Bibliophile Amber's Book Reviews

​ Title: Murder in the Neighborhood  Author: Ellen J Green  Expected Publication: April 28,2022 Publisher: Bookouture Audio Genre: Non-Fiction, True Crime  Pages: 352 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Oh, man! This story is sad all the way around!  On September 6, 1949, Howard, a 28-year-old shot thirteen people in less than 12 minutes in his neighborhood in East Camden, New Jersey. While this is the story of the first recorded mass shooting in the united states, this is a story as a true-crime lover that I have not heard of until now. This story is one that was kind of brushed under the rug.  Howard was bullied in the neighborhood, and he was also a soldier that had PTSD. Then on top of that, he was a guy living in the closet and he didn't want his mother to find out about all that. Back then that was a big deal, and he was shunned for a lot of reasons. However, this story was sad all the way around because Howard was misunderstood. He was bullied in h...

​ Title: The Summer We Buried  Author: Jody Gehrman  Published: September 7, 2021 Publisher: Dreamscape Media/ Crooked Lane Books Genre: Thriller/Suspense  Pages: 336 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  I loved the mystery side of this!  Tansy is successful and she has an amazing career! While she did have a rough time about 20 years ago, she has definitely made lemonade out of the lemons she was handed.  20 years ago something happened and while she didn't know how to handle it her best friend Selene helped her out, and because of what happened Tansy moved away and went to college never looking back and never contacting Selene again. Back in the present time, Tansy was having a normal day and Selene just shows up at her office out of nowhere and is basically blackmailing Tansy to interfere with Selene's daughter Jupiter's relationship with a boy named Colton. Tansy does not want to get involved, but since Selene is blackmailing her she sets up an appoint...

​ Title: The Wrong Woman  Author: Leanne Kale Sparks  Published: February 8,2022 Publisher: Dreamscape Media  Genre: Mystery/ Thriller  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Omg, this one was amazing! I had a hard time putting it down!!  Kendall has a dark history involving a serial killer but she is also an FBI Special Agent. While she deals with her demons and ghost of her past, she is determined never to let anyone down again!  So while she is searching for a young girl, they are worried that she was kidnapped they end up finding her in her neighbor's garage.  So while she is working on her own case, she ends up letting the father of the victim have it in the hospital and is sent home. When she is sent home she is talking to her roommate/best friend Gwen. Then Gwen borrows Kendall's car and goes to work. In a couple of days, Gwen doesn't come home and Kendall starts to worry. So, to get the police to actually listen to her about Gwen being missing she even...

​ Title: The Darkest Web  Author: Kristen Wright  Expected Publication: April 22, 2022 Publisher: Thomas & Mercer  Genre: Mystery  Pages: 320 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Jane Knudsen, a private, cold, and workaholic attorney, finds her boss shot in the office one morning. So of course, because she found the body she is suspect #1. So while she doesn't want the police digging into her past, she hires an old roommate Allison as her lawyer. Now, Allison does what Jane does not want to be done and she digs into Jane's past and now is left second-guessing herself and wondering how well does she really know Jane. Now, while I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion of this book. I enjoyed the writing and I really admire how the author is able to tackle challenging subjects very ingeniously.  I enjoyed that as the reader we were knowing who was narrating the different chapters, sometimes authors will switch POVs, and it's confusing but this one...

​ Title: Good Girl Complex  Author: Elle Kennedy  Published: February 1, 2022 Publisher: Macmillan Audio  Genre: Romance/ Contemporary  Pages: 368 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  So this was new to me author! Let me tell you that this one did not disappoint at all!  I kinda got the 90's teen movie vibe from this book!  Let's start with Mac! She is a huge people pleaser, she has basically been groomed from childhood to become her parents. Mac is supposed to become her mother to sit on charity boards and focus on her future children with her long-time boyfriend and become a homemaker. Well, Mac is an entrepreneur creating websites and working on restoring a hotel. She wants more from life than what her boyfriend and family want from her.  Cooper is very rough around the edges, he is a twin and does whatever he wants. At first, he gets fired from his job because of Mac's long-time boyfriend so he and his buddies create this plan to get Mac to b...

​ Title: The Nurse  Author: Claire Allen  Expected Publication: March 17, 2022 Publisher: Avon Books UK  Genre: Thriller  Pages: 400 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Omg does this one make you suspicious of anyone and everyone!  Stephen and Marian are a normal couple with normal routines and problems. They have a daughter named Nell, who like most young adults wants to live independently and have their own life. Well, one day Nell’s roommate contacts the parents to touch bases with them to see if they knew where Nell was because she has not been seen for 2-3 days. At first, the parents are like most parents they don’t panic they assume that maybe she is staying somewhere else with new friends or something. However, once the cops start to get involved as time goes on the fear and panic sets into play.  Then you have the alternate POV of an HIM character. Now, this HIM character is really disturbing and his philosophy is just as disturbing if not mo...

​ Title: Finlay Donovan Knocks’Em Dead  Author: Elle Cosimano  Expected Publication: February 1, 2022  Publisher: Minotaur Books Genre: Mystery/ Thriller  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pages: 368 pages  Review:  If you loved the first one, then you will love this one even more!  Finlay is still struggling to finish her next novel and trying to keep her mind together trying to save her ex-husband when she finds out that there is a hit on his life. So, Finlay and Vero are trying to keep above the water. Then there is the detective trying to get back into her life. Along with all of this Vero is keeping secrets, and Finlay knows it.  These characters are a HOOT! I love Finlay's inner struggle when she sees the forum where her ex-husband Steven is basically someone is hiring to kill him. While Finlay despises him, she doesn't want her kids to grow up without their dad but also she doesn't want someone to attempt to kill Steven while he has the kids. Finlay must ...