I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this audiobook.

I will be honest and say that in the past, I haven't loved this author. I decided to give this one a try because the premise sounded interesting and it was longer than some of her other audiobooks that I listened to.

The narration was fantastic and kept me engaged.

I liked how the genre was a mix of thriller and romance. It had a lot of the classic romance or romcom tropes, but was also an engaging thriller.

I thought that I had the book figured out about halfway through it, but then it took a turn I wasn't expecting. I was pleased that even though it was unexpected, the plot twist still made sense.

I try to pick up any KMod book that comes my way. Even though I haven’t loved everything of hers that I have read, I know it’s going to be entertaining and keep me sucked in. This might be my favorite so far!

I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller, more of a romance with some haunted house elements thrown in. I am not a big romance reader but I loved this one. I really wasn’t expecting it to end the way that it did, and it was great. This book truly has something for everyone - a little spooky, a little spicy, a little twisty.

The narrator is fantastic, I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Hemlock is a suspenseful romance book that has some elements of a thriller but is just too slow of a burn to be a thriller for me.

Maggie buys a home in the small town she grew up in. An old boyfriend Tucker is her neighbor and her best friend Clayton, a country singer still lives in this small town.

The story goes back and forth between the present and 13 years earlier. In the past timeline, Maggie wanted to be with Clayton but the timing never worked out. She starts to fake date Tucker to make Clayton jealous but that grows into more.

In the present day, Maggie is experiencing a lot of strange events in her house and she always has a feeling she is being watched. There is also a mystery surrounding the history of the house.

Honestly, I was bored through a good portion of this book. The past timeline to get all the backstory on the three of them was needed but I was not invested in it. It was the mystery of the house and the history that made this book a must-read. Those twists were not at all what I was expecting.

Pretty interesting and an easy read. More romance than thriller and the “thrilling” parts were kinda all over the place. The characters were enjoyable and the ending was unpredictable which I liked. Full review on instagram

I'll be honest, I'd just about written off Kierseten Modglin as an author that's just not the right fit for me, but when I saw this one available on NetGalley, I was sucked in by the description and cover. And boy was I pleasantly surprised! "Hemlock" has put her books back on my keep-an-open-mind list.

"Hemlock" starts strong with Maggie Ellis arriving back in her hometown, moving into a house she purchased sight unseen. She's shocked to learn that her ex-boyfriend is not only still in town, but is now her next-door neighbor. During her first days in her new home, she finds it isn't just his presence that unsettles her, though, because strange things are starting to happen in her house, too.

I loved that this book was genre bending, with notes of mystery, romance, and even hints of paranormal, too. I was immediately engrossed in it and curious to find out if her house was haunted or if someone was just messing with her. There's a light spice factor with a few open-door scenes, but nothing too over the top for those who prefer to avoid it.

Y’all! When I say this book shook me… this book is easily my top book for the year, No lie! Holy moly! I cannot even put into words how invested I am in Hemlock. I even messaged the author in the middle of the book because I was just so blown away. I did this in audiobook and found myself replaying the chapter because I was like, wait did I hear that right or no way that just happened. I now have a favorite genre, Romantic suspense/thriller. If you are a fan of Verity by CoHo, you will LOVE this one (I actually prefer Hemlock out of the 2).

Hemlock has turn after wild turn, just when I think I have things figured out there’s another element thrown in. I literally went through every emotion reading this book, I cried, laughed, I gasped and I had WTF moments too. The love triangle between Maggie, Tuck and Clayton, had me on edge the entire time waiting to see what happens next. I found myself ready to choke Maggie a couple of times, like yelling, woman, what are you thinking!!

Needless to say I cannot recommend this book more. It’s a sold 8/5 stars!!

The audiobook was narrated by Brittany Pressley, she was amazing. She gave kept me enthralled the entire time. She was able to play each character with such clarity, from the male and female voices. I truly appreciate how she read as a man, some people don’t have it and kinda ruin it for me, but not Brittany. I will definitely listen to her as a narrator again!

Hemlock is a compelling and propulsive novel. And I wouldn't have expected anything less from @kierstenmodglinauthor . In the typical fashion of her other novels, Hemlock hooks you from the beginning, and you can't stop reading.. or, in my case, listening. Even to the point that I risked the safety of my phone and brought it in the shower with me to continue listening uninterrupted. (Thank you, Samsung, for making a water-resistant phone) But unlike her other mystery/ thrillers, this one has more of a romance aspect to it. And I am here for it. Believable characters, dual time, and enough intrigue to make the story interesting and enough romance to make it steamy without being in your face. I think those who are reluctant to read romance will really enjoy this one.

Now, let's talk about the narrator, Brittany Pressley, since I was provided with a free copy of an audiobook through netgalley to review. What a fantastic voice she has. Quality and tone were spot on. I swore that there was a second narrator involved to help with the characters' voices, but no, just one, I double-checked.

This is a fantastic book to pick up if you feel like you are in a readingSlump. It will not disappoint.

WOW! WOW! WOW!
Hemlock whisked me away on a journey of intrigue, thrill and nail biting suspense. I loved this book so much, It is a psychological thriller that makes you feel all sorts of emotions. The plot twist was quite shocking and the narration was pretty amazing. It is a haunting and wonderful book. and i definietly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with the audiobook ARC for this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. I thought this book was the best one I’ve read from this author in a while. I thought the narration was amazing. I loved this plot with the house and all the character developments. The past stories and the current stories ran together amazing. The plot twist was a shocked and helped blend the story together. The romance story in this book was also amazing.

I am a huge Kiersten Modglin fan and have read several of her books but this one takes the cake! This is my favorite one yet!
It had some romance elements which is different than any previous book I've read of hers. It was a slow burn thriller with twist after twist. Then when I thought I had it figured out....holy cow!

I can't recommend this enough!

PS- The narrator is excellent!

Part psychological thriller part romantic suspense this was great on audio narrated by my absolute fav, Brittany Pressley. Highly recommended for fans of authors like Colleen Hoover. This was actually my first book by Kiersten Modglin and definitely won't be my last! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

I usually enjoy Kiersten Modglin's domestic thrillers but this Romance was not for me. I am not a fan of love triangles and I was not interested in the haunted house storyline either. I think i will only pick up her thrillers from now on. I didn't realise this wasn't a thriller based on the cover.

4 stars

I went in blind and boy, the journey this audiobook took me on. The back and forth between then and now plus the mystery of what was going on with the mystery of the house. The murder. The fake dating. Did he do it? Did he not do it? Love.

The whole dynamic between Maggie and Tucker and Clayton was written in such a way that I was tense and felt awkward the whole time. I mean, I love Fake Dating and Forced Proximity, so having those tropes thrown in just made this story perfect. I couldn't stop listening. I blew through the 15 hours in less than 2 days. I literally couldn't stop.

I docked a star only because the whole Angie revelation (to me) felt unneeded. We already had a gripping story within a story and the whole Angie thing seemed not needed and kinda muddled things for me thinking there was more that was going to happen, but nothing really came of it.

I will be recommending this to everyone I know. I've never read a Kiersten Modglin book before, but I've already got a few more picked out to read next.

WHOA! This beautifully woven tale will make it hard for you to put it down. Romantic and full of suspense, twists and turns and an ending that will have you yelling out loud “WHAT JUST HAPPENED”!! I was mesmerized by the unpredictability and beautiful way the lives of the characters were intertwined.
Two people magnetically brought together…. I want to say more but refuse to spoil it for anyone else. Read it… and then you are going to want to read it again!
Put this at the top of your TBR pile!

Suspenseful Psychological Romance Thriller, with a little bit of a haunted house! (;

This is my first Kiersten Modglin book, i will be reading more soon! Absolutely amazing!
First 5 star of December! (: Thank you netgalley & dreamscape media for the ARC of Hemlock!

Thirteen years ago, Maggie Ellis left her small town and vowed to never return.
Now, tragedy has brought her back to Myers, with chilling memories lurking around every corner.
There’s something sinister about her new home… In every room, there is strange sounds, odd smells, and bizarre occurrences only add to her paranoia... What happened here?

Hemlock
By: Kiersten Modglin
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 12-05-23

Following the death of her mother and break up, Maggie Ellis decides to move back to her hometown. The place she left heartbroken thirteen years prior. Wanting a fresh start, she purchases the home she has always been drawn to, although it is a bit of a fixer upper. She reconnects with old friends and is excited for her fresh start back home. Rather quickly, she notices something is not right in her home. Strange unexplainable things start to happen. As she tries to understand what is happening around her, she is also forced to face the issues and people that drove her from town in the first place.

Kiersten Modglin perfectly uses dual POV to really capture the reader/listener's attention. I was lucky enough to get an audio arc and it was fantastic. Brittany Pressley was an amazing narrator, between the story and her reading, I was sucked in immediately. I love thriller books and this has at the perfect amount of romance mixed in to provide a great balance. Hemlock ended up being a one sit listen for me, it was so interesting.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was great! The jumps between past and present kept the story moving quickly and the way things were slowly and artfully revealed was so well done it had me gasping and shouting aloud “what!!?” multiple times. It gave me chills, goosebumps, and made me swoon. 😆 It was the perfect blend of a heart racing thriller and a steamy romance. I will for sure be reading more books by her!

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
This was a fast paced, easy to listen to story. It felt more like a romance gone wrong than a thriller until the last 25%ish of the story but I still really liked it. I wasn't sure which romance novel trope was going to win in the end (friends to lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, etc) but I was pleased with the ending. Is it a ghost story? Maybe. Is it a romance? Kinda. Is it a psychological thriller? A little. The most important thing to know is that the story is interesting and there are a few of the great twists that Kiersten Modglin is known for and I can promise you will not see (most of) them coming!

Review:
I have many thoughts on this. The first and foremost being that this is primarily a romance with a tinge of thriller towards the end, so if you are looking for your next great thriller novel, this is not it. That being said, this is an absolutely FANTASTIC book. A lot of the plot points are pretty predictable, but I was so invested that I didn't really care. I was out shopping and just wanted to get home to come back to the book.
You will hate some of these characters, you will love some of these characters, you will hate to love some of these characters, it's a great combination. The narrator is wonderful, too!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy.

NOTES FOR THE PUBLISHER/AUTHOR:
* This is categorized wrong. I would call this a Romance with a TINY bit of thriller. If I picked this up thinking it was a Thriller I would probably rate it a 1 star. This is super important and something I hope you fix before publication.
* The cover is not it. I actually had no interest in this book based on the cover but wanted to finish my full month of ARCs and requested it (sorry). I ended up loving it, but the cover steered me away for quite a long time. The graphics look like they were quickly made on Microsoft Paint.
* More cover related: the title looks so strange broken up like two words Hem and Lock, instead of Hemlock. This also made it hard to find on Goodreads and other sites.

This book had me UP ALL NIGHT!! The narrator was spot on, the plot had me hooked, and the ending had me swooning! Bravo Kiersten! This might just be my fav one yet!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC of Hemlock!