Title: When I'm Dead
Author(s): Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #3
Genre(s): Thriller
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 308
Length: 10h 37m
Narrator(s): Xe Sands, Andrew Eiden, Caitlyn Kelly, Gary Tiedemann
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating: Spice: 
My Thoughts
As with THE WIDOWMAKER, WHEN I’M DEAD isn’t really a sequel because it focuses on other characters. There are a few secondary characters that are in each book, but the main commonality between the three stories is the setting–Black Harbor, Wisconsin. I do love the Easter eggs that unite the stories as a series.
WHEN I’M DEAD is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s thought-provoking and deals with subjects like bullying, suicide, and parent / child relationships. There was so much more emotion in this story than the previous two. I thought the story was captivating, emotional, and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s prose. It’s so descriptive and beautiful. (Although, if I heard “shadow of a doubt” one more time, I might have screamed.) I really liked that the story’s told from multiple POVs that provided a different look into what was going on. I also really liked the characters, especially Rowan and Axel because of their need to find their daughter, Chloe.
When I’m Dead
Author(s): Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #3
Genre(s): Thriller
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 308
Length: 10h 37m
Narrator(s): Xe Sands, Andrew Eiden, Caitlyn Kelly, Gary Tiedemann
Source: Owned
Reason(s): Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
As with THE WIDOWMAKER, WHEN I’M DEAD isn’t really a sequel because it focuses on other characters. There are a few secondary characters that are in each book, but the main commonality between the three stories is the setting–Black Harbor, Wisconsin. I do love the Easter eggs that unite the stories as a series.
WHEN I’M DEAD is a very dark thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It’s thought-provoking and deals with subjects like bullying, suicide, and parent / child relationships. There was so much more emotion in this story than the previous two. I thought the story was captivating, emotional, and suspenseful. I love Morrissey’s prose. It’s so descriptive and beautiful. (Although, if I heard “shadow of a doubt” one more time, I might have screamed.) I really liked that the story’s told from multiple POVs that provided a different look into what was going on. I also really liked the characters, especially Rowan and Axel because of their need to find their daughter, Chloe.
The No-Show
Author(s): Beth O'Leary
Genre(s): Romance
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 394
Length: 10h 48m
Narrator(s): Evanna Lynch, Heather Long, Kathryn Drysdale, Luke Thompson
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
THE NO-SHOW is a story about love, forgiveness, redemption, grief, second chances, and healing. I absolutely adored it. I knew there had to be more to the story than just these three women being stood up by the same man on Valentine’s Day. While I read, I had to look past the obvious and hold to my wonderment of how Joseph was juggling the relationships. There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments and sexual tension, but THE NO-SHOW is so much more than just a romance. I really loved how O’Leary wrote about mental health and healing from abusive relationships (professional and romantic). It felt real and it felt raw. I loved these characters and I wanted the best for them as I read about each of their lives.
July 2024 Wrap-Up
Books Read
Favorite: Fourth Wing
Least Favorite: Choose Your Own Autobiography
Stats
July
Books Read: 8
Rereads: 1
Pages Read: 2,886
Hours Listened: 47h 5m
Average Rating: 3.9
Average Pages Read Per Day: 93
Year-to-Date
Books Read: 26
Rereads: 12
Pages Read: 11,699
Hours Listened: 214h 51m
Average Rating: 4.5
Average Pages Read Per Day: 55
The Unwedding
Author(s): Ally Condie
Genre(s): Mystery
Format(s): Hard Cover
Pages: 337
Source: Owned
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
THE UNWEDDING is an emotional murder mystery about love, loss, and healing. Ally’s writing is a joy to read. As always, her writing has a poetic and lyrical feel that paints a clear picture. The emotionality was my favorite part. I especially loved reading the aspects of the story that came from her life.
I liked the characters and I loved watching Ellery become stronger despite her grief. I loved Ravi and Nina, Grace and Gary, Morgan and Maddox, and Andy, Rachel, and Olivia. Each personality and backstory added to the emotionality of the overarching story. My only disappointment with this is that I was hoping for more of a thriller than a mystery. While the story was suspenseful at times, I never had that edge-of-my-seat feeling I crave when reading thrillers.
The Widowmaker
Author(s): Hannah Morrissey
Series: Black Harbor #2
Genre(s): Thriller
Format(s): Audio
Pages: 293
Length: 10h 39m
Narrator(s): Xe Sands, Adam Verner
Source: Library
Reason(s): None
Rating:
Spice:
My Thoughts
Even though THE WIDOWMAKER is the second book in the Black Harbor series, it’s not really sequel to HELLO, TRANSCRIBER. Investigator Kole, now Sgt. Kole, does return as a secondary character, but the commonality between the two stories is the setting–Black Harbor, Wisconsin–the most crime-ridden city in the state.
THE WIDOWMAKER is a very dark, thought-provoking thriller that deals with hard subjects like child abandonment, abuse, and sexual assault. It’s captivating, suspenseful, and told in a dual POV. It kept me guessing until the very end. I love Morrissey’s beautifully descriptive prose. I liked both of the main characters, Morgan and Hudson, and the narrators did a great job bringing them to life. I thought some of the secondary characters were a bit flat and could’ve been fleshed out more. I also liked the little Easter eggs pointing to HELLO, TRANSCRIBER when Hudson was interacting with and talking about Sgt. Kole.