They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong.
When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he’s been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he’ll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.
Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff’s deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.
The Review
AND THERE HE KEPT HER
by Joshua Moehling
Don’t let the narrator fool you- this is a very rugged, masculine thriller.
Most of it feels like spending the day with your local small-town sheriff. A bit like living in his head and be forewarned, he has a lot of strong opinions.
In one pov we’re following Ben as he continues through his day as a sheriff deputy which includes a very personal missing persons case-his cousin and her boyfriend.
In the other pov we’re following Emmett who has more to hide than most. And he’d do anything to keep his secrets buried.
The interweaving of the two stories was intriguing and I wanted to keep listening to get back to the storyline I was most interested in.
Sometimes this back and forth works but unfortunately it was pretty lopsided in this book. Most of the action was in Emmets pov. I wish we could have lived in that pov more.
I also had a lukewarm feeling towards all of the characters. I neither wanted to know more about them and also didn’t really dislike who I was supposed to.
This mixed action and lack of caring led to tepid results and I ended at ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for AND THERE HE KEPT HER.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poised Pen Press, Dreamscape Media for the advanced copies!
Evvie Drake Starts Over meets Beach Read in this heartwarming and hilarious novel about a divorced romance channel screenwriter whose script about her marriage’s collapse just might help her reclaim her life and find love.
Nora’s life is about to get a rewrite… Nora Hamilton knows the formula for love better than anyone. As a romance channel screenwriter, it’s her job. But when her too-good-to work husband leaves her and their two kids, Nora turns her marriage’s collapse into cash and writes the best script of her life.
No one is more surprised than her when it’s picked up for the big screen and set to film on location at her 100-year-old-home. When former Sexiest Man Alive, Leo Vance, is cast as her ne’er do well husband Nora’s life will never be the same.
The morning after shooting wraps and the crew leaves, Nora finds Leo on her porch with a half-empty bottle of tequila and a proposition. He’ll pay a thousand dollars a day to stay for a week. The extra seven grand would give Nora breathing room, but it’s the need in his eyes that makes her say yes. Seven days: it’s the blink of an eye or an eternity depending on how you look at it. Enough time to fall in love. Enough time to break your heart.
Filled with warmth, wit, and wisdom, Nora Goes Off Script is the best kind of love story–the real kind where love is complicated by work, kids, and the emotional baggage that comes with life. For Nora and Leo, this kind of love is bigger than the big screen.
The Review
NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT by Annabel Monaghan
Her POV: he’s a movie star. 😍
His POV: she feels like coming home. 🥰
This is the most adorable love story. It features Nora (😃) and Leo.
Nora is your everyday local suburban mom with two kids who happens to write romance television movie scripts.
Leo is a movie star who needs a bit of respite and care and also seems to like the idea of acting out his own romance movie.
The question is will the two of them find love acting out the roles that were written for them or will they write their own love story.
I really liked this one. I bought the relationship and really appreciated the build-up. The blurb says it’s a mix between Evie Drake Starts Over and Beach Read which feels pretty accurate.
I also really enjoyed the pov of the main character. It’s always nice to see characters in their mid-life where the focus isn’t centered around them being old and destitute.
I think this would be a great book to read poolside. It’s a real quick read and the pacing is done well.
NORA GOES OFF SCRIPT…⭐️⭐️⭐️
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
Synopsis.
New York Timesbestselling author and National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi (they/them) reimagines the love story in this fresh and seductive novel about a young woman seeking joy while healing from loss.
Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.
It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio, and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.
She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the dangerous thrill Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person in the house who is most definitely off-limits. This new life she asked for just got a lot more complicated, and Feyi must begin her search for real answers. Who is she ready to become? Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?
Akwaeke Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing, and the constant bravery of choosing love against all odds.
The Review
YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY
by Akwaeke Emezi.
Can we just take a second and reread that book title. Because the title alone is worth that. And then let’s give a shout out to that cover-because it is beautiful.
If you’re going anywhere on vacation this summer, may I recommend YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY by Akwaeke Emezi.
The perfect vacation read. It’ll have you rapidly turning pages and raise your humidity. Cause it’s 🔥
Let’s talk about it!
I had to scrap my review of YMAFODWYB and my thoughts about Akwaeke Emezi just a few pages into the story.
I was wrong about a lot of things.
I was wrong about everything.
I was wrong about the path the character would take and I was wrong about the simplicity of the situation EMEZI had created for us as readers.
I was blown away entirely by the trajectory of this story and felt inspired by Akwaeke Emezi’s choices.
It is a very messy love story. With characters you will want to scream at and very unexpected arcs. This is my first book by this author and I was completely surprised.
My only request is that EMEZI next writes a book entirely about food. Because the food writing in this book was flawless and I wanted more.
A very hottttt book with a fiery main character, YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
