This is not my usual genre. I am not much of a horror reader. But this book definitely had me entertained from start to finish. With the creepy hospital, the time travel, and a demon, what is not to like! Very intriguing!

4.5 stars

Her Lost Soul by Helen Phifer - I didn't notice that this was book 2 when I requested it. Luckily, book 1 was on Hoopla, so I plowed through that one so I could read this. Police procedural + supernatural elements = -chef's kiss-. I really liked the first one, but this one took place in an old, abandoned asylum, so it takes precedent in my spooky heart. I found the story to be fun, and all the little details were great.

This audiobook is narrated by Stephanie Canon

•Thank you to @dreamscape_media & @stormbooks_co

I totally blame myself for the low rating. I didn’t read the synopsis properly and missed the paranormal element. While many people love that and have loved this book - do check out other reviews because I am a total outlier here. It has a high GRs rating and some fab reviews, Just not for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-arc 🙏

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Storm Publishing for a copy of the audiobook of Her Lost Soul by Helen Phifer.

Narration: Overall, I enjoyed Stephanie Canon's narration. In particular she did a great job at distinguishing between female characters as their were quite a few. I felt that each female character had a distinct voice that was recognizable each time they entered the scene. However, for the male characters, aside from Frankie, the voices did blend. I often would get Riley's dad confused with other side male characters and wasn't sure who was speaking. But overall the narration was enjoyable.

Plot: This seemingly paranormal mystery takes a turn to reveal a time traveling aspect. I don't normally read time traveling stories but I didn't mind this one. I think because the author kept the time traveling mechanism simple and attached to the shadow figure haunting the hospital I didn't feel like this veered too far into SciFi. If you're looking for an easy listen, I'd suggest Her Lost Soul. It's an easy plot to track - not overly complicated. There were elements that seemed a bit out of place that made me rate this three stars, so I'll include those now. 1. There's a character in the past that essential turns out to be Marilyn Monroe. There's not a overarching reason why it needs to be Marilyn other than a few of the present day characters are fans. But it's not like it was key for Marilyn to be in the story in order to get Riley back home or to solve the mystery of the hospital. 2. From what I recall, the revelation of the shadow figure takes place only at the end. I don't remember there being a lot of lead up to who the person is - like no investigation scene or clues dropped. So that felt really out of left field. Also it was all revealed through exposition. 3. Frankie and Maria, to me, read like derivative of every detective character ever to appear on TV, Movies, or in books before. They were cliche characterizations of New York detectives. I didn't get a sense of really understanding who either of them were or what motivated them. My takeaway was that Frankie is in love with Maria. That's about it. 4. There was SO MUCH talking about stuff rather than characters discovering information. If that makes sense. It seemed that any clue Maria or Frankie stumbled upon was told to them rather than it being because they were investigating a lead.

Again, if you are looking for a road trip, beach, or commute to work audiobook, then I think Her Lost Soul would make any drive or lounging day entertaining. But if you're looking for something with deeply developed characters, I'd look elsewhere.

Four go into an abandoned asylum three come out leads to Detective Miller and her partner Conroy investigating what happened. Creepy and fast paced loved it. Good characters and a read in one sitting. Looking forward to more of this series. Stephanie Canon narration is clear and add to the overall feel of the book. Thanks to Storm publishing and Netgalley for a review ARC

I was lucky to get the eARC and the audiobook ARC.
First is the book itself review.

I started this book in the last couple of days of December but completed it in January, and let me say it started my 2024 with a bang! Helen Phifer definitely knows how to not only write thrills but also chills.

Her Lost Soul is the second book in a series, but it can definitely be read as a standalone. I didn't read the first book, unfortunately, but that didn't alter the experience I was able to be immersed in from start to finish.

Her Lost Soul follows duo timelines past and present and does have minor POV interchanges. Jam packed with mystery, vanishings, spirits, a glimpse of old Hollywood, and creepiness that is sure to hook any spooky thriller junky!

The story follows two police detectives that come in from the big Apple to help small town PD with a case of a weird disappearance that happens in an abandoned old Mental Hospital; which happens to be home to a few ghosts.

I honestly didn't want to ever put this down. Then when I finished it, time went from 9 pm to 1:30 am so quickly. I lay there in my bed, and I was terrified. The spooky atmosphere of this brilliant read had me thinking the tower scene was going to happen in my bedroom and I swore I could see a shadow creepily sneaking down my wall and was going to snatch me by my ankles.

Following the story, I did guess a couple of plot things, but it didn't take away from the book. I definitely recommend and will hopefully get to read the next book!

Now for the audiobook the narrator did a really good job. I found the reading well paced and fit really well to the story and characters. Even sped up no issues at all. I would definitely recommend either versions of the book.

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

Narrated by Stephanie Canon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story by Helen Phifer ⭐⭐

The premise of this book sounded fantastic but unfortunately I struggle to be absorbed by it.
This is my first time hearing of Helen Phifer and while I didn't enjoy this book I would try another one by her.

Reading Between the Wines book review #22/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Her Lost Soul
Author: Helen Phifer
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This is the 2nd book in the series for Detective Maria Miller. The first book was a little hard to follow in my opinion but this one was very smooth and an easy read. I was so invested in the missing girl, Riley Holt. I loved the set up of the story and the way the story progressed. The dual timeline was easy to follow and really helped to build the momentum of the story. I know this is a paranormal mystery but I was hoping for some reasoning behind why the activity started. I really loved the other parts of the story and can’t wait on Book 3.

Cheers and thank you to @DreamscapeSelect and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @HerLostSoul.

#HerLostSoul #HelenPhifer #DreamscapeSelect #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I enjoyed this story, it was not at all what I was expecting. It is more of a paranormal thriller featuring supernatural elements and conflict between good and evil. It starts with four teenagers ghost hunting one night in an old abandoned mental institution. Only three come out and the lost girl Riley Holt is lost to who knows where. There is a malevolent force within the walls of the hospital that is keeping lost souls of former patients from moving on after their deaths and Riley has been taken by this force back in time. Agent Maria Miller and her partner Frankie have been called in to help find Riley as they have had former experience dealing with the paranormal. How will they retrieve Riley from another dimension is the question of the day. The story is short and fast paced. Recommended for fun. 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing for an ARC of this audiobook.

Her Lost Soul is the second installment in the Detective Maria Miller series, but it can be read as a standalone. My enthusiasm for this book stemmed from the synopsis that gave a ghost hunter paranormal vibe. Overall, it’s a bit more of a YA thriller without a lot of depth. The characters are VERY one dimensional and their interactions are as well. I felt no connection to the characters, but I did find elements of the plot intriguing. The detective work was shoddy at best, but entertaining. The audio production was well done and helped with the dullness of the characters. The book is also very short which helped nothing drag and lead me to DNF.

Riley and her friends go thrill seeking in an old mental hospital before it is set to be demolished. They escape a ghostly evil encounter only to find that Riley has been left behind and cannot be found. She is not in the hospital and yet she is, out of time and space. Detective Maria Miller is brought in to support with the paranormal and the race is on to find Riley.

Detective Maria Miller is at it again trying to solve her second paranormal crime. This time a teenage girl, Riley, mysteriously disappears after entering an abandoned mental hospital. Is it possible she traveled back in time to when the hospital was open? Will Maria and her teams be able to save them?

Like the first book, I was left with a lot of questions. This book was very short and I think it could have used more info and details to make things more interesting. I'm also very confused why the author chose to use Marilyn Monroe (Fae Miller) as a character in this book. I don't think it added anything to the story and I think it would have been better with a fictional character. The mystery itself was fine and was fast paced. Overall, an ok read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the audio ARC.

Her Lost Soul is described as a suspense/thriller but I would rather characterize it as a paranormal thriller. Unlike other thrillers where there is a resolution that “makes sense” this is truly based on the paranormal. I loved the writing and narration of the audiobook. I almost wish it was longer as I would have enjoyed more development of some of the side characters. Maria and Frankie are both super fun and I love their banter and interplay!

I received a copy of this book from Storm Publishing through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I went into this story not sure what to expect; kinda like the kids going into the old hospital. The story held my interest and I was invested in finding out if Riley was going to be found alive.
Thankfully it was a fast moving story and I didn’t have to get through a bunch of unnecessary parts to find out.

This was different from other books that I have read by this author but I really enjoyed it. I got into the story and wanted to know what happened. I hadn't read/listened to the first book in this series but I don't think it really mattered. It was a very interesting listen. I really enjoyed the narration and fully suited the story.

An abandoned psychiatric hospital? Teenagers going in to explore in the dead of the night? What could go wrong?

I LOVE a good spooky book. This semi duo timeline detective story had me intrigued the whole way through. I love the famous cameo of MM as well.

I didn’t realize this was the second book in a series so now I have to pick up the first!

Det. Maria & Frankie are a trip and I love their relationship...I wonder if they will ever allow themselves to actually fall in love? Or just love each other from afar forever??? Can't wait to find out! This book was a trip and I enjoy how Helen Phifer combines the supernatural with the mundane everyday life of police work! I can't wait to see what happens in the next installment!

#HerLostSoul
#NetGalley

I was intrigued. This was a good book. I didn’t like the voice for the audio book. But the book itself was good!

The beginning was promising I was intrigued but then it just fell flat for me and I was not interested anymore. The characters didn't do it for me.

This YA is a paranormal suspense. It is also is a detective story. The back and forth of tropes could give you whiplash but I feel it works in the YA genre. The characters are lovable and relatable.

Love the narration on this book! This was my first Helen Phifer book, and it won't be my last. Scary, twisty, and smart with the irresistible supernatural element. Absolutely kept me glued to my ear buds!