{Book Review} HER LAST BREATH by Hilary Davidson

  

Her Last Breath

Standalone

Hilary Davidson

Released: July 1, 2021 by Thomas & Mercer

296 Pages

Blurb:

From the bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice comes a suspenseful thriller about a dead woman who predicted her own murder—and the sister who won’t let the truth be buried.

When her beloved sister Caroline dies suddenly, Deirdre is heartbroken. However, her sorrow turns to bone-chilling confusion when she receives a message Caroline sent days earlier warning that her death would be no accident. Long used to being a pariah to her family, Deirdre covers her tattoos and heads to Manhattan for her sister’s funeral.

The message claimed Caroline’s husband, Theo, killed his first wife and got away with it. Reeling from the news, Deirdre confronts Theo on the way to the cemetery, and he reveals both his temper and his suspicion that Deirdre’s “perfect” sister was having an affair.

Paranoid and armed with just enough information to make her dangerous, Deirdre digs into the disturbing secrets buried with Caroline. But as she gets closer to the truth, she realizes that her own life may be at risk…and that there may be more than one killer in the family.

My Review:

CW: Self-Harm

I got this as an Amazon first reads book and I usually go for the thriller picks so this was right up my alley. I finished the book I was reading before this and needed something while I was waiting in the waiting room of my mom's doctor's office and so I started reading this.

The story drew me in right away and before I knew it I was 30% into the book. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives of Deirdre and Theo. If you think this is a simple "woman dies and husband is the suspect/killer" plot, think again. This book has so much more to it taking you into a world of money-laundering, dark family secrets, and morally gray characters. 

It feels like you fall down the rabbit hole with the characters trying to figure out whether Deirdre's sister was murdered, what really happened to Theo's first wife, and who can be trusted. This book is really fast paced but I liked it, it really worked for me. I also like that the author chose to include so much about Berlin landmarks (it's honestly not a city I think of much so it was nice to learn about something other than the remnants of the Berlin Wall) and also how she wove Egyptian mythology into the plot. 

It was a really interesting, suspenseful read and I was hooked until the very end. I'm definitely going to be checking out this author's other books. 

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!

{Book Review} IT HAPPENED ONE SUMMER by Tessa Bailey

  

It Happened One Summer

Bellinger Sisters Book 1

Tessa Bailey

Released: July 13, 2021 by Avon Books

416 Pages

Blurb:

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt’s Creek-inspired rom-com about a Hollywood “It Girl” who’s cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn’t belong.

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father’s dive bar... in Washington.

Piper hasn’t even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won’t last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can’t do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She’s determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she’s more than a pretty face.

Except it’s a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn’t want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.

My Review:

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the summer and actually inspired me to finally watch the show Schitt's Creek since the blurb said it had Schitt's Creek vibes. 

At first I was afraid I'd hate Piper because she comes off as so shallow in the first few pages of the book but my opinion quickly changed and I loved how big her heart was and how eager she was to prove herself and learn to do things on her own. 

Brendan is this uptight, crusty character that basically embodies the expression "everything in its' place and a place for everything" (or did I reverse that? I can't remember).. anyway.. he's the type of guy that goes into a restaurant and always orders the same thing, not wanting to try anything new in any aspect of his life, and believes that there's only one way to do things in life and Piper shows up and throws a wrench in all of that and its so fun to watch. 

This is no sweet, heat-lacking book, this is actually a really sexy read in spots and I was definitely here for that! Piper and Brendan just compliment each other so perfectly and I loved watching them go from squabbling to passion. 

I also loved the side characters in this book and I'm really looking forward to Fox and Hannah's book next year. 

Overall, this was such a fun, quick read perfect for an afternoon at the beach. It made me want to pack up and find a small town in Washington and a sexy bearded fisherman 😆

My Rating:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

5 of 5 Stars!