Book Review: The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens

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A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens . I was provided a copy free of charge in exchange for my honest review, and I was ecstatic about it because Chevy Stevens is absolutely one of my favorite authors and is a must read in my humble opinion. The story opens with Alice and Tom, who are husband and wife, taking their newly bought RV from Seattle, Washington and take a road trip through Canada where they will end up at the 1976 Olympics in Toronto. As they pull into their first stop of the trip, a campground, Alice and Tom see a young couple named Simon and Jenny walking in their direction and offer them a ride to the next town. However, the young couple aren't as they seem and take their hosts as their prisoners. Chevy Stevens, a Canadian author, does not disappoint with her latest novel aptly named The Hitchhikers . From page one of this story, I was immediately suck...
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Book Review: The Shop on Royal Street (Royal Street, #1) by Karen White

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book review the shop on royal street royal street 1 karen white

The Shop on Royal Street (Royal Street, #1) by Karen White is the first book in a spin off series from the Tradd Street book series.  Nola Trenholm is looking for a fresh start in New Orleans after having some hiccups in her personal life.  However, that's proving to be more difficult than she realized it would be with her house renovation.

This book was the October book selection for the book club I belong to.  After hearing a couple of people say it was a little slow in the beginning, I was worried that I wouldn't like the book.  When I finally sat down to start reading The Shop on Royal Street, I had to agree that it was slow to start.  However, once I got two or three chapters in, the storyline really started to pick up making it hard for me to put it down, and I can't wait for the next installment to come out.

I loved the fact that this book took place in New Orleans, Louisiana.  It's one of my favorite cities to visit.  Add in the paranormal elements, and it was the perfect book to put me in the mood for Halloween.  It's super creepy without being scary.  I completely creeped myself out one night after reading part of the story.  

The situations and predicaments the characters got into were realistic to me, especially for the characters ages.  There still is so much drama in one's life when you're in your twenties.  Most of the characters were likable, but my favorites were Nola, Jolene, and Beau.  I even liked Melanie and Christopher.  However, I didn't care for Mimi as I found her to be a bit suspicious, and I really didn't like Michael. 

There isn't really much I can complain about other than it took a long time to get all of Nola's backstory.  I wish I had known this was a spinoff series prior to reading this book so I could've potentially read the original series first.  It's not necessary to do so, but I think I would've enjoyed The Shop on Royal Street a lot better if I had, or if the author simply hadn't taken so long to give the reader all of Nola's backstory, it would have made me happier.

All in all, The Shop on Royal Street (Royal Street, #1) by Karen White was fantastic.  I gave it four out of five stars, and I can't wait for the next installment.  I might have to tide myself over by reading the Tradd Street series in the meantime.

 

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