dirt.

But Gran won’t be the only one they’ll put in a grave this weekend…because now someone has gone missing in the dark Appalachian woods.

And if Gran has taught them anything, it’s how to get rid of a good-for-nothin’ man…

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Available Today – March 14, 2023!

Secrets, secrets, secrets! Oh boy, the Williams women and their secrets.

I was hooked at the very beginning as we are introduced to the different women in the Williams family (3 sisters and a sister in law). Each one has their own drama that will be unveiled during the funeral of their grandmother.

As the novel went on, I did get a bit bored. I was hoping for more action instead of the women just going about their days. It was more of a domestic drama as opposed to a thriller.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. I wished there was more of a thriller aspect with more likeable characters.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica

Two couples, two close friends, one missing husband…

Jake Hayes is missing. This much is certain. At first, his wife, Nina, thinks he is blowing off steam at a friend’s house after their heated fight the night before. But then a day goes by. Two days. Five. And Jake is still nowhere to be found.

Lily Scott, Nina’s friend and coworker, thinks she may have been the last to see Jake before he went missing. After Lily confesses everything to her husband, Christian, the two decide that nobody can find out what happened leading up to Jake’s disappearance, especially not Nina. But Nina is out there looking for her husband, and she won’t stop until the truth is discovered.

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Available Today – January 10, 2023!

Ahhh I was on such a great streak with Mary Kubica’s novels, but Just the Nicest Couple was a big miss for me! The plot and the characters just weren’t doing it for me and sadly that counts for a large majority of the novel.

We get the thoughts of just Nina (wife of missing surgeon) and Christian (Nina’s friend Lily’s husband). Nina was ok. I didn’t mind her, but I feel like we don’t get anything more from her, other than the role of wife of missing spouse. She was your typical wife and was distressed about the situation (obviously), but I couldn’t feel a connection with her. I HATED Christian. He bothered me so much and I could only read so much about his pregnant wife. Maybe if Christian went missing, it would of been a better book…

I’m glad that some other reviewers mentioned that the writing felt off. I wasn’t interested in the plot at all and the story never ended grabbing me in. I was surprised by the ending, but by that point, I was just happy that I was done.

2 calculators out of a potential 5. Hoping for a better read next time!

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Good Husbands by Hannah Mary McKinnon

Three wives, one letter, and an explosive secret that will change everything.

He said, she said. Who do you believe?

Jessica, Stephanie and Priyanka are complete strangers, but they have one thing in common: they’ve each received a letter accusing their husbands of committing a sexual assault more than two decades prior. Is the accusation true or is there more to the story? It was a secret that remained buried for years.

With their worlds suddenly turned upside down, they don’t know who to trust—a complete stranger or the men they love and built their lives with. The three women come together to embark on a hunt for the truth, but they are hardly prepared for what they will discover. Who is the victim, and will justice ultimately be served?

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Available Today – June 7, 2022!

This was not the book I was expecting to read at all. It’s important to note that this isn’t a thriller and the novel goes much deeper than a thriller based on the content. I think it’s important that the reader knows what they are going to be reading so they won’t be caught off guard or disappointed.

I was really intrigued by the blurb and was curious to read about what the women would do. I enjoyed that the author had each woman go through their own experience even though they were very different. I also liked that even though they had different opinions of the letter and what to do about it, they still respected one another and waited until they were all of agreement.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not a thriller. There was a lot of back and forth between the women and lots of narration about their days while navigating through a major shake up. At times, I did get bored and was hoping that the plot would move along quicker.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. A interesting read that has you questioning what you would do if you were put into this scenario. I was hoping for a bit more as this was marketed as a thriller.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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