Possibly the best Psychological Thriller I’ve read for the last few years
A great story narrated by one of the main characters
She’s a stay at home mom that relies on wine to get her through the day
When a man from her college days reappears in her life, and initiates a game of rare and forfeit from their youth, things start to spiral out of control quickly.
But who actually is in control.
Dark, with a touch of “spice” this is a brilliant story

Jessica Hamilton is a new author for me, so I was looking forward to sitting down with Don't You Dare. The synopsis really excited me. A daring game played in their college years which stopped for reasons we have to wait and find out, then Thomas resurfacing 16 years later while Hannah is in a marriage far from happy and the game starting again, well who would't like a plot like that? Add to that too, sinister goings on and a neighbourhood where there's a busy body who loves everyone business. Yes this book really interested me a lot.

It's hard to review a book and give no spoilers especially when said book relies on making your question your own character judgement. Don't You Dare does exactly that. I can't tell you what I thought of them all, you need to read this to see. Even Hannah makes some VERY questionable decisions in this book, some I understood (Although probably didn't agree with). The pace is nice and steady although I did feel it took a while for the whole 'sinister' mystery part to come into play. But we did get to see some really hot scenes before that with Thomas and Hannah (Yes, if that sort of thing offends, avoid this book). I will add here (And it's no spoiler), if you do not like to read about adultery then I would give this book a wide berth - just saying.

As a whole I enjoyed Don't You Dare, it was an ok book. But I did find that it was easily worked out which disappointed me and bought my rating down a little. Especially with such a build up to that ending. The actual ending though, I didn't see that turn out how it did and I liked that. A solid 3.5 stars, I read this over 24 hours and recommend it to those who enjoy a slow burn rekindling romance with a juicy game of dares and a mystery. 


Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝔻𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕖?”

𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒂𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒑 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒐𝒘.

So I must admit that this book started out really slow for me. I picked it up and put it down several times because of this. The writing was great, it just wasn’t capturing me. It wasn’t until well over halfway through that it really started to pick up and when it did then I breezed right through it. 

I thought the writing was good. The plot was great. I did have part of the plot twist figured out early on but there were still some shocking surprises at the end that I was not quite expecting. Overall, I thought the story and the ending tied up quite nicely. Nothing seemed forced or rushed. It was a nice, spicy and thrilling read once I was able to get into it. 

This was my first read by this author and I  would definitely recommend.

This book wasn’t what I expected! I did finish it in 2 days though! A little mystery, a little romance, a little every day life, it kept my interest from start to finish. What starts out as a simple youthful game of truth or dare, takes a wild turn that follows three friends into adulthood. 

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book!

Hannah, Scarlett, and Thomas all went to college together. They played the game "Truth or Dare" and had certain rules they had to abide to in order to play. Hannah was always in love with Thomas, but Scarlett was always in the way. When a terrible prank happens at the college that involves Thomas, he is suspended. Hannah moves on and marries Evan and they have two daughters together. It's now, sixteen year later and Thomas sends a note to Hannah to play "Truth or Dare" again. She jumps at the chance since she is unhappy in her current marriage and Scarlett is no longer in the picture. When Hannah gets a mysterious text message and someone breaks into her home, she thinks someone knows about her affair with Thomas. Who is it? Is someone else playing the game with them?

DON'T YOU DARE was a fast-paced thriller! This book really blew me away!! I loved the past and present timelines, even though I enjoyed the present timeline more. The story kept my attention for the day and I could not put it down. Be prepared for some steamy love scenes! All the stars for DON"T YOU DARE! I can't wait for Jessica Hamilton's next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared on my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

Hannah and Scarlett are lifelong friends. They meet Thomas in college and form a fast friendship. 
They create The Daring Game, which starts off as little dares, and then quickly escalates. 
One dare ends in tragedy and the group grows apart.

Sixteen years later, Hannah is unhappily married with children. Thomas mysteriously re-appears and re-ignites The Daring Game. But someone else seems to know their every move....everyone is a suspect! 

I gave this book four stars! It was highly suspenseful with great character development. My only criticism was that I wanted to know more about the church that Hannah and her husband joined.
There seemed to be a lot of backstory left out about that topic.

Other than that, I found it very enjoyable and would highly recommend! I would read other books by this author!

I literally read this book through the night until it started getting light outside because I just kept wanting one more chapter- what a fun ride! The story centers on Hannah, who reconnects with her college boyfriend Thomas  15ish years later while she is in an unhappy marriage. Turns out that she, her bff, and Thomas had an interesting history that was tied to a “dare” game where the stakes kept getting higher. The story is told from Hannah’s POV but does go back and forth between current time and her college years. 

I felt for Hannah throughout the book even though she made some terrible decisions. I thought Thomas was a selfish baby but we have all done dumb things for the sake of love. When it becomes clear that someone knows their secrets, I went back and forth many times as to who the culprit was. I thought I had it all figured out but then was wrong, and I appreciated the twists. I do wish there had been a few more bread crumbs laid when the truth was finally revealed,  though.  It all get wrapped up pretty quickly, which I usually don’t love, but I felt like it worked with the ideal pacing of the book. There was a good deal of sex in this book as an FYI if that bothers you- I thought the sex scenes were well done and added to the overall intensity of the storyline. 

I literally could not put this book down and would definitely recommend for those who enjoy psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#DontYouDare #NetGalley
Unsettling in the very best way and truly riveting. 
Hannah is living her life unhappily with her husband, Evan and her two young girls, Rose and Gracie. One day in the pile of mails, she found a white envelope, curiosity got the better of her as she opened it and found a note to come to the daring tree and it was signed by Thomas, her college love. 
Hannah and her best friend, Scarlett met Thomas in college and they became best friends, they shared everything, gave each other dares to complete but then a dare gone horribly wrong and Thomas got expelled. Broken Hannah got support from Evan and later they married. 
Now, with Scarlett out of their lives, Hannah decided to meet her Thomas and the old friends and lovers started to give dares to each other, again and an extramarital affair started. But then creepy things started like Hannah's received a note to tell the truth, hers and Thomas's pictures got delivered on Evan's phone. Who's doing all this and why? What's their motive? Could it be Evan taking revenge on her for her infidelity? Or is it Libby, the nosey neighbour who's present everywhere and has a tendency to ask questions about everything? One thing is clear, someone is playing the game with her and this time it could be deadly. 
The characters were good. Each character has its layers, I loved Libby, Evan and Rob. Although Hannah was ok but i hate Thomas for what he did to their marriage. 
Told from two POV's of Hannah in present and past, the narration is smooth and gripping. I really wanted to know what will happen to their marriage, how will this daring game end and who's behind all this? 
Overall, this is a gripping tale of an unhappy marriage, extramarital affair and revenge with a twist you won't see coming. Highly recommended.

This was a really fun twisty novel. I loved the alternate POV and the different time lines. I love a good secretive neighborhood. The writing was so easy to follow and kept me invested the entire time.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital ARC! 

And shout out to @carriereadsthem_all for this deviously provocative and spicy page-turner of a recommendation! 

I loved this book so much! It’s one of those books that kinda feels relatable in that OMG-this-could-actually-happen-in-real-life kind of way. 

Hamilton’s writing is pure perfection 👌🏼 It’s lyrical and beautiful and flows with the ease of a seasoned writer. This first-person POV was done so well, and the dual timelines added so much depth to the story. 

In a few words: betrayal, obsession, and a sexy web of deceit—oh my! 𝑫𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒆 hits shelves May 16, 2023! And I dare ya to grab a copy.

Parts of this book I enjoyed due to the twists and turns and parts I did not since those were rather juvenile and predictable. It was difficult for me to rate due to that duality. I’ll settle at four stars because of the creativity and inventiveness of the game. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. I can't say exactly why I didn't like it. I thought going in I would love it based on the premise but it fell kind of flat. I think because parts of it were predictable; other parts unrealistic. 

Thank you #netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for the eARC.

"𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐒𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲."

Hannah and Scarlett are the best of friends, and when they meet Thomas in college, the chemistry is explosive. They create The Daring Game, which starts off with some innocent acts but quickly escalates to more daring deeds. Hannah and Thomas are attracted to each other, but the rules state they can't fool around with Scarlett. There were some *steamy* scenes in this thriller that almost left me clutching my pearls!

When Hannah and Thomas break the rules, tension among the friends grows as do the stakes in the game. Scarlett's final dare to Thomas leaves one young man's life changed forever and ends with Thomas's expulsion from school. There's no contact from him, and all traces of the game, including the notebook where all the deeds were recorded, seem to disappear.

Fast-forward sixteen years...Hannah is unhappy in her marriage and keeps tabs on Scarlett via social media, who seems happy and fulfilled. The two only speak a few times a year, but then out of nowhere, Hannah gets a mysterious letter from Thomas, who is back in town. With Scarlett out of the way and their desire for one another never waning, the two begin a dangerous affair, and for the first time in a long time, Hannah feels allive...until the day she and Thomas are called to the secret meeting place of The Daring Game, where they’re welcomed by a single dare—“to tell the truth.”

This was a twisty, high-stakes thriller with the best of red herrings and exquisitely crafted characters. Hannah is far from a vapid housewife, and when you read her backstory, I dare you to sit by and feel nothing for her as she wonders, 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞? 𝐎𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫? This tale was 100% believable, and I was fully invested throughout. Many thanks to NetGalley and to Crooked Lane Books. DON'T YOU DARE will publish May 16, 2023.

This was a hard one to rate. 

It's told from Hannah's perspective in both present and past. In the present she is unhappily married with two daughters struggling along. In the past she's a college student with a hot boyfriend and her best friend Scarlet. In the present she is reintroduced to her hottie college boyfriend and then everything is turned on its head when their old game is played, the Daring Game. 

This was good but not great. I enjoyed unraveling the past and the game. I liked the mystery of who was watching them, controlling them. But parts were too predictable and I didn't really like Hannah. This could have had more thrill, twists, and shocking revelations but instead seemed to focus on the woman cheats on husband trope.

I did not find this book enjoyable. It was predictable and none of the characters were likable. Hannah is in her thirties, she has two daughters, and she is unhappily married. When Thomas, an old college boyfriend, appears in her life for the first time in 16 years Hannah is transported back to her college days. Back in college her best friend, Scarlett, and her friend Thomas played a game they called the Daring Game. The longer they played, more out of hand the game became. When Thomas reappears, they begin to play the Daring Game again, will it get as out of hand this time as it did when they were in college?

Book Title: Don’t You Dare 
Author: Jessica Hamilton
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
My Rating:   2.5 rounded up!
I read "What You Never Know" by  Jessica Hamilton and thought it was great and have been looking forward to her latest novel.

This story is told Present Day as well as Past. As we follow Hannah – aka Henny.
Story starts present day with Hannah married with children. She and Evan have been married for 14 years. They met in college. Hannah doesn’t work and spends most of her time reading and drinking wine. 
Note: This actually had me laughing out loud as these were the two things that got me through the pandemic.  I was probably reading as much as Hannah but not drinking as much wine. I did put on the Covid 10 ~ thankfully not Covid 19!

Past: College days Sixteen years ago - best friends Scarlett and hottie Thomas enjoy playing the ‘Daring Game.  Scarlett dares Thomas into a situation that ends in tragedy. When Thomas gets expelled from school and leaves without a trace, it seems like the Daring Game has ended.
Hmmm

Personal Note: I enjoy college thrillers. It was a fun time in my life however certainly never anything like this trio did. My college experience was visiting the local college bars and dancing the night away – well until my grades took a hit!

This was not the read I was hoping.  I was disappointed since I enjoyed her first novel.
I was anxious to read Ms. Hamilton’s ‘Author’s Notes’ as I was curious as to her motivation. 
However, this is an early uncorrected galley so it wasn’t included. 
https://www.jessicahamilton.org/about

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early e-Galley.
 Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 16, 2023

I loved this one. The characters were so well written and the plot was unique and well thought out. This was one of those rare books that is so well written that you feel like you know the characters and are actually in the book. Totally immersive and spine tingling!
This moved at a really good pace with plot twists and turns. The then and now chapters really brought this one to life. I didn’t want to put this one down.

Don't you dare skip out on this amazing read. Yeah I couldn't help myself there. But this was amazing. I was hooked and fighting for reading time to really get into this. Amazing book

Hannah, Thomas and Scarlett are college friends who find thrills in playing the Daring Game. They thrive on making each dare more sensational than the last. Within the dares, the dynamics of the trio are also at play. Then, one dare goes a little to far. The trio is separated, and the game stops. Then, years later, the game is back. Hannah receives a message from Thomas. Someone knows their game and wants to start them up again. However, they're not sure who it is, but this human seems to know a whole lot about them. This one was great at bringing the thrills and suspects of who might be behind the game as the story went. I also always love an overlay of the past and present storyline, and this one utilized that device well. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2023 release!

A great fast paced thriller with surprising and exciting end. I loved every minute of it.  THanks to NetGalley for advanced copy for a honest review.