Tag: thriller book recommendation

Review: Blood Gilt by Jessica Housand

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

In a world shaped by war, blood, and betrayal, Alejandro Whitmore has spent years trying to outrun the ghosts of his past. Torn from his family during the brutal Salvadoran civil conflict and raised in the shadow of cartel power, he now lives between two identities—American on paper, but haunted by the violence that forged him.

When a dangerous assignment forces him back to El Salvador, Alejandro is thrust into a web of corruption, political manipulation, and buried family secrets. As he reconnects with the sister he lost, confronts the father who weaponized his life, and falls for a woman who may be hiding secrets of her own, Alejandro must decide whether redemption is possible for someone born into bloodshed.

Dark, gritty, and emotionally charged, Blood Gilt is a sweeping crime drama about survival, loyalty, generational trauma, and the cost of freedom. Perfect for readers who love layered antiheroes, cartel thrillers, and emotionally complex literary suspense.

Favorite Lines:

“The gods, moved by their great love, turned them into two bright stars where they could be together in eternal devotion forever in heaven.”

“Well, being in love is mental.”

“The stranger didn’t turn around, just lit a cigar. Smoke trailed him, rolling into the wind like deep sea fog, while the sun set beyond a fiery skyline, and the wild, crimson waves crushed the shattered shore over and over again.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Blood Gilt ended up being a lot more ambitious than I expected. I went in thinking I was getting a crime thriller with cartel politics, but it’s really a story about trauma, identity, family, and whether someone raised in violence can ever truly choose a different life.

Alejandro carries this book from beginning to end. He’s the kind of protagonist who constantly makes you question whether to root for him or shake some sense into him. He’s capable of incredible tenderness one minute and frightening violence the next, but it never feels random. Everything comes back to the childhood that shaped him and the impossible position he’s trapped in between his parents, their ideals, and the life they’ve built around him.

One thing I appreciated is that the story doesn’t lose sight of its emotional core as the crime plot becomes more tangled. There are cartel operations, political maneuvering, shifting loyalties, undercover agendas, and plenty of moments where it feels like no one can fully trust the people around them. The suspense comes less from wondering if violence will happen and more from trying to figure out who is manipulating whom, what everyone’s true motivations are, and whether Alejandro can escape a world that seems determined to pull him back in. It feels more like a character-driven crime thriller than a nonstop action novel, which worked well for me.

The historical backdrop also gives the thriller elements more weight. The criminal organizations, political interests, and personal vendettas all grow out of the lingering effects of the Salvadoran Civil War rather than existing as disconnected plot devices. That makes the stakes feel larger than a typical cartel story. The tension isn’t just about surviving dangerous situations. It’s about how decades of violence continue to shape families, governments, and the people caught somewhere in the middle.

If I had one takeaway after finishing, it’s that this isn’t really about the cartel or the action. Those pieces are important, but they’re there to support a much more personal story about trying to hold onto your humanity after spending your entire life surrounded by people who treat violence as normal.

Summary:

Overall, Blood Gilt is a dark, character-driven crime thriller that blends historical fiction, romance, and psychological drama. It has the conspiracies, betrayals, organized crime, and high-stakes confrontations you’d expect from the genre, but it spends just as much time exploring the emotional cost of living inside that world. Readers looking for an action-heavy thriller should know this is a slower burn, while those who enjoy layered characters, morally gray decisions, and suspense built around relationships as much as danger will likely find a lot to enjoy. Happy reading!

You can find the book trailer here
Check out Blood Gilt here!

 

Review: The Splintered Parts by Ana Yudin

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Synopsis:

Someone—or something—is trying to bury itself inside Soraya’s skin.

It started her sophomore year of college, after she slipped in the shower and hit her head. Since then, nothing has felt real. The lights flicker all at once. She hears tapping at her window, and someone outside keeps calling her name.

Desperate to understand what’s happening to her, Soraya enters a neuroscience doctoral program in the Southwestern desert. But the deeper she dives into her studies, the more the line blurs between reality and distortion.

As a rare solar eclipse approaches, Soraya races to uncover the mystery. Eclipses have a way of exposing what’s been lurking in the dark, and if Soraya gets it wrong, she may lose far more than her sanity.

Favorite Lines:

“Just because something felt real didn’t mean it was.”

“Soraya hated the ‘tell me about yourself’ question. She was supposed to toe the fine line between personable and professional. If she answered frankly with a narration of her autobiography, then she’d seem too personal and self-involved. But if she answered too professionally, she’d be deemed impersonal—and likability was important currency in the world of academics.”

“Not everyone is so sure of their passion in life like you seem to be. Some of us look and look for it, but it never comes.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Psychological thrillers can be difficult to pull off because they ask readers to question everything they’re seeing without making the story feel unfair. The Splintered Parts does a nice job walking that line. From the opening chapters, there’s an unsettling feeling that something isn’t quite right, and while the book introduces plenty of possible explanations along the way, it never rushes to give the reader answers. Instead, it slowly builds an atmosphere of uncertainty where every strange event leaves you wondering whether Soraya is dealing with a mental health crisis, something neurological, something supernatural, or perhaps a combination of all three. I found myself constantly second-guessing what I thought was happening, which is exactly what I want from this type of story.

Soraya is an interesting main character because so much of her internal conflict exists outside of the mystery itself. She’s a neuroscience Ph.D. student researching consciousness and near-death experiences, but she’s also someone who can’t seem to shake the feeling that she’s living a life she didn’t entirely choose. Throughout the story, the tension between pursuing a practical career and pursuing something that genuinely fulfills her becomes just as compelling as the strange events surrounding her. I also appreciated that the scientific discussions never felt like they were there simply to sound impressive. They fit naturally with Soraya’s academic interests and gave the mystery a unique angle that separates this from many other psychological thrillers.

The relationships were another highlight for me. Soraya’s friendships, her complicated relationship with her family, and especially her interactions with her younger sister all add another layer to the story. There are moments where the family dynamics feel painfully realistic, particularly when expectations, comparisons, and career choices come into play. Even when I didn’t always agree with Soraya’s perspective, I understood why she reacted the way she did, which made her feel like a believable and flawed protagonist rather than someone who was simply easy to root for.

The atmosphere is probably what stayed with me the most after I finished reading. The Arizona desert, the hiking trails, the research lab, and Soraya’s apartment all gradually become places that feel just a little off, creating an almost dreamlike sense of unease. Yudin also does a good job weaving together psychology, folklore, neuroscience, and speculative ideas without losing sight of the emotional story underneath. By the end, I found myself thinking less about the mystery itself and more about the questions the novel raises regarding identity, purpose, and the different versions of ourselves that might exist because of the choices we’ve made throughout our lives.

Summary:

Overall, The Splintered Parts is an ambitious psychological thriller that blends science, suspense, paranormal elements, and introspection into something that feels different from many books in the genre. Readers who enjoy stories that slowly unravel rather than relying on constant action will likely appreciate the pacing, and anyone interested in unreliable perceptions, consciousness, speculative science, or character-driven mysteries should find plenty to enjoy here. It’s a thoughtful story that asks readers to question not only what’s happening to the main character, but also how much our own identities are shaped by the paths we choose to follow. Happy reading!

Check out The Splintered Parts here!

 

Review: Bloom: Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea by Andrea Morani

~ likelystory18 ~ 1 Comment

Synopsis:

SOMETHING IS SPREADING BENEATH THE SURFACE

Along the Mediterranean coast, people are dying or falling ill. Marine life is vanishing. The sea, once a source of life, is becoming a silent threat. No one knows why—or how far it will go. Called in to investigate, Dr. Marco Fassi and his team of scientists uncover unsettling patterns that point to something vast and unseen, pulsing beneath the water. As the phenomenon spreads, they’re forced to confront the terrifying possibility that nature itself is no longer under control.

For fans of Michael Crichton, Franck Schätzing, and eco thrillers grounded in real science, BLOOM delivers a chilling, high stakes mystery where the natural world becomes the greatest threat. Propulsive and eerily plausible, this gripping novel will leave you questioning what lies beneath the surface

Favorite Lines:

“Nature is staggeringly intricate—and largely mysterious—so much so that countless forces, known or unknown, could trigger catastrophes that endanger humanity. This isn’t a doom- and-gloom perspective; it’s a reminder that we live on a fragile balance.”

“The fate of not just the Mediterranean, but perhaps all the world’s oceans, rested on their success.”

“From then on, he made sure to never take their love for granted again. “

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bloom feels like a mix of environmental thriller, disaster novel, and science-heavy speculative fiction. The setup immediately pulled me in because it starts with something that feels believable: the Mediterranean Sea warming, marine ecosystems shifting, and strange deaths beginning to happen around the coastline. The early chapters in Sardinia are honestly the strongest part of the book for me. The scenes with Sylvie and her parents on vacation create this calm, almost sentimental atmosphere before everything turns terrifying in a matter of minutes. The sudden collapse on the water and the confusion surrounding the dead fish and strange smell genuinely felt unsettling.

What I appreciated most was that Morani clearly knows the science behind what is being written about. The book dives deeply into harmful algal blooms, phytoplankton, saxitoxins, synthetic biology, and environmental collapse, but it usually does so through characters who are actively trying to solve the crisis. Marco’s sections especially carry the story once the scope expands beyond Italy. He’s written as a scientist first, and sometimes that makes him emotionally distant, but I actually thought that worked for the character. His family issues with Jasmine and his guilt over balancing science with real life gave the story a more human center amid all the technical discussions and global panic.

The scale of the crisis becomes surprisingly massive as the novel continues. What starts as isolated deaths and strange marine behavior escalates into continent-wide fear, collapsing tourism, political tension, ecological disaster, and desperate scientific experimentation. I liked that Morani didn’t keep the story small. The sections aboard the Seagull and the debates about drastic containment measures made the book feel bigger and more urgent as it went on. There are moments where the novel almost reads like a cinematic pandemic thriller, except the threat comes from the ocean instead of a virus.

That said, this definitely leans more toward “science thriller” than fast-paced action novel. The scientific explanations are frequent and detailed, sometimes to the point where the pacing slows down considerably. There are stretches where characters explain theories, toxins, genetics, or environmental systems for pages at a time. Personally, I didn’t mind most of it because the author clearly put real thought into the plausibility of the disaster, but readers looking for nonstop suspense may struggle with those sections. The dialogue can also feel a little formal at times, especially during scientific discussions where nearly every character sounds highly academic.

Still, I found Bloom genuinely interesting because it feels sincere. Morani clearly cares about the environmental themes and the science behind them, and that passion carries the book through its weaker moments. The story works best when it balances human fear with scientific uncertainty, showing how fragile modern systems really are when nature starts behaving unpredictably. It’s the kind of novel that makes you think twice the next time you hear about warming oceans or harmful algal blooms in the news.

Summary:

Overall, Bloom is a science-heavy environmental thriller about a deadly marine catastrophe spreading through the Mediterranean Sea. The novel blends disaster fiction, biology, ecology, and speculative science with family drama and global political tension. It starts strong with eerie coastal deaths and gradually expands into a large-scale international crisis involving toxins, algal blooms, and desperate scientific intervention. Readers who enjoy Michael Crichton-style scientific thrillers, environmental fiction, outbreak stories, or speculative eco-disaster novels will probably get the most out of it. Happy reading!

Check out Bloom: Crisis in the Mediterranean Sea here!

 

Review: At Death’s Door by Allen Rebot

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

One wrong turn. Seven locked doors. No way out.

When Kayla wakes up in a silent, snow-covered forest void of all life, her only sanctuary is a mysterious, pristine manor nestled among the trees. Inside, the coffee is hot and the decor is lavish, but the inhabitant is nowhere to be found. The only thing more unsettling than the silence is the hallway of doors, each etched with the image of a different beast.

At the end of the hall stands the “Gnarled Door,” a mass of intertwined roots that refuses to budge.

When Kayla finds a silver skeleton key, she inadvertently begins a descent into a series of waking nightmares. Each door she unlocks transports her into a twisted reality born from her own deepest fears: a claustrophobic dollhouse guarded by a predatory jack-in-the-box, a schoolhouse haunted by shadows of her past, and a museum where history refuses to stay dead.

As the manor begins to rot around her, Kayla realizes she isn’t just a guest; she’s a participant in a trial for her soul. To escape the “Forest of Souls” and avoid becoming a shadow herself, she must collect every key and face the truth of how she arrived at Death’s door.

In this house, your nightmares aren’t just in your head-they’re right behind the next door.

Favorite Lines:

“Trees, long since made barren by winter, stood around me like vultures waiting for their next meal to breathe their last”

“The owner of this place might be weird, but their drink-making skills are impeccable.”

“I refused to acknowledge the lantern-like eyes that watched us from behind the trees.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

There’s a very specific kind of horror book that feels like it was written by someone who genuinely loves being scared. Not in a polished, prestige horror way where everything is symbolic and emotionally restrained, but in the “what nightmare can I throw at the reader next?” kind of way. At Death’s Door absolutely falls into that category.

This book wastes almost no time dropping you into danger. Kayla wakes up stranded in a freezing forest with no memory of how she got there, finds an isolated house in the middle of nowhere, and things immediately begin spiraling into increasingly surreal nightmare logic. What starts as eerie haunted-house horror turns into something much stranger and meaner. The dollhouse section especially is where the book really hooked me. Once the scale starts changing and Kayla ends up trapped inside the dollhouse itself, the story goes from creepy to genuinely claustrophobic.

One thing I appreciated was that the horror never really sits still. A lot of indie horror novels introduce one cool concept and stretch it thin for 250 pages. This one keeps escalating. Every room feels like its own contained nightmare with different rules and imagery. The toy room, the jack-in-the-box, the cardboard canyon, the doll family at the dinner table… it all feels very visual and cinematic. You can tell the author has a strong imagination for creature design and environmental horror. Some of the imagery honestly feels like it would translate perfectly into an indie horror game.

The jack-in-the-box scenes were probably the standout for me. There’s something deeply unsettling about the way childish things are described throughout the book. The toys don’t just become scary because they move. The descriptions linger on textures, sounds, proportions, weird smiles, and movement patterns in a way that feels intentionally uncomfortable. The scraping sound of the jester dragging its box around became one of those recurring horror details that instantly creates dread every time it comes back.

I also liked that Kayla reacts like an actual person most of the time. She panics, swears, bargains with herself, makes dumb choices, then adapts anyway. She doesn’t suddenly become hyper-competent just because the plot needs her to survive. There’s a messy, exhausted quality to her narration that helps the book feel grounded even when the story gets completely surreal.

The pacing is probably one of the book’s strongest qualities. Chapters move quickly and almost always end with either a reveal, a new threat, or a shift in environment. It makes the book very easy to binge. I kept telling myself “one more chapter” because the structure naturally pushes you forward.

The strongest thing the novel does is maintain this feeling that the world itself is hostile and wrong. Not just haunted. Wrong. The house doesn’t operate on normal logic, the toys feel malicious in an almost fairy-tale way, and the constant shifts in scale and reality make everything feel unstable. It reminded me a little of survival horror games where every new area introduces a completely different flavor of fear.

Summary:

Overall, if you like atmospheric horror with creepy objects, distorted reality, monstrous toy imagery, shifting environments, and relentless tension, there’s a good chance this will work for you. It feels like a haunted maze built by someone who grew up loving horror movies, escape rooms, creepy pasta, and nightmare-fueled video games. Happy reading!

Check out At Death’s Door here!

Monthly Features – April 2026

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

SETTUP by TK Thoits

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Respected neurologist and researcher Stella Murray was confident the FDA would approve the experimental medication based on its demonstrated superior efficacy. Knowing a serious side effect would not derail the approval process, she reports that a patient had a significant reaction to the investigational drug.

Shortly thereafter, Grand Rapids Detective Troy Evans is called to investigate the suspicious death of a Site Monitor who, he learns, worked with Murray. Evans asks Murray to educate him on the unfamiliar world of medical research. She discloses that conducting investigational drug studies has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with power brokers providing more oversight than the government.

When Murray informs Evans that a second Site Monitor has been killed, they team up to take down the corruption that is mercilessly burying unwelcome researchers and results of a promising drug trial.

Summary: Overall,  SETTUP is a fast, detail-heavy medical thriller that starts in the ER and expands into a layered story involving clinical trials, corporate pressure, and a criminal subplot. The medical realism is strong, and the tension builds as the threads begin to connect. The tone can shift a bit—especially with the assassin storyline—but it adds a darker, more unsettling edge. Best for readers who like medical dramas with conspiracy elements and multiple POVs rather than a single, straightforward narrative. 

See the full review here: SETTUP
Purchase here

The Knight’s Last Stand by Bear Pardun

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: In a world where gods walk among mortals and divine tyranny crushes the innocent, one knight’s investigation into ritual murders uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to consume an entire city. Commander Victus Andreas discovers that the seemingly random cult killings in Lindly are part of a far darker plan—the dark elven goddess Lestar seeks to harvest the souls of every citizen to feed her master’s insatiable hunger for power.
When Victus returns from his annual pilgrimage to find his city overrun by disguised dark elves posing as holy inquisitors, he must rally a small band of loyal soldiers, his adopted son Aris, and unlikely allies to stand against overwhelming odds. As ancient magic tears through the city and divine politics threaten to destroy everything he’s sworn to protect, Victus faces an impossible choice: save his people or preserve his own soul.
With breathtaking battles, complex characters wrestling with duty and honor, and a magic system that explores the cost of power, Battle of Lindly launches an epic fantasy series that challenges the very nature of divine authority. In Bear Pardun’s richly imagined world, heroes are forged not by destiny, but by the courage to defy gods themselves.

Summary:  Overall, I found this book to be a gritty, sincere fantasy that leans hard into classic themes of honor, sacrifice, and legacy. The writing had an emotional core — especially the father-son relationship and the relentless sense of duty.  If you like fantasy that is sincere about honor, duty, and sacrifice, then this book could be for you. 

See the full review here: The Knight’s Last Stand
Purchase here

Review: SETTUP by TK Thoits

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

Respected neurologist and researcher Stella Murray was confident the FDA would approve the experimental medication based on its demonstrated superior efficacy. Knowing a serious side effect would not derail the approval process, she reports that a patient had a significant reaction to the investigational drug.

Shortly thereafter, Grand Rapids Detective Troy Evans is called to investigate the suspicious death of a Site Monitor who, he learns, worked with Murray. Evans asks Murray to educate him on the unfamiliar world of medical research. She discloses that conducting investigational drug studies has become a multibillion-dollar industry, with power brokers providing more oversight than the government.

When Murray informs Evans that a second Site Monitor has been killed, they team up to take down the corruption that is mercilessly burying unwelcome researchers and results of a promising drug trial.

Favorite Lines:

“Sometimes having the loudest voice in the decision-making process didn’t matter.”

“Filling out the death report was his way of delaying that which he dreaded the most. Notification of the parents.”

“‘You can be a real dick sometimes. How does your better half, no, your extremely superior half put up with you?’ ‘She tells me that I was lucky to marry up.'”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

SETTUP opens in a way that immediately tells you what kind of story you’re stepping into—fast, clinical, and a little unsettling. The ER scene with the teenage patient in status epilepticus isn’t just dramatic for the sake of it—it feels real. The details are sharp, almost uncomfortably so, and you can tell right away that this book is going to lean heavily on medical realism. It doesn’t ease you in. It drops you straight into it.

From there, the story expands quickly into something bigger than just a single patient case. What starts as a medical situation turns into something that feels more like a layered thriller—part hospital drama, part research conspiracy, part crime story. Stella Murray is probably the emotional anchor of the book. She’s competent, driven, and grounded in a way that makes the more chaotic elements around her feel believable. Her concern about the study drug doesn’t feel dramatic—it feels like someone who knows something is off but doesn’t yet have proof.

And then the book takes a turn.

The introduction of the corporate side—and especially the darker thread involving the trial, the pressure to suppress adverse events, and the decision to eliminate a problem rather than solve it—is where things shift from grounded to unsettling. The email exchange with KFAP is honestly one of the most jarring parts of the book, but in a way that works. It’s bizarre, a little darkly comedic, and also deeply uncomfortable. The contrast between the tone of those emails and the seriousness of what’s actually happening creates this strange tension that sticks with you.

KFAP as a character is… a lot. He’s unpredictable, unsettling, and written in a way that almost makes him feel detached from reality. But that’s also kind of the point. He’s not meant to feel normal. He’s meant to feel like someone operating outside the rules everyone else is trying to follow. And when his storyline intersects with the medical plot, the stakes suddenly feel very real in a different way.

The detective side of the story adds another layer that I actually liked more than I expected. Evans is methodical, grounded, and a nice counterbalance to the chaos happening behind the scenes. His sections slow things down in a good way—they give you space to process what just happened while also pushing the mystery forward.

If there’s one thing this book does well, it’s juggling multiple threads without losing the core tension. The medical mystery, the ethical gray area of clinical trials, the corporate pressure, and the crime element all feed into each other. You can feel the pieces moving toward something bigger, even when the story jumps perspectives.

This story reads like a hybrid between a medical drama and a conspiracy thriller with a darker edge. It’s not subtle, but it is engaging. And once things start connecting, it becomes hard to put down.

Summary:

Overall,  SETTUP is a fast, detail-heavy medical thriller that starts in the ER and expands into a layered story involving clinical trials, corporate pressure, and a criminal subplot. The medical realism is strong, and the tension builds as the threads begin to connect. The tone can shift a bit—especially with the assassin storyline—but it adds a darker, more unsettling edge. Best for readers who like medical dramas with conspiracy elements and multiple POVs rather than a single, straightforward narrative. Happy reading!

 

Check out SETTUP here!
Book Trailer

Review: The Amalfi Secret by Dean and Catherine Reineking

~ likelystory18 ~ 2 Comments

Synopsis:

When Gabe Roslo arrives in Amalfi, Italy, a long-awaited reunion with his grandparents takes a tragic turn. His beloved grandfather is dead—and a cryptic diary left behind is Gabe’s only clue to the mystery surrounding his sudden death. But what starts as a personal tragedy quickly spirals into a high-stakes international puzzle.

Teaming up with Anna, a resourceful Roman local, Gabe follows a trail of hidden truths that stretches from the stunning Amalfi coast to the corridors of global power. Secret codes, powerful enemies, and a legacy of deception pull them into a world where nothing is as it seems. With each twist, they are forced to question their allies and uncover dark secrets that could shift the global balance of power.

But as the walls close in, Gabe and Anna must risk everything to expose the truth before it’s buried forever. Will they decipher the mystery and reveal the sinister forces at play? Or will they become the next victims of The Amalfi Secret?
Perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Robert Ludlum, The Amalfi Secret is a pulse-pounding thriller that will keep you guessing until the final, breathtaking twist.

Favorite Lines:

“She was slight of stature and frail to look at, but he knew from experience that she had an inner strength that would get her through almost any trial.”

“The Italians sure have style. Only  here would someone wear black leather driving gloves.”

“We Italians are more concerned with beauty than perfection.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Amalfi Secret is the kind of thriller that sneaks up on you. It starts quietly, almost cinematically, and before you realize it, you’ve been swept into a world of prophecies, politics, and secrets buried deep in the marble corridors of history. The story moves between the present and the past with a rhythm that feels effortless, and even when the stakes climb, the authors manage to keep the human element right where it belongs—at the center. What surprised me most wasn’t the espionage or the religious intrigue, but the emotion underneath it all. It’s a story about love, legacy, and how far people will go to protect the truth.

There’s a gravity to the writing that reminds me of old-school political thrillers, but with more heart. Gabe Roslo is not your typical hero; he’s quietly capable, haunted, and deeply loyal. His grief feels genuine, and his need for answers pulls you along as much as the mystery itself. The story’s backdrop—the cliffs of Amalfi, the solemn air of Rome, the shadowed corners of the Vatican—adds an atmospheric beauty to the unfolding tension. You can almost smell the sea salt and espresso as danger closes in.

I also appreciated that the authors didn’t rush the reveal. They take their time, letting secrets drip out through journal entries, coded mirrors, and the wary exchanges between friends who might not be what they seem. Every conversation feels loaded, every clue slightly out of reach. The pacing builds slowly but deliberately. And just when you think you understand the scope of the story, it widens again—to global conspiracies, ancient orders, and moral choices that test faith and loyalty.

This isn’t just a novel about espionage or religion—it’s about the spaces between them. About belief turned dangerous, power wrapped in prophecy, and how history never stays buried for long. It’s a slow burn that rewards patience and curiosity, a blend of The Da Vinci Code’s intrigue with All the Light We Cannot See’s emotional depth. If you like stories that balance intellect with heart, this one lingers after you close the book.

Summary:

Overall, The Amalfi Secret is a richly layered political and historical thriller that blends mystery, faith, and love against a vivid European backdrop. It’s ideal for readers who enjoy intelligent thrillers, religious or historical mysteries, dual-timeline narratives, and character-driven suspense. Happy reading!

Check out The Amalfi Secret here!

 

Review: Pigeon-Blood Red by Ed Duncan

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

For underworld enforcer Richard “Rico” Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job: retrieve his gangster boss’s stolen goods, and teach the person responsible a lesson.

But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu. There, the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory, when innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in a crime.

As Rico pursues his new targets, hunter and prey develop an unlikely respect for one another.

Soon, he is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the very people who have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?

Favorite Lines:

“If you were in a fight for your life against hopeless odds and could pick just one person to help even them out, he would be your choice every time.”

“You remind me a little of myself before I smartened up.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pigeon-Blood Red begins like a crime story you think you already know — a lost item, a hitman, a debt gone bad — but Ed Duncan turns it into something surprisingly human. Beneath the violence and deception runs a quiet thread of loyalty, fear, and the tiny sparks of conscience that survive even in people who’ve long given up pretending to be good.

The story follows Rico — a disciplined, unflinching enforcer whose calm masks something almost noble — and Robert McDuffie, a desperate gambler who makes one very bad choice: stealing a necklace worth far more than his life. It’s a story built on momentum — one thing going wrong after another, until everything comes crashing down.

What I liked most is how Duncan writes violence without glamorizing it. His sentences are clean and deliberate, as if his characters are trying to convince themselves that control is still possible. But there’s always something cracking beneath the surface — a conscience, a flicker of guilt, or maybe just exhaustion.

The pacing works—sharp dialogue, short scenes, no filler. You can tell Duncan knows this world, but he never overexplains it. I finished it in a single sitting and wanted to keep going, which is all you can really ask from a crime novel.

If you like your crime fiction with heart — not sentimental, but human — this one will surprise you. It’s about how easy it is to cross a line, and how hard it is to come back once you do.

Summary:

Overall, Pigeon-Blood Red is a fast-moving crime thriller that digs into the choices people make when survival is the only goal left. It’s not just about gangsters or stolen jewels — it’s about what happens when morality and necessity collide. It’s a story for readers who like their thrillers grounded in realism, where the danger feels as psychological as it does physical. Happy reading!

Check out Pigeon-Blood Red here!

Review: Wooden Dolls Game by Ivonne Hoyos

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment
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Synopsis:

In a game of life and dolls, Mary Jane Crowell struggles to find a peaceful life for everyone, free from chaos and drama. The Crowells raised her non-identical twins, Mary Jane and Antonia, in a fair way with no distinctions or preferences. Somehow, even when kids come from the same family they can grow with opposite personalities.

Moving to a new place means to make many decisions like the color of a room wall, a simple game of chance makes Mary Jane victorious for the pink room. This triggers a dark feeling in her sister, and she decides to give a touch of black in revenge. As teenegars they grow appart and are too different. Mary Jane is a good example at school, with good grades and the student who will give the graduation speech. On the contrary, Antonia doesn’t have a chance to graduate, consumes drugs and is an agressive girl.

An unusual set of wooden dolls comes to Mary Jane and she discovers the magic of dolls, and that by recreating the last episodes of her life she can rewind time and fix all problems triggered by her sister. A series of travels in time teaches her a final lesson that is not in her hands to change destiny and that clock hands don’t stop actions triggered by peoples’ intrinsic nature. They always detonate heaven itself or irrevocable chaos.

Favorite Lines:

“Time is an inexistent physical dimension; it is well used by ones and wasted by others. Nevertheless, time is not as dangerous as human nature. It is so powerful that even if time could be rewound, clock hands won’t stop actions triggered by peoples’ intrinsic nature. They always detonate either heaven itself or irrevocable chaos.”

“Somehow, it is being said that hard lessons are not always a way to strengthen character, but to trigger frustration.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What begins as a tender domestic tale—a family moving into a new home, twin sisters finding their first sense of individuality—slowly evolves into something darker, stranger, and impossible to forget. Wooden Dolls Game is a haunting psychological thriller about childhood envy, love, identity, and the kind of family wounds that don’t fully heal, even when everyone pretends they have.

Hoyos captures the fragile tension between innocence and obsession through Mary Jane and Antonia Crowell, twin sisters whose bond fractures over something as simple—and as symbolic—as the color of a bedroom. The early chapters feel deceptively calm, filled with family rituals, cardboard boxes, and small joys, until the wooden dolls enter the story and turn playtime into prophecy.

This is a novel that thrives on atmosphere. There’s an eerie domestic stillness beneath every scene: a family dinner, a fairground, a painted wall. Hoyos writes with cinematic precision; you can feel the weight of the paintbrush in Antonia’s hand, the splinters of the wooden dolls, the tension building between sisters who love and resent each other in equal measure.

While the dialogue at times leans simple—true to its child narrators—the psychological undercurrent is chillingly mature. The novel’s real horror is not in the supernatural, but in how jealousy and love can coexist in the same heartbeat. The “game” isn’t just about dolls; it’s about control, inheritance, and the ways trauma rewinds time in our minds, forcing us to relive what we can’t forgive.

Readers who enjoyed Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn will find echoes here: the fragile domestic world turning on itself, sisterhood as both salvation and curse. This book lingers—not because of what it shows you, but because of what it makes you remember.

Summary:

Overall, at its heart, Wooden Dolls Game is about the things families try to hide — the arguments, the comparisons, the moments when love feels unfair. It’s a story for readers who like their fiction a little unsettling and deeply human.

Fans of psychological dramas, dark family fiction, and slow-burn suspense will connect most with this one. It’s not a horror story in the traditional sense, but it’s full of dread in the quiet, ordinary moments. Happy reading!

Check out Wooden Dolls Game here!

Review: The Collectors by Richard A. Danzig

~ likelystory18 ~ Leave a comment

Synopsis:

The Collectors is the third book in the award winning Chance Cormac legal thriller series. The first two books “Facts Are Stubborn Things” and “Punch Line” are both best sellers on Amazon.

Chance is retained by a client who believes that he has been the victim of fraud when he purchased a valuable abstract painting that may be a forgery. Chance soon learns that both the painting and his client, might not be what they seem.

Chance is then summoned to Costa Rica to help Damian and JR who are caught up in the black market of selling human organs. Facing police corruption and danger, it may be too late to help to save his friends.

Favorite Lines:

“Art is meant to be seen. A painting in a vault is like a flower growing underground.”

“I learned early on that one of the keys to success is to always delegate responsibility to the most capable person.”

“I’m the luck one. A dream job doing the two things I love most – looking at art and making money.”

“I think if she wants it, it’s the best lesson in life. To work hard at something you love, to build confidence and self-esteem. Learn to win and learn to lose. Laugh because it’s only a game.”

My Opinion:

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

Richard A. Danzig’s The Collectors is a fast-paced thriller set at the intersection of the art world and organized crime, following Chance, and a cast of allies and enemies as they navigate stolen masterpieces, criminal networks, and personal codes of loyalty. 

What drew me into The Collectors right away was its mix of adrenaline and atmosphere. This isn’t just a story about stolen art—it’s about survival, identity, and the ways people justify the choices they make when life pushes them to the edge. From the early combat fight scenes, to the moments of quiet reflection on scars—both physical and emotional—the book doesn’t let you forget that its characters are people who have already paid heavy prices.

The art-world angle was particularly fascinating. Paintings aren’t just commodities here—they’re symbols of power, greed, and memory. Beauty becomes dangerous when hidden, hoarded, or traded like currency, and Danzig captures that tension with sharp precision.

At the same time, the book is driven by relationships. Family promises sit alongside the betrayals and shifting loyalties of the criminal underworld. These contrasts give the novel depth. It isn’t just about art forgery or organized crime—it’s about what people decide is worth protecting, and what they’re willing to sacrifice along the way.

By the time the story edges toward its conclusion, it becomes clear that the heart of The Collectors isn’t the money, the fame, or even the paintings. That’s what stayed with me. For all its action, the novel lingers because it asks readers to think about what truly matters when everything else can be bought or stolen.

Summary:

Combining gritty action with meditations on beauty, family, and survival, The Collectors delivers both suspense and heart—reminding us that beneath the heists and betrayals, the real stakes are love, trust, and what it means to protect what’s yours. It’s a story that entertains, but it also lingers after the final page, asking bigger questions about what we value and protect when the world demands compromise. Readers who enjoy thrillers, contemporary fiction, and character driven crime novels may enjoy this book. Happy reading!

Check out The Collectors  here!