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Review: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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  A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of  Mexican Gothic . 1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times. So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves. Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination. But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who fore...

Review: Under Her Spell by K.L. Cerra

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  A woman who returns to her hometown to investigate her childhood friend’s disappearance soon finds herself embroiled in a deadly web of half truths, cover-ups, and dark magic. On the surface, Liv Edwards has a near-perfect life—a handsome new fiancé, an apartment in Boston, and plans to launch a career in law. No one would suspect how hard she’s worked to conceal the strange darkness that often bubbles up inside her. But Liv’s polished façade threatens to crack with the arrival of a letter from her childhood best friend, Sam. The chilling message is folded into the shape of a heart like the notes they passed in high school: I need help. Liv is still haunted by what she did to destroy her friendship with Sam. High school was hard enough without having to start over in a new town, but with Sam, Liv grew into herself like never before. Now Liv resolves to do right by Sam—except when she returns to her small New England hometown, she is too late. Sam has disappeared and clues suggest...

Review: Spells For Forgetting by Adrienne Young

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  A deeply atmospheric story about ancestral magic, an unsolved murder, and a second chance at true love. Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore she never would: living a quiet existence on the misty, remote shores of Saoirse Island and running the family’s business, Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings. But when the island, rooted in folklore and magic, begins to show signs of strange happenings, Emery knows that something is coming. The morning she wakes to find that every single tree on Saoirse has turned color in a single night, August returns for the first time in fourteen years and unearths the past that the town has tried desperately to forget. August knows he is not welcome on Saiorse, not after the night everything changed. As a fire raged on at the Salt family orchard, Lily Morgan was fo...

Review: Listen To Me by Tess Gerritsen @tessgerritsen @penguinrandom

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  Rizzoli & Isles are back! From  New York Times  bestselling author Tess Gerritsen, this “shocking and fast-paced” (Karin Slaughter) thriller has Jane and Maura investigating a brutal murder with dire implications, and this time, with Jane’s intrepid mother, Angela, looking into a mystery of her own. “Absolutely first-rate—readers will be thrilled and delighted by this new Rizzoli & Isles outing!”—Shari Lapena,  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Couple Next Door Mothers know best . . . But who will listen? Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles are newly plagued by what seems like a completely senseless murder. Sofia Suarez, a widow and nurse who was universally liked by her neighbors, lies bludgeoned to death in her own home. But anything can happen behind closed doors, and Sofia seemed to have plenty of secrets in her last days, making covert phone calls to traceless burner phones. When Jane fin...

The Last Guest by Tess Little @randomhouse @tessmslittle

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  The Last Guest by Tess Little My rating: 4 of 5 stars  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book was interesting. In a good way. It moved from the present to the past, from Elsie's POV. And I could never put my finger on which way this story was going. So I was never able to guess who did it. I still wasn't sure until the truth of what happened is revealed. And I found some truth to one character's theory about the evening. ​ Elspeth Bell is attending the fiftieth birthday party of her ex-husband. Richard Bryant a famous Hollywood director. So goes expecting to spend the evening with her daughter amongst all the guests. But when she arrives she finds out there are only seven other guests and an octopus named Persephone. As the evening wears on Elsie finds herself talking to old acquaintances and avoiding her ex's current partner. Every time she prepares to make an exit she's stopped by someone or something. She gives in and drinks more than she intended to and in the morning discovers alon...