Tag: 2022

  • Book Review: Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins – Under The Radar Books

    Nanny Dearest by Flora Collins

    Synopsis.

    In this compulsively readable novel of domestic suspense, a young woman takes comfort in reconnecting with her childhood nanny after her father’s death, until she starts to uncover secrets the nanny has been holding for twenty years.

    Sue Keller is lost. When her father dies suddenly, she’s orphaned in her mid-twenties, her mother already long gone. Then Sue meets Annie. It’s been twenty years, but Annie could never forget that face. She was Sue’s live-in nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own.

    Craving connection and mothering, Sue is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life; but as they become inseparable once again, Sue starts to uncover the truth about Annie’s unsettling time in the Keller house all those years ago, particularly the manner of her departure—or dismissal. At the same time, she begins to grow increasingly alarmed for the safety of the two new charges currently in Annie’s care.

    Told in alternating points of views—Annie in the mid-’90s and Sue in the present day—this taut novel of suspense will keep readers turning the pages right up to the shocking end.

    The Review

    NANNY DEAREST by Flora Collins.

    I had a very specific thing in mind when I added this book to my Tbr. I had just read NIGHTBITCH and I wanted to explore a little more on the topic of motherhood.

    I have always been fascinated by the triangular relationship dynamics between parents and nannies and the children they care for.

    This book explores the relationship between the child and the nanny more than with parental figures. I appreciated the storyline and loved the moments the characters experienced that bordered on obsession.

    I could’ve handled a lot more of it.

    Overall, this is a solid domestic thriller that will appeal to readers looking for a captivating read exploring interpersonal relationships.

    Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing-Mira for this advanced copy!

     

    Out Now

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  • Book Review: Abundance by Deepak Chopra – Under The Radar Books

    Abundance by Deepak Chopra

    Synopsis.

    An enlightening guide to success, fulfillment, wholeness, and plenty, offering practical advice on how to cultivate a sense of abundance in times of fear and insecurity, from New York Times bestselling author Deepak Chopra. Many of us live and operate from a mindset of lack, scarcity, and limitation. We focus on what we don’t have–financial security, confidence, an intimate relationship–which keeps us feeling insecure and inadequate. We think if only I could have those things, I could be happy. But constantly striving for more often means our ego is driving our thoughts, actions, and reactions, preventing us from reaching something greater: a true sense of inner peace, acceptance, and fulfillment. And these internal experiences allow us to access the great riches of the universe and life’s unbounded possibilities. In The Yoga of Money, Deepak Chopra illuminates the inner path to abundance, helping readers tap into a deeper sense of awareness and become agents of change in their own lives. He demonstrates how to work past self-generated feelings of limitation and fear and provides meditations to help you focus and direct your attention, energy, and intuition so you can experience stability, prosperity, insight, creativity, love, and true power.

    The Review

    ABUNDANCE: THE INNER PATH TO WEALTH by Deepak Chopra Perhaps mistitled or at least a bit misleading I was looking for a book about ABUNDANCE and THE YOGA OF MONEY. And while that is included in the text I believe the majority of the book focused on your chakras. Specifically healing and balancing them. It gave a lot of information on each chakra and explored imbalances and treatments. There was a section on THE YOGA OF MONEY and it talked about the spiritual concept of money and of ABUNDANCE, it just wasn’t its main focus. I really enjoyed the coverage of the chakras and I learned a lot more about yoga as a spiritual concept. I gave the book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and felt it would be helpful to readers on any part of their journey. I wanted to make it clear that there is a big part of this book that isn’t being marketed and it may appeal to a wider range of readers than it initially suggests. Thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for this advanced listening copy! Out Now! Side note: Listening to Deepak speak and narrate this book is quite an exceptional experience.

    Screen Pairing

    Headspace Guide to Meditation Tv Documentary Netflix

    Firstleaf Wine Club Wine Pairing 21+

    For this title I recommend: Thistle & Quail 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon

    Chakra Healing: The Ultimate Practical Guide to Open, Balance& Unblock Your Chakras and Open Your Third Eye Using Self-Healing Techniques That Help You Awaken by Jessica Adams
  • Book Review: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay – Under The Radar Books

    The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

    Synopsis.

    It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey, four teenage girls working the night shift are attacked. Only one survives. Police quickly identify a suspect who flees and is never seen again. Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive. Both surviving victims recall the killer speaking only a few final words… “Goodnight, pretty girl.” In the aftermath, three lives intersect: the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive her tragedy; the brother of the original suspect, who’s convinced the police have it wrong; and the FBI agent, who’s determined to solve both cases. On a collision course toward the truth, all three lives will forever be changed, and not everyone will make it out alive. Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers.

    The Review

    THE NIGHT SHIFT by Alex Finlay. Reading this book is like watching an action movie. The tension and pacing were high and quick. If you like that sort of thing. The story, although set in the 90’s, is not immersive. I’ve heard some compare it to SURVIVE THE NIGHT and although I see the similarities and the proposed readers are similar, I’d suggest this thriller is a bit rougher around the edges and straight to the point. Which may be its intention. It comes across as very masculine. And what I mean by that is in the efficiency of the plot. There’s not a lot of explaining going on. Motives are not pondered, it’s declarative and concise. There’s not a lot of conjecture. The thrilling part is not necessarily peeling back each character like an onion, it’s more following a case. It’s really more of a procedural and it’s similar to thrillers like those written by James Patterson, Lee Childs, and Jonathan Kellerman. A crime thriller. Maybe I was in the mood for something else when I picked it up. I would recommend it to readers who don’t need finessing or nuance. Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced copy! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Screen Pairing

    Any of the Harlan Coben Series on Netflix TV Series Thriller

    Firstleaf Wine Club Wine Pairing 21+

    For this title I recommend: Quedarse 2019 Garnacha from Spain

    The Black Book by James Patterson