In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

I personally love Ruth Ware's writing style. Her characters are deep but flawed and I love them for that.

This book followed Leonora (Lee, Leo, Nora) as she attends a pre-wedding Hen party for Clare, a girl she hasn't seen in ten years. But something goes horribly wrong.

The story splits into alternating time periods at one point, which I actually liked. There have been stories in the past who did the jump back and forth and only confused me. This one I was able to follow with no problems. I think it made the mystery stronger, actually.

The cast of characters for this one was fun, quirky. I had feelings about all of them, which is good, but not many of them gave me the creepy this-could-be-the-culprit vibe. Either way, loved the mystery and the storytelling on this one.

I'd recommend this one mystery fans. Five smiles.

NYPD Red #4 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Unlike the Women's Murder Club series, which I seem to be growing less fond of, this series seems to be reeling me in. I enjoy the characters immensely (Zach you are too smart to not put up boundaries with Kylie, ugh) and the story lines are always intense. If you aren't familiar with NYPD Red, the concept is basically that a detective squad was set up specifically to deal with the rich and famous crowd in New York. Red is for high profile cases only, basically.

This book brings in a character who I adored! She is a con artist and an adorable old lady. I would read this book again for her alone.

Four smiles for a great thriller that kept me reading and a cute little old con artist who talks to her husbands ashes.

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel

Goodreads tells me this is the seventh book featuring Louise Rick. That makes sense since I noticed there seemed to be a background and depth to this character that I was missing out on. However, it didn't affect the story. Instead, it made me curious to know more. This can be read alone without reading the previous six.

This book was one of those stories where you are riveted to the plot, dying to know what comes next, but completely disgusted with the story at the same time. The situation unfolded into things that made me cringe. I hated how the title "forgotten girls" became relevant. Don't get me wrong, it was skillfully written and I fully appreciate the book. Her ability to weave stories that are so real they disgust you is actually a talent and I applaud her for that.

Overall, I'd recommend this one if you like detective novels. Four smiles.

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

This book has been billed as "Indiana Jones in space" and...yes!

Basically we are dealing with a future when humans are exploring the planet Gaia. There are some exploring there (illegally, I may add) in hopes of stealing technology to bring back to earth. Still others are exploring to learn more about the Undying, who left an encoded message for humans.

The characters of Jules and Amelia were simply awesome. They are developed and explained in a way that helps you imagine them. I loved the idea and I loved the twist.

4 smiles and a wink for the ending I wasn't expecting. Highly recommended.

16th Seduction by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

16th book in the Women's Murder Club series

I'm going to keep this review simple. I'm wishy-washy on the women's murder club. When it first started I wasn't completely sold on the characters. As it developed and Lindsay changed I liked it more. I started to come around. This book lost something for me. I can't explain it but I know it had something to do with Claire and Lindsay's relationship. They have always been one of my favorite parts and this time it fell flat.

3 smiles and, honestly, I'm not sure I'll bother with reading book 17.

Exposed by Lisa Scottoline

Technically this is the fifth book in the series featuring Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato. However, I think I've only read one other book in this series. I'm confident in saying you can absolutely read this one alone without missing a beat.

This book follows two female lawyers, partners, who find themselves on opposite sides of a case. It's high stakes and interesting, two adjectives I often associate with Scottoline's writing. I expect to be entertained and on the edge of my seat when I read her books. I was not disappointed.

If you're looking for fast-paced stories, give this one a go.

4 Smiles

Blacklist by Alyson Noel

Beautiful Idols #2

Told you I'd have to dive into the sequel soon (and I just learned it's a trilogy, so that will have to happen).

This books picks up where Unrivaled left off and gives you more of the mystery. By the end of the book the characters are more developed and closer together but not closer to the answer. I don't have the most popular opinion here, you can read other reviews to see what I mean, but I think this was actually better than the first book. The characters felt more real this time around, they're coming into themselves and I like that. The side story with Mateo I could've done without, but that may be important in the conclusion book, I'm not sure yet.

I will read the third one and I give this one four smiles.