Review: At Cafe 64 by Shaeden Berry

In At Cafe 64 Shaeden Berry explores the definition of victim and the different ways people define who the victims of a tragedy are. 

This will be my giveaway book for May so stay posted!

Without any warning, Justin Kowalski drives his vehicle into the front of Cafe 64, killing himself and three other people.

At cafe 64 is narrated through the experiences of three women. 

Maddie's fiancee was killed in the 'tragedy' and two years on she is still consumed by rage, determined to make someone responsible for her loss.

Emily is still trying to understand the whole incident and questions everything about her own life.

Flo says she is fine. She was outside the cafe and insists she didn't see anything. Then, why is her life falling apart?

"It's sort of ... weird, you know, existing on the edge of this big event. Like, you're a part of it but not." 

"I'm a victim as well, as much as anyone else ...... You think victimhood ends with the people who died?"

At Cafe 64 is a real page-turner, sombre and compelling, with cliff-hanger chapter endings that keep the story moving along at a fast pace. It is a thought-provoking look at victims, grief and the need for revenge.

Shaeden Berry explores how different people grieve differently and who is to say what is right and wrong. How is a victim defined? If you weren't on the scene can you still be a victim of a tragedy of this extent? The need to account blame; who led the perpetrator to perform this act and why are we not safe on the streets. Maddie, driven by truth and justice, wants revenge and relentlessly looks at all avenues to lay blame.

Berry writes with pathos and even though there are some jaw-dropping reveals the story is never sensationalised.

At Cafe 64 is an intriguing story that had me thinking about the whole concept of victims, survivors and impostor syndrome.

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 4th November 2025

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 336

RRP: $34.99 (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

#atcafe64 #shaedenberry #aussieauthor #ausbookbloggers #contemporaryfiction

Review: Dark Sanctuary by Sarah Barrie

 I loved Sarah Barrie's Lexi Winter series, five star reads for me. (Links to those reviews below.) Barrie takes ordinary people and puts them in extraordinary situations and pushes them to their limits.

Dark Sanctuary starts with what seems to be three completely separate plots and it did take me a few chapters to get a feel for all the different characters and story lines. 

Beth Thompson is working through problems with her ex husband. She loves her job working at a nursing home caring for the residents.

Detective Sergeant Hex Rexford is staring down retirement. He is passionate about the case of a serial killer named the Witch Doctor whose victims have never been found.

Eve Harrington is a podcaster, her current investigative story is about mental healthcare and she is particularly interested in a local institute, Coast Sanctuary, and its practices.

Barrie's characters are passionate about what they do which makes them likeable. She pushes them all to their limits.

Dark Sanctuary is one dark, creepy story. As the three main characters' lives began to merge and the death count rose I was totally gripped by the story.

Dark Sanctuary is not only a gritty police procedural it also highlights domestic abuse, stalking and mental health care. Barrie raises pertinent questions such as, are serial killers born or raised and when is a mental health patient deemed fit enough to re-enter society.

Dark Sanctuary is filled with suspense and jaw-dropping twists. If you like your crime dark, verging on horror, Dark Sanctuary is a must read.

My four star rating reflects the fact that this was just a little too gory, freaky, scary for me. 😨

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: HQ Fiction

Publication date: 28th April 2026

Genre: Crime

Pages: 368

RRP: $32.99AU

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Other books I've read by Sarah Barrie

Unforgiven

Retribution

Vendetta

Devils Lair

Endgame

#darksanctuary #sarahbarrie #hqinsiders #aussieauthor #ausbookbloggers #crimefiction #aussiecrime

Review: Murder at the Highland Games by Dee MacDonald

Murder at the Highland Games is book 4 in the Ally McKinley Mystery series by Dee MacDonald.

It is not necessary to read the series in order as there is ample backstory to keep new readers up to date and each murder/ mystery is solved by the end of the book.

The town is abuzz as the local highland games begin and competitors have come from far and wide. Amateur sleuth Ally McKinley is thrust into the thick of it again when the top competitor, who also happens to be one of her guests, is murdered. There are plenty of suspects and some of them are men from her own little village.

I've really enjoyed this light, murder mystery series so far. It's always fun to revisit the small country town and the close-knit community who reside there. The stories are just as much about the community as they are about the murders.

Dee MacDonald has hit on a winning formula and doesn't stray far with each new book. The books are easy reads, with likeable local characters and the odd twist thrown in, making them perfect reads for a quiet weekend in.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication date: 16th April 2026

Series: Ally McKinley Mystery #4

Genre: Cosy Crime

Pages: 252

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

Other books in the series:

Murder in the Scottish Highland

Murder at the Loch 

A Very Bookish Murder

Follow along on the book tour below

#murderatthehighlandgames #deemacdonald #bookouture #cosymystery #scottishmurdermystery

Winner of When the Party's Over & The Maskeys announced!!

 I will be posting new giveaways in the first week of every month.

Bookmark my page and check back often so you don't miss a giveaway. 

A huge thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for a paperback copies of When the Party's Over by Katie Hoskins & The Maskeys by Stuart Everly-Wilson.  The giveaway closed on the 12th April 2026 and the winner was randomly selected (using Wheelofnames) from all correct entries.

Congratulations to........ 

The winner has been notified and has seven days to provide a mailing address.

 

 

Please check under the Giveaway tab for more great giveaways!

Book Giveaway: When the Party's Over + The Maskeys

 For my April 2026 giveaway I have two fabulous books! It costs me the same to send one book or two. So why not give away two.

Both books were five star reads for me and although vastly different, both centred on family and drugs. When the Party's Over is a domestic centred drama with a few mysteries throughout and The Maskey's is also family centric but champions dark humour and revenge in a small country town.

Click on the titles below to read my reviews.

When the Party's Over by Katie Hoskins

Blurb

Natalie knows her life looks perfect from the Three young children, a loving husband, the tastefully renovated Eastern Suburbs cottage. So why does she feel so suffocated?

On her 36th birthday, all Natalie wants is to gather her two best friends and leave their responsibilities behind just for one night. But when the party's over, she finds eighteen-month-old Toby clutching an unmistakable colourful tablet - with a quarter missing.

What kind of mother could let this happen?

But even as Toby recovers and returns home safely, the fallout is only just beginning. Each of these three women has their own truth about that night - and when it all comes to light, will any of their friendships survive?

The Maskeys by Stuart Everly-Wilson

Blurb

Locals see George Maskey as a hollow braggard who is at least partly responsible for the crime and drug related death Naples has seen over the years. His wife blames him for the death of their teenage twins. His gay stepson regards him as a racist homophobe. And Serenade Theadora – the town’s famed mystic – sees him in equal parts as good and bad. But George, the family patriarch, is not the star of this story.

When Rodney, the loyal Maskey right-hand man, is kidnapped by service-station proprietor Gayle Reynolds – in a bungled revenge against his boss – events are set in train that will see the Maskey family changed forever.

Love-starved reader of romance novels, physical runt, dreamer; Rodney has lived in a forest on the Knuckle, tending the Maskey’s marijuana plantation since the death of his mother. Gayle regards his capture as an opportunity to learn the whereabouts of her missing son, Rodney’s childhood best friend. For Rodney, captivity turns his life upside down. He meets Leanne. She is the girl who brings him his meals. And in her the unattractive young man, who has despaired of ever finding love, sees a person he could risk everything for.

GIVEAWAY

Enter here to win paperback copies of When the Party's Over and The Maskeys. The giveaway is open to Australian addresses only and entries close at 6pm AST on 12th April 2026.

Can't see the form? Enter HERE

Review: When the Party's Over by Katie Hoskins

Their lives will never be the same .... 

When the Party's Over by Katie Hoskins had me glued to the pages right from the compelling prologue to the very last page.

When the Party's Over definitely has Liane Moriarty vibes and if you are already a fan of Liane Moriarty or Sally Hepworth, you will love this book.

Mother of three Natalie, is feeling suffocated by her hectic life. What happened to the fun party girl of her 20's!? All she wants for her 36th birthday is to let her hair down and have some fun with her two best friends by her side.

But what happens at the party doesn't stay at the party when the next day 18 month old Toby is found with part of a familiar looking blue tablet in his mouth.

When the Party's Over was one hell of a ride; Hospital emergency wards, police interviews, child protection visits, guilt, blame and a whole lot of secrets being kept about THAT night.

Everyone had some guilty secret about themselves or someone else concerning the night of the party. Friendships start to falter and accusations are thrown around.

Katie Hoskins characters are real; flawed people who make bad decisions and then must face the consequences.

I am very much against recreational drugs and alcohol, both destroying lives and families. So I was very invested in what the characters would learn from this whole experience and how they would come out of it.

There are a few mysteries at play throughout the novel and some well-placed red-herrings which had me guessing back and forward what the final outcome would be.

Many female centric themes are explored throughout the story - mother guilt, burnout, infertility, infidelity, unexpected pregnancy and the value of friendship and forgiveness.

When the Party's Over is an outstanding debut! This is one book you will not want to miss this year. I'm excited to see what Katie Hoskins comes up with next. She has set the bar high! 👏👏

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 31st March 2026

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 368

RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

#whenthepartysover #katiehoskins #contemporaryfiction #aussieauthor #readaustralian #friendship #debut

Review: The Hobart Hotel by Mary-Lou Stephens

 The Hobart Hotel is an intriguing historical fiction narrated through dual timelines. A fictitious story involving the true events of the opening of the Wrest Point Riviera Hotel in 1939 and the Wrest Point Casino in 1973.

In 1939 the story follows socialite Sabine Winters, a headstrong woman who turns heads and enjoys the finer things in life. Her special set of skills catches the eye of the Secret Service Bureau and she is plunged into a life or death situation.

In 1973 Jenny Davies attends the opening of Tasmania's Wrest Point Casino and much to her mother's dismay applies for a job as a croupier. She soon becomes what is known as a Ladybird and a whole new life is opened up to her.

Mary-Lou Stephens has researched her topic well and it shows through in a believable storyline. The plot involving the beginning of WWII is rich in political intrigue as the reader is taken from the relative safety of Tasmania to South America's political unrest.

Stephens sets the scene in both eras with mentions of fashion, news events, music, celebrities and architecture of the time.

I was much more invested in the 70's plot. I suppose there was an element of nostalgia there which gave me that added connection. 

I do love stories set during the war however I felt the political intrigue and propaganda far outweighed the moments of danger and that side of the plot fell a bit flat for me.

From the changing face of Hobart, Tasmania in the 70's to Montevideo, Uruguay The Hobart Hotel is a sweeping tale of political intrigue, spies and glamour.

I loved how the two time-lines came together in a way I wasn't expecting. I just think it was all wrapped up a little too nicely at the end.

The Hobart Hotel was an exceptional story and well worth a read, just not my favourite by Mary-Lou Stephens.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: HQ Fiction

Publication date: 31st March 2026

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 464

RRP: $34.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: courtesy of the publisher

#thehobarthotel #maryloustephens #historicalfiction #bookssetintasmania #wwii #aussieauthor #ausbookbloggers