Diana is desperate for somewhere to live and a change in circumstances forces her to return home with her young daughter Ryder. The living arrangements aren’t ideal as her father Frank drinks too much and seems to live on alcohol, sausages and beets. Family secrets are revealed and strange events take place which could be life threatening.
The spark between Diana and the local deputy was unexpected and different from the standard storyline.
I found Ryder to be a bit precocious, rude and asked a lot of questions . Most of the time she spoke like an older person and I couldn’t decide if she was very clever or just spoilt.
I enjoyed the change from the usual zombie story and the characters had plenty of personality even if I didn’t take to some.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I’ve read a couple books by Ronica Black that I’ve enjoyed but unfortunately this wasn’t one of them. Perhaps it was the subject matter but I just couldn’t get into this story. Will continue to read her work though because I do generally like this author.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

when diana and ryder were on their way to dianas childhood home to move in with her father... they were viciously attacked...

mel the officer who hoped to be in charge was taken off the case from her parents interreference but she still visited diana...

ryder went to live with her grandfather on the farm but he had very strict rules ones she didnt really understand and ones he wouldnt explain

this one is a strange read and one i struggled with... though some might like it.... curses and zombies galore

I really liked this story. From the very first chapter I was hooked. This was such a great story from beginning to the end. This story had great characters and an even better plot line. As the story went on things got even better and better. The ending was just perfect. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family and I look forward to what's next from this author.

This was a fun change of pace story from the romance novels I usually read.
very slowly it revealed the mystery chapter by chapter. And then the last few chapters get very exciting and I couldn't read fast enough. It was pretty scary.
The action scenes were written very well. I could picture everything that was happening. The characters are very real also. The two main characters are the grandpa and the kid. The two of them are entertaining and carry the story. There is a mini romance but mostly about the growth of a family.
All in all an entertaining read.

An unusual farm and a return home all wrapped up in a terrifying novel. Those interested in rural horror stories will love this.

You can guess the content in some ways from the title but there’s so much more to this than the curse on the Dillon land. The star of the story has to be Ryder. Ryder and her mother Diana are heading to the farm owned by Diana’s father. It’s not the best choice but their options are limited and Diana says it’s only till they find their feet. Eleven year old Ryder is not happy and is even less happy after an attack puts Diana in hospital and leaves Ryder to cope with her angry, drunk grandfather.

There are countless twists and turns and the slow burn romance between Mel, the local sheriff, and Diana is developed perfectly. They’re both nervous and trying to figure out what’s happening between them and with the strange goings on at the Dillon farm.

I do like Ronica Black although she’s writing here under Alexandra Riley. It’s a spooky, creepy book but not too overt so even a scaredy cat like me will enjoy it. Recommended if you like a gripping plot without too much romance and a brilliant mouthy kid.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

The Curse is a well-written suspense that will keep you intrigued throughout. The story opens with Diana and her daughter Ryder, after falling on hard times, returning to her father’s farm to rebuild their lives. However, tragedy strikes en route and both are injured. Local Deputy Mel becomes involved in the case and finds something strange is happening that is related to the farm. As she works toward investigating the case, a series of mysterious events occur nearby. Are they related?
With strong characters, especially that of Ryder, and Mel, the story is fluid and compelling and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

This was a gripping story from the start that had me fully captivated. It's a well written story with lovable and believable main characters. Alexandra did an amazing job with this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books.

Diana and her daughter, Ryder, are moving back to Diana's father's house in hopes of getting on their feet. On the way to the house, they skid and get wedged into a snowbank. What they think is a Good Samaritan stops and they find out he is more than they ever could imagine.
Mel is a cop that knows there are strange things happening over at Diana's father's house and starts investigating. In the course of the investigating, she meets Diana. They two cannot deny what is happening between them and team together to spend time and get to the bottom of the strange happenings.
This book freaked me out, but in a good way!
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving #TheCurse 3/3.5 stars mainly because of the unneeded romance factor. Glad it was just minimal. Otherwise, there were times that I was on the edge of my seat, trying to read quickly just to know what would happen. I kinda figured from the beginning about the curse, however, was wondering when and how it all began and if they were able to get rid of it.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #BoldStroke Books for the ARC copy for my review.

From the very start this book had me in its grip.
A well written story with believable characters that allows you to buy into the action and keeps you wondering - what the secrete or curse is and how will it all end!
I don't often read this genre but will make an exception for Alexandra Riley if she writes more like this.
Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
This is a honest review.

The Curse - The title itself is pretty self explanatory, I was going in with full expectations that it was going to be creepy and weird, but boy was I naive. For the most part I was well and truly creep out even as I was waiting for the story to unfold, had to put down my reader several times and read something else before I could continue again.

The book started strong with an enticing prologue, carried the same strength throughout and ended with most of the mysteries tied out nicely. And because it's a thriller, the romance between Mel and Diana were pretty much on the back burner which was understandable.

The star of the book was really the wise beyond her age Ryder ( or maybe it was the lumberjack?), for the most part I kept forgetting she was only 11 years old, but they are glimpses of moments when you realized she was just a child in a difficult and horrible situation trying to mustered our her courage when her mother was badly injured. She was cute and bossy too when she interact with her grandpa.

It was an enjoyable read, a gripping thriller wrote by seasonal writer.
Special thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the arc.

Diana Dillon and her eleven-year-old daughter, Ryder, are moving back to Diana’s father’s farm in rural Illinois hoping for a new start. There’s something mysterious about the Dillon farm that Diana can’t quite remember, not even as vague memories begin to surface after she encounters an ominous stranger on her way to the farm during a heavy snowstorm.

Deputy Melonie “Mel” Defoe has just returned home from military service in the Middle East. She’s new to the local sheriff’s office, joining at the insistence of her father, former sheriff Norman Defoe. Though it’s not exactly the job she’s dreamed of, she is drawn into the web of mystery surrounding the apparent attack on newcomers Diana and Ryder Dillon and the unusual occurrences at the farm no one can explain.

I loved this! It wasn't what I was expecting, but it was a wonderfully creepy story. I love the mystery of the curse and the unraveling of it. The romance between Diana and Mel was very much a subplot, and it felt a little underwhelming, but the overall strength of the plot was a hit for me. Also, Ryder was my favorite! If you enjoy spooky stories, check this one out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Diana and her daughter Ryder are moving to her father farm to have stability while figure out what next. When they arrive they are attack while Diana is recovering Ryder tries to adjust to the farm and her grandfather strange rules as she starts to see something isn’t right. Deputy Mel is new to the department as she investigated what happened to Diana she notice things are what they seem as she is drawn to Diana. This was good read I like that it’s was focus more on the curse then the romance because I like that the romance was there but wasn’t the main plot.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Diana and Ryder, seeking a fresh beginning, decide to move in with her father to regain stability. The story captivated me with its plot centered on a curse afflicting Diana's father's farm. While the book contains elements of romance, it primarily focuses on the curse and its impact on the town. Mel, a deputy in the town, uses her tenacity to break the curse, which also aids in her romantic pursuit of Diana. I would recommend this book to fans of both thrillers and romance.

Ryder, Ryder, Ryder, you are too much and you drive this story. This eleven-year-old is full of spunk with quick verbal comebacks. She and her mother are moving in with her grandfather because they need a place to regroup. On their way there, a man stops them with an offer of help. Help is not his intention. From there, things get scary, unsettling, violent and weird. If you like thrillers and freaky stuff, this is the read for you. Deputy Melonie Defoe, ex-military, new to the police department, is drawn into the violent and unusual happenings. She also finds herself interested in Ryder's mother, Diana. Also, how Diana defines her interest in Melonie by refusing to define her sexuality was refreshing. Labels. Not necessary. Although I do not like to be scared, there was something about the book description that drew me in and I am glad I did.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗦: 𝚂𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙷𝙸𝙲. 𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚁𝙾𝚁. 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙾𝚁𝙼𝙰𝙻. 𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴-𝙸𝚂𝙷.
📖ᴀʀᴄ 🏳️‍🌈⁠

"𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙?"

That's for you to find out if you choose to read the book, like I did. Now, I love horror books and I have read some of Ronica Black's work so I knew a little of what I was getting into. But after I finished the book, I realised I don't know Alexandra Riley's work. The book cover, title and synopsis are all captivating and the plot is good too when you get into it.

Now, here is the stone in rice, that revelation as to why the land is supposedly cursed? It was not strong enough, it was understandable but not strong like I expected. Secondly, the number of times it was mentioned that Diana's father was having a beer, too many, it should have been between the MCs, but wait? Everybody was MC and had a POV. 4 POVs plus the intro = 5.

The connection between Diana and Mel, that was not strong as well, hence why I said romance-ish because I really didn't feel it. It felt rather awkward. And don't even start at me with that child, that gen alpha attitude was so over the top. It was cute the first 3 chapters but after that, it was just too much like what sort of child talks back like that?

Either way, I liked the issue around the land, it was interesting and I will check out other works by Alexandra. Ronica Black, though, Black is amazing.


𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬.

Not quite what I was expecting. OK it was called The Curse so shouldn't have been too surprised. Romance side was minimal. Cursed farmhouse and weird happenings. It did hold my attention as I did have to know what was really going on and how it happened. In a way it was a bit of an anti climax at the end. I do like some of Ronica Black's stuff and that's why I requested this book but it's not really my kind of thing. The story was well written and did keep me till the end.

Lots of creep factor - woods forbidden to enter, town rumors about the Dillon family and land, isolated, shunned by community.
Diana escaped her hometown, never looking back. Now in debt, single mom to 11 yo Ryder, out of options, Diana packs them up to return. Skidding on her dad's private road, Diana and Ryder defend themselves against a blood thirsty good Samaritan.
Diana forced to recover in the hospital for weeks, Ryder goes home with her grandfather. This relationship becomes the driving point of the plot. I LOVED every minute. Their refusal to compromise, alpha mood fails to bend. So well captured.
I also loved Diana's rejection to define her interest in Mel - refusal to define her sexuality. Massive fan of this as I also refuse to define my sexuality - not a common theme in media or books.