Deadly little scandals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Deadly little secrets is the sequel to Little white lies and this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first book in the series. As always I highly recommend reading any series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes in order for the most enjoyment.

Sawyer Taft made a deal with the devil (her maternal grandmother Lillian Taft) that she would spend her debutante season for a mix of materialistic (cold hard trust fund in the form of a college fund) and personal reasons (to find the mysterious father her mother never talks about).  It all went about as well as can be expected for someone who was raised on the wrong side of the tracks, and against the odds Sawyer managed to find her place in her family and her families wider social circles.  She also managed to find the identity of her father, and the fact he is her uncle has left her reeling and undecided about what to do.  Part of her wants to tell Lily that they are half sisters rather than cousins, but after all the drama in the previous months it just seems like it will do nothing but cause pain - Lily doesn't deserve that, and Sawyer doesn't want to risk their friendship.

With the arrival of warmer weather the Easterling family, with Sawyer in tow, head to their lake house on Regal Lake.  Sawyer has no idea what to expect, but the mansion like lake house has plenty of room for the whole family, and for Lily and Sawyer there is an added surprise - on their beds are some understated boxes that welcome them as prospects to join the White Gloves.  Lily knows all about the White Gloves, and knows what an honour it is to be chosen as a potential member - even if Sawyer thinks it is just one more strange thing wealthy families do.  When they discover human remains during one of the White Gloves outings, Sawyer and her friends are drawn into the mystery of who the remains belong to, as well as what happened to the third girl who was part of the pregnancy pact that resulted in Sawyer.  Life is never simple and straight forward for Sawyer, especially when it comes to her family, and this time the secrets she is trying to uncover could have deadly consequences.

Little white lies was a fantastic read, and it was going to take a really good story to match it - and Jennifer Lynn Barnes has delivered once again.  I read Deadly little scandals in a single day because I didn't want to put it down.  The pace is perfect, with a balance between current events, events that lead up to current events, and a peak into the past that has lead to the present events (not saying anymore you need to read it for yourself).  Sawyer and her world are once again brought to perfect life, the story moving along at a decent clip, leading you down a path of discovery and dropping clues for you along the way - another chance for you to see if you can figure out what is happening before the big reveal at the end. 

Barnes is a very adept storyteller, not just because she creates characters you care about, but also because she can balance a fast pace with enough details and moments to keep you connected to the story.  You care about Sawyer and her family, and it is all too easy to understand the difficult position she is in, and why she feels the way she does.  Barnes also has a great sense of humour, that comes through with some of the moments in the book, as well as some of the situations and the way people handle things that do happen.

This doesn't feel like the end for Sawyer and her family, and I sincerely hope that there is more to come because this is a fantastic series that appeals to teen and adult readers alike.

If you like this book then try:

• Little white lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• The lovely and the lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• In another life by C.C. Hunter
• Holding smoke by Elle Cosimano
• Nearly gone by Elle Cosimano
• The stranger game by Cylin Busby
• I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
• The Christopher killer by Alane Ferguson
• Burning blue by Paul Griffin
• Aftermath by Kelley Armstrong
• What waits in the woods by Kieran Scott

Reviewed by Brilla

Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza

Being involved with a high profile case is supposed to help advance your career and set you on the fast track to detective and higher - but for Kate Marshall it turned into a disaster.  Attacked by the killer and left badly injured, she then has to suffer through the public scrutiny and criticism of her involvement with the case - and the killer.  Kate may have suffered the physical attack, but the public attack leaves her career in tatters and it takes her years to rebuild her life and shake off the after effects of the attack.  Living in a small coastal town and teaching at a local University has given her purpose, and her background as a former police officer makes her the perfect person to lecture on cold cases.

It has been fifteen years since the original Nine Elms killer was caught and sentenced for his crimes, and it seems as though someone has decided to take the case from closed and cold to open and hot.  Kate has no idea there is a copycat on the loose until a body is discovered near where she lives.  Drawn into the case by the proximity of the murder and a request from a family to help solve a cold case, Kate finds herself dragged back into a past she would rather forget.  As she digs into the past Kate gets closer and closer to the truth, and closer and closer to a deadly danger that she won't see coming.  With her past and present colliding, Kate will have to be on her guard because she may have escaped the Nine Elms killer and brought him to justice, but that is not the end of the danger.

I have read a few books from Robert Bryndza and was eager to pick up Nine Elms when I saw it at my local library - and I was not disappointed.  I have seen a few reviews that have talked the book down, but it feels like they picked up the book with different expectations about what the book would be and were therefore disappointed.  Kate was an interesting character and while she may be a little cliché in some respects that is almost always the case when you are introduced to a new character, there is only so much character development you can do in a book without drowning the reader in detail.  Bryndza created a story and background that was interesting and kept up your interest, bringing the past into the present through the cold case and memories - effective and provided clues and hints about what to look for without hitting you in the face.

Nine Elms was a great start for a series, and hopefully there will be more stories in the series, though it is not necessarily clear how the story can move forward at the moment.  Was a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read - both for me and my senior citizen mother.

If you like this book then try:

• The girl in the ice by Robert Bryndza
• Pop goes the weasel by M.J. Arlidge 
• The surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
• One step too far by Tina Seskis
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• Mercy killings by Lisa Cutts
• Cut short by Leigh Russell
• Good me bad me by Ali Land
• The slaughter man by Tony Parsons
• Darkly dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• I've got you under my skin by Mary Higgins Clark
• City of fear by Alafair Burke
• Blood sisters by Jane Corry
• Still waters by Nigel McCrery

Reviewed by Brilla

Unleashed by Amy McCulloch

Unleashed is the sequel to Jinxed and this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first book in the series.  I highly recommend reading this series in order, so make sure you read Jinxed before reading this review.

Lacey Chu wakes up in hospital confused about how she ended up there, and even more confused when she realises almost a month has passed with her unconscious in the hospital.  Retuning home is somewhat surreal, especially with her mother acting strangely.  The feeling only gets worse when she discovers that she has been expelled from Profectus because she no longer has the required level of baku, and she can't even access the help they give scholarship students to buy a baku so they can attend.  Returning to St Agnes is a strange feeling, but that's nothing compared to the sudden reappearance of Jinx who warns her not to let her little baku Slick.  

The warning comes in time to stop Lacey from being updated by Slick, an act that would have wiped all ambition from her mind.  Suddenly it all makes sense, the sudden change in her mothers behaviour, and why she saw the changes she did in Monica Chan when she discovered her hidden in the depths of the Moncha building.  Discovering the secret is only part of the battle, how can she expect to bring down a corrupt company when everyone is so dependent on their baku?  With her friends by her side, and with a little help from Jinx, Lacey starts fighting back against the forces that are trying to control the world through Moncha, but is going to be an uphill battle and the other side is prepared to fight dirty and deadly to get what they want.

Unleashed is the sequel to Jinxed and completes a brilliant duology.  McCulloch has kept up the pace from Jinxed, keeping a strong focus on the characters who are at the heart of the story but also keeping up the tension and pace of the story.  I was a little surprised that I powered through the story so quickly, it was so absorbing and addictive that I didn't want to put it down, and it was so well written that it almost reads itself!  A must read series for fans of thrillers with just a touch of conspiracy theories and corporate bad guys.

If you like this book then try:

• The Jewel by Amy Ewing
• The Ones by Daniel Sweren-Becker
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• Honor among thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
• Red queen by Victoria Aveyard
• The girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson
• The scorpion rules by Erin Bow
• Adaptation by Melinda Lo
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• XVI by Julia Karr
• The glass arrow by Kristen Simmons
• The 100 by Kass Morgan
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Proxy by Alex London
• ACID by Emma Pass
• Reboot by Amy Tintera
• XVI by Julia Karr
• In the after by Demitria Lunetta

Reviewed by Brilla

Jinxed by Amy McCulloch

Lacey Chu has one goal, to get into Profectus Academy so she can work for Moncha - the company that is the only place to work if you want to work on the next generation of baku.  It is a simple goal, one she has worked and studied towards for years - both officially and unofficially.  Officially she has worked hard at St Agnes to get the grades needed to get into Profectus, but she has also been unofficially preparing by repairing her mothers baku when things go wrong.  Lacey knows her father worked for Moncha before he disappeared, and dreams of proving herself as a companioneer.  

When she gets notification that she didn't make it into Profectus it is a bitter blow, but then she finds a badly damaged baku and it seems as though her fortunes are changing.  Jinx is unlike any other baku she has ever met before, although on the outside he appears to be like any other cat baku.  Baku are designed to replace smart phones, a creation that is part technology and part companion, something to keep you connected to the world but also to provide company.  As Lacey brings Jinx back to life and cleans him up it becomes clear that he is not your average baku, and when she is suddenly accepted into Profectus after all she finds that the world of baku is more complicated and twisted than she realised.  There is a dangerous secret hidden inside the world of Manchu and the baku, and uncovering the secret is just the start of a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Jinxed is a deftly written story that blends together some of the classic themes of science fiction and thrillers.  From the outside the world Lacey lives in is pretty much perfect, with a benevolent corporation that looks out for its clients and staff like a family, but that is just what is projected on the surface and Lacey is soon travelling down a twisted path learning the 'truth' about the world around her.  I connected with Lacey straight away, and her world spirals out in layers that make it easy to absorb what is happening in her life and in the world around her.  I loved the fact that McCullouch was not afraid to use elements of classic science fiction 'dystopian' worlds in her thriller, and that she didn't let her character development suffer to keep the story 'slick' and she didn't drift too much into cliché.  

This is a brilliant start to the series and I was very glad that I discovered this series after book two (Unleashed) had already been released because waiting too long for a sequel would have been torture!

If you like this book then try:

• The Jewel by Amy Ewing
• The Ones by Daniel Sweren-Becker
• Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• Honor among thieves by Rachel Caine & Ann Aguirre
• Red queen by Victoria Aveyard
• The girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson
• The scorpion rules by Erin Bow
• Adaptation by Melinda Lo
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• XVI by Julia Karr
• The glass arrow by Kristen Simmons
• The 100 by Kass Morgan
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Proxy by Alex London
• ACID by Emma Pass
• Reboot by Amy Tintera
• XVI by Julia Karr
• In the after by Demitria Lunetta

Reviewed by Brilla

Desperate Creed by Alex Kava

Desperate Creed is the fifth book in the Ryder Creed series, and while it can be read as a stand alone novel I highly recommend reading the series in order starting with Breaking Creed, Silent Creed, Reckless Creed, and Lost Creed otherwise this review contains ***SPOILERS***.

The last few months have been a roller coaster for Ryder Creed - he finally found his long lost sister, but finding her was only the start.  Brodie has lived through some harrowing experiences, and even though she is now safe, those experiences have left a mark.  Ryder and Hannah have been patiently coaxing her along, giving her support and try to gently push her boundaries to help her adapt to life outside captivity, but it is a slow process.  With an impending visit from their mother looming over them, Brodie is more unsettled than usual and having terrible anxiety about the mother who she has been told wants nothing to do with a bad child like her.  Having Ryder there to act as a buffer is really important, but as fate would have it, a terrible storm is bearing down on them and it will bring tornadoes in its wake - which means that Ryder and his fellow handler Jason will be out on the road trying to help rather than at home to act as the buffer Brodie so desperately wants.

To complicate matters even more, Hannah's friend Francine “Frankie” Russo is about to enter the race of her life to make it to Hannah and Ryder.  When she receives a call early in the morning from one of her coworkers she doesn't think much of it, they have been working closely together, but when she hears his murder over the open phone call she realises she is in trouble.  Frankie goes to the Police for help, but there isn't a lot to go on and when she figures out that they know who she is she begins a race across the country to reach Hannah and Ryder, and their promised help from FBI agent Maggie O'Dell.  With the killers on her tail, it will take all of Frankie's skills and helpful paranoia to keep her safe until she can share her story with Maggie - but there is more than one storm bearing down on her, and it's not just the contract killers she has to worry about, there are killer storms out there too and they don't discriminate.

I love the Ryder Creed series, not just because of the amazing working dogs, but also because Ryder seems to get himself into all sorts of interesting situations - usually with FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell by his side or in hot pursuit.  Desperate Creed is something of a break from the other books in the series, mainly because the recovery of Brodie has added some rather spectacular changes into his life, which is great but also leads to some rather interesting things he needs to deal with.  The story arc was what you would expect from a Ryder Creed novel, but there was the interesting element this time of two very different stories that blended together across the novel - at times it risked making it feel like two different books, but it slowly eased together enough to make sense and make one story arc.  

There were a few things that were phrased oddly, or where there was what felt like spelling and grammar mistakes, but as I am not American this may be things we don't say that Americans do.  Not the strongest book in the series, but in many ways it feels like a transitional book, the series moving from being about a desperate search to find his sister, to his sister is home and he can start life as normal.  Not a bad book by any means, but not my favourite book in the series so far.

If you like this book then try:

• Breaking Creed by Alex Kava
• Killing trail by Margaret Mizushima
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• Kill switch by Neal Baer & Jonathan Greene
• The edge of normal by Carla Norton
• The nowhere child by Christian White
• City of fear by Alafair Burke
• The vanishing season by Joanna Schaffhausen
• The slaughter man by Tony Parsons

Reviewed by Brilla