Take My Husband by Ellen Meister
I don’t know of anyone who has been married for a long time and doesn’t ever get irritated by their spouse. In this case, Laurel is downright disappointed when her needy husband has an accident and isn’t terribly harmed. Laurel allows herself the fantasy of imagining herself free and happy, living in a beautiful apartment with a cute dog and a carefree life instead of being bogged down by a jobless husband who needs her for every little thing.
This kicks off a very funny story that is dark yes, but relatable all the same. We are rooting for Laurel from beginning to end. I loved this book!
PLOT:
In this darkly comic novel about a wife whose rope is so frayed it’s about to snap, Laurel gets a call that her husband has been in an accident. She imagines the worst. But as she is on the way to the ER, another emotion seizes her. Relief. Doug’s death could solve all her problems. No more catering to his incessant demands. Then there’s the insurance money. Laurel’s dreams seem so close. There’s just one problem: Doug is very much alive. Now Laurel has to decide if she is going to do something about it.
Coming out on August 30.
The Personal Assistant by Kimberly Belle
A cautionary tale if you ever hire a personal assistant! This book wasn’t what I thought it would be simply based on the title and cover. The story is more complex than I first thought, with the story told from a few different points of view.
There’s is the main character, Alex, who is a social media influencer who lives her life on her carefully curated Instagram. Everything she does is for the maximum benefit of the ‘gram. Her life is shared through a series of beautifully styled photos where hundreds of thousands of people watch her every move. Then there is her handsome successful husband who is on the news every night as a financial guru. Together, they are a stunning and successful couple.
And then we have Alex’s personal assistant, AC. She was a hard-working, reliable young woman but after a scandal that brings down Alex’s popularity, AC is nowhere to be found. Worry turns into anger as Alex tries to piece together why AC has such an ax to grind with her. Who is this young woman?
PLOT:
Alex likes to consider herself the down-to-earth Mommy Blogger. The messy family moments she shares online have made her beloved by her followers. But all that goodwill turns toxic when one controversial Instagram post goes viral in the worst way. When Alex reaches out to her personal assistant for damage control, the assistant has gone silent.
All traces of her have vanished, leaving Alex to question the identity of this young woman who had access to all of her personal information. Alex can craft who she appears to be online, but her personal assistant has front-row seats to the pressure points of her marriage and family life and now poses the greatest threat. Written in alternating perspectives between Alex and her personal assistant, this juicy cat-and-mouse story will keep you guessing till the very end.
The Vicious Circle by Katherine St. John
Books that have a sense of humor, as well as a sense of suspense, are my favorite and Kathrine St. John does this well. Her books are fun but keep you glued to the pages and I always enjoy some funny parts too.
This book checked all the boxes for me: sympathetic character? CHECK. Fast-moving plot? CHECK. Humor? CHECK. A plot I haven’t seen a million times before? CHECK. An interesting setting? DOUBLE-CHECK.
The whole wellness guru living in paradise is so relatable because we’ve seen so many of these people all over social media and online. This reminded me of the author’s first novel, The Lions Den, thanks to the fast pace, thrills, and wit!
PLOT:
On a river deep in the Mexican jungle stands the colossal villa Xanadu, a wellness center that’s home to The Mandala, an ardent spiritual group devoted to self-help guru Paul Bentzen and his enigmatic wife Kali. But when, mysteriously, Paul suddenly dies, his entire estate–including Xanadu–is left to his estranged niece Sveta, a former model living in New York City.
Shocked and confused, Sveta travels to Mexico to pay her respects. At first, Xanadu seems like a secluded paradise with its tumbling gardens, beautiful people, transcendent vibe, and mesmerizing de-facto leader Kali. But soon the mystical façade wears thin, revealing a group of brainwashed members drunk on false promises of an impossible utopia and a disturbing, dangerous belief system–and leader–guiding them.
As the sinister forces surrounding Sveta become apparent, she realizes, too late, she can’t escape. Frantic and terrified, she discovers her only hope for survival is to put her confidence in the very person she trusts the least.
Coming out on September 27.
The Prisoner by B.A. Paris
This book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up on the suspense. Right away we know Amelie has been taken and held inside a home, her husband, Ned, has also been taken and held in a different part of the house. But why have they been kidnapped and by whom? The house is completely dark, windows boarded up and no light allowed in. In another part of the house, Amelie can hear Ned begging for his life, but she doesn’t care if he lives or dies.
The story switches from the present/to the past where we learn about Amelie’s life and how she came to be married to such a terrible man. I was intrigued and enjoyed reading this suspense/thriller. I was not disappointed!
PLOT:
Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Jed Hawthorne.
But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Jed.
I’m pretty sure the husband’s name in the book is actually NED.
Anyway, this comes out on November 1.
All the Blood We Share by Camilla Bruce
After reading and loving the true-crime-based novel, In the Garden of Spite, I was ready for Camilla’s newest bloody story centering around a real family who committed terrible crimes.
Camilla is an amazing writer who does a fantastic job of weaving a suspenseful tale. As a fan of true crime, I was eager to get my hands on this book. Unlike Belle Gunness from In the Garden of Spite, who I knew of from true crime podcasts, I had no idea who the Bender family was so I especially liked learning about them. I want to know what Camilla is going to write about next, I can’t wait!
PLOT:
A sinister novel based on the real Bloody Benders, a family of serial killers in the old Westbound by butchery and obscured by the shadows of American history.
The winds shift nervously on the Kansas plain whispering of travelers lost and buried, whispering of witches. Something dark and twisted has taken root at the Bender Inn.
At first the townspeople of Cherryvale welcome the rising medium Kate Bender and her family. Kate’s messages from the Beyond give their tedious dreams hope and her mother’s potions cure their little ills—for a price. No one knows about their other business, the shortcut to a better life. And why shouldn’t their family prosper? They’re careful. It’s only from those who are marked, those who travel alone and can easily disappear, that the Benders demand their pound of flesh.
But even a gifted seer like Kate can make a misstep. Now as the secrets festering beneath the soil of the family orchard threaten to bring them all to ruin, the Benders must sharpen their craft—or vanish themselves.
This will be published on November 22.
