Well it was another triumph for CJ Skuse, I absolutely love the Sweatpea series and this is another great read. The writing is razor sharp, hilarious and dark as hell. It's a dream combination for me and Rhiannon has been so well fleshed out over the series that it's impossible not to be in love with her. The latest instalment which I hope won't be the last is set in the US with Rhiannon now engaged to Rafe, a man it seems might be the perfect match. As Rhiannon's days since last kill increase, she is put to the test by the various tormentors around her and Rafe.
A fantastic read! Thanks for the opportunity for an advanced copy.

Rhiannon is finally back! She's back with a new name, fiance and a healthy no-kill streak. She may be a dangerous killer but she's fabulous with a wickedly dark sense of humour and a strong sense of loyalty to those who deserve it (especially children and dogs).

The ending though...Ms Skuse you are a fiend. I already cannot wait for the next installment.

Thank you to Net Galley and HQ for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I read and loved the previous books in this series and have waited so long for this one! It was definitely worth the wait. I’ve always liked Rhiannon, but found myself liking her even more in this book. I’m not going to mention the plot, because I don’t want to spoil anything, other than to say I wasn’t expecting the ending! I cannot wait for the next one - keep them coming! It’s already preordered for my own bookshelf and for my mum - she loves this series as much as I do. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Rhiannon is back! And she is as authentic and inappropriate as ever - I hope she never changes.
I enjoyed this latest instalment of Sweetpea more than the last: in fact, I think it’s the best one yet. Rhiannon (aka Ophelia) is older, there’s been the pandemic, she’s in a new country - but she still makes her hate lists.
No spoilers, but it’s worth reading for the scene in the wedding shop cubicle alone!!

I was kindly given a Kindle copy of 'Thorn in my side' by @netgalley. To say I was excited when I had the accepted email was an understatement! I've loved this series.

My favourite serial killer is back!

Rhiannon (or now known as Ophelia) is now living a normal life and has found a man and a family unit she loves. But can love stop her, or will it be an encouragement? Or could it be an element of both?

I enjoyed this book as much as the previous 3. @ceejayismeeejay has such a talent when writing these books. I feel this book did bring a lot of Rhiannon's softer side, although we still got to see the side of her in all the other books.

If you're a fan of the previous 3 books, get your pre orders in now!! Go on, Christmas treat! You're going to love it.

Publish date: 28 Dec 2023

Serial killers deserve love too!
Rhiannon - or Ophelia - is finally going to get married soon! She hasn’t killed in over 800 days, but really who’s counting.
It was a refreshing change of perspective following the killer instead of a victim or investigator.
The sweet vigilante justice our antihero seeks can only be applauded!

To say I was over the moon to be accepted for this book would be an understatement. I am obsessed with the first three books in this series and could now wait to get my hands on this. So much so that I started this book as soon as I was accepted and put my others on hold.

The book is different to the other three and we get to see a completely new side to Rhiannon. A side that if I'm honest didn't know existed. Although this book was not what I was expecting it was nice to see how Rihannon's life had turned out since the last book.

It's a nice, easy must read for all the Sweet Pea fans out there and I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts then this book is released into the world! C J Skuse will always be one of my favourite authors.

I finished Thorn in my Side late last night because Rhiannon/Ophelia just wouldn't let me go to sleep. A dark, hilarious, enthralling ride that gave me palpitations, Thorn in my Side does not disappoint.

The book we've all been eagerly awaiting is upon us and after much anticipation I was able to slide back into the mind of my absolute favourite serial killer.

Despite trying to live a 'normal' life Rhiannon or should I say Ophelia still struggles daily with many unhinged thoughts about people... mostly about killing them! As per the others books in this series each chapter begins with The List which is pretty self explanatory - it's the people she wants to kill.

I think what makes this series so enjoyable is I like many others can scarily relate to our main protagonist... people aren't they just so annoying. Like I literally could write A list too.... I just couldn't carry it out! Ha ha!!

I know so many people who are looking forward to this one and I hope they enjoy this 4th installment of Sweetpea just as much as I did.

Rhiannon is now in a remarkably stable stage of life, happily shacked up with Rafael, and having gone 800 days without murdering anyone. A major milestone, indeed!

Unfortunately, events are about to conspire to hurl her off that wagon. Her sister-in-law (to be) has an unpleasant experience with an abusive ex, leading Rhiannon back into her bad (?) ways with the ensuing murder and mayhem you would expect.

Not having read the previous books it took a little bit of time to settle into this one. but its a rollicking ride, with oodles of humour and some serious sarcasm. And if it requires a suspension of disbelief, surely that's a good thing! It gets 3.5 stars.

Thorn in My Side by CJ Skuse
I give this book 4.5 stars.

Rhiannon Lewis thought she had it all, she’s found happiness with her fiancé Rafael and his family.
After over 800 days without murdering anyone, she might have finally turned over a new leaf.
That is until her soon-to-be sister-in-law has a run in with her abusive ex, and Rhiannon rediscovers her taste for revenge……

The serial killer we all love (but shouldn’t) is back!
I have waited far too long for instalment 4 of the exceptional series,this is one that I advise you read in order and is not for the faint hearted!
Told in diary format we are once again being entertained within the head of psychopath Rhiannon aka Sweetpea (or Ophelia as she’s now known) Be prepared for kill lists,observational humour and random thoughts on life in general, along with murder,revenge and love.
Darkly funny ,deadly sarcasm and addictively twisted……. Pure escapism,more please!
With thanks to Netgalley,CJ Skuse and HQ Digital for my chance to read and review this book

Having read, and thoroughly enjoyed Sweetpea and In Bloom, I was a bit surprised to see I had missed book three (Dead Head). It appears this was a ‘boo-boo’ as it was hard to understand the events that had led to where Rhiannon is at the beginning of book four. As the tale rolls on it became less of an issue, however, I would recommend that the books are read in order, to fully appreciate them.

As per the other books I have read, each chapter opens with ‘Ophelia’s’ current 'kill list', I really like this, and it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Following the ‘kill list’ the book is presented in diary format – again this is something I really like, and as per the rest of the series the plot is extremely dark and murderous but is sprinkled with (dark) humour! I have to say, I found this instalment less gripping than the other two I have read, I guess part of that is since the premise isn’t as powerful this time around…

I have no doubt that this book will be a massive success and that die-hard fans will love the cliff-hanger ending, which tees things up smoothly for a further book.

So glad to be back with my favourite serial killer who is still on the run and, unbelievably, she is still on the wagon! Over 800 days since she last got the urge to murder and she is all loved up and about to settle down with fiance Raf, but can she ignore what is happening to Raf's sister and maintain her streak? While also staying off determined Detective Gericault's radar and blocking out news from back home?

This is the fourth in this brilliant series and Rhiannon is back and as funny and foul-mouthed as ever. It still feels a little bit concerning how much I identify with her and I could honestly write almost all of her brilliant lists myself! It is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but having loved rhe series since Sweetpea, I have loved seeing the growth of this excellent character and after that ending... bring on book 5!

Love the Sweetpea series, Rhiannon is a serial killer you can relate to!
Rhiannon is now living in America as Ophelia White, she has a new life with a new fiancé and his family but how long can she last until she kills again?
Wickedly good.

Rhiannon Lewis is back after what seems like an extended break, in this 4th book in the Swetpea series,

It’s very easy and quick to slip back into the mind and world of our favourite unhinged serial killer.
The world is now coming out of the Covid Pandemic and Rhiannon is under the radar, trying to be good and living a new life….. but predictably for Rhiannon that hunger is there and it can’t be tamped down forever.

All of the trademark that made the series popular are here, the cutting wit and humour, the scathing, brutal outlook on life, and the thirst to kill.

In that sense it’s not particularly new anymore. It’s not as fresh or fun as it was and often feels like CJ Skuse is just looking for laughs. The plotting however is top notch without being over complicated and it is still fun to read.

Does it break ground again? Certainly not, is it a good read? Definitely..
At the end of the day if it’s not broke don’t fix it is the name of the game here and with a jaw dropping cliff hanger to see the final pages out, I will be back for the inevitable book 5. Though how much more can be wrung out of the character is anybody’s guess.

I loved the previous 3 books and couldn’t wait to get my mitts on this. It was every bit as wonderful as I expected it to be. However, whilst contemplating my review i found myself thinking how to describe this book? Awesome? Hilarious? Not for the easily offended? How can a book about a female serial killer have you thinking that there is a bit of Rhiannon in all of us? I certainly find myself sniggering in agreement at her ‘lists’ at the beginning of each chapter. I was sniggering away at Rhiannon describing herself as Grogu/Baby Yoda, and Raf as the Mandalorian.
In short these books are amazing - more please!

Can it really be true that everyone's favourite serial killer, Sweetpea, is on the wagon? It's been 831 days since her last kill and she's determined to be the woman that her sweet fiance Raf thinks she is. But then wife abuser Edo starts making trouble for Raf's sister, and Rhiannon, aka Sweetpea, aka Ophelia is on the warpath. As things escalate, will she be able to keep her past life as a vigilante killer of sex offenders hidden from Raf? Or even evade the justice that constantly tails her in the form of dogged detective Gericault? Life's just murder!
I was blown away by the first Sweetpea book, and this fourth one in the series is equally as good. It's funny, fast-paced and thrilling, and Rhiannon is as foul-mouthed and forthright as ever, but she is growing, too, as a person. CJ Skuse's genius as a writer makes her a believable and vulnerable character, and never more so than in this book where she has finally found love and a family, and is in danger of losing it all.
The story is not for the easily offended - there's lots of sex, swearing and violence in the narrative - but it is definitely for any reader who likes a book with a thrilling plot, an emotive pull to the main character, and a completely different take on the crime fiction genre.
That's me - I love Sweetpea and I always will.
I'd give this more than five stars if I could.
Roll on the next book in the series.

I love Sweetpea. You might think that four books about the love child of Dexter & Gone Girl would be too much, but you’d be wrong. Rhiannon is an anti-hero, and she’s a masterclass in a character being really quite unlikeable, but still a compelling read. Skuse has a wonderful turn of phrase which has me snorting with laughter even though what the character has just said is patently awful. I enjoyed this book, and I look forward to more in the series.

There's no easy way to say this, but I share far too many thoughts in common with the hero of this book. People can be so annoying. And I'm so glad that everyone's favourite serial killer hero, Rhiannon Lewis, is back in this, the long-awaited fourth instalment, where each chapter opens with Rhiannon's current wishful 'kill list'. She's been doing this since way back, since we were first introduced to her in the brilliant Sweet Pea, so while she's a little more grown up now, living in California, and has a new family, those evil thoughts are still hanging on in there and we just know something is going to trigger her...any...day...now... With some wicked observations, Thorn in My Side pretty much follows on from Dead Head - like any ongoing series, it probably add to the enjoyment to have read them in order, for context, but if you haven't yet, just dive in - then make time to catch up on all Rhiannon's encounters. With Thorn in my Side, I particularly loved the anticipation - she's a serial killer, so she's not going to be baking cookies! And boy oh boy, when the rollercoaster crests that peak, the adrenaline rush just keeps on going. And to cap it off, we're left dangling - Sweet Pea will return...

My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Ophelia/Rhiannon is back and she gets right to it!

Sharp, incisive, gruesome, funny and quick as hell, which is quite the feat when she hasn't killed in 800 days.

Every other character in this book is written so well that even Rhi can't outshine them, I wanted to hear all about them and her new life.

I need the next book quickly.

Perfect and great for fans of a snarky narrative.