Member Reviews
Two women starting over because of two very different circumstances find themselves living at the same beat down Sycamores Motel. Cass kicked to the curb by the her two timing scum of a fiancee who left her with nothing and Anna is hunting down leads as to what her late husband's last words really meant. Crossing each other's paths by happenstance but building a great friendship in the process that now holds their deepest darkest secrets.
Seraphina got me, she really got me! No lie I was absolutely bamboozled until that big twist...I MEAN MIND FREAKING BLOWN
Im finding out one of my favorite things to see in a thriller is a well executed layered plot. Yes there is something going on over here and something is going on over there too but how does it all connect?!? The thrill, chase and adrenaline of it all just gives me complete and utter enjoyment. And this book did all of that and so much more.
Your given a large cast of characters that you will learn to love and a couple to loathe but they all are so easy to decipher between each other because each character is given such a unique charismatic personality. Sinatra is probably my new favorite.
It's Jam packed with humor, mystery and intrigue. And although this does carry a few heavy topics and insinuates some unsettling content it's very easy to become addicted and fly through the pages. For real I finished it one sitting because I couldn't fathom tearing my eyes away and not knowing how this ended.
And what a beautiful ending it was
You guys do not sleep on this one or anything Seraphina writes for that matter. Trust me you won't be disappointed
Thank you to Seraphina Nova Glass, Graydon House Books and Netgalley for the advanced stay at the Sycamores. I had the best time and I cannot wait to see what thrills and chill you throw at us next.
This story is told from two different narrators, Anna and Cass. Cass’ world has just fallen apart and she has taken a job at a rundown motel that has been turned into apartments. Anna’s husband has recently killed himself. She decides to move into the cheap apartment he kept as an art studio. This apartment is in this rundown hotel but she wants to understand why he kept this place.
There are quite a few characters in this tale. And I enjoyed every one. I loved the “trailer park” feel! The strangeness and the connections they have to each other is quite amusing. And the author uses each character to help uncover the truth about what is happening at this trailer park…uh..apartment complex!
This story weaves back and forth between Anna and Cass. They each have a different storyline which eventually comes together to catch a killer! Cass is my favorite…she is not really a good person but she just has a charisma you don’t want to miss!
Need a good thriller with unique characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
This book was a lot of fun! I enjoyed the main characters, and the quirky apartment building setting. I would definitely be interested in reading a sequel involving these characters. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Seraphina Nova Glass is one of my favorite authors, and 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝟭𝟬 is a testament to why. I love her writing, and I couldn’t get through it fast enough to find out the connections and what was going to happen. Told in dual POV, this is a fast paced and complex story with an entertaining list of characters. There are so many secrets! I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll just say that if you love psychological and domestic thrillers, suspense, and strong women then you are definitely going to want to read this one!! Thank you to HTP books, htp hive, NetGalley and Graydon House for this ARC!
4.5 Stars!!
This was a really good popcorn thriller full of suspense! I flew through this within a day!
I really enjoyed the plot and the author did a great job revealing everything and tying it up with a satisfying ending. I also loved the setting and the dual POVs.
This was my first by the author, but look forward to reading more!
Recommend checking this one out!🖤
We begin our story from the perspective of Cass. She's the handyma'am at the run-down and creepy low-rent Sycamore apartments, converted from a cheap motel complete with a pool. Cass was unceremoniously kicked out of her house when her slimy boyfriend of six plus years traded her in for a younger model. She gets by on the meager salary (free rent) and a side hustle that may involve blackmail.
Enter Anna. She's a grieving widow. Before dying, Henry called her with a bizarre confession. She decides to investigate, to get answers on her own, and heads to the Sycamore, where Henry was using one of the apartments as an art studio.
There is a lot going on at the Sycamore and Cass and Anna are right at the center. Red herrings galore and whiplash inducing twists. Girl power (Cass really is handy). A very funny Greek chorus of the regulars that play cards, yell at their kids and drink by the pool. A very real feeling of dread, an eerie atmosphere that does make this one feel, at times, like a horror story.
This one was gripping, unpredictable, scary and (at times) laugh out loud funny. I ate it up.
My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.
This thriller that seamlessly weaves a mystery within another mystery is character driven and unputdownable from page one until the end. Anna’s husband makes a confession that he has killed someone and she is determined to follow the clues and find the truth. After all, Henry seemed too mild-mannered to have ever harmed anyone. Part of the mystery is that the characters are not at all how they seem, not all of the narration is reliable, and the reader has to pay attention to details to solve the mystery along with Anna and Cass. The setting of a run-down motel that has seen better days is perfect for the mystery and a great foil for the action of the book. The characters are dynamic, untrustworthy and compelling additions to the story. I did not relate to the characters, but I certainly enjoyed reading their story! The pace is fast with secrets, twists and red herrings, mostly when you least expect them. Just when I thought I knew what was happening and thought I could make a prediction, something changed my mind and I had to start guessing all over again. This is my kind of mystery thriller and a perfect book to read quickly, the only way to read it so that your heart can stop racing before it explodes out of your chest.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Title: The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
Genre: Psychological Crime Thriller
Pub Date: April 9, 2024
⭐️ 5/5
This book was so good, I devoured it in two sittings!
After being dumped by her long time boyfriend, Cass goes from a life of opulence to a dilapidated room and a handyman position at the The Sycamores, a local run-down motel. Here, in a desperate pursuit of additional income and a little vigilante justice, she engages in some questionable activities.
Anna's husband, Henry, an educator and struggling artist, has taken his own life but not before making a final phone call to her in which he confesses to a murder. Unable to accept his demise and driven by an urgent need for answers, Anna visits Henry's art studio located at The Sycamores, seeking any clues that may shed light on the cryptic message he conveyed during their final conversation.
Both women find themselves entangled in a complex web of circumstances, either running from secrets or desperate to unearth them.
Thank you so much NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the digital review copy 🫶❣️
TW: suicide, miscarriage
#TheVacancyInRoom10 #netgalley #netgalleyarc #arcreader #thriller #crimethriller #thrillerbooks
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing for the book #TheVacancyInRoom10 by SeraphinaNovaGlass. This book is a stories of different people’s lives and how they all connect. Anna is trying to find out why her husband killed himself and why he chose this run down motel to use for his paintings. Who was involved? Did he commit suicide? Who can she trust? This book had me sucked in from start to finish and I could not believe how it unfolds. Highly recommend!
Thank you to @NetGalley, @htpbooks and @htp_hive, @seraphinanovaglass and @thrillerbookloversthepulse for my #gifted copy to review!
Cheating spouses. Blackmail. Murder. Lies. Secrets. A TWIST that you did not see coming ... this had it all!
The Sycamores, a very run-down old hotel converted into apartments. A mix of tenants: creepy guy next door, nosy and needy old woman, girlfriends/wives/mothers that spend their days at the pool yelling at their kids, new comers, Cass and Anna.
Cass, cheated on and kicked out of her beautiful home and luxurious life has found herself at the Sycamores, running it. She maintains and manages the run down apartments all while blackmailing cheating scum.
Anna, new widow, finds herself at the Sycamores while she cleans out her husbands apartment/studio and waits out the sale of her house. Anna is trying to find answers. Her husband committed suicide or so she thought until the police reveal that's not what really happened. She is determined to uncover her husband's secrets and his murderer.
This book met my very high expectations! As a huge fan of the author, I have been anticipating this lovely thriller and she did not disappoint! NAIL BITING and so intense! I flew through the pages like they were air! An incredible thrilling read!
This was a fun one - talk about being hooked from the first page! I stayed up late to finish it because I didn’t want to wait any longer to find out what was going to happen. Cass and Anna were great MCs and it was fun to see them work through their problems. The two main plotlines connect well in the end and I enjoyed how I was wrong about who I thought the responsible party was.
Cass finds herself in the worst place she could have imagined. It is a far cry from the fabulous home she used to live in, that bears the mark of her skill as a Handy Ma'am. Her ex has replaced her with a newer and younger model, and Cass has nothing to her name. Working maintenance in exchange for a place to live, Cass meets all sorts of people, most of whom are hiding something.
I actually really enjoyed this book. I caught myself thinking about it during the day while I was doing other things in my life. I was so excited for the mystery to unravel and be solved. Cass is rough around the edges but we find out why that is and it makes her almost lovable.
The pool girls were my favourite. They made me giggle nearly every chapter and were just exactly what a raw fun group of friends are meant to be, chasing each others kids and making everything into a joke.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Vacancy in Room 10 is now available in your favourite bookseller or local library.
My review can be viewed at my blog: https://adustibookshelf.ca/2024/04/09/the-vacancy-in-room-10-seraphina-nova-glass/ and will be featured on my Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/a_dusti_bookshelf/ on April 10 2024
If you like thrillers then you’ve got to read this fun, fast paced, page turner! The characters are a lot of fun and keep you guessing as to who did what and wondering who can you trust. I loved the found family and friendships these characters developed by the end of the story! The story is told with dual POV’s in an entertaining, twisty, binge worthy way. Definitely a must read for all thriller lovers.
4.5 stars, rounded way up for "The Vacancy in Room 10" by new-to-me author, Seraphina Nova Glass! This is what I call a thriller - what a thrill ride, WOW!!! Highly recommend to all fans of the genre & I don't want to spoil anything for others, but it's incredibly twisty, and the seedy motel setting was perfection. The two alternating POV's were both well-written & also made it hard to trust either. This one should do really well once it's published! My sincere thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the complimentary DRC that blew my mind - my sincere pleasure to review it!!!
The beginning of this book I absolutely loved but the more I read the more I felt like this story is taking a turn I don’t like. By the ending of this book I felt distracted and not interested. It’s an easy read however the ending to me seemed ridiculous and far fetched.
Two different women's life's fall apart leading them to a hotel turned cheap apartment complex. Than their lives become intertwined with twist and turns of how they got there.
I could not stop reading this..
Unbelievable!!!! I can't get this one out of my mind! One of the Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2024!!! Definitely one of my Top books this year!!
What a dynamic, can't put down mystery!!! Do we really know the person we live with??
Anna receives a desperate call from her husband Henry apologizing that he killed someone, then she hears a bang and the line goes dead. When she thinks he dies of an apparent suicide, his body washes up on the shore with the detectives saying otherwise. She travels to his art studio he is renting in a run down motel made into apartments, The Sycamores. The broken individuals who live in this complex are memorable characters. Pool moms, screaming kids, drug dealers and Friday cookouts that make up some of the most "eclectic mix of residents" down on their luck, but make it work with the cards they've been dealt. The characters are well written and make up a fabulous mystery with little to go on and skeptic untrustworthy characters Anna finds it hard to get information about this man she thought she knew. When threatening notes arrive on her doorstep, she begins to look deeper into the squalor.
Then there is Cass trying to make the best of her world after her cheating ex has dumped her for a younger girl. She left behind her designer wear, gorgeous home and travel agendas to move into the only thing she could afford...the apartment 100 with a zero missing. She works as the motel manager fixing clogged drains and other disgusting necessities. She has conned a few bad men for money until one scam turns deadly...now she is hiding among the other tenants. One scene of her taking them to an invitation only high scale party with her friends that betrayed her will have you laughing, cringing and hiding. There are a lot of highlights that build up on the next to create a fantastic mystery with twists and shocking, powerful moments.
Thank you so much NetGalley, Edelweiss, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you HTP Hive, Graydon House, HTP Book for my #gifted copy of The Vacancy In Room 10! #HiveInfluencer
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐈𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟎
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐚 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
Trust me when I say you are going to want to get your hands on this book ASAP! This one is SO good! This was my first book by Seraphina Nova Glass but guarantee it will not be my last! This book was epic! It was so perfectly paced and just so good!
I found the people at the Sycamores to be so amazing and I could not get enough of them. I found myself just loving so much about this book and could not read it fast enough! There were SO MANY TWISTS! SO MANY! I did not see any of them coming. I also LOVED the alternating POVs between Cass and Anna. This is such a bingeworthy book and it is going to be one of my favorite thrillers of the year. It is a must read!
🔑The Sycamores
🔑Dual POV
🔑Blackmail
🔑So Many Twists!
🔑Amazing Characters!
🔑Bingeworthy
Posted on Instagram - Currently Reading- March 21, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
Posted on Goodreads on April 7, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- April 9, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on April 9, 2024
**-will post on designated date
Wow, this action packed thriller has everything. Suicide, murder, affairs, drugs, crazy characters, everything you need for a gripping thriller. The story is told from two points of view. The handy ma’am of the motel turned apartments and the widow of one of the residents. I had a lot of theories throughout of what was going on but most were wrong. The ending comes together so nicely and shockingly at the same time. Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy!
*it was stated at one point crystal had 3 kids under 5 but then later in the book her kids are older, I believe 6 and 7. Given this is an arc, I’m sure that’ll be fixed in the final copy but it was something that stuck out to me.
The Vacancy in Room 10 didn’t wow me nor keep my attention, I was easily distracted from reading. It was a slow read and impractical. However, I did finish it because I was waiting for the OMG moment. The story line is told by two women at the Sycamore apartment complex. The Sycamore was a hotel and converted into low rent apartments.
Cass was cast out by her “friends” when her live in boyfriend finds a much younger girlfriend. Not only does she have to start over with a blind sided broken heart but a castaway from all ties linked to him. Cass relies on her tools of the trade “handy ma’am” and becomes a live in rent free manager at the apartments. She has lowered her standards and uses blackmailing as an income. She seems to know and see a lot going on at the complex, hence giving her insight.
Anna’s husband rented a unit that he used as his art studio. Anna moves into his unit after the dreadful call she received from him. He said someone died because of him and he couldn’t handle the emotional trauma and guilt. His body is found and presumed suicide. However, the investigation looks more like homicide.
The storyline with the ladies at the pool and their kids swimming was real. Cartel played a part in the storyline and just became to far fetched and unrealistic.
Maybe I had higher standards because of the reviews and most anticipated book. . . To many absurd situations.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/Graydon House