Emily Carpenter's "A Spell for Saints and Sinners"

 

In front of an elegantly shabby townhouse on a Savannah side street sits a hand-painted Miss Edie, Psychic. Ingrid White inherited the house and business from her beloved grandmother, a local celebrity in town. But unless Ingrid can find a way to pay for crushing property taxes and mounting repairs, she’s going to lose them both.

Ingrid has faith in the homespun witchcraft Edie passed down to her, yet hope and clients are dwindling. . . . Until Sailor Loeffler’s bachelorette party changes everything. Sailor is local royalty—part of the vast “Savannah Sauce” empire, beautiful and wealthy beyond imagining—and Ingrid’s reading is so accurate that she becomes the bride-to-be’s confidante. To keep that access and all the privileges it brings, Ingrid relies more and more on hexes and dark spells—using the baneful magic Edie always warned her against.

As Ingrid works even riskier spells, she is drawn further into the Loefflers’ inner circle and the obstacles in her path melt away. But is it witchcraft or other, more earthbound forces? Ingrid can feel the lines blurring even as her powers seem to grow, until she must confront the truth about people, including herself, will go to keep the life they’ve always wanted . . .

Like a gender-flipped You but dripping with Southern Gothic atmosphere, a young psychic on the verge of losing everything becomes obsessed with a wealthy, beautiful heiress in this clever, darkly atmospheric novel of psychological suspense set amid the lush, moss-draped beauty of Savannah. ~taken from Goodreads

I love Emily Carpenter as an author. I have read several of her books and was excited to read her latest. This also had me intrigued because of the southern gothic aspect. Set in Savannah, Georgia with the main character being both a physic and a witch I thought for sure I would love this novel just as much as the others. 

This starts out rather slow, which is fine since there is a large cast of important characters to get to know and remember. The stark difference between the Savannah rich and the Savannah working class are well showcased. I loved imagining Ingrid's family home, rich with history yet falling into disrepair, and Sailor's mansion, grand and unnecessarily huge for a family of just four. 

Not a single character did I like. While I really wanted to feel for Ingrid and the troubles she was going through, her erratic behavior and desperation as the story went along became annoying and unbelievable. Even her friends, who seem like they care deeply for her and her wellbeing, enable her to the point they cripple her both in work and life. 

This started out at a slow pace and then seemed to come to an even slower crawl. I thought it would get interesting and then it seemed to flutter off into a whole other plotline, where it underwhelmingly ended. 

I wish I had better things to say but this didn't even seem like a phycological thriller to me but more like a mystery at best. 

"A Spell for Saints and Sinners" is out now so is you're looking for a gothic mystery this may be for you! 

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me an advanced copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 3 star read for me. 

Happy Reading! 

*Side note, this was supposed to be read and reviewed as an ARC but I had a house emergency (my kitchen & basement flooded) so I was set back a few weeks, preoccupied with that. Apologies to the author and publisher.  

 

"How To Survive in the Woods" by Kat Rosenfield

 

Raised by a doomsday prepper and hardened by the startup world, Emma Sharp has learned how to endure—especially in her marriage to Logan Grant, a charismatic tyrant who keeps her under tight control. To Emma, her marriage is a it keeps you in, but it also keeps you safe. Until it doesn't. 

When Emma forms an unexpected bond with Logan’s former girlfriend, the two women form a plan to help Emma take her life back. the punishing final stretch of the Appalachian Trail known as the Hundred Mile Wilderness.

After all, bad things happen in the woods all the time. 

As the three venture deeper into Maine’s backcountry, desire and dread curdle into something unpredictable, dark, and deadly. Someone is lying. Someone is watching. And in the remote heart of the forest, someone is about to be lost . . . or found.

How to Survive in the Woods is a heart-stopping knockout of a novel, by turns smart, psychologically rich, and deliciously dark. In her masterful hands, Kat Rosenfield asks us to consider what it means to be a survivor—and what, or who, you would sacrifice to stay alive. ~taken from Amazon

I feel I need to start this review by letting readers know about trigger warnings. It drops you off in the end stages of a suicide attempt. The novel is then full of situations of a toxic and abusive relationship, both physical and mental. 

This started out strong and I was intrigued from the get-go. Reading how Emma's vulnerability from lack of self esteem put her in a prime position to be manipulated and controlled by her husband was hard and sad.  The fact that even with friends around to point it out, she still couldn't just walk away from something so toxic were both believable and unbelievable. I feel like we all know someone who just couldn't see the bad because they were too far deep in a situation.    

The majority of the novel takes place on the Appalachian Trail and that in itself gives an air of intrigue and thrill; knowing mother nature is never predictable. Nonetheless, the main plot twist was pretty predictable, though still dramatic to read. The tempo of the book was steady throughout and made for a good read. 

Even with a predicable plot twist the dark theme and looming setting made for a suspenseful page turner. 

"How To Survive in the Woods" is out now, so get it wherever you buy books! Check out other books I have read and reviewed by Kat Rosenfield here. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper for an advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 4 star read! 

Happy Reading! 

"She Fell Away" by Lenore Nash

 

A State Department diplomat must confront the ghosts of her past as she searches for a missing American woman in New Zealand in this pulse-pounding and unputdownable thriller.

Lake Harlowe may not appear to be your typical State Department diplomat. With the number of skeletons in her closet exceeding the tattoos on her skin, she moves to a new country every few years to keep one step ahead of her personal demons. After two grueling years working in Cambodia, Lake’s desperate for a break and a new posting to sleepy Wellington, New Zealand, seems like a dream come true.

That is, until eighteen-year-old singer-songwriter Bowie Bishop mysteriously vanishes shortly after American NFL player Bruce Walter is found dead in his hotel room. An exchange student from Las Vegas, Bowie was a world away from her possessive, washed-up stage mom who won’t stop calling until Lake finds her superstar daughter.

All at once, Lake finds herself ensnared in a network of deception involving Bowie’s high-profile host family, a shadowy music producer, a casino magnate, and the US ambassador—her boss. Obsessed with finding the truth, Lake soon realizes that to find the missing girl, she must confront her own dark past in this unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page. ~taken from Goodreads

Lake Harlow is a U.S. State Department diplomat new to Wellington, New Zealand. It is not her first assignment overseas, as she is running away from a dark and frightening past of her own.

Bowie Bishop is a U.S. exchange student currently missing with ties to a, now deceased, American NFL player who was found dead in his Wellington hotel suite. 

Bowie's mom is a washed-up singer who spends her life trying to make her daughter a superstar and calls Lake pleading to please help find her daughter. While Lake is not an investigator, she feels drawn to Bowie, and begins searching for clues as to where this teenager may be. 

This novel started out so promising, an intriguing mystery mixed with some dark pasts. But what could have been an intense phycological thriller quickly turns soft when the author starts throwing in sad lyrics to songs written by Bowie, flashbacks into Bowie's "woe is me" life, and Lake's complete disregard for her diplomatic career and protocols that need followed.   

The plot gets very predictable yet wildly off script. The characters lacked growth; were very one-dimensional. The situations they found themselves in became so absurd and unbelievable as well as the dialog between them.

The anti-climatic ending seemed so completely jumbled and awkward. I had such a hard time imaging what was actually taking place. 

This story is told from alternating perspectives, which may have been what kept taking away from the story. The switch up seemed to interrupt the flow. The excessive use of song lyrics seemed unnecessary, and I honestly skipped right over them. I got the gist that Bowie was sad, I didn't need to imagine a song about it. 

This seems to have ended like this was a start to a series. I don't know if I would read another. Now that I know this is a soft mystery at best, it is not really my style. 

Thanks to Edelweiss and Atria Books for gifting me an advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review. This was a 3-star read for me.

"She Fell Away" is set to be released on March 10, 2026 here in the U.S. so pre-order your copy now! 

Happy Reading! 

"A Box Full of Darkness" by Simone St. James

 

Siblings return to the house they fled eighteen years before, called back by the ghost of their long-missing brother and his haunting request to come home.

Strange things happen in Fell, New York: A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For Violet, Vail, and Dodie Esmie the final straw was their little brother's shocking disappearance, which started as a normal game of hide-and-seek.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, the sisters were each haunted by visions and frightening events, leading them to leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people—spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years. Now after nearly two decades it’s time for a homecoming—because Ben is back, and he’s ready to lead them to the answers they’ve longed for and long feared. ~taken from Goodreads

Author, Simone St James, brings us another paranormal mystery novel to start 2026! This one starts with a nod to her previous novel "The Sundown Motel" and I thought it was very cool how she incorporated that several times into this story. 

This one seemed different than the other books. It was very confusing trying to figure out exactly what type of paranormal story we were dealing with. The three siblings each have a special gift, all very different, but somehow each is relevant to the story. It was frustrating trying to figure out exactly what road we were headed down. 

The siblings are all very different in personalities, despite the fact that they had practically no parental upbringing and relied on each other as children. They all have trust funds, yet the town of Fell seems to be run down and dilapidated. The house they return to isn't described as "a grand mansion" so it was hard to believe the backstory of the three. It just didn't make sense in my mind from the start. 

It is a VERY slow moving story that ended very quickly and left a few things unanswered. I am not going to get into it so not to give anything away. 

The last quarter of the book was super enjoyable. It was eerie and spooky and it was everything I love about St. James' writing. I still love the author and cannot wait to read their next book and re-read the old ones! 

"A Box Full of Darkness" is out today here in the U.S. so get your copy now! It was a 4 star read! Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review. 

Happy Reading! 

"Anatomy of an Alibi" by Ashley Elston

 

Two women. One dead husband. And only one alibi.

Everyone at Chantilly’s Bar noticed out-of-towner Camille Bayliss. Red lips, designer heels, sipping a Negroni. But that woman wasn’t Camille Bayliss. It was Aubrey Price.

Camille Bayliss appears to have the picture-perfect life; she’s married to hotshot lawyer Ben and is the daughter of a wealthy Louisiana family. Only nothing is as it seems: Camille believes Ben has been hiding dirty secrets for years, but she can’t find proof because he tracks her every move.

Aubrey Price has been haunted by the terrible night that changed her life a decade ago, and she’s convinced Benjamin Bayliss knows something about it. Living in a house full of criminals, Aubrey understands there’s more than one way to get to the truth—and she may have found the best way in.

Aubrey and Camille hatch a plan. It sounds simple: For twelve hours, Aubrey will take Camille’s place. Camille will spy on Ben, and the two women will get the answers they desperately seek.

Except the next morning, Ben is found murdered. Both women need an airtight alibi, but only one of them has it. And one false step is all it takes for everything to come undone.

 ~taken from Goodreads

What a way to start the year! I was such a fan of author Ashley Elston's debut novel, "First Lie Wins", and was ecstatic to read her sophomore novel to see if the greatness continued. I am happy to report, it stood up to the first! 

This book is told from the perspective of multiple characters, so it's important to pay attention to who each chapter is about at the start. The date at the start of the chapter holds important clues as well. 

The main characters are Aubrey and Camille, two women who are somehow connected to Ben, a man who starts this story lying dead on his office floor. Murdered, but by whom? We slowly learn who Ben was and why someone(s) may have wanted him dead. 

There are quite a few characters and side stories and I admit that at first it was a bit confusing keeping track of who was who and why they were even mentioned. As the story progresses we can see that every character is important and every little tidbit of information given is relevant in some way, shape or form. 

I honestly had no idea how this would end until I was wrapped up in it. It was a fun read all the way through! 

I really liked this novel, though not as much as First Lie Wins. Though this one will not disappoint at all!

"Anatomy of an Alibi"  is set to be released here in the U.S. on January 13, 2026 so pre-order your copy now! It was a 4 star read for me! 

 While you wait, if you haven't read "First Lie Wins", read it now! 

Thanks to Netgalley and Viking Penguin for the advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review! 

Happy Reading and Happy New Year! 

"Their Deadly Truth" by Carl Kovach

 

The silver car sits on a quiet suburban street, lit by the flicker of a nearby streetlamp. It hasn’t moved for days. Nobody noticed it arriving, and nobody knows what’s hidden inside…

When Lindy Pickering answers the door to police officers, she isn’t prepared for what they tell her. Her brother, Kain, was discovered dead that morning, locked inside a car owned by her late mother.

As the police begin to ask questions, Lindy admits that she and Kain hadn’t spoken in weeks, but she remains tight-lipped about the reason the siblings hated each other.

When neighbours begin to gossip, it seems that everyone had a reason for wanting Kain dead and Lindy realises that she can’t trust anyone around her. And as another body is found, killed in the same way as Kain, it’s clear that someone is keeping a close eye on the investigation, and they’re prepared to kill to keep their deadly secret hidden… ~taken from Goodreads

Detective Gina Harte is back with another novel! This can be read as book number 18 in the series but also works fine as a stand alone. 

I had to think about how to rate this book, as I was teetering on a star rating. This story was all over the place and to be honest it was overwhelming at times. There are so many characters and trying to remember who is who and how they fit in what almost too much. 

Add to the fact that I really did not like a single person in this story, including DI Harte. As of late, she seems to be just whiny and "woe is me" and frankly it has gotten old. 

 DCI Briggs, Harte's ex-lover who she is still in love with, is pulled off the case, as he is somehow involved, DI Harte doesn't know how and it's driving her mad not knowing. A new DCI is brought in to take Briggs' place and low and behold he is an old work friend of Gina's that may have been a bit more than a work buddy in the past. WINK WINK!

There are plenty of ways this book kept me engaged. There are interesting clues that left me wondering how and why they were related to the murders. The chapters written by "anonymous" gave an eerie aspect, and of course Gina Harte's love life brought the desired drama! 

Overall this kept me guessing and entertained. I rate it 4 stars! 

"Their Deadly Truth" is out today here in the U.S. and you can get it now! Don't forget to check out Carla Kovach's other books I've reviewed also! 

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an advanced ecopy to read and review! 

Happy Reading! 

"The Hitchhikers" by Chevy Stevens

 

It’s the summer of 1976 and Alice and Tom set out on the remote Canadian highways in their new RV, hoping to heal their broken hearts after a devastating tragedy.

They’ve planned the trip perfectly, taken care of every detail. Then they meet two young hitchhikers down on their luck and offer them a ride. But Simon and Jenny aren’t what they seem. They’ve left a trail of blood, destruction, and madness behind them.

Now Alice and Tom are trapped, prisoners in a deadly game, with nowhere to turn. As the tension builds, the lines blur, and the question becomes, In whose heart does evil truly lie? What secrets are Jenny and Simon hiding? And who will live another day? ~taken from Goodreads

"Dark Roads" by this same author was a masterpiece! It's a book I wish I could re-read for the first time. I was so excited to read this latest book. 

I am not sure how to ease into it, so I am just going to rip the band aide off. This book was not it for me. So many things made this so awful to finish. Let me break it down. 

For starters, I feel like we were thrown into a story with no background. There was no getting to know the characters before we were forced into an RV and headed down the road. Every character was so one dimensional that I wasn't invested in a single one. 

I actually didn't even like any of the characters which made it hard for me to even continue reading. I didn't care what happened to any of them. Add on top of that, every chapter blended in to the previous, as they all involved driving down a highway with not-so-exciting happenings. 

It was so hard to like a story where the "good guys" repeatedly get beat up and the "bad guys" keep getting their way. There was no tug-of-war to make it interesting. 

This could have been a much shorter story. The backstory of the wanted couple was interesting, but not enough to carry the novel. The ending was predictable but there was a tense instance or two.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an e-copy to read and give my honest review. It was a 3 star read. 

"The Hitchhikers" is available today (in the U.S.) wherever you get your books! 

Happy Reading!