Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

 

The plot:  A recovering addict who's been clean for eighteen months, Mallory Quinn, just got a job as a nanny for Caroline and Ted Maxwell's five-year-old son, Teddy, for the summer. She's desperate to prove herself, and they're willing to give her a chance despite her past drug use. And it's all because of Teddy. He's a sweet, shy boy who likes to wear purple and draw pictures of rabbits. He also draws pictures of his imaginary friend, Anya; those aren't as cute. Then his pictures get even darker, showing a man dragging a woman into the forest and then burying her. And Mallory begins to suspect that Teddy is being haunted by something sinister. Was Anya murdered? Mallory gets drawn into solving the mystery in order to protect Teddy, but his parents start to question her honesty...and her sanity. 

My thoughts:  I loved Teddy and how cute he is with Mallory; I also really loved getting to see his artwork throughout the book...and the eerie story his pictures start to tell. And a mystery with a touch of the supernatural like this one has is one of my favorite kinds of books to read. I appreciated the atmosphere and suspense Rekulak creates and how he keeps you guessing about the truth behind the haunting until the very end. This is such a compelling read. I loved it.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

In Good Company by Jen Turano

 

Everett Mulberry has recently, and very unexpectedly, been named the guardian to three young children, which is severely curtailing his courtship of the elegant Miss Caroline Dixon, and his latest nanny just quit. Now what is he going to do? He could hire the fun-loving Millie Longfellow, who was just let go from her latest nanny job, but the thought of taking Millie to Newport with his three wards for the summer has him hesitating. 

"...and it had absolutely nothing to do with her lips. It all had to do with the lady's eyes. That they were a perfectly ordinary shade of green was not in dispute. But that ordinary green, framed by dark lashes, always held a distinct trace of...mischief."

"That mischief exactly explained why he wouldn't, or couldn't, consider hiring Miss Longfellow to watch after his wards, because everyone knew that where there was mischief, trouble was certain to follow. (And) ever since he'd become the unlikely guardian to three unruly children over five months before, Everett had witnessed more trouble than he'd ever thought possible."

This is a delightful romance! Turano's books are cute and clean and always have a lot of humor in them; and I love that Gilded Age time period. The banter between Everett and Millie was fun, and the way she handles his three wards had me laughing out loud. There's even a nod to Pride and Prejudice in their romance that I enjoyed. Plus, Millie carries a pocket dictionary around with her and is always looking up words like execrable and disparage. What's not to love?

Happy Reading!