Never seen anything wild as you: THE STORM.

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins


Ok, THE STORM is just pure, delicious fun!

St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is well-known for its hurricanes—and the many deaths that have accompanied them. During it all has stood the Rosalie Inn, a beach hotel that has made it through every storm. And during Hurricane Marie in the 1980s, it’s where the infamous Gloria “Lo” Bailey was accused of murdering her lover, Landon Fitzroy, the far older son of Alabama’s governor. Lo got off on a hung jury, but the scandal has stuck with Medard’s Bay all these years.

Geneva now owns the Rosalie, passed on from her parents, and is thrilled when she hears a writer, August, is coming to stay at the Inn. He wants to research Lo and Landon’s murder; Geneva hopes a mention of the Inn could help drum up some much-needed business. But when August shows up, he isn’t alone—he’s brought Lo Bailey with him—and soon it looks like things will never be the same in St. Medard’s or at the Rosalie.  It takes a minute to get into this one – so many names and dates to place! But once you do, it reads like an amazing soap opera.

At its heart, is this: did nineteen-year-old Lo Bailey, St. Medard’s “most beautiful girl” bash in the head of Landon Fitzroy and leave him to drown the night of Hurricane Marie? Lo claims no, and August’s book is going to tell her story in her own words. As it does, we get clippings from that time period, excerpts from Lo’s old journals, and flashbacks to other various major storms in St. Medard’s history.

What results is an incredibly dark and twisty tale that keeps you reading (and often guessing) until the very end. This is a stormy book (ha!) filled with anger and betrayal and centered around big events that occurred at various hurricanes. It covers the power of friendship (and the power of wealth and class). Overall, though, I found this to be a fun page-turner with a dark side that does an excellent job of playing up its ominous beach setting. 4+ stars.  

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in return for an unbiased review. Look for it on 1/6/2026! 

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Took all my plans and I put 'em in a box: THE HEIRESS.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh good, another book about a twisted family living in an old house.

Actually, this was a pretty enjoyable tale of dark family secrets taking place in a musty old Southern mansion! So much that I'm still thinking about it days later. When Ruby McTavish passes away, she's well-known for many things: being a McTavish, a wealthy family that lives in the Ashby house in North Carolina; being kidnapped as a child and then found nearly a year later; marrying four times--and losing all four husbands in strange circumstances; and adopting her son, Cameron and leaving the entire McTavish fortune to him.

We find Cam estranged from the family for nearly 10 years, but finally returning to Ashby House at the urge of his wife, Jules. THE HEIRESS is an engaging page turner, filled with shifty characters hiding secrets and tidbits and lots of weird Southern charm and horrifying terrors. It's interspersed with fascinating letters from Ruby along with articles and Internet pieces on the McTavish family. This is a great technique--interesting, informative, but surprisingly suspenseful.

I don't want to say much to give things away, but this is a quick read filled with lots of twists and turns. A few are predictable, but some are quite unexpected. The family dynamics are excellent (albeit terrifying) and I quite enjoyed all the dark goings on in Ashby House. 4+ stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Look for THE HEIRESS on 01/09/2024!

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Whisper it's all right in my ear.

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Emily is struggling to finish her latest book after a prolonged illness and a recent breakup with her husband. Her childhood best friend, Chess, is also an author: well-known for her life brand and self-help books. When Chess offers Emily the chance for the two of them to spend time at an Italian villa, Emily agrees, even if the pair are not as close as they once were. The Villa Aestas was once known as the Villa Rosato and, in the early 1970s, rented by rock star Noel Gordon. Noel invited another musician, Pierce Sheldon, and his girlfriend, Mari, to join him at the Villa--but the summer ended in disaster-with Pierce's murder. It also led to Mari writing a famous horror novel and her stepsister, Lara, composing a famous album.

This was an intriguing one for sure. It's certainly a page-turner, and I flew through it pretty quickly. There are stories within stories within stories with THE VILLA--Emily and Chess in the present day; Mari, Noel, Pierce, and Lara in the 1970s; and then the book Mari is writing while she stays at the Villa as well. There are some journals Mari left behind and Lara's songs. Eventually Emily and Chess start to write about the 70s, too, and whew... Trusting all the stories and narrators here is nearly impossible, but it's what keeps the book moving and interesting.

The twisty Italian setting is fun, with the gothic Villa becoming nearly its own character. I was fascinated by Mari and her life and intrigued somewhat by Emily and Chess (but truly found the 1970s characters to be the stars). No one in the tale exactly comes across as lovable, but they certainly make for a dark and suspenseful read. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. Look for THE VILLA on 1/03/2023!

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It was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand: RECKLESS GIRLS.

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Lux McAllister followed her boyfriend Nico to Hawaii after losing her mom to cancer. She was drawn to his adventurous ways and his love of his boat, The Susannah. She winds up stuck in a dead end job as they save up money to get the boat ready to sail. When two college best friends, Amma and Brittany, offer Lux and Nico a large sum of money to sail them to a remote island, they jump at the chance. This is what they've been waiting for. Meroe Island has a strange, mysterious history, when a group of soldiers were shipwrecked and their story ended in cannibalism and murder. When they arrive on the Island, they find another boat anchored there, housing an apparently wealthy and gorgeous couple, Eliza and Jake. The group gets along well on the exotic island, until the arrival of a solitary stranger changes everything.

This is a twisty "locked island" thriller that takes a little time to get going as we are introduced to Lux and her past, along with how she met Nico. Things get more exciting when they finally set sail and hit the island. Meroe is a very atmospheric place--beautiful and ominous. The story is interspersed with past memories and blog posts of other's experiences with the island (none of them exactly pleasant).

GIRLS is a dark tale that slowly introduces us to our characters--there's Lux, who is recovering from her mother's death and trying to seize the day like Nico. Nico, meanwhile, seems not to have a care in the world, which is especially easy since he has family money. Then there's Amma and Brittany--two best friends who may or may not be keeping secrets from one another. The couple they meet, Jake and Eliza, are gorgeous and lavish the group with food and wine, but are also potentially hiding things from their newfound friends.

I enjoyed most of the twists in this one and its dark plot. It takes some time to get into it, and the characters are certainly hard to like. But the setting is great, between the boat and the island. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and Goodreads via a giveaway.

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Cause this lonely room's a prison: THE WIFE UPSTAIRS.

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

A page-turning re-look at a classic

Jane is a dog-walker in the glamorous Thornfield Estates subdivision. Until she meets Eddie Rochester. Widowed, Eddie is Thornfield's most talked about resident. His wife, Bertha "Bea" Rochester--founder of the Southern Manor line of furniture and accessories--died in a boating accident with her best friend, though Bea's body was never found. As Jane gets to know Eddie, she can't help but fall for him: he's rich, handsome, and protective. He can offer her a life of security and love that she's never had. But she's also fascinated by the tale of Bea, who built herself up from nothing through her company. Can she ever compare to Bea--and win Eddie's heart? And what really happened the night Bea and Blanche died?

"...and later, I'd look back at that moment and wonder if I somehow knew what was going to happen. If everything in my life had been leading me to that one spot, to that one house. To him."

I read this book solely because it's billed as a loose retelling of Jane Eyre, which is one of my absolute favorite books. Loose is definitely the right word for it, but this also a gloriously fun read with some exciting twists and turns.

The Wife Upstairs is a page-turner that kept me frantically reading. Yes, parts of it are somewhat predictable, but Eddie is a fascinating rogue and Jane a mysterious lead. Who is telling the truth, what happened in the past, and what on earth is going on now--you'll find yourself swirled up in all these questions as you flip the pages.

Overall, this a foreboding and enjoyable thriller, with plenty to entertain its readers. 3.5 stars.

I received a copy of this novel from St. Martin's Press and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

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