Her self-absorbed news anchor ex-husband careening back into her life was not on this amateur psychic detective’s bingo card.
Not only does Griffin Gentry show up unexpectedly at Riley Thorn’s door—the real shock is that he’s begging her for help. Riley’s hot private investigator boyfriend Nick Santiago refusing to take the job is…well, less of a surprise.
Too bad for Nick that his octogenarian business partner overrules him and takes the lead on Griffin’s case. But when a dead body makes it clear someone really is out to get Riley’s ex, the mile-long suspect list means all hands on deck at Santiago Investigations. Even the wrinkly, retired ones.
It’s only a matter of time before Griffin brings the danger directly to their doorstep. And with Riley and Nick busy interviewing suspects, that leaves their elderly roommates to wreak havoc in the surveillance department. Can Riley block out the chaos to focus her psychic visions long enough to narrow down the list of suspects? Or will Griffin Gentry’s bad karma be the downfall of them all?
Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism.
She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym.
She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi.
Holy crap. This was absolutely ridiculous and not in a good way this time. I had a love/hate relationship with the first 3 books in this series. I was pretty happy with the first one; it had the mystery factor, the relationship, and the comedic relief with Riley's older roommates. But then the other two went a little down hill for me because the comedic parts were getting a little too out there.
Well, this one took it even farther and I was struggling to finish this book. Every single scene is a joke, and every single side character is just moronic to the point of pain. I found myself really hoping for Nick's POV because he had more time away from all these other characters.
This is really a shame because I love Riley and Nick's characters and their relationship and enjoy the mystery portion of these books, but these old fogies were just shoved down my throat on almost every page and it was too much.
I would recommend reading the first book of this series and maybe leaving it at that for your sanity.
Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Every book in this series is truly amazing and this one was no different! I have enjoyed every book in this series, so I hope Lucy Score never quits writing! I swear, those books just keep getting better and better!
With her lovely boyfriend, Nick Santiago, a private investigator, Riley Thorn is getting used to her new life and enjoying his company. However, the calm is short-lived as Griffin abruptly knocks on her door and asks for assistance. When a dead body proves that Griffin is truly the target of someone, the plot thickens. Santiago Investigations is out and running, with a suspect list as large as Griffin's ego. This creates a fantastic mix of turmoil and humor as Riley and Nick have to balance interrogating suspects while their elderly roommates handle surveillance.
I couldn't have been happier to see Riley and the group again. The series' characters are amusing and cleverly designed. I adore Riley and Nick's relationship. They both balance each other perfectly. And I will always find it entertaining to see Nick and Gabe's little battles! However, I must admit that I find the egocentric behavior of the older neighbors to be annoying.
This was a wonderful fun read, and if you're in the mood for a quirky romantic comedy, you should check this book and the whole series, if you haven't yet!
This series continues to make me laugh out loud, and book 4 is no exception! This time, Riley’s ex is in big trouble because someone wants him dead. No surprise there, given what he’s done! Nick doesn’t want to help Riley’s ex, but they need the money, so they take the case.
The best part? The elderly neighbors are back with their hilarious antics, which always crack me up. Riley deserves a medal for putting up with them! I love seeing Nick in his uncle role and enjoying his time with the nieces, plus his new friendship with Gabe, who’s now full of sarcastic humor.
The mix of romance, tons of laughs, the suspenseful moments, and even the dog make this series one of my absolute favorites! I’m also looking forward to more Jasmine and Weber's fun bickering; it seems like something exciting is brewing there.
Read this if you like: 🔮 Who dunnit 🔮 Cozy murder mystery 🔮 Crazy found family 🔮 Grumpy x sunshine 🔮 Dual POV
“I won’t say it was a pleasure going through the last few days with all of you, but I will say that it means a lot to me that you were all there to suffer with.”
Fellow readers, this book was not a pleasure. But if you read it, too, I’m glad we suffered together.
———
I really like main characters Riley and Nick, and I enjoyed the first couple of books in this series a lot. However, the silliness has become over the top. Aside from Riley and Nick, nearly every character in this book felt like a caricature. Multiple characters were completely unbelievable and beyond annoying. I was annoyed with Griffin and Mrs. Penny for 300+ pages.
As far as the plot, I would have loved to see more of Riley using her powers. For the “most powerful psychic in her family” she hasn’t used her skills much lately. Also, the mystery in this story was unsatisfying, but I won’t spoil the whodunnit aspect for anyone who hasn’t read it yet.
I’m assigning this book two stars because it is readable, a complete story, and not socially problematic. I just didn’t enjoy it.
I really needed this book this week. This book literally transported me from a really bad place to a really happy place. I laughed and couldn't it down. I love all of these characters. You’d think by now some of the jokes would be getting old, but no, still funny. I love Riley Thorn and her senior squad and can’t wait to see what they get up to next. I so hope in the next one to see how Jasmine and Weber continue their 'dislike' of each other, how Wander and Gabe progress and to find out what mischief the young nieces can get up to as they develop their skills. Please don't make us wait too long!
It is not enough that Nick has just come back after spending way to long with his head not on his biz trying to find a missing person, who really wasn't missing after all. The PI biz suffered but Riley hung in there, now they need some paying gigs and fast. And it is a testament to how bad things are that Nick would even consider working for Riley's ex. Yes, they are that bad.
The narcissistic little slime-ball, Griffin Gentry, appears to have someone who hates him enough to want to kill him. Nick is loath to take this case, but he needs the money. With just about everyone who knows to this little troll hating him, the suspect list is long, really, really long. Lucky for Nick and Riley the senior squad from next door have moved in with Nick and Riley after their roof caved in and Nick can use them for surveillance on the top suspects. That was a hoot. When Nick takes a page from the old Thin Man Series, he finally nails the baddie, and managed to make Griffin pay up.
My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
I consistently laughed, giggled, snorted, and shook my head through the whole book! I'm fairly certain my husband thinks I've lost it now, so thanks for that! - Sarah
The Body in The Backyard is the fourth installment in the Riley Thorn series, and I swear they just keep getting funnier! If you haven't read the first three, I would highly recommend reading them first! The story will make much more sense, and they are all amazing! Every character in this series is well thought out and hilarious. They all make the best team. 👌 The humor is exceptional as well! Keep them coming, please!
Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review. This series is in my top three favorites, and it came as the best possible time. I'm struggling. A good friend is in the ICU, and we have been reading this series together. I'm so very sad, but this book brought me some light in the dark.
thank you so much to NG and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have now officially read all the released books in this series and while I enjoyed most to an extent, part of what pushed me through was the potential of the series. It is such a fun/funny idea and the main characters are great- no notes. Unfortunately, all the things that were continually obnoxious throughout the other books were just ratcheted up 100% in the latest installment.
The body in the Backyard is centered around keeping Riley's ex safe from attempts on his life and that may have been the catalyst for the bad to just bad so hard. Gentry isn't an idiot. He is written- intentionally- to not understand the world around him. He can somehow navigate a career and multiple affairs but doesn't know when a hostage situation is happening or when he's being directly threatened?? He was written as if to have an IQ of 70 or below. I was actually worried for his intellect. Not in a slap stick comedy way but in a 'this is wildly unrealistic' kind of way. Which brings me to major beef number two- Penny. As with Gentry, the tastes and teases you got of these two characters in previous books were funny and meant to be caricature of themselves, but you just got too much of them in this book. It began to pull me from the story the situations they would get themselves into or what they would do. It was absurd.
I wish that were the extent of my issues but in quick summary: Riley rarely even uses her abilities in the last couple of books. They offer no help to the solving of the crime. Speaking of, again, for the last 2 books the big reveal at the end was something that the reader was in no way clued into. The fun of a mystery is that you are fed a bit here and there. and yet some how this book is still too long. Side quests and things that have nothing to do with anything are like 100 pages of the book.
I think this just isn't Lucy's genre that she thrives in and unfortunately- since I've read like 20 of her books- I think I need to take a break from her. This one was just too much of a let down. She get's one start for technical writing skill.
3.5Stars - An improvement on the previous book in the series. The 4th instalment continues almost immediately from where the 3rd book (Blast from the Past) finished and we see Riley and Nick taking on a new case. This time acting as a bodyguard for Riley's ex husband Griffin after it seems someone wants him dead. With the usual group of geriatric neighbours, family and friends around them assisting in this case, the team find themselves over and over in very sticky situations.
I definitely preferred this instalment over the 3rd for several reasons: 1. Riley has her powers back and she uses them a lot. This was really missed in the 3rd book due to her temporarily losing her powers. 2. I felt the plot of this book was more solid, had a purpose, journey and ending. The 3rd book was all over the place. 3. The banter in this book was also elevated and the characters really found their own in this one. There were definitely some laugh out loud moments here!
One thing to note is that the characters are very comic book/cartoonlike. If you expect to find layers here, there are not! Griffin in particular is something taken out of a bad soap opera or TV show, but I think that is the point of these books. They are tongue in cheek and NOT to be taken seriously.
Same criticisms as I felt with previous books, they are a bit on the too long side for what they are. The author could do with keeping it more concise and flowy and there are some scenes which were unnecessary.
Seems like there is a 5th instalment and if its more in keeping with this last book I'm here for it!
Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books who provided a copy via NetGalley for Review. All opinions are my own.
Riley Thorn has been a serious comfort read for me. There is just something about the characters that give my heart a warm hug! Lucy's writing is some of my favorite out there!
After the cliffhanger in book 3 I could not wait to jump into this one! This mystery had me on my toes! What was going to happen to Griffen? How was this going to play out? I did not see the twist coming at all. I had my suspicions and they were WRONG. That's the one thing I love about this series is yes there's romance but the mystery is top notch. The humor in this is something I look forward to when reading. All of the side characters I just love seeing their shenanigans.
I really hope we get more Riley Thorn in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and bloom books for the gifted copy.
This was a laugh out loud read from beginning to end. Every character had me loving them whether I wanted to or not. This is a lengthier book and I never wanted it to end. Along with a cast of wacky characters was a mystery that continued to develop and a conclusion I never expected.
I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a lightheaded read with a storyline that will keep you engaged.
This was just as fun and has the same vibe as the first book in the series with a major difference being Riley and Nick are in a relationship and solving the mystery as a team. In this installment, Riley's annoying ex-husband is back on her doorstep and needs her help to clear his name. Of course, Nick doesn't want to help him but they end up investigating and taking the case.
There were the usual funny hijinks in this one with, retired suspects and elderly roommate drama. Riley's psychic powers come into play and are utilized in the murder mystery. I liked that the romance played a big part in this, there were some really steamy scenes lol. I also liked the cozy fun mystery element and the chaos that ensued. Thank you to Hambright PR for this arc for an honest review.
Read if you like - Cozy murder mystery - Lots of humor - Romance - Crazy hijinks
This was such a fun read. Love the PI gangs and their banters and I hope we get another book!
4.25⭐️
It took me some time to complete this one as it was quite a hectic month for me in July but one thing I can guarantee for sure is that this was just as amazing as the previous books in the series. I loved seeing the PI gang together again doing everything they can to help solve the case regarding the attack on Griffin Gentry.
I live for the interactions between Nick and “his roommates“ in this one. The amount of times Nick wanted to go far away with Riley from everyone else was hilarious. The way both Nick supported Riley and was protective of her, since she’s always in harm’s way, is everything. Gage is adorable as always and his sarcasm has me laughing out loud so many times. Last but not the least, the way everything unfolded in the end was unexpected but I really enjoyed the twist and the big reveal.
If you haven’t read this series yet, you’re missing out on all the fun and witty banter. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking for an exciting and fun story.
I knew this was going to be good when Rileys ex hires Nicks detective agency to find the person threatening him. Nick has no choice but to take the job as they need the money.
There was so much going on in this book, there was no time to get bored. I love this series and how it's been able to make me laugh out load so suddenly I shocked myself!
The mystery in this one was much harder to figure out, at first I just thought Griffin (Rileys ex) made it all up for attention. God that guy was seriously screwed up in the head but he did make me laugh with how stupid he was.
Riley and Nicks relationship goes from strength to strength, even with all the crap that they are dealing with. They make such a great team.
I am so glad I continued this series, the only thing I'm upset over is that this is the last book. I am keeping everything crossed that we get more of this crazy cast of characters. I'd really like to see what happens between Gabe and Rileys sister and Jasmine and Weber.
In true Riley Thorn fashion, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 starts off just as wild and chaotic as always!
Riley, Nick, Burt and their band of geriatric sidekicks once again try to solve a murder. They must all work together to keep Riley’s ex-husband Griffin from being murdered. Unfortunately, the suspect list is MILES long!
I love these characters so much. Every time I pick up a new Riley Thorn book I know I am going to literally be put into a coma from laughing so hard. Over the course of 4 books, Riley and Nick’s relationship has grown stronger and stronger. I seriously love them together so much. They both thrive in chaos and are perfect for each other. This is a closed door romance.
The more I read in this series, the more I love it. It has all the same gang of side characters from the first book. They are all crazy and very entertaining. Nick is so cute with his love for Riley. I adored how he would get mad whenever she put herself in danger. Riley is just a fun heroine and so likable. I love, love these two together. Add in all the animals and the hilarious entertainment of Nick and Riley trying to keep her ex-husband alive, made for a really fun read.
The race is on to find out who is trying to kill Griffin Gentry. The problem: everyone he has ever met has motive!
Psychic Riley, her super hot boyfriend, and PI Nick, along with the whole motley crew of geriatric roommates, are on the case. As with the other books in this series, you get a little bit of everything. Lucy Score perfectly weaves humor and mystery.
I almost cried because i thought this might be the last book in the series but thank god it’s not. Ily Lucy, ily Riley, i fucking hate you Griffin, and ily Nick. If i dont get more info about Jasmine and Weber i might actually scream 🙂
This is the fourth book in the Riley Thorn series.
Book three ended with a cliffhanger. And this book picks up right where that one left off. Each book does focus on a different mystery. However the series is meant to be read in order or you will not understand the characters.
This is a cozy mystery mixed with a romantic comedy. The series features psychic Riley Thorn and her boyfriend Nick (who is a private investigator). The book is full of quirky characters, including a group of octogenarian neighbors.
This book is focused on helping Riley’s ex-husband. And OMG he is such a tool. But overall this was another fun story. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
Thanks to netgalley and Bloom Books for allowing me to read this book.
I love all of the Riley Thorn books. It is so nice getting back into this fun universe where there is some romance, mystery, investigating, humor, and loveable characters. Gabe is even more entertaining in this book, the group of old elderly neighbors continue to make life a circus in the best way, and Gentry is as annoying as ever. This got me out of my reading slump which I am eternally grateful for!
I’m always happy to dive back into this series, especially when it makes me laugh this hard every time.
📕 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Riley Thorn and the Nody in the Backyard by Lucy Score
📙 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: Riley Thorn continuous series. Book 4.
📗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: E-book ARC on Kindle. 🆓 on KU.
📘 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Romantic suspense
📔 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: LOL, found family, broody MMC.
📖 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗽𝘀𝗶𝘀: In the fourth installment of this series, Riley Thorn continues to hone her psychic abilities while tracking down who is terrorizing her ex-husband.
🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: This series is one of my favorites. Comforting, full of hysterical characters and situations that can only come from Lucy Score’s brain.
As always when I’m reviewing this series I like to mention it’s very romance light. I’m INVESTED in Riley and Nick, but there’s a lot more hijinx than romance here.
But despite that, I laughed a ton at this newest book. I am not sure how much longer the series can go, but I think one more book to close it out would be perfect.
𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 2.5/5 🌶🌶
📝 𝗔 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲… None of these end on a cliffhanger, so you’re safe to pick up and read at your own pace if you’d like.
Wow! This was… terrible? I’m floored. I love Lucy Score & I love the Riley Thorn series. I was so excited for this book to come out and WOW. What a disappointment.
I feel like we didn’t get to really see any of Riley’s & Nick’s relationship in this book. It was so overshadowed by all of the “elderly roommates” & their drama. I feel like the story was just chaotic - in the worst way. The plot didn’t really make sense & I feel like this book was just thrown together.
Also, I get Griffin was an asshole, but it is so unrealistic how DUMB Lucy made him in this book. Making him have no common sense & just really unintelligent didn’t come off the right way. Partially because Riley never would have fallen for such a shallow, fake, stupid man. For instance, saying the man didn’t realize pickles or mayo are bought in jars?? What??
This book sucked. I almost couldn’t bring myself to finish reading it because it was so, so bad.
As always, these books are really fun, with loads of interesting secondary characters as the case plays out.
I feel like this one was hurt by a couple little things, which kept me from giving it 5 stars despite the fun.
Firstly, Nick's family and the geriatric imbeciles got dialed up a bit too much for my taste in this book. Nick's mom and sister are literal human garbage, and I don't find them funny - they are entitled, bullying asswipes and I need someone to tell them to go fuck themselves because it isn't okay. It is different from the geriatric imbeciles because they are completely mean-spirited. I'm not interested in a character that treats people this way, and I'm especially not into seeing Nick and Riley cater to them, trying to win them over. No. People like this deserve a boot to their ass, and to sit in loneliness in their old age, wondering why no one wants to be around them. Frankly, Nick's mom is no different than Griffin and Bella - a rich bitch who thinks the majority of the world is beneath her, and their only purpose is to toady to her. She is the definition of what is wrong in this world.
And while usually the geriatric imbeciles amuse me, this book took it a bit too far imo, Maybe because they just moved into Nick and Riley's house as if they had every right, and then proceeded to trash it and/or idiotically keep barging into their bedroom.
Secondly, it's hard to watch them try to help Griffin and Bella. Frankly, I'd make popcorn and watch him get murdered. The human race as a whole would benefit from this dickhead being removed, and especially being out of the gene pool. Again, he is the definition of what is wrong in this world...just a celebrity version.
I get that Nick needed the money, and so that worked to make me roll with it, but he was just so unbelievably irritating that it made for some tough moments. Also, given that you know he rips people off, get paid UP FRONT. Like, that asswipe could be in the middle of a gunfight, and I would not engage until he wrote me a check. Don't want to pay up front? Okay, good luck then, you shithead.
Those quibbles aside, it was fun. Riley and Nick have a really great relationship, and it was cute seeing them on a case together. And it was gratifying to see Riley comfortable with regularly leaning into her psychic abilities - PI seems like an amazing job for her, right up her alley!
I'm glad the author is continuing with this character, because I really do like the cast. And because I need to see Weber and Jasmine finally get together, please!
And because someone better drop kick Nick's sister, and throw his mother out a window. Seriously.
This is the fourth book in the Riley Thorn series and should be read in order.
What a great conclusion to a fun romcom series. It’s been a delight to follow the growth of the MCs, Riley and Nick, both in their individual character growth, as well as their romance. However…
This being the fourth book in the series, many of the jokes and other shtick that Score carries over from the previous books—such as the frequent coitus interruptus by the annoying Octogenarian housemates—felt stale and recycled. Score gets high marks for keeping all the loveable quirky side-characters involved in the plot, but the quirkiness often felt overdone here in book 4.
Despite the ‘however,’ this was a fun book and series, and a must read for Lucy Score fans.
Dear Lucy.. never stop writing this series! I think this one might have been my favorite in the series! I love just how fun and funny they are. Simply and lightheartedly and just fun!! It’s such a good time
DNF. Genuinely terrible. I liked the first book in the series a lot. The next ones were pretty good. This is a hot mess. Just, chaos and one-dimensional characters to the max.
I read Book 1 & 4 for a book tour with @Hambright_pr. I would definitely recommend reading book 1 before the rest of them, but I was able to read book 4 Immediately following book 1 and fully enjoyed both.
In this one, Riley and Nick are back to solve another murder, and keep Rileys ex douchebag husband, Griffin, from getting murdered. This cast of characters are a blast. They are quirky, and funny. Lots of chaos and suspense in this one, just like book 1. If you love romcoms definitely pick this series up.
Thank you Hambright_pr and the publisher for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.