Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review the audiobook “A Cruel Light” prior to publication. Narrator was A+! I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good cold case mystery. I enjoyed the supernatural element was an ok read.

The story was captivating and started out as a 4+ star read for me. Captivating mystery with an interesting new take on clues through Annora's profession. I was hooked. I would say somewhere near the middle, the focus started shifting from mystery to romance and it threw the story off for me. Maybe because the beginning was so focused on the mystery and the town, and had an Armand Gamache feel (which I loved); and then suddenly this (unwanted in my opinion) love story emerged which felt forced and out of place, like the author wanted to give more to the audience when in reality it was not needed. It didn't add to the actual mystery in any way and therefore did not add to the story. I was mad when the story would shift to it because I wanted more about the painting. Anyway, in the end the distraction caused me to take away stars.

A Cruel Light is an intriguing paranormal thriller that centers around a cold case that can only be solved by uncovering an old mural found in abandoned house. The creepy old house was the perfect setting for this thriller. There is plenty of suspense and several twists to keep the readers interest. I enjoyed the characters both main and supporting. I would have liked a little more character development in the main character and love interest though. The paranormal element isn’t very strong but just enough to make it intriguing. The conclusion of this story was very unexpected! I didn’t suspect the killer at all and was very surprised!

Very brutal murder and the plot was trying to do too much .

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to the audio arc .

A woman is hired to clean off a painting and restore it. The painting holds the key to a murder that happened to a child 20 years ago. Someone doesn't want her to restore this painting and uncover the truth. Buildings sudden are on fire, as well as the home Annora is staying in while restoring the painting
Will the painting uncover the killer and tell the untold story of the slain girl of long ago, or will the killer destroy the evidence before its uncovered

This was so good. I don’t know much about art restoration but hearing the little tips and tricks that goes along with it was so interesting to hear. If you pay attention you will know who the killer is and I found it quite predictable unfortunately. One thing about this novel that has me extremely impressed is the use of paranormal entities. Normally I cannot stand when paranormal themes are part of a murder mystery but this one was done so well done and wasn’t the main focus of the novel and I loved it.

Although I recieved a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for the opportunity to listen to this story.

The description of this mystery pulled me in, and once I started listening, I couldn't stop. This story didn't feel like one that you have heard over and over. In this novel, Annora is tasked with restoring an old mural, but not for the "usual" reasons that one restores art. She is tasked with restoring the mural to help solve a cold case. As she and Mac get closer to figuring out the painting, the murderer is getting more and more violent to try and keep them from the truth. I loved how this book weaves in parts of Annora's past, helps you understand why she sees things the way she does. Another thing I really loved was the relationship between characters. You see the realness of the people shine through in the way they handle the things that keep getting thrown at them.

Overall, this was a great mystery and I hope to be able to read more stories that feature Mac and Annora.

This was an easy to read mystery, however, I will say that I was able to figure out the "culprit" early in the story. I do not believe this was the author's intention, but I could be wrong... I really liked the overall story and the characters, my only complaint is that the events in the story, just kind of "happen" without a lot of lead up/thought/etc. I also listened to this on audiobook so some of my feelings could be caused by the narrator. Although enjoyable to listen to I believe her voice had a pragmatic tone, which took a little bit away from some of the emotion written. Overall, I would recommend to those interested in art conservatorship, mysteries with a hint of paranormal, and classic love stories.

**please note due to low rating I will not be leaving a public review for this book as I have not paid for it.**

Cover ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Narrated by Nan McNamara ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Story by Cyndi MacMillan ⭐⭐

The premise of this book sounded fantastic but unfortunately I could not get into this story.

First time trying this author and even though I didn't enjoy it I would give Cyndi MacMillan another go.

This was an interesting read. I loved the two main characters. I felt there were several unnecessary characters.

Set in a sleepy town full of secrets, an art restoration project becomes more than the main character bargained for. She, too, has hidden secrets that strain to make this job even harder. As the reader follows her project and gets to know the townspeople, things start to go awry. Part mystery, part romance, with a touch of the paranormal, I enjoyed the fast pace and interesting premise. Most exciting of all, I did not predict the outcome! A solid debut.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and author Cyndi MacMillan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anorra Garde is a restoration expert that is brought to Bliss river to restore a painting of Rosemary, who was murdered after her eighth birthday. The painting was rumored to have been done by the killer and Anorra is asked to restore it in order to find the killer. During this time, many things start happening and Anorra may be in danger. Someone doesn’t want her to figure it out…but WHO?

This book, although promising, did not hit the mark for me. At times the language seemed to be incongruent and too fast and wordy. I found myself getting lost in the verbose prose and could not connect with the characters at all. I let was almost a DNF but I wanted to honor my commitment to the publisher so I could review.

Thank you to dreamscape audio, and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

Such a good read. This story both keeps you on the edge of your seat while also warming your heart. You’ll fall in love with the characters and also suspect everyone. Definitely recommend.

Loved the narration, but wasn’t a big fan of the book. For some reason, I was never drawn into the story and couldn’t connect with the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an ARC/audiobook.

I found this to be a really unique mystery, with a cold case being solved through the restoration of a mural - I've never read something like this before and I found it really interesting and almost like a gothic horror/thriller atmosphere. However I found it a little hard to keep up with what was going on because it was a bit slow going however overall I found it really interesting and I think I would read more by this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This premise of this book was very unique- solving a cold case murder of a child through the restoration of a mural. The plot was fast paced and small town gave the story a gothic atmosphere. I didn’t think the light supernatural elements added much to the story.

This is the third mystery book I’ve read with an art theme at the center of the story, and while I don’t know much about art, I absolutely loved this. I learned so much too. It’s amazing what science can teach us in so many mediums.

This audiobook was done well I really enjoyed the narrator, Nan McNamara. She brought life to the characters and gave them a good sense of depth. I love when I can feel their emotions, age, and excitement.

A Cruel Light was engaging and I really enjoyed how the author used a mural as the backdrop for this mystery, it was such a new way to explore and I felt the need to get back to it as much as she did, after having to leave the painting for a bit. You’ll find out why when you reading - it’s good!

A Cruel Light was well written and fast paced. I appreciated the vivid descriptions of the Canadian landscape, and the little bit of history and culture we got to experience. . She made it easy to visualize the surroundings.

The ending was perfect. I was kept guessing throughout the entire book and had thought i had it figured it out a couple times, I had not suspected the ending at all.

My favorite kind of mystery is one that keeps me guessing and allows me to keep playing detective and this one definitely did. The ending was perfect.

I enjoyed the characters and their development, as well as their interactions with the new girl in town., Annora.

I’ll be watching for more works from Cindy MacMillian.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia as well as @librofm for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

This was one of those books that had so much potential but in the end, sort of fell flat. The premise behind the cold case murder and bringing a killer to justice using art restoration was super interesting and a major selling point for me to read this book. The writing was great, it was fast paced and kept you on your toes but it got to a point where it was too much. The side plot points began to overpower the main plot of the book and though I do like a novel (especially a mystery/thriller) to be complex, this was bordering on the edge of too convoluted. I would have preferred some of these subplots to be less prominent because they really did take your attention away from the mystery and in my opinion, it made the book as a whole just a bit too long.

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, brutal child murder, references to suicide

Annora & Mac are working together on a case. She is an art restorer and he is the detective.

I'm going to plop this one in the middle. I am not super big on art, but restoration is pretty fascinating and I liked how it was used in correlation with solving a crime. I liked it well enough, but my ears started to wander in the slow moving middle. I did enjoy the surprise ending and the cover is pretty. And there's a little bit of romance to go along with the mystery and paranormal elements.

Narration:
Nan McNamara ~ 7 hours 53 minutes ~ job well done