Member Reviews
**3.5-stars rounded up**
Kira has a missing daughter. Aden has a missing father. Grace was a missing girl once. These individuals have something else in common, Rock Harbor, Maine.
Welcome to Rock Harbor, a quaint tourist town with a seedy side. The drug scene is rampant, strip clubs and sex workers lining the streets and it seems everyone is keeping secrets.
When Kira's daughter Brooke wanted to move to Rock Harbor to live with a boy she used to know in the summers, Kira was completely against it. But Brooke is technically an adult so she couldn't stop it. After Brooke disappears, Kira returns to the family cabin to begin the search herself. No one else will search for her daughter like she will. They'll consider her a runaway, or worse, a throwaway.
When Aden hears his father has disappeared, he doesn't believe it. Surely Dad has gone fishing or something and forgot to pass the message along to Mom. 70-something year old men don't just go missing, do they? Even though he suspects it's a big fuss over nothing, Aden dutifully returns to his family home in the town he happily left years before, Rock Harbor.
From the safety of the cocoon she has built for herself in the hotel she runs, Grace knows nothing of the missing people. It's the off-season, there are no guests and she's not talking to anyone on the outside. Since her own horrifying experience as a missing person, Grace avoids all media outlets and really, the outside world in general. She very rarely leaves the hotel grounds.
As the Reader, you get a front row seat as these three individual's lives are set on a collision course with one another. Who will survive the vanishing hour?
I was entertained by this one. It drew me in and I finished it quickly. While it isn't my favorite from this author, I would recommend it to Readers who enjoy stories with a gritty small town feel, full of dark secrets, deceptions and lies. We get to see the underbelly of Rock Harbor in this story and it's not pretty. Also, a great example of how monsters can hide in plain sight.
Initially, I felt a little thrown by the number of perspectives. I wasn't sure how they were related, or how they would ever be able to merge in a meaningful way. Glass succeeded in pulling it off. I felt like I really got to know our three mains and surprisingly, I was equally invested in all three of their stories, which was a plus.
In addition to enjoying watching the perspectives come together, I liked watching their relationships evolve. As they saw a similar plight in one another, and began to open up to one another, I felt that really added to the story. Also, I always enjoy amateur investigators and this story definitely has that!
There were some twists I found surprising and some that I was a little underwhelmed by. I did like how this one wrapped up though. It was a wholly-satisfying ending. I will say, as someone from Maine, this didn't feel like Maine at all, like not at all, but I understand artistic license and know that the author intended this as a fictional town. So, I tried to pretend it was just somewhere else entirely. It felt more like the red light district of Montreal.
Overall, besides the fact that I was thrown by the setting, it was a pretty entertaining read and I would recommend it to people looking for a twisty, suspenseful tale.
Thank you to the publisher, Graydon House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am looking forward to more from this author!
Wow this book kept me reading right through! I finished in 24 hours because it was so bingeable from the get go. I loved all of the different points of view. My favorite character was Kira who would do absolutely anything to find out what happened to her daughter. It was a good mystery/thriller. I lived the remote Maine setting too. Definitely recommend for a good summer read!
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my digital copy of this book.
I enjoyed the mystery surrounding a final girl, a town with a history of disappearances, and a killer amongst them all. The beginning had me a bit confused until I learned more about each POV. The storyline is intriguing enough and I wanted to know how these people connected and linked to the mysterious disappearances.
My only quip with the characters is that there wasn’t much depth to any of them so I never connected or necessarily liked them. As for the big reveal, I didn’t put it together and I had previously questioned each character as the culprit. This book is a good option for a quick popcorn thriller.
This was my first by this author and I was blown away. Loved this one! It was super suspenseful, and had quite a few twists that I was not expecting. I thought I had things figured out but was still questioning my theories until the end. Told through the POV of three MC. These characters felt very real and their emotions are very understandable. I will definitely read more by this author.
Out May 30.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads and Amazon.
I was very excited to get a copy of this book to review. I loved the author's previous book On a Quiet Street. This book was very entertaining but the ending was disappointing. 4 stars. I look forward to more from this author.
The Vanishing Hour by Seraphina Nova Glass grabbed me and did not let go. I read this in one sitting. It follows a group of people who are linked by mysterious disappearances taking place in Rock Harbor. Grace is a survivor of the man who is terrorizing the town and she is still dealing with the trauma years after, unable to identify him. Kira’s daughter Brooke has gone missing and she is desperate to find her. Aden’s father is also missing, along with his father’s friend. This group comes together to try to find answers to what is happening. Part of the book takes place at an off-season hotel that has one guest, which creates a suspenseful feeling reminiscent of The Shining. The main characters are well developed, human, but still likeable. A problem I have when I read books of this genre is that I tend to see the twists coming or solve the mystery early on. That was not the case here. I suspected multiple people, but wasn’t sure who it would be. I didn’t foresee one of the big twists or expect the way this story would play out. I enjoyed how we saw different perspectives throughout. I loved reading this book. This was my introduction to this author and now I fully intend to read more of her work. There were a few little things that I think needed better editing, but I was reading an advance copy, so my hope is that those are corrected when it is released. I may have to buy a hardcover of it for my library, I enjoyed it so much. This is a 4.5/5 star read for me. The Vanishing hour will be released tomorrow, May 30th 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review will be posted on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline
Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
The Vanishing Hour is the first book I've read by Seraphina Nova Glass and I was blown away! I always love a thriller told from multiple perspectives. I loved how everything tied together. The hidden secrets, twists, and figuring out how Grace's past connects to the present circumstances of Kira's missing daughter. This book was SO good! Glass kept me engaged with her writing the entire time. Now to dive into her other books!
Ever since Grace Holloway barely survived a kidnapping, she's kept her distance from society, running a small inn in Rock Harbor Maine and avoiding news and social media. But the arrival of a new guest brings the outside world to her, along with the fear and flashbacks. Aidan's father Martin has disappeared and another teenager has gone missing. The circumstances just seem too similar to what Grace herself went through.
This story is told from three different POV: Grace from both past and present, Aiden searching for his missing father while trying to keep his emotionally unstable mother and brother safe, and Kira, the mother of missing girl Brooke determined to find her before it's too late. I was convinced that I knew the kidnapper early on, but there were plenty of twists and turns to make me doubt my hunch. This was a really great thriller that I read in one night!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
After reading Seraphina Nova Glass’s On a Quiet Street, I was beyond excited to get approved for The Vanishing Hour on NetGalley. And, boy, was I blown away by this one as well! With a deftly engineered plot told via multiple POVs, Glass managed to guide me along like a talented magician—focusing my attention elsewhere while the truth evaded my eyes. Ever the accomplished armchair sleuth (if I do say so myself), I still was at a total loss until the actual reveal, which is a fact that I have to loudly applaud Ms. Glass for achieving.
I also have to mention the utterly sublime characters. From an anxiety ridden shut in to a dread-filled mother, each read with genuine authenticity in their own ways. Even better, each POV had a distinct voice and identity that left me drawing detailed pictures of each individual in my mind. Beyond that, the emotion that seemed to roll off of each of them left me moved in a way that is unusual for a thriller and I certainly won’t forget any of them any time soon.
But I cannot forget the jaw-dropping twist either. As I mentioned, I didn’t, for the life of me, see it coming. Especially given the high number of red herrings and potential suspects. I mean, I honestly felt like I couldn’t trust anyone and that’s a great sign of a top-notch thriller in my book.
The only teensy, weensy problem I had with the entire storyline was the climax. It sort of came out of left field and felt decidedly over-the-top at times. On top of that, it didn’t read as entirely legit either. Somehow, while the who felt like the real deal, the how and why just didn’t. I can’t explain or I’ll completely spoil the plot, but trust me, it didn’t quite live up to the quality of the start and end of the book.
All said and done, however, this one was a home run for me. Compulsively readable, thoroughly twisty, and filled with finely tuned suspense, The Vanishing Hour has made the decision for me: Glass has most definitely made my auto-buy author list. If you’ve missed out so far with this read, take this as your push to go grab a copy today. Rating of 4.5 stars.
Trigger warning: kidnapping, PTSD, being held captive, drug use, mention of: prostitution, sexual assault
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of The Vanishing Hour! I found all the characters in this story very likeable and relatable and enjoyed how all of their separate point of views eventually weaved themself into one cohesive story. After On A Quiet Street and The Vanishing Hour, Seraphina Nova Glass has become an auto-add author for me! 4.5 stars rounded up.
Thank you to Seraphina Nova Glass, #NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this advance copy of The Vanishing Hour to be published May 30, 2023. Glass never fails to entertain in a suspenseful way. The novel was told from three POVs and each chapter added a little more flavor to the pot. The characters were real and I really wanted good things for them and especially Grace, whose life had been upended early on. Five stars for this sensational thriller.. #NetGalley. #SeraphinaNovaGlass. #HarlequinTradePublishing
I read a pretty harsh critique of this book prior to starting it and I really kept the points in mind while I read and I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t as bothered as that reader by some of her main points. It’s a story about a woman searching for her missing daughter, a man dealing with his missing father, and a woman who was kidnapped in the past and trying to live in sweet isolation. All of these people come together and realize they are more connected than they all thought. This story is a classic thriller told from the point of view of these three people. It had a reasonable amount of suspense and the classic “who done it” vibe. The ending was decent. It had its own sweet bits of justice but also was lacking in some bits of resolution. It was overall a quick read, captured my interest, and was a very good thriller!
Oh my goodness!!! I fell in love with author’s books when I read On A Quiet Street. The Vanishing Hour absolutely does not disappoint. It was a crazy and twisty thriller that I could not stop reading.
Thank you so much for the ARC of this book to read and review. It is a 5-star read for me!
Thank you Netgallery and Harlequin Trade publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.
I feel like I had a hard time staying on track as this story was told from multiple POVs. I did enjoy the idea of the story but I didn’t enjoy how back and fourth it was. The layout wasn’t my personal favorite. I downloaded this on my kindle and the chapters weren’t clearly separated so I felt like I was reading an almost ongoing story. Could just be poorly formatted due to it being an ARC maybe?
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing.
Missing persons, hidden secrets, and twists from every angle. Seraphina Nova Glass has mastered thriller and suspense writing.
This was amazing. It is a true mystery with three different perspectives. Grace is dealing with her own abduction. Keri is searching for her daughter, and Aden is looking for his missing dad.
You get a few clues but basically you have no idea what is going on. Every new character add depth to the story.
There are some good disturbing parts that I was really into.
Thank you for ARC! I could not put this book down ! Definitely kept me interested! The story behind each character and how it all ties together was brilliant ! 5 stars and I definitely recommend this book, you will not be disappointed!
Oh my goodness was this book a tangled web! First off, I always love thrillers set in New England because it always just feels right. In the backwoods of Maine is such a perfect setting. Kira and Aden working together to find their missing family members and how intricately laced their stories are without them even knowing was very well written. My favorite character is for sure Grace who is an amazing young woman, came from tragedy and ends up being the one to crack the mystery wide open.
I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book and when I got to Chapter 33 I actually said “WHAT?!?” out loud. A great ending and resolution for a wild story.
5 ⭐️'s
This book is unique in it's own way. I looked at the Amazon page of this and I couldn't agree more with Liv Constantine's line about this book because they are absolutely correct! I absolutely LOVED the story and the fact that I didn't see the twists or turns coming. I also enjoyed the characters in their own unique ways as well. The way Seraphina Nova Glass builds her characters, her plots, and her storyline are absolutely amazing and uniquely done in a way you don't see very often. This book absolutely engrossed me for a first read from this author and I'm so excited to read more from her! I will definitely be re-reading this book again because in my ARC copy I was missing pages or pages were blacked out so I kind of only got have the story. I will be buying the kindle version of this as soon as possible after it releases.
I'd highly recommend this book to others!
Kira's daughter is missing.
Adan's father is missing.
Grace was once taken and is now trying to live a normal life.
All three of them come together in this new thriller!
There was a lot to like in this book!
First, there are multiple POVs. You get to follow all three of the main characters as they first individually try to solve the mystery of the disappearing people. By the end, they had come together which is even better.
The setting has an eerie feeling to it. Between the seedy strip to the lake cabins and empty inn, each set the scene and added a creepy factor.
I liked all of the characters, especially Kira. You can feel Kira's desperation to find her daughter. And as she starts finding out things that she doesn't want to know, it grows more and more.
This trippy thriller reads like a Netflix mini-series, with multiple characters each with their own purposes.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the gifted copy.