Ana Blacksmith has gathered her closest friends and sister, Vera, for a brunch to celebrate her recent breakup with her boyfriend, Paul. But when shocking news about Paul arrives, all eyes are on Ana, the angry ex with a bad reputation. Suspicions only intensify when Ana’s best friend falls deathly ill after the brunch.

But Ana is not the only one who has a score to settle with Paul. As the investigation unfolds, rumors of a secret network that uses ancient methods to obtain justice begin to emerge. Vengeance is sweet, but it can also be deadly. Ana and Vera are determined to find the truth before Ana takes the fall and their own long-buried history comes to light.

This was my first time reading this author, and unfortunately, it was a complete disaster. I had heard so many great things about her books, which makes this all the more disappointing, but this one just did not work for me at all.

To start, there was absolutely nothing thrilling about this so-called “thriller.” No suspense, no tension, no heart-pounding moments. It felt flat, drab, and honestly pretty boring. At its core, it reads more like a straightforward mystery where you are simply trying to figure out who killed the victim introduced at the beginning. There is also quite a bit of cursing and vulgar language throughout. While there are no open-door scenes, there is some suggestive dialogue, so I would personally rate it at about one pepper.

Another major issue was the overwhelming number of characters and points of view. There were far too many to keep track of, and not nearly enough depth given to any of them. Because of that, I never connected with a single character. In fact, I found them all insufferable, jaded, and difficult to spend time with. The final reveal didn’t help matters either. It felt underwhelming and, frankly, a bit ridiculous. All I could think was: two wrongs do not make a right.

One element that really caught me off guard was the addition of witchcraft. There is a heavy focus on plants, flowers, and herbal remedies, along with a group referred to as “The Cove” (aka a coven). There are even voodoo dolls and potion-making woven into the story. While I don’t necessarily mind those elements in the right context, they felt out of place here and didn’t add anything meaningful to the plot. If anything, it made the story feel even more scattered. The winter setting could have made for a great seasonal read, but even that wasn’t enough to elevate it.

The biggest issue, and the main reason this ended up as a one-star read for me, was the heavy-handedness of the woke agenda and messaging. Instead of focusing on telling a compelling story, the book constantly veers into lecturing the reader. The themes are delivered in such an overt, forceful way that it completely pulls you out of the narrative. Rather than feeling organic, it comes across as preachy and overwhelming, which makes it difficult to stay engaged. Almost every hot topic was covered, including feminism, racism, gender ideology (there are gay characters and a transgender character), anti-patriarchy, and pro-abortion. At its peak, the story devolves into what feels like outright male-bashing from a deeply scarred and wounded perspective. Please leave political and social commentary out of fiction!! Readers pick up books to escape for a few hours, not to be lectured. No one enjoys feeling preached at.

Overall, this was a huge disappointment and easily one of the worst books I’ve read this year. I cannot recommend it. I might consider trying one of the author’s earlier works at some point, but after this experience, I’m very, very hesitant.