DUNGEONS AND DRAMA.....GAMERS, THEATER KIDS, AND A SWEET ROMANCE (*****)

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce (2024)

     As a lifelong theater buff, fantasy game-movie-book-buff, and hopeless romantic, this book had me at hello on multiple levels.

     Pure sweet fun all the way with every imaginable YA trope thrown in ..........the joys, and agonies of staging a high school musical, the heartaches of a child of divorce, a grounding punishment into an unlikely job, enemies-to-friends-to-much-more, and of course, a fake dating scenario that inevitably backfires on its participants.

     Riley's the theater kid with directing dreams forced to work for her estranged, divorced dad, in his store devoted to games like Dungeons and Dragons Not only is she thrust into a game culture she knows nothing of, Nathan, the store's invaluable number one employee immediately rubs her the wrong way. She's also hurting from her breakup with her one time school musical leading man Paul, and even more shaken by the school board cancelling any more musicals due to budgetary concerns.

    Her life turns into whirlwind as she attempts to organize students into a mini-musical presentation to impress the board to rescind their decision. On top of that daunting task, she and Nathan fall into a fake dating scheme - for Riley to aggravate Paul who doesn't believe she has a real new boyfriend and for Nathan to generate attention from Sophie, a beautiful girl he's been crushing on. Yes, we know all too well how fake dating ends up, but it's the journey to the end that counts. Since we're rooting like crazy for Riley and Nathan, their stumbling, passive-aggressive and constantly conflicted road to romance becomes all the more endearing.

     All these disparate plot elements (plus Riley's growing re-connection with her dad) come together.....as the theater kids and the D & D crowd (who realize they both share a love of high drama) all come together. No surprises whatsoever, but none needed, since reading 'Dungeons And Drama' is like setting down for an evening spent with good friends and bowls filled with your favorite snack. And that makes for a 5 star experience any time. (*****)  For everyone who wistfully wishes their own high school days were like this......

THE HEIRESS.....A TOXIC DYNASTY BRIMMING WITH TWISTED DARK SECRETS (*****)

 The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins (2024)

     There's nothing I cherish more than a twisty gothic-like book that delivers so many startling twists, you lose count of them while your head's spinning trying to take them all in.

     "The Heiress" had me shaking my head in admiration at the sheer avalanche of revelations piled up before I reached the last page.

     You may think that you've read about every forbidding, mysterious vast estate populated with strange families holding on to dark secrets. But nothing compares to North Carolina's Ashby House, amid the Appalachian mountains. It's home to the McTavish family, a filthy rich collection of vipers whose infinite wealth allows them to cruelly, carelessly rule the area like the Romanovs of Russia. And for sheer dread, their mansion makes Daphne du Maurier's Manderley look like a Motel 6.

     Camden, the family's young heir, fled as far from these reptiles as he could, now living a simple paycheck-to-paycheck existence with his beautiful wife Jules. But when he's summoned back to Ashby House, Jules, entranced with the glamour of living there, convinces Camden to reluctantly return to return to his home - a place where, as an adopted child, he suffered insults and abuse from the McTavish blood relatives.

     So back they go to the place steeped in the memory of Camden's legendary, notorious late mother Ruby McTavish. She first achieved early fame as a toddler rescued from a kidnapping and then later as a four time widow whose husbands all died under suspicious circumstances. At Ashby House, Cam and Jules endure withering contempt from Cam's elderly aunt and two cousins, the surviving McTavishes who permanently reside there.

     From this point on "The Heiress" becomes a breathless ride through its staggering amount of twists and reveals,, almost guaranteed to keep a reader's mouth wide open in surprise right up to the finale. And by no means will you hear about any of them in this review......just dive into the book yourself and enjoy.

     Highly recommended for anyone who craves a 5 star, quickly paced tour of a rotten-to-the-core family riddled with enough ominous backstory to fuel 10 soap operas. And who can resist that? 5 stars (*****)  For warped family values, here's a must read.

THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES.....A SMALL VILLAGE MYSTERY PREGNANT WITH POSSIBILITIES.....(*****)

 The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes (2024)

     I couldn't stop laughing and smiling through the entirety of this book. It's so filled with priceless lines and laugh out loud moments, I thought it almost functioned as a spoofy sendup of cozy mysteries.

       The mystery at the heart of it, however, is deadly serious. Murder's afoot in the scenic, woodsy British countryside. And four women take it upon themselves to become amateur detectives. Not just any amateur crime solvers .......but four very pregnant women whose prenatal class on the second floor of a town shop was rudely interrupted by the murder of the shop's owner downstairs. And all of this occurring just as one of the women went into labor right there in the class

          There's our narrator, newly moved in Alice, attempting to adjust to rural life with husband Joe and their rambunctious dog Helen. . And Poppy, whose partner Lin has become a prime suspect. Making it a quartet - Ailsa, a hot tempered young activist (with the baby's dad nowhere in sight) and Hen, the master of withering wit who delivered her daughter while the dead body popped up only one floor below her.

          The four manage to dig up no end of clues, evidence, suspects and deep dark secrets swirling around a back-to-nature commune nestled in the woods. But they accomplish all this while exasperating Jane, the area's police detective who's as constantly irate as her estranged younger sister Ailsa.

          Through Alice's eyes, the book navigates its way to the uncovered secrets and shocking reveals, along with non-stop funny observations about attempting to track down a murderer while nine months pregnant. There's literally enough material here to fuel twenty hours of stand-up comedy.

         Pure fun from beginning to end and one of the most entertaining 5 star reads I've come across this year. For anyone who loves a good mystery liberally peppered with laughs, look no further. 5 stars (*****)....it most definitely....uh....delivers.

ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.....THE CONVERSATION STARTER OF THE YEAR...

        

One Of The Good Guys by Araminta Hall (2024)

       This much I can say with no hesitation. For generating lively and possibly heated discussion among readers, there may be no better Book Club selection than "One Of The Good Guys".

         While it's structured as a thriller (and does a more than effective job of it), the book has a lot more on its mind than just making you go "oh wow!" at its twists. This book ignites a fully armed guided missile aimed at a patriarchal culture that keeps women living in fear of violence.

         We see the agenda through the points-of-view of its three major characters. Cole considers himself as an enlightened, liberal "good guy" in his experiences with women. Emotionally bruised from a bitter divorce from his wife Mel, he's taken a park ranger job amid a coastal landscape with a forbidding dangerous cliff. He kindles a potential relationship with Leonora, an artist who's taken residence in a cottage by that cliff. But in doing his job to keep people from tumbling off the cliff's edge, he ends up with an angry, unfortunate encounter with two young women. And they happen to be well known activist-vloggers taking a marathon hike to highlight violence against women.....and their recorded incident with Cole goes viral.

        When Mel and Leonora take over with their own separate narratives, we then get an entirely different portrait of Cole than the one he described for himself. And it's unsettling and at times, downright disturbing, much of it coming from Cole's insistence that Mel endure the grueling IVF procedures to help them conceive a child. He may think of himself as 'one of the good guys' but his overall entitled clueless behavior speaks otherwise.

         Then it's no wonder that when those two woman activists go missing after their encounter with Cole, he becomes a prime suspect.......and sets off a social media firestorm of podcasts and twitter comments.

         But here's where book throws a live grenade into the proceedings with its whopper of a twist. Depending on your point of view, a reader can either feel a long overdue satisfaction or drop their jaws appalled at a twist that so pollutes the book's central issue, it leaves an ugly stain over the entire storyline. Or as one of the social media characters perfectly puts it, "I wouldn't want to have tea with any of them...." I'm not afraid to admit I lean a little toward the latter reaction, but I'd love to be a fly on the wall for those Book Club discussions ...(especially any attended by both men and women...)

        One thing undeniable though.....however it strikes you, "One Of the Good Guys" is a compelling read from start to finish......and with its subject matter in constant current events, it's probably one of best conversation starters of the year....making it not to be missed.  3 stars (***)

THAT'S NOT MY NAME.....TWO MISSING GIRL MYSTERIES ON A COLLISION COURSE...(*****)

 That's Not My Name by Megan Lally (2024)

            Everything you'd ever want in a suspense thriller is jammed into this whirlwind read. A character placed in ever increasing, excruciating jeopardy, a wrongly accused boy racing to rescue his missing girlfriend, for which the sheriff and entire town holds him responsible. And urgent parallel storylines that compel you to feverishly zip through the pages at record speed until (as you knew they would) converge into a breathless finale.

             Not to mention a gasp out loud twist on top of everything else piled in here.

              I'm wary of going into plot details, because it's best to plunge into a book like this with only a slight glimpse of its basic set-up. First, a teen is girl found injured and unconscious in a roadside ditch, then stricken with amnesia when she awakens. Her distraught father rushes to her side, equipped with valid, conclusive proof she is in fact his daughter Mary. In a nearby town, tormented teen Drew had inexplicably let his girlfriend Lola walk home on a remote road. So it stands to reason that her disappearance now renders him a prime suspect and town pariah.

             All that's left for me to say......the suspense generated as these two separate stories race to collide dials up to unbearable levels. And I'd advise that no one start reading it in the evening unless they plan to stay up the rest of the night to finish it. And that's what I'd call a description of a 5 star thriller to go way high on your TBR list.  (*****)  Fine way to start the new year with some thrills 'n chills.......

THE MYSTERY GUEST.....MOLLY THE MAID TIDIES UP ANOTHER MUDER (*****)

 The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose (2023)

            To come right to the point, this is a pure delight to read, a 5 star charmer (yep, that's *****) and a worthy sequel to this author's 2021 "The Maid" (see BQ's review from 1/6/22.)

            If you read "The Maid", then bear with me a little as I briefly to explain Molly The Maid. Raised by her beloved grandmother, Molly's adorable, brilliant but confounding to those who can't comprehend how she processes her interactions with the world around her.

          Though the two books never diagnose her, it's clear that Molly falls somewhere on the scale of high functioning autism.  It may seem odd that such an extraordinary perceptive girl chooses hotel housecleaning as her calling. You needn't worry, because the swanky 5 star hotel that employs Molly more than tests her genius level mental abilities.......since she finds herself both suspect and amateur detective whenever guests are found murdered.  (I guess the place doesn't have a butler to pin it on....)

            This time around, it's a crusty, curmudgeonly best selling mystery writer who goes belly up at a hotel publicity event just as he's about to make some huge announcement.  And Molly knows she's bound to come under suspicion.....as a child she encountered the old crank when tagging along with her Gran, who worked as maid in the author's huge mansion.

            Twists and turns, duly follow, as well as many funny scenes where Molly's unique personality exasperates the woman detective in charge of the investigation. 

             With the holidays almost upon us, BQ highly recommends you treat yourself to "The Mystery Guest"....and if you haven't picked it up yet, make it a double feature with "The Maid" as well. Molly's famous for turning rooms into "a state of perfection". Also a  good way to describe her two adventures, each of them a 5 star (*****) romp to cozy up with.

EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY.....SEPARATED AND TRAUMATIZED, TWO SOULMATES STRUGGLE TO RE-CONNECT....(*****)

 Every Time You Go Away by Abagail Johnson (2023)

         For all of us readers who embrace a compelling story of broken young souls, this one's guaranteed to put your heart through the wringer........many times over.

          You'll know from the start that this is no ordinary childhood-to-adolescence coming of age for next door best friends and neighbors Ethan and Rebecca. It's Ethan's grandparents' house he lives in, because he's regularly abandoned there by his drug addict mother as she endures perpetual in-and-out rehabs. When she bounces back into Ethan's life to reclaim him, Rebecca suffers from watching her childhood best friend constantly taken in and out of her life.

             Reunited again at 17 years old, the separate tragedies of their lives serve to overwhelm and thwart their obvious, aching attraction for each other. Ethan's spent an unbearably sad childhood still devoted to his wayward mom, even while inflicted with abuse and neglect by her and and her string of lowlife boyfriends. And on his latest return, he finds Rebecca now permanently wheelchair bound, the result of a tragic accident that also took her father's life.

           It takes a truly skilled author to bring such characters to life, to make them so real and vivid that your hopes soar every time you sense they're edging ever closer to what they feel for each other..........and then crush you to pieces when their troubles and long suppressed anger and hurt drive them apart. Abigail Johnson most definitely has the skills required.....and anyone with a heartbeat will find themselves hard pressed to finish this book with dry eyes.

            If you positively live for 5 star emotional reads, I'd bump this one to the top of any TBR list.