Atticus Pünd could ignore what seems to be the accidental death of a housekeeper, but when the body count continues to rise he is drawn to a small English village - the typical setting for the typical English crime novel. But he is fictional and so is his world. Even he could not conceive what a few missing pages might lead to when an editor goes on the hunt for them...

Look, this is an incredibly clever book and it was almost masterful in its execution. But it is definitely not my thing. I read it because A) my aunt sent it to me and B) the cover was exquisite (except, as it turns out, I had got my hands on an uncorrected proof and sadly the real cover isn't as good). I'm also a little tried of this type of female character that male authors seem to enjoy writing - usually they make abysmal decisions that make me dislike them enormously.

Anyway, Horowitz achieved what he set out to do. Which is create a book that plays with the crime genre and inserts the reader as a detective themselves. So this is actually very good and I can appreciate that...but it's not good enough to make me swear off my undying hatred of the crime genre. ;)

​TW: book contains attempted suicide

Julia has never been a prefect Mexican daughter and her sister Olga - who seemingly was - is now dead. But Olga's secrets have not perished with her. Julia is determined to find out the truth, no matter how bad it is, but she has mounting personal obstacles that she needs to clear first. Which feels impossible, given how strict her parents are.

Ooh boy. A few chapters in, I realised the tone of this novel was too similar to The Catcher in the Rye - a book I actively despise. So it wasn't a surprise when said despised book was actually mentioned. I find it hard to enjoy a story where the protagonist isn't particularly likeable and things just happen in lieu of a strong plot. But if you actually like The Catcher in the Rye and want a more diverse version, this is what you should pick up.

PS: Do NOT read this during a depressive episode. I wish I'd had some warning.

Joey lost his rugby league career after he became a paraplegic, but he has found success on the inspiration speech circuit. Ella was - still is! - one of Joey's biggest fans so when he invites her back to his room, there is no way she's going to refuse. One night of passion is all she's after. So it comes as a bit of a shock when she learns the next day that her company will be working with him.

This book is exceptionally steamy with some great (and I mean GREAT) scenes, so I was not at all disappointed on that front. In a romance of this length, of course I expect everything else to be secondary to the budding relationship - but Ella's job seemed to be completely forgotten about and nor did it have the impact on the plot that the initial setup suggests. Still..it's hard to be annoyed about that when the heat level is this high.

Raine isn't complicated - she likes sharp, pointy things and she has a destiny fulfil (thanks, Fate!). Nothing is going to get in her way, certainly not a Fallen who's been on Team Bad Guy this whole time. Slater craves freedom but he needs a certain item to achieve this - a weapon forged by Raine and a weapon she wants back. But he can't let her get it...and he can't lose his heart to her either.

Whew, sparks were definitely flying in this one. Raine and Slater are quite the pair - and I'm a sucker for random cats in my romances lol. If you've read books from this series before, you'll get exactly what you're expecting. I am getting a bit of fatigue over the main story arc since it does move forward quite glacially, but this is still a fun enemies-to-lovers romp (bonus cat - did I mention the cat?).