The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

Kindle Edition, 381 pages

Expected publication April 28, 2026

 by Love Inspired Trade

4/5 stars

I’ve only read one book by Jessica R. Patch before, Her Darkest Secret, which I loved. So I went into The Girl Upstairs with high expectations. Thankfully, this one delivered another suspenseful and engaging read.

From the start there’s an eerie, unsettling atmosphere with a house that practically feels like a character itself. The spooky vibe is strong throughout, and it really kept me on edge wondering what was going on behind the scenes.

I’ll admit it took me a little while to get fully engaged. The beginning felt somewhat slow, and there were quite a few characters to keep track of, which made it a bit harder to settle in. But once I hit the halfway mark I was completely hooked. From that point on, I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know how everything was going to come together.  

The Girl Upstairs is a creepy, suspense filled read that rewarded my patience. Rather then just a love story (it is published by Love Inspired Trade after all), it is a suspense mystery with many layers.  And to top it off it had a conclusion that I could not figure out, but it fit together nicely.  Just like a puzzle when all the pieces are there - know what I mean?  I need to read more by this author.

My thanks to Love Inspired Trade for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

Her Darkest Secret by Jessica R. Patch

When a cold-case serial killer returns, FBI special agent Fiona Kelly has one last chance to stop him before he claims the prize he’s always wanted—her.

The sight of a goose feather at a murder scene modeled after a children’s poem is enough to make FBI special agent Fiona Kelly's blood turn to ice. Almost two decades ago, a feather was left with her sister's body—and with every subsequent victim of the Nursery Rhyme Killer. Now he's back. Only this time, his latest gruesome murder is a message to the only one who ever got away: Fiona.

Finding “Rhyme” is an obsession that's fueled Fiona's career—and destroyed her marriage to fellow FBI agent Asa Kodiak. Now Fiona and Asa have to put their past tensions aside and work together one last time. But Rhyme is watching, and catching this killer may force Fiona to reveal her biggest, darkest secret…the one only he knows.

Paperback, 352 pages

Expected publication June 28, 2022

 by Love Inspired Trade

4/5 stars

This book grabbed me right away and did not let go. The open scene paves the way for intrigue with likeable characters, secrets and dark pasts.

Her Darkest Secret is told mostly from Fiona’s POV.  Her past is shadowed with violence that remains unresolved. It ruins a marriage and friendships but as the person responsible for her sister's death strikes again will she finally have closure?

I was given an arc from Harlequin with the label Love Inspired reading, I wasn’t expecting dark and violent (but not graphic) that this was. I am not complaining because I enjoy dark and twisty, multilayered stories. This book kept me on my toes but it was also heavy in details and not all were required. At times I wish I had my own evidence board with clues and who was who just to keep everything straight.

Amidst the mystery/suspense the witty bantering was a nice touch. As were the characters who delivered them. It wasn’t a lot but enough tension relief.

This is also Christian Fiction which worked nicely here.

The ending was one I didn’t see coming and that was a nice treat. But it did pave the way for book 2 in this series, A Cry in the Dark which releases Feb 2023.

My thanks to Harlequin for a print arc in exchange for honest review.