Saturday, March 11, 2023

Book Review: What Meets the Eye by Alex Kenna


     Kate was a Detective at the top of her game with an excellent solve rate, an attorney husband, and a beautiful little girl. That is until a car chase ended with the driver ramming her car in the blockade. Her back was broken and the pills became an easy escape from the pain. Soon her husband's nagging lead to him filing for both divorce and custody. She only gets her little girl on the weekends. Sometimes. Still, Kate is determined to be better and get her life back on track. Without her ex. She is a PI now and a grieving father has asked her to look into his daughter's suicide. The truth could have more than one head rolling. 

    I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. I haven't read a lot of PI books in the past. Well, at least not ones that aren't primarily smut. I don't avoid them or even dislike them, they just aren't something I get a lot of requests for. Still, when I received this one I was excited, if only to break up my other continuous genres. 

    The characters in this book are relatable and the plot feels like something that could realistically happen. While this book is the first in a series featuring the main character this book can absolutely be read as a standalone. Probably because it is the first book. Still, the main point to this book is resolved at the end with some character threads hanging that I am sure will continue on as the series does. 

    This book has characters to love and those we love to hate. Like her ex. I hope she gets everything she wants moving forward. She has already leapt the biggest hurdle. 

    This book is available on Amazon for $13.99 by clicking here

Book Review: In Winters Garden by Mark Hurst


     Bernard McMaster's has lived a long and prosperous life as a horror author. His books were best-sellers in the 80s and eventually became movies allowing him to live a life of luxury. However, a fall from a later in the twilight of years lands him in a cushy retirement home for rehab. It will be a short stint and then he will be back to rattling around his mansion, alone. While he is closer to his daughter, Rosie, at this place, this is where the positives end. There is something odd about Winter's Garden and his unique expertise may be the only thing that will save his life. 

    I received a copy of this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. I love all things horror so was thrilled to receive this book. While we initially had some issues with my receiving it we figured something out. In most books the main character is someone between the ages of 20 and 40. However, in this book our main character is an old man. 

    The author does a wonderful job of keeping you guessing if the creatures in the book are real or imagined. This is definitely one of those times where you should trust nothing and no one. Not even yourself. That being said it is an easy story to be drawn into, wondering what will happen next. Will Bernard leave Winter's Garden alive? Is anyone actually trying to kill him? Or is everything just a carefully crafted delusion of an old man with a history of mental breaks?

    I have no complaints on this story and look forward to more works from this author in the future. The scenes are well-written and you are able to see the peacocks as they strut across the perfectly manicured grass in front of the old Victorian style mansion. Why anyone would want peacocks wandering around is beyond me, although they are pretty. 

    This book is available on Kindle Unlimited or buy it on Amazon for $0.99 by clicking here