Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Blog Tour for Booktoure

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Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Synopsis: "Make sure you wrap up warm for school, honey. A blizzard is on the way." Ten-year-old Teddy rolls his eyes at his mother. But then he hears a bang... By the time police arrive, Teddy's mother is dead. His open school backpack is strewn across the hallway. And Teddy is nowhere to be found.   When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake,  Agent Tori Hunter  races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that  ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared . His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy's father,  Tori finds he is missing too.   Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy's father, Tori's gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child?  An...
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Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering and Narrated by Helen Laser, Karissa Vacker

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Title: Bye, Baby
Author: Carola Lovering
Narrator: Helen Laser, Karissa Vacker
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Format: Audiobook
Listening Length: 11 hours and 24 minutes
Date of Publication: March 5, 2024

Description: "Powerful, relatable and crazily addictive, Bye, Baby takes an unflinching look at the battling forces of toxicity and love which define so many female friendships. I couldn't put it down."–Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted and The Love of My Life

Every friendship has its shadow...

On a brisk fall night in a New York apartment, 35-year-old Billie West hears terrified screams. It's her lifelong best friend Cassie Barnwell, one floor above, and she's just realized her infant daughter has gone missing. Billie is shaken as she looks down into her own arms to see the baby, remembering—with a jolt of fear—that she is responsible for the kidnapping that has instantly shattered Cassie’s world.

Once fiercely bonded by their secrets, Cassie and Billie have drifted apart in adulthood, no longer the inseparable pair they used to be in their small Hudson Valley hometown. Cassie is married to a wealthy man, has recently become a mother, and is building a following as a lifestyle influencer. She is desperate to leave her past behind—including Billie, who is single and childless, and no longer fits into her world. But Billie knows the worst thing Cassie has ever done, and she will do whatever it takes to restore their friendship…

Told in alternating perspectives in Lovering’s signature suspenseful style, Bye, Baby confronts the myriad ways friendships change and evolve over time, the lingering echoes of childhood trauma, and the impact of women’s choices on their lifelong relationships.


My Thoughts: Trigger warning: multiple sexual assault events

This was a slow burn for me until about half way in when the baby was taken then it really picked up. I feel the reason for this is because the first half of the book is doing a lot of background information, which I feel was not necessary for the story. A short background history of the two main characters relationship and events would have sufficed. 

I found that I really felt for Billie. She really missed her friendship with Cassie who was doing everything she could to push her away. I don't condone what she did but I see how what seemed like an innocent helpful decision turned out to not be one in the end. 

The narrator did well with the telling of the story. I enjoyed her reading of it and the way she made the characters come to life.

Rating: 3 out of 5 because of the slow burn. There were parts that I really enjoyed and some not so much.

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for this review copy as part of their influencer program. This is my honest opinion.

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