Category: Book Reviews

Book Review – Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Lisa Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In is for anyone who’s ever side-eyed a man who seems just a little too smooth. The book follows Nick Radcliffe (or whatever name he’s using today), a serial husband who collects wives the way other people collect frequent flyer miles. Enter Ash, whose mom has fallen for him, and who immediately clocks him as a walking red flag with a bank-draining hobby. As Ash digs into his past, the story flips between her detective work and Nick’s own delusional internal monologue where he’s somehow the hero. It’s gripping, twisty, and just messy enough to feel real. Take the book’s advice: if you meet a man who seems perfect? Don’t let him in.

The Bookaholic’s Spooky Season Starter Pack

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

It’s officially spooky season, and nothing pairs with a chill in the air like a book that might ruin your sleep.

Book Review: Night Watcher by Daphne Woolsoncroft

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Daphne Woolsoncroft, host of the true crime podcast Going West, makes her thriller debut with Night Watch. The story follows Nola, who witnessed her babysitter’s murder at age eight by a serial killer known as “The Hiding Man”—and twenty years later, he’s back with unfinished business. Creepy, twisty, and perfectly suspenseful, this one will keep you flipping pages and double-checking your locks.

The Most Iconic Opening Lines in Classic Literature

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Few things outrank a killer opening line. These five didn’t just grab readers—they helped crown their books as timeless classics. Lesson learned: nail the first sentence, and history might just do the rest.

Book Review: The Oligarch’s Daughter by Joseph Finder

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Joseph Finder never misses, and The Oligarch’s Daughter is proof. Wall Street hotshot Paul Brightman thinks he’s found love with a glamorous Russian beauty, only to discover her dad is a full-blown oligarch with more skeletons than a Halloween store. Twisty, sleek, and impossible to put down, this spy thriller will keep you up way past your bedtime.

An Inside Job by Daniel Silva: A Review

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Gabriel Allon is back in An Inside Job, trading espionage for a quiet life in Venice - until a body in the lagoon pulls him into another global scandal. Silva delivers his trademark sharp prose, clever dialogue, and an art-history lesson featuring Da Vinci that’ll have you pausing to Google masterpieces mid-read. Smart, fast, and utterly entertaining, this one’s a must for both longtime fans and Silva newbies.

Book Review: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Sandra Brown had me from page three of Blood Moon — rugged detective John Bowie (pronounced Booie, which sadly rhymes with “phooey”) walks into a Louisiana dive bar and spots TV reporter Beth, and you just know sparks — and danger — are coming. Their hunt for a blood-moon-obsessed serial killer is fast, twisty, and filled with enough tension to keep you flipping pages way past your bedtime. Add in a surly teenage daughter who makes questionable life choices, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for suspense, romance, and just a dash of melodrama. I’ll never look at a blood moon the same way again.

Book Review: Marble House Murders

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

If you like your mysteries with a side of glam and old-money scandal, check out Marble House Murders. Check our my full review on The Bookaholic Blog.

Book Review: Badlands by Preston & Child

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

Nora Kelly is back, and so is the chaos. This time, she’s teaming up with FBI agent Corrie Swanson to investigate two suspicious deaths in the Badlands of New Mexico—because apparently, digging up ancient secrets never ends well. Preston & Child do their thing: blending history, action, and a sprinkle of the macabre with characters we love (and some we really don’t). Skip shows up to make terrible decisions, Sheriff Watts swoops in just in time, and several new characters don’t make it to the final chapter—gruesomely. Pro tip: don’t eat dinner while reading the ending.

What’s Teetering on My Nightstand This Week

Maria AntokasLeave a comment

My nightstand is less a piece of furniture and more a chaotic book club where no one finishes the assigned reading. This week’s lineup includes FBI agents, twisted husbands, ’80s rock drama, and—obviously—a steamy Sandra Brown thriller. Some are new, some are old, all are silently judging me while I scroll TikTok. Here’s what’s currently stacked, cracked open, and whispering “finish me, coward.”