Favorites of 2024: Mystery/Thriller

 

Can't believe we're at the end of 2024! Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays with time off and having fun with friends and family!

I've been MIA for a bit. I've been busy with family gatherings and now at a Montana trip. For the next couple days I'm featuring my favorite reads of 2024. I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl) today since the topic is Favorites of 2024. 

 I'm starting with Mystery/Thrillers since it's my largest list. 

Tomorrow I'll be featuring more...if I can get to it. I might end up posting later in the week.

Mystery/Thrillers:

(click on cover for Goodreads link)

The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard

Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor

The Bitter Past by Bruce Borgos (and the next book)

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder by Kerryn Mayne

You'll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan

Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

The Nature of Disappearing by Kimi Cunningham Grant

Mind Games by Nora Roberts

Speculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley

The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan

The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose

How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

Ordinary Bear by C.B. Bernard

What are some of your favorites from 2024?

Review: The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

 

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay

Publication Date: October 8th 2024 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Pages: 352

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Librofm | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch was a sweet romance with two best friends, Holly and Ivy switching vacations when Holly’s fiancé dumps her the night before their wedding.

 

Ivy goes on Holly’s honeymoon trip to paint picturesque scenery in Kauai, which doesn’t go exactly as planned and instead of painting and drawing alone, she ends up making friends with a sexy bartender and his bestie.

 

Holly takes Ivy’s artist retreat vacation in the Hudson Valley mountains in an idyllic, small winter-wonderland-of-a-town. She intends to heal and binge watch Christmas movies, but her plans change when an old high school academic rival shows up, all grown up and gorgeous.

The story is reminiscent of the movie The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz, a movie I now want to watch all over again!

4 Stars

Book Description:

When doppelgänger best friends trade one’s cabin Christmas vacation for the other’s Hawaiian would’ve-been-honeymoon, both might just find love they weren’t expecting.

Holly Beech and Ivy Casey are bury-the-body besties. They’re so in sync, they even look alike. So when Holly’s fiancé jilts her, leaving her in shock and with a nonrefundable honeymoon, Holly convinces Ivy to switch places. Ivy will go on the Hawaiian honeymoon her best friend can’t bear to take alone, while Holly escapes to Ivy’s rented Hudson Valley cabin to binge-watch holiday movies and heal.

But Holly’s wallowing is interrupted when her rugged Airbnb host turns out to be her high school academic rival who’s had a major glow-up. Meanwhile, Ivy’s (now Hawaiian) annual solo art retreat is upended when Holly’s ex-fiancé checks into the honeymoon suite—with a new woman. Raging and bedless, the last thing Ivy expects is for the hot hotel bartender to come to her rescue. Against all odds, this Christmas might prove the most magical yet.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julia McKay is the pen name of Marissa Stapley, a former magazine editor and New York Times bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club Pick Lucky, as well as international bestsellers Mating for Life, Things to Do When It’s Raining, and The Last Resort. She is also one half of the writing duo behind The Holiday Swap and All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox, and co-author of Three Holidays and a Wedding. Many of her novels have been optioned for television and her journalism has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Elle, Today’s Parent, and Reader’s Digest. She lives in Toronto with her family and a pre­cocious black cat named Oscar.

Sunday Post #277

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! I'm getting this out late again. I worked yesterday and then we went out to celebrate my sister and her husband's anniversary. The town is really pretty all dressed up with Christmas lights and there were a lot of people out despite it raining. 

We woke up to a dreary, wet morning but the sun came out and is shining:

It's supposed to start raining again tonight and basically every other day for the next week. I'm heading out to Montana next weekend to spend the week there with my daughter, SIL, and grandkids. The on the property is opening up for the week for a bunch of winter activities: ice skating on the frozen fishing lake, sledding, ugly sweater karaoke and a white and silver party. There's also a ski resort about 30 minutes away that my daughter wants go to.

The cats are all doing well. Now going in and out of the cat door if it's propped open. Peanut is still not super thrilled with the cats. I hope he gets more tolerant. We have a house sitter coming to stay while we're in Montana to take care of the cats, but I'm still a little worried. 

Tuckered out after playing with the laser pointer

Peanut looking out the cat door hoping to keep the interlopers out!

Read:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

The Holiday Honeymoon Switch by Julia McKay: 4 Stars

Fair Market Value by Hailey Edwards: 3 Stars

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper by J.L. Bryan

Received:

Thank you to Berkley and Macmillan Audio.

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How has your week gone?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Artsy Reader where each week they post a new top ten list and ask fellow bookish folk to share their lists on that topic.

This week the theme is: Books on My Winter 2024-2025 to-Read List:

(Click on cover for Goodreads link)

Remember When by Mary Balogh

She writes beautiful and moving historical romances! I read every new release!

Head Cases by John McMahon

FBI agents in the Pattern and Recognition unit. "Five brilliant but misfit agents tasked with solving cold cases." I'm in!

Nemesis (Orphan X #10) by Gregg Hurwitz

The Orphan X series is wonderful! Smart, fun, full of danger and action. Where justice prevails by the end!

Cold As Hell (Haven's Rock #3) by Kelley Armstrong

Of course I'm reading the newest Rockton/Haven's Rock series!

Close Your Eyes and Count to 10 by Lisa Unger

A social media "hide and seek" contest on a secluded island that turns deadly. Add in a "treacherous storm" and this mystery/thriller sounds like an exciting page-turner!

The Summer Guests (The Martini Club #2) by Tess Gerritsen

Loved the first one! Maggie an ex-CIA operative retires to Maine to live a quiet life, but things don't goes as planned. Thankfully, she has a group of trusted friends, also retired intelligence, close-by for support.

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

I started Wrong Place, Wrong Time earlier this year and couldn't stop listening! What a riveting mystery with a touch of the paranormal. I'm excited to pick her newest up!

Jane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen Oakley

I read the premise and it sounded fun! Reminded me a little of of the movie Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. 

Lie's on the Serpent's Tongue (Bittersweet in the Hollow #2) by Kate Pearsall

Loved the first book! This quote from the book description is perfect: "A beautifully dark YA set in Appalachia tinged with magic, mystery, murder, and romance." I can't wait for Rowan's story!

See How They Hide (Quinn and Costa #6) by Allison Brennan

The FBI Mobile Response Team, set up to help small towns with limited policing resources is tackling a new murder case with Matt Costa and Kara Quinn at the heart of the story. Love Allison Brennan's brand of mystery/thriller/crime procedural!

What books are on your Winter TBR?

Sunday Post #276

 

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated reviewer book blog, and is a post to recap my bookish and non-bookish things from the last week. I'm also linking up to The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance @Readerbuzz.

Happy Sunday! My week is out of whack getting back from Texas late Monday has made all my days feel off. Also, I caught a cold from my grandson and ended up calling in sick on Friday. I don't feel good.

Today (Saturday) I finally finished a review copy that felt like a chore to read. The book was just over 300 pages but just dragged on for me. I'm supposed to be starting another romance, but I started it and just couldn't get into it. I'm setting it aside for now. I started one puzzle, sorted all the edge piece and then was annoyed by how easily the pieces come apart so I disassembled and started another. I finally landed on a book that's keeping my interest: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper. Not a review book, but I don't care. I hadn't been in the greatest mood, but finally settling into a book and puzzle I like has lifted my spirits a bit. Now if I could get over this darn cold! I'll just be guzzling Day and NyQuil until then. 

Read:

(Click on title for Goodreads link)

Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb: 3 Stars

No Ordinary Duchess (Greycourt #3) by Elizabeth Hoyt: 4 Stars

A Measure of Menace (A Below Stairs Mystery #7.5) by Jennifer Ashley: 4 Stars

The Snow Killer (DI Barton #1) by Ross Greenwood: 4 Stars

Received:

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio! 

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How was your week?