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Review of Too Good to Be True

04.05.2021 by Jen Ryland // 2 Comments

Too Good to Be True is just a simple love story about a guy, his new wife and …. his other wife. This story of a complicated trio with intertwined lives. Check out my review of Too Good to Be True!

Review: Too Good to be True by Carola Lovering
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Categories // Reviews Tags // adult fiction, mystery, thriller

Review of the Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

03.30.2021 by Jen Ryland // 9 Comments

Do you love books about a bunch of people trapped in a super-creepy, super-chilling place with a killer? If so, check out my review of the Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse!

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Categories // Reviews Tags // adult fiction, mystery, Procedural mystery, reeses book club

Spoilers and Plot Summary for the Sanatorium

Did you read The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse and have ALL the questions about the ending? And what’s with that epilogue – who is following Elin around the Sanatorium? Come check out my spoilers and plot summary for The Sanatorium and then let’s discuss this baffling case of multiple murders in a Swiss alps resort and the equally baffling ending! Check out this Spoilers and Plot Summary for the Sanatorium!

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30+ Spooky Mysteries Set on an Island

03.22.2021 by Jen Ryland // 6 Comments

My list of Spooky Mysteries Set on an Island discusses that islands CAN be a peaceful and secluded place to get away BUT they can also leave you trapped with a dangerous crowd! Did you love The Guest List by Lucy Foley or White Lotus on HBO? Check out my Spooky Island Fiction book list, which includes mysteries and thrillers plus a link to my post on YA mysteries set on islands! Updated with 7 new 2025 titles AND an island quiz!

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Categories // Reviews Tags // adult fiction, mystery, thriller, thriller list

Review of Every Vow You Break

03.20.2021 by Jen Ryland // 4 Comments

Two newlyweds, one island honeymoon, and some very dark secrets! If you love thrillers set in isolated, creepy locations, you might want to give this one a try. Check out my review of Every Vow You Break!

Written and edited by Jen Ryland. Last updated on:

November 7, 2023
Review of Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
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Categories // Reviews Tags // adult fiction, mystery, thriller

Review of Her Dark Lies

03.01.2021 by Jen Ryland // 1 Comment

Did you love the Guest List by Lucy Foley? Then you should try this book that also features a wedding on a (possibly cursed) island. At this wedding, the body count seems higher than the guest count. Check out my review of Her Dark Lies!

Review of Her Dark Lies

What is Her Dark Lies About?

Review of Her Dark Lies

Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison. To be published on March 9, 2021 by Mira Books. Thanks to the publisher for the advance review copy.

Synopsis: Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets. From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins…

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Review of Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison

For me, the best part of Her Dark Lies was the setting. The island of Isle Isola is off the coast of Italy. Think Capri but smaller. And cursed.

Claire is an artist who is marrying Jack Compton, the scion of a rich tech family. The Comptons own the island, but at least two Compton wives have died there. (Did Claire know this before accepting the ring? I don’t think she did.)

In any case, the wedding weather is wet and stormy. The power goes out. The bodies pile up.

For me, some of the twists were nice and unexpected, but others were a little unbelievable. And I felt like there were a few loose ends that weren’t tied up.

Will You Like Her Dark Lies?

If you loved The Guest List by Lucy Foley and One by One by Ruth Ware, you’ll love this. All the suspects are trapped on the island together, where they seem to be dying one by one.

This was more plot-driven than character driven, though Claire did have some layers to unpeel.


If you’re read the book, come discuss it on my secret spoiler discussion page for Her Dark Lies! I have a lot of questions and I bet you do too!

If you want to check out other review of J.T. Ellison books, here are my thoughts on It’s One of Us!

Categories // Reviews Tags // adult fiction, mystery, thriller

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Meet Jen!

Since 2011, I have been guiding avid readers toward books they will love and offering a friendly place to discuss them. I publish honest reviews that will help you decide if a book is right for you! Let's talk books! See my full bio!

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