Bibliophile Amber's Book Reviews

Title: The Night Swim  Author: Megan Goldin  Published: August 4, 2020 Published by: St. Martin's Press Genre: Thriller/Mystery  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  Wow! I was absolutely hooked from the beginning, to the point to where I was so captivated by the entangling stories that I had to finish it! It was definitely a one afternoon read type of book! So, this book is written in different formats: the podcast, the letters and the narrative. I loved the mixture and it was captivating for the reader! Rachel is trying to make her true crime podcast the next sensation. In the past she covered a case that had already freed a man that was wrongly convicted. Giving her a reputation of being a truth seeker! So, now she is covering a case that is going through the courts. A high profile rape case. Then 25 years ago a girl was drowned, or at least that's what was deemed during that time. Things are not always as they seem. Hannah, the sister of the ...

Title: Sky in the Deep  Author: Adrienne Young  Published: April 24,2018 Published by: Wednesday Books  Genre: Fantasy  Pages: 340 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  Soooo freaking good!!! So good!!! Eelyn is a warrior through and through. She fights each year against a neighboring clan, she used to partner with her brother but since he passed she fights with her best friend. A brutal existence but it's her life and what she knows. Then while fighting she sees a ghost, her brother and she can't believe that it's him! She ends up getting taken by the Riki clan, and that is just where the betrayal starts. Her brother isn't dead and he joined the other side and since she has been taken prisoner she has to learn to trust her brother and his adoptive brother Friske. OMG! This is a one afternoon type of read because once you start it there is no way that you. are not going to finish it. I loved the story and I loved the love/hate relationship! I am begin...

Title: Moon Called  Author: Patricia Briggs  Published: January 31,2006 Published by: Ace  Genre: Fantasy  Pages: 324 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  I've always been a sucker for werewolf and vampire books and this book is no different! Mercy is a mechanic and she owns her own shop. Now, when a kid that looks a little down on his luck comes by just to ask to work for food she lets him and then soon comes to find out his story. Now, when things start changing and going crazy for the pack behind her house Mercy saves the alpha Adam and takes him back to her childhood home so that they would be able to help him regain his strength and then Mercy must face her first Love Samuel. This story has soo many twists and turns and I am definitely going to check out the next installment because I want to know where Mercy and Adam are heading to! 

Title: The Survivors  Author: Jane Harper  Published: September 22, 2020 Publisher: MacMillan Audio  Genre: Mystery  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  Talk about deep secrets coming to light, what is done in the dark will always come into the light eventually! Kieran came home to help his mother with his father, although he has not returned as much as he would have liked but back home was full of memories and guilt. When Kieran was younger he was checking out the caves when the storm and the tide happened sooner than what he thought, and thus he almost drowned but when this happened his brother came to help but his brother died in this incident so Kieran has carried this guilt of the accident with him. When Kieran and his girlfriend come home to help shortly afterwards a woman is found dead and with this as they are searching for her killer, secrets are being brought to light. Secrets of what happened to a young girl that had disappeared the same day that Kier...

Title: My Lovely Wife  Author: Samantha Downing  Published: March 26, 2019 Published by: Berkley Books Genre: Thriller/ Mystery  Pages: 384 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  Every couple has their quirks. Things that excite them, that bring them joy and also things that hold them together. Now, this couple from the outside would seem like they were rising stars in their own community! The husband is a tennis instructor at their local club, and he is loved by many and he is doing great! The wife, Millicent, is in real estate and she is succeeding so much! That she is a favorite. Now, here comes the dirty little secret they like to commit murder together, well The husband kind of picks the women and then Millicent does the heinous acts of murdering and covering it up. Now, they haven't been caught and they seem to blame thier murders on a local legend murderer that esentailly got away with murder. So they bring him back to life and have fun playing with t...

Title: Diabhal  Author: Kathleen Kaufman  Published: October 29, 2019 Publisher: Turner Genre: Horror Pages: 312 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5  Review:  Oh man. This story wasn't what I expected but it surpassed any expectations that I had. With a cover like this I thought that it was going to be something terrifying, nightmare worthy. However, this story follows a young girl, Ceit, that is sooo much more than what meets the eye. In the beginning there is an incident, an incident where Ceit along with her grandmother, her great grandmother and other members of what can only be called a cult try to exercise Ceit's mother. What started out as something they thought that they could handle something terrible happened. After that "incident" Ceit and her brother were placed into foster care while the police investigated the "incident". While everyone but Ceit can see what she is and different cults try to get her to join their cult. This book goes between repo...

Title: The Obsession Author: Jesse Q Sutanto  Expected Publication: February 2, 2021 Publisher: Sourcebooksfire Genre: Young Adult/ Thriller  Pages: 304 pages  Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Stars  Review:  Omg...this one is good. Logan is kind of obsessive about the girls that he likes. It all started with Sophie, he fell for her hard. She didn't have the same feelings for him as he did her, but that's just the beginning. He started stalking her and becoming obsessed with her but, when she died of an overdose he left school and had a hard time with it. Now, with that chapter of his life closed he sets his eyes on Delilah. He starts watching her and when he sees how her stepfather and cop Brandon treats her he sets his plan into action and sets up a camera across the street from her to catch Brandon abusing Delilah or her mother but instead he catches Delilah kicking the jack while Brandon is under the car killing him instantly. Delilah is not sad or upset about Bran...

Title: Goodnight Beautiful  Author: Aimee Molloy  Published: October 13, 2020 Published by: Harper  Genre: Thriller/ Mystery  Pages: 293 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  There are thrillers that will throw you through a complete loop and this is one of those that there were several times that I had to go back and read a few pages because I seriously was like wait what?!! Sam and Annie moved back to Sam's hometown to help take care of his mother with dementia. When everything feels like its picture perfect, the perfect private office, the dream house he and his wife want and then they are close to Sam's mother's care facility. Everything seems to be going well until one night it seems as if Sam is meeting a new girl and he drives off into a storm. After this storm Sam is not to be found for a while and things are not always as they seem. High credit card debt secrets, a secret lover and other things are not as they seem when Sam goes missing. The m...

Title: The Sheikh's Pregnant Foreigner  Author: Leslie North  Publication: November 9, 2020 Publisher:  Amazon Digital Services  Genre: Romance  Pages: 197 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  So, every now and then I have to check out a romance novel! The chemistry between Gina and Skandar was amazing, they complimented each other. While it seemed that Skandar was always in control of the situation and then fate stepped in. Gina and Skandar were just supposed to be a fun fling in the desert but things changed when Gina found out that she was pregnant and Skandar needed her to become king. They get married and their marriage has an expiration date, but things are more intense and they slowly start to fall for one another. The drama, the love and twist kept me hooked until the end! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sparking romance!

Title: A Universe of Wishes  Author: Various Authors  Expected Publication: December 8,2020 Publisher: Random House Children's Books Genre: Fantasy  Pages: 416 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  So this is the first Anthology that I've read and I really enjoyed it! I liked how all the authors came together and pieced the stories together and everything like that! While I completely loved some of the stories and even read them a second time, some of the stories I could have left them but they were still entertaining. This anthology covered witches, retellings, the matters of the heart and even falling for the enemy types of stories! Two of them that I absolutely adored were The Silk Blade and A Royal Affair! The Silk Blade starts out with a fight to win the heart of the prince but as things progress it's no longer the heart of the prince she's after! I was really engrossed with this story and it was beautifully written! Now, Royal Affair is by none other th...

Title: You Love Me  Author: Caroline Kepnes  Expected Publication: April 6,2021  Publisher: Random House Publishing  Genre: Thriller  Pages: 400  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  So, at the end of Hidden Bodies we were left on a huge cliffhanger but with this cliffhanger there was also hope. Hope for Joe that he would still get his riding off into the sunset moment but, his happily ever after didn't happen with Love. So broken and vowing never to let love take him to those extremes again Joe moves to the outskirts of Seattle and goes back to his comfort zone, BOOKS. He volunteers at a local library and soon he is smitten with a Librarian FOX Mary Kay. While it is obvious that Mary Kary doesn't automatically feel the same way Joe does he starts plotting and then he takes his time because he is a patient man and knows what he wants. Man oh Man! I loved this novel better than the last! This one did have a bit more pages before I really got into it but o...

Title: A House at the Bottom of a Lake Author: Josh Malerman  Expected Publication: January 19,2021  Publisher: Del Rey Books Genre: Horror/ Fantasy  Pages: 208 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  So, this book is definitely different and has my mind wondering tonight! James and Amelia are two 17 year old teenagers and they are starting to date and so of course they decide to go against the norm and go canoeing. They canoe along different lakes until they find a secret spot, a secret third lake and at the bottom of the lake there is a house. Now, once they first discover the house at the bottom of the lake their relationship takes it to a new level because they have something that they consider thiers and soon the house at the bottom of the lake consumes them. Their thoughts, their relationship and of course their time. Any available time that they can get together they are at the lake. But, just because the house is at the bottom of the lake does not mea...

Title: Every Last Fear  Author: Alex Finlay  Expected Publication: March 2,2021  Publisher: St. Martin's Press  Genre: Thriller/ Mystery  Pages: 368 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5  Review:  The Pine family made well known by a true crime documentary are on what seems to anyone on the outside a family vacation in Mexico, but this particular family vacation turns deadly when the four family members on the vacation are found dead in their rooms in Mexico. After a night of partying Matt Pine returns to his dorm room only to be told the devastating news that his sister, little brother and parents were found dead in Mexico. Then, he had to be the one to tell his incarcerated brother Danny the news. The FBI Agent Keller knows that there is so much more to the case than what meets the eye. The two cases, Danny's case that sent him to prison and the family's murders are all connected and it's up to her and Matt to make the connection and find out what ...

Title: The Unwilling  Author: John Hart Expected Publication: February 1,2021 Publisher: MacMillan Audio  Genre: Mystery/ Thriller  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review:  This book is phenomenal! This story jumps into different POV of different members of the family and other characters. I really enjoyed this one! So this book literally shows the dramatic impact that war and death can have on one family. Gibby is the youngest of three boys. His father is a police detective and he tries really hard to protect Gibby from the world. Jason is the oldest son, his twin brother was drafted and ended up dying in the war and then when his parents received the news of the twins death his mother said that it should have been Jason so he has carried that on his shoulders for a good while. When Jason gets out of jail he kind of sneaks an adventure with Gibby without his mother noticing and they have a good time until the boys come across a prison bus and one of the girls traveling wi...

Title: I'm Thinking of Ending Things  Author: Iain Reid  Published: June 14, 2016 Published by: Gallery/Scout Books  Genre: Horror/ Thriller Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  I don't think I've ever come across a book that has left me with thoughts soo long afterward. The first half of the book tbh was a little bit on the weird side, like I honestly didn't think that the book was going to work for me. Like I seriously thought that it was going to be some kind of stalker gone wild kind of thriller. Boy was I wrong.   A girl is thinking about ending things with her boyfriend but, she still decided to go with him to his parents house for dinner. She is meeting his parents, and while she thinks all families have their own quirks she just goes with the flow. The second half of the book was absolutely mindblowing like it's been days since I finished this book and I'm still thinking about it. The whole book was a complete shocker and I would definitely recommend it t...

Title: The One  Author: John Marrs  Published: July 15,2016 Published by: Hanover Square  Genre: Thriller Pages: 412 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5  Review: I loved the idea of this book, to take a DNA swab and not have to mess with the aspects of dating or dating sites but that you could literally find the perfect partner that was genetically just for you. A fool proof way, that no one is ever matched with the wrong person.  I loved that the story line followed so many different characters and different perspectives. You had the CEO Ellie of the whole Match your DNA, Timothy, Amy, Christopher,Keven, Jade, Mandy, Nick, and Alex. Like all of their lives literally changed when they received their MATCH. Although there were a lot of different story lines and how they changed and what they went through it was crazy. Like how all the characters were impacted negatively and positively with the Match Your DNA. I loved how Christopher was a serial killer and how...

Title: Namesake  Author: Adrienne Young  Expected Publication: March 16, 2021 Publisher: Wednesday Books Genre: Young Adult/ Fantasy  Pages: 368 pages  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 Review:  So I loved Fable! That book was stay up all night and read it worthy, this one is sooo much more! Fable is back and she is still the strong character she was but now, we are getting a glimpse of her in a pinch.  Revenge and self serving is a powerful motivator for a pirate type of person, so kidnapped Fable finds herself on the enemy's ship. Now, she's not going to be hurt on this ship; she is basically a pawn in the plan of the captain. He wants his freedom so he travels to Holland (A new character) and tries to trade Fable for her.  Now, this gives more of a backstory as Holland is Fable's grandmother and she sees an opportunity to try to gain her way to get what she wants soo plots and evil schemes and Fable just wants to protect Saint and West and it seems like ...

Title: Burying the Dead: An Archaeological History of Burial Grounds,  Graveyards and Cemeteries.  Author: Lorraine Evans Expected Publication: January 30, 2021 Publisher: Pen and Sword History  Genre: Non-fiction  Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Review:  So when it comes down to burying the dead no one really thinks about the process or the ritual that the whole aspect of burying the dead had to go through. I loved all the information that this book contained! This book is really researched to a "T". The author researched many different perspectives and knew her history!  I loved that she went through so many different types of burials to some that I knew of like the ship burials and then the sky burials that I literally had no inkling about it. I also loved how she pointed out cultural aspects and religious aspects to the type of burials that occured. I loved that the author went for it, that she covered a lot of information and the book was not too lengthy. ...