So May was pretty good month in reading did a two more than April with it rounded out to 8 books it was also another month of ARC/ALCs my May started and ended with true crime audiobooks Killer Moms by Amanda R Woomer and The Trial of Patty Hearst by Céline Fritzmaurice the third in the trials of the century series. I was also lucky to be gifted a copy of Blood In the the Parchment by Esther Knight by the author herself, the second in her Rebecca DeToledo series and it was just excellent as the last one. Overall I rated six books books 5.0 and two 4.50 and 4.75 respectively. These are just my ratings if you come across any and have a different view that's fine.

So this is ARC I got from Booksprout, what drew me to pick it was the cover and the blurb intrigued me enough to select it. It takes a little getting into but was good. They are many POVs but the main one I think is Jaxon a boy on a family funcation with his parents and annoying older sister Becky, it's not long after the death of his grandfather Pops so his mother hopes a trip to Bixby Park will go to helping in healing from the lost, we also follow Don a guy on a double date with his friend Ziaire and ends up paired with Rosie who is a Bixby adult and rich but is annoying as hell but she is hot so Don put up with . We learn there is a prize drawing for tickets to the Dream Factory a place that has been closed off from the public since the park's opening as well as a million dollar cash prize. The third POV is of Charlie, who works for Lucille"Lucy"Bixby the daughter of founder Max Bixby having worked for her for ten years and her contract is ending, the job has some weird conditions but the pay is good and as you read you understand why she took it. Recently she was tasked with making sure that certain people got tickets for the draw, Charlie wonders why Lucy wants these particular ones but doesn't really want to dig deep into it as she just wants to just get to the end of her contract. Soon Jaxon and his family, Don and Rosie who have got the winning tickets as well as Charlie who is invited by Lucy as a reward for her time working for her end up in the aforementioned Dream Factory and soon things will get very creepy and tense. The apper assistant who transport them to isolated Dream Factory are quite unnerving all have names ending in apper, with stark white hair, smiling with faces that seem off like a mask. Inside you find a place that is mind blowing but also just off in a way. I wasn't sure what to expect when reading this but was surprised by where it went they is some confusion and it can get a bit distracted with some of the other narrative threads. Max Bixby and Bixby Park are plays on Walt Disney and Disneyland and Wally Rabbit Max's creation is a play on Micky Mouse. If you like psychological horror, dark fantasy and a touch of haunting nostalgia set in a creepy theme park this is for you.

This is the second book by Natasha Vale and is another historical thriller, this time focusing on the Hinterkaifeck murders. This is a story based on true events but taking creative liberties,such as Cäzilia the mother dying from illness and not including Viktoria's daughter also named Cäzilia so you only have Andreas, Viktoria and her son Josef and a unnamed maid as victims in the murders, it's a slow burn as we watch as Viktoria and Andreas become isolated from the village amid rumors of indecent behaviour, which leads to a trial and a sentence for father and daughter. Honestly it felt like they got unfairly treated as they wasn't any hard proof just hearsay, also I feel people didn't like Andreas as he is a hard and unlikeable man who had made himself a few enemies and Viktoria is just unfortunate victim of village gossip all the while grieving her husband Karl who was lost in the war and no body to buried, but she doesn't help quell the rumours of impropriety when she gives birth to Josef, is the child a product of a indecent relationship between father and daughter or a dallance not long after the trial with neighbour Lorenz Schlittenbauer.We also get the POV of a wounded man with amnesia in a hospital and I guess the identity of him pretty early on, he doesn't remember who he is but does remember the name Hinterkaifeck, slowly he gets bits and pieces such as seeing a woman but her is obscured. These two POVs will merged and lead to murder and a mystery that is still unsolved. I didn't enjoyed this one as much as The Silent Widow, I like it but maybe it was a bit too slow in the build up but otherwise it was good so that's why I rated it as such. 

This is a book I read recently and really enjoyed. It's a historical thriller based on the crimes of Leonarda Cianciulli who killed three women as sacrifices to keep her son alive. She would then used the remains to make cakes and soaps and sell them. We are giving a insight into Leonarda's mind for her actions and how she rationalizes her crimes, her main reason being to make sure her son Giuseppe stays alive, her fears coming from a fortune teller's prediction and after so many miscarriages that she has become so overwhelming protective of him that any time she hears a hitch in his breathing as he sleeps, any scrape or cut from a fall and fears he might catch a cold send her into a worry. With the murders you see her rationalize that must be meant to happen when first with Faustina then with Francesca both women seem to almost offer themselves up to Leonarda as sacrifices, Francesca even says "you wake up one day and realise no one would notice if you weren't there,that you've become a ghost in your own life", no one really seems to question when Faustina and Francesca both vanish from the town accepting the supposed reasons such as looking for change or a job. All things begin to unravel with the third victim Virginia Cacioppo, who is vibrant, confident and vivacious. Where as her other two victims were muted, sort of invisible. Leonarda does sense that Virginia is a risk she still does away with her and I partly think she does so out of jealousy as Virginia was everything Leonarda wasn't, but soon Virginia's disappearance leads to the police showing up after her relative kicks up a fuss. Fearing her son will be arrested, Leonarda admits to her crimes. Leonarda ends up in a asylum even though she doesn't think she mad and Giuseppe leaves town after some time to make his own way in the world. This was a great book and second one in the similar vein of using a real historical case. This made some changes for creative and simplifying reasons, such as Leonarda's husband was not a butcher but a registry office clerk, also she had four surviving children but her sone Giuseppe was her favourite of them. As a true crime fanatic I was aware of the Leonarda Cianciulli case which is why this book appealed to me and I'm interested in reading the other books Amelia Frost has written that both take from real historical events. I recommend this for anyone who loves history, thrillers and stuff based on true events.

So April is over and I finish 6 books which is light but I was also attempting to keep notes of my reading for the first time as I'm usually not a note taker. It was all ARCs this month's and I rated commonly about 5.0 for them as to me they were very good, only What She Thought Saw got a 4.75 but only cause I was confused by some stuff and was sad for how the FMC's story ended. Some of my notable reads/listens were Room 21 by Jessica Huntley which was kinda WTF with the content but the narration gripping and the two narrators were great, then The Butcher's Widow by Amelia Frost which is historical thriller based on true events in this case the crimes of Leonard Cianciulli, I think this is the second book that takes inspiration from real life historical crimes that I've read and honestly was such a interesting read and I know Amelia Frost has two another booksin the same vein that one that follows the Angel Makers of Nagyrév and another based on the story of Alse Young, which I definitely would read. I also had some that were second and third entries in a series with In Plane Sight by Carly Winter the second in the Patty Byrne cozy mystery series and Walnut Brownies and Murder by Lucinda Race the third in the Little Bakery Cozy mystery series, both these cozies were getting palate cleanser after some of the dark stuff. Well I hope May is just as good or better already starting on the third Patty Byrne cozy and just got the ARC for second Rebecca DeToledo Medieval Mystery courtesy of the Author so my May will start of historically.

Tigger warnings: SA, Murder, Incest, medical abuse.

March was quite a busy month for read. Again most of books were ARCs from Netgallery and Booksprout, with only Edited Out by E.J Copperman being a non ARC book. I read/listened to 14 books. My stand outs were The Inadvertent Abduction of Hannah Brocklehurst by Adam Morrell and These are The Fireworks by Vicki Grant both great comedic mysteries, I will say These are The Fireworks I got from Netgallery.com so as far a I know no UK publishing as of now but came out in Canada in January 15th, though I recommend reading it if you can.

This was a ARC I got from Booksprout, I rated this 3.75 but that is just my personal opinion, I did like it but it was a little bit confusing and the ending I didn't get, but what I enjoyed was the relationship between Nandini Rajan and her mother Aruna a woman who loves pulpy comics from her home country and does curling, Nandini has a complex feelings about her mother, also feeling dissatisfied that her career in Toronto fell apart and she back in Fredericton, New Brunswick working a dead end office job and dealing with rejection of her poetry.a death in the woods leads to a mention of a local urban legend Sally Pencilneck, a figure who is said to kill men with nunchucks and destroying their cocks, Aruna pestering her daughter to go to the woods as she fascated with horror. Nandini takes her mother mostly in anger, what she doesn't expect is Sally to show up and it turns out she kills anyone who thinks dirty thoughts; now mother and daughter are fighting to survive with the help of a survivor from Sally's last attack, also happening is international sexual pervert meeting and the descriptions of the those attending is easy to tell who they were alluding too, why I put a toupee image to allude to a certain perverted orange guy. This came out 13th of March and if you like absurdist, comedic horror this might be for you.

I enjoyed this immensely this read we follow Georgia Benson who after failing her driving test by crashing into a building, then while unblocking her drains she gets the unwelcome surprise of answering the door to Hannah Brocklehurst, her highschool nemesis who she holds responsible for a humiliatingly traumatic event at school. To her horror Hannah has moved into her building and invites her to a house warming, she is dragged to it by her roommate Cherry who is a sex worker, after enduring it for bit she leaves to wallow in her misery in her room. While wallowing she decides to catfish Hannah hoping for some petty revenge with hope Hannah leaves either in humiliation or if the date goes well she moves in with her new love and departs Georgia's building. She about her plan with Cherry's disapproval, she finds a likely candidate that is Hannah's type, makes some fake dating profiles, orchestrates messages between the two with her pretending to be Hannah and the guy for each of them arranging the date. Georgia spies from a distance to see how the date goes, what she doesn't expect is to witness Hannah getting abducted and the guy seemingly helping the kidnappers. Georgia is left with massive guilt and also fear of her inadvertent involvement in the abduction because of her petty actions, so she sets out to look for Hannah when it's seems like the police are not treating it top priority as there is a missing diamond. Her chaotic investigating lead her to find connection between Hannah and the missing diamond, she also makes the friendly acquaintance of one of the cops who is looking into Hannah's abduction that gives her some insight to how the case is going even when she is told not to get involved. Honestly this was so great and I found Georgia to be relatable in how she acts first her pettiness in wanting revenge against a bully but also how she feels she has to find Hannah as she was responsible and her guilt. They was a scene where she hopes to get information from a Estonian gangster that is funny and a bit cringe in her actions in trying to get it, also I was surprised by that twist, did not expect it but looking back I should have seen it. This was great and I can't wait for the next one.

Well February is over and in the short month I was able to finish 8 books, 7 being digital ARCs and one audiobook. They were some pretty good reads, my shout outs have to be Heavy Metal Murder by Kristen Andrews which so reminded me of the Stephanie Plum series and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, also Severed Souls by S.H Livernois the second in the Frontenac sisters series which I recommend if you like X Files or Supernatural. The other three from the 6 I rated 5.0 that I was impressed with was Haunted By a Broken Oath by Dee Armstrong, Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak was interesting listen about Nancy Drew and the women who created her, it was so fascinating to find out the history and story of the character and of the women that help shape her into pop culture icon she is today, as someone who is Scottish, Nancy Drew was not a well known to me, might have heard a reference on TV show but no knowledge of the books,TV shows and movies except maybe the CW show from a couple of years ago so it was interesting to learn more of this character and her impact on culture but also to find out about the women who wrote and published her books and the drama behind the scenes. Lastly The Silent Widow by Natasha Vale which I already posted my review about it with my thoughts about but if you love historical thriller based on true events you'll like this. This was a pretty good month with six 5.0 ratings and only two that were just 4.75. Hopefully March will be just as good or better.

Published 4th of February 2026

Welp January is done and dusted and boy was it a long feeling one. Wow I read 12 books overall some I started last month and others were done in less than three days, I think all but one were ARCs/ALCs I got through Netgallery UK and Booksprout. Wolf Moon Antler Moon by A.C Wise a novelette I heard about by following @motherhorror on Instagram. My stand outs for the month were The Governess By Louisa Penhale which is a gothic thriller that gave me hand that rocks the cradle vibes, How To be A Saint By Kate Sidley a witty and hilarious look at the process for becoming a saint as well as telling us about certain saints and what types of saints they fit, I also enjoyed the audiobook Dickie and Babe which is about the trial of Leopold and Loeb and is done as multi cast dramatization of the trial with a narrator for context. I also enjoyed Wicked Innocents by S.H. Livernois which was like a mix of X Files and supernatural as it follows two sisters who investigate paranormal cases this one featuring a young girl who claims her family has been possessed. I rated six a 5.0, three a 4.75 and two a 4.0 and one I gave a 3.75. January was a tough month I feel and I hope February will be better and going to try to keep a steady reading pace.