Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! Since I have a huge pile of backlog reviews of the books I read during my break, I will be featuring an extra book in my shorties posts until I’ve caught up. This time a Nordic noir sequel I mostly enjoyed, a crime thriller finale that was ok and a contemporary romance that I had a great time with.

Title: Pierced
(Henning Juul #2)
Author: Thomas Enger
Translator: Charlotte Barslund
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: 2011
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Finished reading: January 16th 2022
Pages: 544
(Originally published in Norwegian: ‘Fantomsmerte’)

“For most people two years is an eternity of moments and memories stacked on top of each other. For him it’s no time at all.”


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After finally starting this series last December, I decided that one of my goals in 2022 would be to read the rest of the series. Pierced is book number two and once again evolves around journalist Henning Juul. He is a very interesting character and the mystery around the fire and the death of his son gives the plot itself a personal touch. It was fascinating to follow Henning as he tried to uncover the truth about Tori Pulli’s crime as you keep wondering if he is really as innocent like he claims to be. The story shows you multiple POVs to help give insight in what is happening and slowly you will be able to forge a picture of how everything fits together. I do have to say that Pierced felt overlong for me and some parts dragged considerably; with tighter editing and about 200 pages less this story would have been a lot stronger. Still, there is just something about Pierced and Henning Juul himself that makes you keep reading until you find out the truth, and I will definitely try to read the next book soon to see what happens next.

Title: Skin Privilege (Beyond Reach)
(Grant County #6)
Author: Karin Slaughter
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: July 31st 2007
Publisher: Arrow
Finished reading: January 17th 2022
Pages: 560

“No one cared about the lives they destroyed on their way to becoming millionaires.”


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I should have known this would happen… In a fact, in a way I already expected it. Why? Let’s just say that one of the reasons that this series didn’t work as well as I hoped it would is the fact that I absolutely despise one of the main characters (yes, Lena), and she is once again very prominent in this sixth and final book Skin Privilege. I was warned this would be the case, and as a result I’ve been putting it off until I was in a more tolerant mood towards such an unlikeable character. Still, both Lena and the reappearance of Ethan made me enjoy this story a lot less than I hoped I would. The plot itself is intriguing and there are definitely a lot of different twists and secrets involved. Serious topics such as racism, addiction and abuse play a prominent role in this story, and as a result Skin Privilege is once again on the dark side (which is no surprise as her books tend to be this way). The writing itself is engaging and the suspense as a whole is well handled (although parts did drag a little). My main issue was the fact that I had to deal with both Lena and Ethan AGAIN, which really put a damper on things. I was also surprised by how the author decided to end the series to be honest. I mean, it’s a dark thriller and I wasn’t exactly expecting a happy ending, but I’m not sure the direction she went in was really necessary. Anyway… I’m glad this series is finally over and that I can return to the Will Trent books now.

Title: Just Haven’t Met You Yet
Author: Sophie Cousens
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
First published: September 1st 2021
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Finished reading: January 18th 2022
Pages: 371

“People like to fill in the gaps, to paint their own picture, but no one really knows the truth of someone else’s story.”


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I kept hearing great things about Just Haven’t Met You Yet and I was in the mood for some romance, so I thought it would be the perfect time to finally read it. I loved the sound of the Channel Islands setting as well as the blurb with the mystery man behind the suitcase… Now that I’ve read it, I can say that I especially enjoyed the many descriptions of the different sights on Jersey, which made it feel like I was visiting there myself. I also still like the idea behind the mysterious suitcase man, BUT. What I didn’t expect is for Just Haven’t Met You Yet to be a full blown love triangle (and cheating) focused story. I never like these elements in my romances, and it was one of the reasons I had to deduct a star from my rating… The writing itself is engaging and I like the characters most of the time, but the love triangle was a major disappointment for me to be honest. The epilogue was also a bit uncredible for me (or at least the parts relating to Suki), but I also have to say that I did like the rest of the story and the Jersey setting was a huge bonus for me.

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