Never Coming Home by Hannah Mary McKinnon

First comes love. Then comes murder.

Lucas Forester didn’t hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits and that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably, wealth that only the one percent could comprehend.

For years, Lucas had been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle’s fortune. Unfortunately, it involved taking a hit out on her.

Every track was covered, no trace left behind, and now Lucas plays the grieving husband so well he deserves an award. But when a shocking photo and cryptic note show up on his doorstep, Lucas goes from hunter to prey.

Someone is onto him. And they’re closing in.

Told with dark wit and a sharply feminist sensibility, Never Coming Home is a terrifying tale of duplicity that will have you side-eyeing your spouse as you dash to the breathtaking end.

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Available Today – May 24, 2022!

I love getting the villain’s perspective. It’s so interesting to read about what is going through their minds and the reasons for their actions.

I really liked Lucas and you could somewhat justify his previous actions (to a point!). I was intrigued on all of the planning he did and the steps that he took to make sure that the police didn’t dig too deep into him (but isn’t it always the husband?!).

Just over halfway is where the novel starting to lose me. Even though I did enjoy seeing Lucas fall apart when his well laid out plans turned out not to be foolproof, I wasn’t a fan of Lucas’s past coming back to haunt him. It seemed out of place and I was more interested in the current day saga. Sadly, the twist ending was one that I saw coming from the very beginning.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. An enjoyable read from the villain’s eyes.

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

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On A Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass

The perfect neighborhood can be the perfect place to hide…

Who wouldn’t want to live in Brighton Hills? This exclusive community on the Oregon coast is the perfect mix of luxury and natural beauty. Stunning houses nestle beneath mighty Douglas firs, and lush backyards roll down to the lakefront. It’s the kind of place where neighbors look out for one another. Sometimes a little too closely…

Cora thinks her husband, Finn, is cheating—she just needs to catch him in the act. That’s where Paige comes in. Paige lost her son to a hit-and-run last year, and she’s drowning in the kind of grief that makes people do reckless things. Like spying on the locals, searching for proof that her son’s death was no accident. And agreeing to Cora’s plan to reveal what kind of man Finn really is. All the while, their reclusive new neighbor, Georgia, is acting more strangely every day. But what could such a lovely young mother possibly be hiding?

When you really start to look beyond the airy open floor plans and marble counters, Brighton Hills is filled with secrets. Some big, some little, some deadly. And one by one, they’re about to be revealed…

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Available Today – May 17, 2022!

I’ve been struggling with domestic thrillers recently. There’s normally lots of secrets, but nothing that goes beneath the surface. I’m always left with wanting more and I haven’t been picking up the genre as much. I’m so glad I took a chance on On A Quiet Street. It was exactly what I have been looking for in a domestic drama!

The 3 lead characters are so different, but work well together. Paige’s son was killed and she hasn’t been the same since. Her husband has moved out and she is obsessed with finding out who killed her son. She believes it was one of her neighbours and spends all of her time watching them. Cora is the typical stay at home wife and mother upon first glance. But there’s so much more to her, especially when she is determined once and for all if her husband is cheating. And then there is Georgia. A new mother to a baby girl who seemingly wants nothing to do with her neighbours.

I liked all 3 women and enjoyed how they weren’t how they first appeared. I felt for each of them as they navigated through their grief and challenges. I was hooked on what was going to happen with them. The book also comes with its twists and turns and I was surprised by so much that happened! Loved it!

4 calculators out of a potential 5. If you are like me and have been ignoring the domestic genre for a bit, check out On a Quiet Street to get you out of your slump!

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

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