PLAY - Andrew is the manager of Shanamore Cottages. He's watching a guest via a hidden camera when someone kills her and destroys the camera. PAUSE - Natalie's not sure coming to Shanamore was a great idea. It's isolated and the manager of Shanamore Cottages is creepy. But she can't leave until she gets some answers. REWIND - We know what happens, but why did it happen? Who could have done it? You'll have to rewind and play it through to the end. I liked the concept of play, pause, rewind, fast forward. But to me the whole story just seemed to jump around and with that I wasn't as invested as I had hoped, it was just confusing. It was slow going and large chunks of the book seemed to go absolutely nowhere for me. I was interested in the mystery enough to read this the whole way through, but the ending was nothing special. I did like the setting and I liked the fact that Natalie was a big star on Instagram. Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC...

Lara Caphart's best friend is getting married. Sherry and her fiancé, David, are going to get married in Sherry's family's coffee shop. Lara couldn't be happier for them, but she can't help but wonder when her boyfriend, Gideon, will pop the question. It's business as usual at High Cliff Shelter for Cats. Lara and her aunt Fran take in and look after cats in their old Folk Victorian until they find loving homes for them. As if Lara didn't have enough going on, Gideon's ex, Megan, has just showed up, and to make matters worse for Lara, Gideon has never mentioned her before. When Megan's ex-boss is found dead, suspicion falls on Megan. But thanks to Lara's spirit cat, a cat named Blue that only she can see, she knows it couldn't have been Megan and she knows she has to help. I didn't find this one as enjoyable as the others. I thought it was a bit juvenile. Lara's always worrying about her boyfriend, and wondering if it's over a...

This did not seem like a B.A. Paris novel. Very disappointing. I wanted to know what was going on, but after a while the story just dragged and I was nowhere near as interested as I was at the beginning. There was no big twist, nothing to make it stand out and be a great read that'll stick in my mind long after. I liked the plot and I liked that it was told from the husband's point-of-view as well as the wife's. But unfortunately this is a forgettable book for me. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC. 3/5.

Smyth Orchards is a beloved family business run by Winnie and her Granny Smyth. It's struggling, though. They're determined to turn things around with the "First Annual Christmas at the Orchard" They never thought they'd find the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny's long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, lodged in the apple press. Granny is the number one suspect and Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence. Great cover. Lots of coziness and interesting things going on - the apple orchard, tasty treats, the relationship between Winnie and her granny, kitties, Christmastime - but the story seemed too bogged down with trivial details. And Winnie didn't do a whole lot of investigating. I did like getting to know more about the victim/granny's nemesis, Nadine Cooper. Overall it was enjoyable and I would give the second book a shot, but it's not overly high on my to-read list. Thanks to Nethgalley and Kensington for an ARC. 3/5.

Crishell "Shell" McMillan has decided to give up acting when her TV series gets cancelled. Her aunt has just passed away and left Shell her pet shop - the Purr N' Bark. Shell has lots to do before the re-opening, but being a suspect in a murder investigation wasn't on her list. Shell was upset one of the museum board members didn't want to display her late aunt's collection of Cary Grant posters due to a long-standing feud, but it seems to be the perfect set-up for someone to get away with murder. This had potential but just lacked that special something that could put it over the top. I liked the idea of a retired young actress inheriting her aunt's pet shop in a small town. I loved that there are two cats, but their behaviour wasn't always catlike, it was forced and that takes away from the flow of the story. It was easy to read, fun and I'll keep my eyes open for the second in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for ...

Chloe has just come out of a coma. She has no memory of what happened to her and she doesn't recognize the strangers that call themselves her family. As she returns to her parents home to recover, she begins to uncover their secrets and lies and starts to remember her old life and what she lost. I saw this on Netgalley and decided not to request it because it sounds like so many others I've read. But then I got an invite to read it, so I figured why not. It started off good. I was very interested to find out what Chloe's family was hiding and why. It's not a bad book, but there was nothing special about it to make it stand out. Some decent twists and suspense, but it's also slow-moving and repetitious and boring in spots. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy.  3/5.

Emily Firestone finally has her bipolar disorder under control. She has her own place, a job she loves, and she has a wonderful boyfriend named Paolo. Although Emily doesn't particularly like the water, she agrees to a weekend sailing trip with him. He's an excellent swimmer, so when Emily wakes the next morning in the middle out the water with Paolo nowhere to be found she knows he didn't drown. But what else could have happened? As the days go by Emily is starting to believe that Paolo was murdered. And the police believe she's the murderer. This was a quick read. The author lost me towards the end. It just seemed too much, too convenient, too predictable. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Paolo. Emily's mind is racing, she's frantic, she has to find answers and find them soon and it's easy to get caught up in the rush with her. I was rooting for her. But sadly, this book lacked that oomph I was hoping for that would make it an...

As the legend goes - every seven years a boy disappears from Camp Waukeelo. Eight-year-old Joey Proctor doesn't like deep water. He can't swim. This frustrates 18-year-old camp counselor Alex Mason who takes little Joey out to a raft in the middle of a lake and then accidentally forgets about him. Twenty years have passed and Joey has still never been found. Alex Mason is now a successful businessman. His wife, his daughters, his house, his car.. they're all beautiful. He's managed to keep what happened at Camp Waukeelo a secret. But now it seems like Joey Proctor is back for revenge. This book was easy to read, it didn't take long to fly through the pages. That being said, the book was also quite boring. The whole time it felt like we were on the verge of something big happening, and although the story did get better the closer we got to the end, that "something big" never really happened. Even the ending left me unsatisfied. I appreciate th...

It'll soon be Christmas and Callie Aspen has returned to Heart's Harbor, Maine, where her great aunt runs a vintage tearoom aptly named Book Tea where every treat contains a bookish clue. Preparations are under way for a special tea party at Haywood Hall, the huge house of Heart's Harbor's oldest resident. Dorothea Finster is rich but widowed and has invited her estranged family to hear about her will. Callie's old friend Sheila complicates things by using the tea party to announce her daughter's engagement even though her daughter doesn't want to marry the young man her mother thinks is perfect for her. Everyone has their own agenda but Callie didn't think it would lead to murder. I felt as though I was reading a book. It felt like I was dropped in a few pages after the story began. I didn't get to fully know Callie herself or her story. There wasn't a lot of depth to the characters. I wasn't excited to pick the book back up when I set it as...

It's Christmastime but things aren't as cheery as they could be in sleepy McGill, Georgia. Someone has vandalized the town's celebrated nativity display. And a scandalous resident has been found dead in an alley. The police are puzzled so Stella Reid decides it's time to stir the gossip pot to figure out who could've done such a thing. With her grandchildren in danger, as well as her best friend and neighbour in danger for different reasons, finding the suspect isn't going to be easy especially before Santa Claus comes to town. I didn't realize this was a prequel series to the Savannah Reid series, which I've never read. It felt as though I should have known these characters right away and I didn't, so I don't know if that's why I never connected or really cared for any of them. It took me about halfway through to enjoy the book. Before that I didn't want to pick it back up when I set it down. It's more focused on Stella...

Jazzi Zanders and her cousin, Jerod, are house-flippers. They're now working on a house that was owned by the late Cal Juniper, a man who used to date Jazzi's aunt Lynda. Lynda moved to New York after breaking up with Cal and didn't bother to keep in touch with her family. Now they know why. Lynda's bones have been found in Cal's attic. Look, there's a pug on the cover :-) This is a book about food with some house-flipping and murder on the side. I love watching shows about flipping and fixing and all that, so this was interesting and refreshing. Family and friends were close and would get together every Sunday to, you guessed it, eat. George, the pug, would drink beer and eat lots of people food which I did not like. The mystery itself was fine. Things happened extremely fast between Jazzi and the contractor. I get that it's just a book and things have to flow for the sake of the story b...

Alison Taylor and her husband have just recently separated. Now, Saturday night, she's been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a guy from a dating site. But by Sunday morning her life is turned upside down. She has no memory of the night before and she doesn't recognize herself in the mirror. She can't recognize her friends and family. She can't recognize who is trying to ruin her life. I read The Sister by Louise Jensen and really enjoyed it. I love the cover of this one. The writing is fun and it took no time to fly through the pages. There were some interesting aspects to the story but it was predictable. I'm bad at figuring things out, in fact I don't even try anymore, but with this book I could see things a mile away. So the book was a mix of entertaining, disappointing, and lackluster. But I'll still keep my eyes open for more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book. 3/5.

Sloane Sullivan has been in the Witness Security Program for the last six years. Both of her parents are dead. She's being cared for by Agent Mark and she's ready to finish high school in the new place they just arrived at after fleeing yet again. She's supposed to be Sloane Sullivan now and forever. She's supposed to blend in, not get close to anyone, let Mark know if there's anyone around from her past, and she's not supposed to tell a soul about who she really is. But things don't always go as planned. Interesting concept. The characters were okay. We learn about how Sloane Sullivan came to be in WITSEC through flashbacks here and there. We deal with typical high school drama. There were some twists thrown in that did surprise me. But I found too many things happened conveniently for the story to end up how it did and I just couldn't get past those things to really enjoy the book overall. I also found this to be a bit too long. Not as goo...

Mike Hayes grew up being neglected by his mother. While at university he met the beautiful Verity. She taught him about love. Mike became a successful, wealthy, handsome young man. He has dedicated his life to making her happy and making sure everything is perfect so they can live in bliss. He loves Verity so much that it doesn't matter that they don't live together or see each other anymore. It doesn't matter that she doesn't return his calls or emails. It doesn't even matter that she's marrying another guy. Because this is all just part of a secret game they used to play. If he watches her close enough he'll see that she's giving him signs. He'll know when to rescue her. I was so excited to start reading this. There were lots of things I did like about this book - Mike made me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to talk some sense into him, which wouldn't have worked anyway. The concept was great. Mike and Verity's relationship was intense. Over t...

A woman has washed up on Komméno Island in Greece. She's alone and doesn't remember anything, not even her name. Lucky for her there's a small group of people who have rescued her and will take care of her for the time being. Meanwhile, back in London, Eloïse Shelley has left her toddler and her three-month-old baby by themselves and has vanished into thin air. Her husband, Lochlan, can see that nothing has been taken from their home and his wife hasn't taken her money, passport or her car. There's no sign of foul play. So what exactly is going on? Where is his wife? This sounded so good. I was very excited to win a copy through a contest on Twitter - thank you Harper Collins Canada! But this book turned out to be a disappointing read for me. I found it extremely boring. The author goes back and forth from Komméno Island to London and both storylines were missing that spark that made me want to rush through the pages so I can find out what happened to ...

Appel's stories are always quirky, fun and imaginative. In my opinion though these were not his best. It felt like there was something missing from most of these stories to make them truly stand out and be great. The big reason I chose to read this was because of the woodchuck on the cover. A failed television producer wants the woodchuck in his yard gone, so he has it relocated only for it to send him written letters begging to come back. I did enjoy that one as well as the long story at the end in which the title of this collection comes from. In it two ethicists writing for rival newspaper columns answer questions such as 'If you’re going to commit a murder, is it worse to kill when the victim is sleeping or awake?' I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and Vandalia Press for an ARC. 3/5.

Literary agent Peter Katz is intrigued by a partial book submission he has just received. The submission, entitled The Book of Mirrors, tells the story of the author's time as an English student at Princeton during the late 1980's. The author, Richard Flynn, documents his relationship with the protégée of the famous Professor Joseph Wieder. But just before Christmas, Weider was murdered in his home and the case was never solved. Twenty-five years have passed since then and Peter Katz suspects that Richard Flynn is either going to confess to the murder or reveal who it was that did it. But the manuscript ends abruptly and Richard Flynn is in the hospital, dying, and the remaining pages are nowhere to be found. I'm giving this a generous three stars. I liked so many things - a book within a book, memories, the stories we choose to tell others and the ones we keep hidden, the unsolved murder of a popular professor. But all of these things didn't come together as well as I ...

In war-torn London, 1941, fourteen-year-old Ruth Goldberg and her two younger siblings, Gabi and Hannah, survive the bombing of their family home but their parents are believed to be dead, buried under the rubble. They don't know that their father has been taken to the hospital with amnesia. Years later, Ruth stumbles across a newspaper photo of a celebrated pianist who looks exactly like her father. The only way to find out for sure is to write him a letter, and as the pianist's memories surface, his new life begins to fall apart. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I did like the early days - with the Goldberg's as a whole, and as poor Ruth had to stay with aunt Fenella and uncle Harry while her younger siblings went to stay with aunt Betty. The characters were okay. The concept was interesting. I liked the setting. But I found it long and drawn-out. Once I put the book down I didn't really want to pick it back up. I'm happy it's...

On the outside it appears as though Corinne has a perfect life, but after three failed IVF attempts she has one more chance at having a baby. When she finds a little part of a doll house at her door she feels as though it's a good sign. But as more pieces show up she realizes these aren't good signs at all. These are pieces to her childhood doll house. Someone has been inside her home. But why? Corinne's sister, Ashley, has three children. Her baby girl won't sleep through the night and her  teenage daughter doesn't seem to like her much these days. An exhausted Ashley is becoming more and more frustrated with her husband as he spends more and more time at the office. When phone calls from an unknown number start up, she thinks that maybe her husband is having an affair. What else could phone calls like that mean, right?  I tried picking this book up a few times, but wow - boring. I was bored until about 25% at which point I was disgusted. I don't enjoy reading ...

Elsie is a young waitress at the Betsy Ross Diner. She hopes her nickel and dime tips will take her away from her small town of Waterbury, Connecticut. Instead, she becomes pregnant to Bashkim - a married man from Albania who works at the Diner as a line cook. Elsie doesn't quite know what's going to happen once the baby comes. Will Bashkim stay or will he go back to his wife? Fast forward seventeen years and we have headstrong, independent Luljeta who has just received a rejection letter from NYU and her first ever suspension from school both on the same day. She desperately wanted a new life in New York but she's stuck in Connecticut with her mother. Now she's determined to uncover the truth about the father she never knew.  The chapters alternate between Elsie when she was younger, and her daughter, Luljeta, when she's almost the same age. I really enjoyed the writing. The author has the ability to transform a mundane sentence into something mesmerizing. Sadly, a...