11.27.2017 - Right Behind You

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Dutton Publishing and Lisa Gardner for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - it was awesome!

Unfortunately, although I've read her books before, I hadn't read any of the Quincy & Rainie books.  While I'm sure having more of their back story would make this book even better, I didn't feel I lost a thing by not having read them.

Quincy & Rainie are semi-retired profilers, working in a small Oregon town helping police on various cases.  They are in the process of adopting Sharlah, a teenager who survived a horrific childhood.  When Sharlah was just a toddler, her drunken father stabbed her mom and then tried to kill her older brother, who in turn killed his dad with a baseball bat. 

Reports come in of a shooting in a gas station of the clerk and a customer.  When surveillance video comes back, it appears that Sharlah's brother, Telly, is responsible.  The manhunt begins and Quincy & Rainie are involved, which becomes more complicated because of their relationship to Sharlah. 

This is a thrill ride of a book - I raced through it, heart pounding!  Highly recommended!

11.24.2017 - Fox and Raccoon

Thanks to NetGalley, Tundra Books and Lesley-Anne Green for the opportunity to read and review this adorable book!

Fox and Raccoon are best friends and neighbors.  They spend every day together.  But today, Fox is too busy.  So what do best friends do?  They help out!  Raccoon goes all over town doing errands for Fox to help.  Turns out Fox has a surprise in store!

Adorable book that my grandkids will love - cute illustrations, short, perfect for lessons about friendship for the younger set!

11.22.2017 - The Wake Up

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Catherine Ryan Hyde for the opportunity to read her latest book.

Like everything she writes, this book is filled with such insight, hope and emotion.  This book finds Aiden, a cattle rancher, going through the motions of his life.  He is emotionally empty - just doesn't feel anything.  Then one day he "wakes up."  He starts actually feeling what others feel - when one of his animals gets hurt, he feels it physically.  This wake up changes his life - he can't hunt or ranch the way he's always done.  Then he meets Gwen, a single mother of two, and falls in love.  Her son, Milo, was abused by his father and bears the brunt of that by acting out.  The forging of their relationship is wonderful - we can all learn from the lessons on this book.

Highly recommended!

11.19.2017 - A Boy Made of Blocks

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Keith Stuart for the opportunity to read this amazing book - highly recommended!

Alex and Jody are parents of 8-year-old Sam, a highly-functioning autistic child.  They are worn out from trying to push and pull him through day-to-day life.  So much so that they have lost each other along the way.  A trial separation finds Alex living with his childhood friend and trying to figure out his life.  He's in a job he hates, he can't get past his grief over a childhood loss, and he can't seem to connect to Sam or Jody.  Until Minecraft, a video building game, enters their life and provides a means for Sam and Alex to connect.

I dare you to get through the ending of this book without cheering and crying!  A great read and certainly very inspirational.

11.16.2017 - The Story of Arthur Truluv

 

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite writers!) for the opportunity to get to know Arthur by reading this amazing book!

Arthur is an 85-year-old widow who spends every lunch hour at the cemetery eating lunch at his wife's gravesite.  While he's there, he also visits others' graves and imagines the lives they led.  Arthur begins to notice teenage Maddy at the cemetery, when she should be in school.  They strike up a conversation and a friendship begins.  Maddy is having trouble at school and at home and Arthur provides a needed friend.  Add to this Arthur's neighbor across the street, Lucille, who is alone and lonely.  These three people come together to once again prove that friendship can be the best type of family. 

Sweet, quirky, uplifting, wonderful - highly recommended!

11.15.2017 Poison

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Galt Niederhoffer for the opportunity to read and review this book. Rounding up to 4 stars because I enjoyed the read and it kept me enthused until the end.

Cass is a woman who seems to have gone through the darkest days - losing her first husband and left with two small children - to have found the seemingly perfect man. Cass and Ryan move from NYC to Seattle to start a new life and have a new son, Sam, to add to their perfect family. But nothing is ever perfect, is it?

Cass soon finds evidence that Ryan is not who he seems to be. He starts displaying a dark side to his personality. Then she starts becoming ill.

There is a lot of teachable info in this book - Cass is a university teacher whose specialty is the treatment of women in society and in the courts. Fitting for how it all plays out. You would think this would lead her to make smarter moves but our brain doesn't always rule our actions.

Although the writing style was somewhat wordy, I enjoyed it - especially the first part of the book where everything in Cass' world is very relatable - dealing with schedules, children, housework, etc.

I couldn't wait to finish this book and see how it all played out!

11.12.2017 - The Trick

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Emanuel Bergmann for the opportunity to read this debut novel - it was a wonderful mix of historical fiction, quirky characters and magic!

The story is told in two different time periods and from the vantage of two characters - Moshe is a rabbi's son who leaves Prague to join a circus during World War II, eventually becoming The Great Zabbatini.

Contrasted is the story of 10-year-old Max, living in LA in present time, heartbroken over his parents' impending divorce. He comes across an old album of his dad's featuring The Great Zabbatini who promises a spell of Eternal Love that Max is convinced will save his parents' marriage.

When the two finally meet, the real magic of the story begins. And it is not one to be missed!

11.10.2017 - Millard Salter's Last Day

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Jacob Appel for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this book - with a few caveats. Millard Salter is a psychologist who is turning 75 and has decided to end his life. He's not sick - he's just seen his share of people at the end of their life with no recourse so has decided to take the matter in his own hands. But of course his last day doesn't go as planned, as he meets with people that give him pause about his decision. He tries to set things right that he feels he has regrets about - meeting an ex-wife, trying to counsel a son.

But the author seemed to go on tangents on a multitude of subjects - and make sure you have your dictionary nearby to try and figure out some of the words he uses!

Still in all - a good book with lots to ponder

11.8.2017 - The Girl Who Lived

Thanks to NetGalley, Greyson Media, and Christopher Greyson for the opportunity to read his latest thriller! I'm a big fan of the Jack Stratton series and this stand-alone thriller is just as exciting.

Faith is the lone survivor of brutal murders that took place at her family's cabin. She is released from a psychiatric hospital right before the 10th anniversary of the murders. She is ravaged with guilt and anger which she handles with alcohol. She is desperate to find the killers but the police think she's crazy and won't listen to her; her psychologist thinks she's suicidal; her mother is totally disconnected. While on her own searching for the killer, she starts feeling she's being targeted as well.

This is a great thrill ride that you won't want to put down until you find out all the answers - and I was totally surprised by the ending!

11.6.2017 - The Dark Lake

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Sarah Bailey for the opportunity to read her debut novel - a definite winner!

Set in Australia, Gemma Woodstock is a Detective Sergeant. A high school classmate of hers, Rosalind Rose, is found murdered and Gemma is assigned to investigate the death. The investigation brings back past memories for Gemma of her high school boyfriend, Jacob, and his death.

The story is told from Gemma's viewpoint. There are also flashbacks into Gemma's past and her relationship with Jacob. Gemma's not exactly a likeable character although this story gives lots of explanations into her behavior. Her current personal life is also a mess - she's in a relationship with Scott and they have a small son, Ben. However, she's in a relationship with a coworker and is obsessed with him.

I thought this was an amazing debut novel and I can't wait to read more books starring Gemma. If you like police procedurals with an emphasis on characters, I highly recommend this one!

11.3.2017 - Silent Lies

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Kathryn Croft for the opportunity to read and review her latest book. I was a big fan of her previous book, The Girl You Lost, and this one did not disappoint. A wonderful psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing!

The story is told by Mia and Josie over 2 different time periods, until the present meets the past. Mia is a young widow, raising her daughter, trying to move on from the tragic death by suicide of her husband, Zach. Josie is a young college student with a troubled path, whose life intersects with Zach's at school, where he is a professor. On the day that Zach is found dead, Josie is missing and feared dead. Five years later, Josie's old roommate comes into Mia's life and says that Zach didn't kill himself. Mia becomes obsessed with trying to find the truth.

I didn't want to put this one down - highly recommended!

11.1.2017 - The First Day

Thanks to NetGalley, Fleet Publishing, and Phil Harrison for the opportunity to read his debut novel.

This story is told in two parts - the first takes place in Belfast, Ireland, and centers around a preacher, Sam Orr, and Anna, a young Beckett scholar. Despite the fact that they are more different than alike and that Sam is married with 3 boys, they begin an affair. This, of course, reaps long-reaching consequences on his family, escalating when Anna gets pregnant. The second half of the book centers around their son, also named Sam. Sam is living in NYC, working at the Met, when his past comes crashing into his life.

I wanted to get into this story more than I did. The writing was great and holds much promise for the author. This was one of those books where I felt I just didn't get it - was I missing things I was supposed to read into the story? Lots of scripture quoting and flowery prose but I just couldn't get into the characters and their stories too much.