Root Magic

 

Root Magic by Eden Royce                    Middle Grade Historical Fiction/African American Fiction

(from Amazon)  It’s 1963, and things are changing for Jezebel Turner. Her beloved grandmother has just passed away. The local police deputy won’t stop harassing her family. With school integration arriving in South Carolina, Jez and her twin brother, Jay, are about to begin the school year with a bunch of new kids. But the biggest change comes when Jez and Jay turn 11 - and their uncle, Doc, tells them he’s going to train them in rootwork.  Jez and Jay have always been fascinated by the African American folk magic that has been the legacy of their family for generations - especially the curious potions and powders Doc and Gran would make for the people on their island. But Jez soon finds out that her family’s true power goes far beyond small charms and elixirs…and not a moment too soon. Because when evil both natural and supernatural comes to show itself in town, it’s going to take every bit of the magic she has inside her to see her through.

(My Review)  Wow! I enjoyed this so much! This was such a beautiful story about a family, and about two twins discovering their magical abilities.

They Never Learn

 

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo                                      Thriller & Suspense/LGBTQ+

(from Amazon)  Scarlett Clark is an exceptional English professor. But she’s even better at getting away with murder.  Every year, Dr. Clark searches for the worst man at Gorman University - professor, student, or otherwise - and plots his well-deserved demise. Thanks to her meticulous planning, she’s avoided drawing attention to herself…but as she’s preparing for her biggest kill yet, the school starts probing into the growing body count on campus. Determined to keep her enemies close, Dr. Clark insinuates herself into the investigation and charms the woman in charge. Everything’s going according to her master plan…until she loses control with her latest victim, putting her secret life at risk of exposure.  Meanwhile, Gorman student Carly Schiller is just trying to survive her freshman year. Finally free of her emotionally abusive father, all Carly wants is to focus on her studies and fade into the background. Her new roommate has other ideas. Allison Hadley is cool and confident - everything Carly wishes she could be - and the two girls quickly form an intense friendship. So when Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with making the attacker pay...and turning her fantasies about revenge into a reality.

(My Review)  

Wow!  This was an interesting book.  Told from perspective of the killer, you see the motives and ways she avoids being detected.  

The Girl in White

 

The Girl in White  by Lindsay Currie               Middle Grade Mystery/Ghost Story

(from Amazon)  Mallory hasn't quite adapted to life in her new town of Eastport yet. Maybe it's because everyone is obsessed with keeping the town's reputation as the most cursed town in the US.  And thanks to the nightmares she's had since arriving, Mallory hardly sleeps. Combined with the unsettling sensation of being watched, she's quickly becoming convinced there's more to her town. Something darker.  When Mallory has a terrifying encounter with the same old woman from her dreams, she knows she has to do something―but what? With Eastport gearing up to celebrate the anniversary of their first recorded legend Mallory is forced to investigate the one legend she's always secretly been afraid of . . . Sweet Molly.

(My Review)  I enjoyed this book so much.  Mallory moves to this small town with her family.  She is not as excited as her family.  The town is famous for a ghost story, and plays it up for the tourists.  Mallory is not a fan of this.    Then Mallory starts having dreams of an old woman, and other creepy things starts to happen.  Mallory and her friends start to investigate.  Can they unravel the mystery before it's too late???   This was soooo good!!!

The Homewreckers

 

The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews                     Contemporary Romance/Cozy Mystery

(from Amazon)  Hattie Kavanaugh went to work restoring homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at eighteen, married the boss’s son at twenty, and became a widow at twenty-five. Now, she’s passionate about her work, but that’s the only passion in her life. “Never love something that can’t love you back,” is advice her father-in-law gives her, but Hattie doesn’t follow it and falls head-over-heels for a money pit of a house. She’s determined to make it work, but disaster after disaster occurs, and Hattie’s dream might cost Kavanaugh & Son their livelihood. Hattie needs money, and fast.   When a slick Hollywood producer shows up in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. Soon, there’s more at stake than bad pipes and dry rot: during the demolition, evidence comes to light that points to the mysterious disappearance of a young wife and mother years before.  With a burned out detective investigating the case, an arsonist on the loose, two men playing with her emotions, and layers upon layers of vintage wallpaper causing havoc, it's a question of who will flip, who will flop, and if Hattie will ever get her happily-ever-after.

(My Review) 

I wasn't expecting too much from this book.  I was expecting a sweet romance, like a Hallmark movie in a book.  I was surprised to find a cute little cozy mystery in the book which made it all the more enjoyable.  So, Hattie restores homes, and gets hired to film a renovation show (think Fixer Upper).  As she is fixing up a beach house on Tybee Island, she and her crew find a dead body, which starts the search for the murderer.  This book was so delightful.

TH1RT3EN

 

TH1RT3EN  by Steve Cavanagh                  Legal Thriller/Crime Thriller

(from Amazon) It’s the murder trial of the century. And Joshua Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house - and to be sure the wrong man goes down for the crime. Because this time, the killer isn’t on trial. He’s on the jury.    But there’s someone on his tail. Former conman turned criminal-defense attorney Eddie Flynn doesn’t believe his movie-star client killed two people. He suspects the real killer is closer than they think - but who would guess just how close?    

(My Review)

This was a very suspenseful read!  Told from two points of view, this story is about a serial killer who gets on the jury of the murder he committed.  It's so creepy to get inside of the mind of the killer as you hear his side of the story.  Great read!  This book is a wild ride that keeps you glued until the very end.

Hidden Pictures

 

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak             Horror/Thriller

(from Amazon)  Fresh out of rehab, Mallory Quinn takes a job as a babysitter for Ted and Caroline Maxwell. She is to look after their five-year-old son, Teddy.  Mallory immediately loves it. She has her own living space, goes out for nightly runs, and has the stability she craves. And she sincerely bonds with Teddy, a sweet, shy boy who is never without his sketchbook and pencil. His drawings are the usual fare: trees, rabbits, balloons. But one day, he draws something different: a man in a forest, dragging a woman’s lifeless body.  Then, Teddy’s artwork becomes increasingly sinister, and his stick figures quickly evolve into lifelike sketches well beyond the ability of any five-year-old. Mallory begins to wonder if these are glimpses of a long-unsolved murder, perhaps relayed by a supernatural force.  Knowing just how crazy it all sounds, Mallory nevertheless sets out to decipher the images and save Teddy before it’s too late.

(My Review)

Wow!  This was a great page-turner!  A nanny is watching a boy who draws creepy pictures.  Things just start to get creepier from there.  Great book!

Hide

 

Hide by Kiersten White                  Suspense/Supernatural Thriller

(from Amazon)  The challenge: Spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.  The prize: enough money to change everything.  Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize a dream future or escape a haunting past—Mack is sure she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.  It’s the reason she’s alive and her family isn’t.  But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes that this competition is even more sinister than she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.  Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide but nowhere to run.

(My Review)

This is not the book I was hoping it to be.  I was hoping for it to go in one direction and it went in a completely different direction.  I think to say more would give too much away.  I think the premise had sooo much potential.