Honey Talk, by Declan Davey

 

Honey Talk, by Declan Davey

Indie/Small Press - 2019
Thriller - Psychological
E-book

289 Pages

* I received this digital review copy courtesy of the author's rep in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

Lily knows she needs therapy, but therapy isn't cheap, and paying to tell her deepest darkest secrets to a complete stranger isn't too appealing to her either.  When Lily's friend Zayan is nearing the completion of his training to be a psychologist, Lily manipulates the situation by offering to "act" as a patient for him to practice on.  Lily is pleased with her resourcefulness - what could go wrong?  Lily creates a persona named Madison for their therapy sessions.  But while Madison isn't real, her problems are.  Stemming from childhood trauma, they are firmly rooted. Can Lily handle the therapy sessions?  Can Zayan?

This story was engaging and had a good plot.  The story is told in alternating timelines between Lily's struggles in the present and flashbacks to her traumatic past.  Her deterioration though subtle at first, gains momentum and carries the plot to the final exciting pages of the book. 

Honey Talk is a refreshing take on the the popular Thriller genre. A short, quick-paced book well worth the read.  

Note: Honey Talk is described as book one of  the Talk Series. As of this writing, the second book has not been released for sale. 

Happy Reading,

Christine

The Last Straw, by Ed Duncan

 

The Last Straw, by Ed Duncan

Pigeon-Blood Red Series

Creativia (indi/small press) 2017
Thriller
E-book

229 pages

* I received this digital copy courtesy of the author in exchange of an honest review. This does not influence the following opinions which are my own.

This is one of the more interesting plot lines I have read for a thriller. 

When a young teen aged girl named Sandy witnesses a carjacking gone bad she has no idea what turn her life is about to take. After barely escaping an attempt on her life she finds herself under the protection of a lawyer and a hit-man with a streak of decency. As the story unfolds, we find out that she has been marked for death by the father of the would-be carjacker.  This results in a hit-man vs. hit-man theme that becomes the exciting backbone of this book. 

I had not read the first book in this series - Pigeon-Blood Red as I was of the understanding that this book works as a stand alone as well.  In theory this is correct - you can read just The Last Straw by itself and it has a satisfying story arc. However, I suspect that I might have enjoyed this book even more if I had read Pigeon-Blood Red first. So if you are thinking of reading it, do yourself the favor and consider reading the first book as well (it is eligible for Kindle unlimited for those who subscribe to it, or it is a great deal for those who don't). That being said, Duncan's story was fast paced, a little gritty, and had just enough going on to make it entertaining without being "overdone". 

The Last Straw is a worthy read for fans of mystery/thrillers. It works well enough as a stand-alone novel, but it is worth considering the first and of the series as well.  Either way, this book was an easy, entertaining read, and Duncan is a name to watch for in the future. 

Note: Book 3 in the series - Rico Stays, is now available on Amazon as well

Happy Reading,

Christine