This book was a nail biting thriller I could not put down!

Sonia has minutes to make a phone call after a devastating car accident before the police arrive. This one phone call sets off an unbelievable chain of events!
Sonia confesses to the police that she is responsible for the brutal murder of her sister Emma.

Told from multiple POV’s, this book was an action packed thrill ride I am still talking about! I enjoyed the story of survival and could not predict the ending, which I also enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

What is it about human nature that makes us think we’ll never get caught?

Sonia Rossi is charged with the murder of Emma D’Luca and is serving her 5-year sentence in Flint Hill Corrections. She endures years of living in fear of prison violence only to admit she wasn’t guilty as her release date nears. In her eyes, prison was safer than the outside, where Sonia believes her stepfather is on the hunt to find out her secret. What kind of secret makes people admit guilt in a murder case?

The author explores why humans are driven to do certain things and what lengths we’ll go to protect those we love.

I loved the pace, the tension and the writing style. Mackenzie has taken the premise that we’re all guilty of something and created a suspense thriller novel that will keep you guessing. Mackenzie’s love of twisty, emotionally engrossing tales shines through. However, I did find the flashbacks difficult as they appeared in the middle of text with no warning. I didn’t know going into this book that it was the second in the Cedar Lake series, and I wonder if being previously acquainted with the characters would have decreased my initial frustration.

You’ll enjoy this dark and fast-paced suspense thriller if you keep an eye on the chapter titles and read slowly. At more than a decade of blood, sweat and tears poured into this novel, the author is going to expect you to work for it, too!!!!

Publishes July 20, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Eva Mackenzie, Craven Ink Press, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Safekeeping is action packed. I can see this one as a thrill ride of a movie. Eva MacKenzie knows how to keep her audience reading and this is the perfect example.

**3.5 stars**This was an entertaining and quick read that I did enjoy. The good: it was fast it was easy and you didn’t really have to think about it you just get sucked in, finish, and then you’re spit right back out. The bad: I found it to be slightly cheesy at times maybe a bit youthful and even though I was entertained I don’t think I’ll ever really think about this one again.

Sonia is in jail for a murder she confessed to. She says she killed Emma who was the daughter of a mobster style man with (quite unrealistic) reach all over the place named Saul. She is treated relentlessly in prison and she deals with it because she has a big secret that she must protect at all costs. But the truth is starting to dangerously unfold and she needs to get out to not only live but protect this one big secret.

It’s a simplistic style mob like story that was fun and engaging. It’s told in multiple POVs which at the beginning was slightly confusing but they all tie together. I did have an issue in the end because it wrapped up quickly and left me with some unanswered questions on what happened to some people. Overall if you’re looking for something easy this was good just not…great.

Thank you Xpresso Book tours and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

An action-packed fast-paced thriller that was extremely hard to read.

After getting caught in a car accident, Sonia Rossi confesses to the murder of her step-sister, Emma Deluca over a year ago. Right before the confession, she makes a call to an unknown number, asking the call recipient to move to Plan B. Five years later, Sonia is an inmate at the Flint Hill State Corrections Facility, who is targeted by random attacks on a regular basis by the other inmates, upon the instructions of her step-father, Saul DeLuca. She quietly suffers it all for the sake of protecting her loved ones. But when she realizes that Saul is closing in on her secret, she is left without a choice but to escape.

Being an ardent fan of thrillers, I thought I had read it all, from serial killers to brutal murders, but this was by far, way worse in terms of the violence that Sonia suffers while in prison. There is a tension that is consistent in the story from start to finish where we are constantly expecting one of the many characters to be attacked or jumped at, at any point. However, the writing style was such that much of the events were implied and left to the imagination of the reader - like Ali's murder or Sonia's mother's fate etc.

While the suspense and intensity is cranked up to high in the plot, I found it difficult to enjoy because of the description of the prison attacks. This is exclusively my opinion and not a reflection on the author's writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Safekeeping is about Sonia Rossi living in Flint Hill Corrections after confessing to murdering Emma D’Luca. Sonia lied to protect her loved ones from Saul D’Luca thinking prison was a safer place for her.
For five years Sonia remained relatively safe in Flint Hill Corrections. Although She always had this perpetual fear of being murdered by her stepfather’s influence.

Safekeeping is a character driven story with several moving parts. It took some time to acquaint myself with all the characters, but once the story progressed I found it easier and easier to get settled.

This is Eva MacKenzie’s second novel in the Cedar Lakes series. Jamie Kendal returns in Safekeeping as a client hired by Ali’s law firm to assist Sonia’s appeal. Ali, a high-powered criminal defense attorney and old friend of Jamie’s, is assigned Sonia’s appeal case, but she needs help. Eva’s writing style isn’t bad it’s just not the writing voice I was hoping for in this type of thriller. I wanted power with a punch. I wanted chilling revelations that shocked my system. Instead it was okay.

For the most part the dialogue is intriguing. Yet I find myself drifting away with some of the other dialogue. There are two separate story’s tied together, but it wasn’t easy to decipher until later. The story is a bit slow for a suspense. While the idea of a dark dangerous thriller sounded appealing it’s not measuring up to those standards. I like the unpredictability of the storyline.
I grew tired of the same old song and dance of threats about Sonia’s safety in the corrections facility. Then when she requested an appeal I thought finally something new is going to occur to change things up.

The cover is a show stopper. One look at this cover had me stopping in my search. It got me to the next step which was invest my time in reading the synopsis.

The Book Maven’s Journal Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 Stars

My Sincere Appreciation Goes to NetGalley, Author Eva MacKenzie and Publisher Craven Ink Press for Making Available this Advance Reader Copy for Review

Coming Soon…20 July 2021…in Mysteries & Thrillers

“Safekeeping”
By Eva MacKenzie

“Safekeeping” by Author Eva MacKenzie is a suspenseful mystery-thriller that keeps readers off-kilter from the get-go. It's a little slow-burn at the beginning, sorting and placing all of the characters in their roles. However, soon I couldn't put the book down. I had to know the ending. I was inhaling pages.

A dramatic car crash sets the stage for Sonia, the female protagonist, who upon arrival of State Troopers, confesses to the murder of her stepsister—the only child of a vile and ruthless man.

Silently enduring years of tortuous treatment by other inmates in her corruptly managed prison, Sonia suddenly decides to recant her admission of guilt. Who voluntarily goes to prison, if not guilty? Why silently endure years of physical pain and suffering? Why now? What triggers Sonia’s decision for an appeal?

Although there are dark aspects to this novel, such as prison violence and human trafficking, this is ultimately a story of love and loss; of sacrifice and hope; and of fear and deliverance. It offers explanations on why the human heart drives people to do inexplicable things.

This Title, and others and that I Review, will also be posted on Goodreads, Barnes and Nobel and Amazon. On Goodreads alone, you can access 300+ of my book reviews. (TheBookMavenJoy)
https://www.goodreads.com/joyreadergirl1

Moments before police arrive on the scene of a car accident in rural Montana, Sonia has time to make one phone call. With one word whispered, she sets off an unstoppable chain of events. Once police arrive, she confesses to the brutal murder of her stepsister, Emma.
Wow what a book!! Started off fast and continued at that pace all the way through. I read this in a night as I literally could not put it down. I was not confused by any of the POV's, I loved the story and found myself trying to guess all the way through how it would all end. Definitely a story of survival. I was satisfied with the outcome and would highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

SAFEKEEPING by Eva MacKenzie is a fast-paced, nonstop, engaging read. The story opens with the main character Sonia running away and getting in to a car accident. When first responders arrive, Sonia confesses to murdering her stepsister. Now in prison for five years, Sonia learns of someone she knows being murdered and begins to find a way out of prison.

Although this is a very fast-paced read it can be hard to follow at times due to the changing points of view. Nonetheless once the reader gets the flow of the writing it becomes much easier to understand. This was an enjoyable and descriptive read.

All I kept thinking during this whole book was wow this would be such a great action/thriller movie. This book kept me guessing and including heart racing action that made it hard to falls asleep while reading this before bed.

After a horrible car accident, Sonia is able to scramble out of the rubble to make one call and only one works is uttered, safekeeping. The police arrive and she confesses to killing her stepsister Emma. Sonia is sentenced to life and hauled off to jail where Emma’s dad, Saul, will stop at nothing to make Sonia’s life a living hell. Saul is an evil man who will kill to find out Sonia’s secret. Will Sonia be able to keep her secret long enough to get out of jail and protect everyone she loves?

Who here loves a good heart racing novel? I know I do ! Safekeeping, is sure to keep you up at night.. The pace is set early on and the writing style easily flows between chapters.

Eva MacKenzie, did an incredible job captivating an audience. I have just become a huge fan!

Sonia has just confessed to the murder of her step-sister, Emma but not before making one phone call......

Sonia is now serving life in prison for the murder of Emma. After being made aware of some of her step fathers revelations, she will stop at nothing to keep her secret safe . After learning of another mans death and what he had said, Sonia knows she needs to get out! What did this man say and who heard him say it?

This is a novel of cat and mouse so be prepared for your anxiety to kick into over drive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it is definitely something I would recommend to anyone who loves a fast paced, suspenseful thriller.

No one ever thinks they’ll get caught…

Moments before police arrive on the scene of a car accident in rural Montana, Sonia has time to make one phone call. With one word whispered, she sets off an unstoppable chain of events. Once police arrive, she confesses to the brutal murder of her stepsister, Emma.

Afterwards, she’s sentenced to life in prison where she learns the true extent of her stepfather’s ruthless reach. It’s a game of cat and mouse–a game she has already lost. She only needs to stay alive long enough to keep her secret safe.

Until one day, news of an unidentified man’s death confirms her worst fear, and Sonia must get out of prison, at all cost. What did the dead man say, and who heard him say it?

Because everyone is guilty of something…

Wow what a read! I couldn’t put it down! Twists and turns, lies and deception, suspense and thrills…. There wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t sitting on the edge of my seat or trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

Mackenzie manages to create the perfect anti-hero in Sonia, depicting the lengths we would go to to protect those we love, and does so in her writing with great truth and believability.

Aside from it being a great crime/suspense/thriller, what I loved most about this book is how Mackenzie explores the concept of motherhood and what it means to be a mother.

This can be seen through Sonia’s turbulent and often conflicted relationship with her own mother, her struggles to become a mother herself, her relationships with Jenna an abandoned teen in the clutches of the evil Saul and even Harriet, the only true friend she had whilst in prison; showing us that a mother’s love and bond/maternal instincts and relationships can come in many shapes and sizes.

A fantastic read that I would def recommend and I will absolutely be looking out for other work by Mackenzie in the future.

#bookreviewsbymrsc #safekeeping #evamackenzie

Good book! Wow I really enjoyed reading this book! This book had intrigue, suspense, action, and a great storyline! The villain in this book was a really nasty guy! Some parts were a little brutal but what a great story! I highly recommend reading this one! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you Craven Ink Press and NetGalley for this great thriller read!

Once I read the description of Safekeeping I knew I wanted to read this one.

Sonia is arrested and confesses to the murder of her step sister Emma. She is sent to prison when a series of events start occurring.
While in prison she learns just how evil her stepfather truly is.
When Sonia hears of an mans murder her worst nightmare comes to light and she must escape prison in order to keep her secret she's been hiding from coming out!

This was a four star read for me! I enjoyed everything about the book. The only thing is wished was a tad bit different would be the dragging it felt like at times it was going in circles but that never took away from the story which I enjoyed