11.29.2018 - Into the Night

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Sarah Bailey for the opportunity to read and review her latest work.  This is the follow up to The Dark Lake, which I absolutely loved, and this one comes in as a very solid read.  4.5 stars.

We are once again in Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock's world but now she has moved to Melbourne and working for the police force there.  Still bruised and aching from leaving her life behind, she is dealing with being the new person on the force, dealing with a new partner, and battling demons in her down time.

She is investigating the murder of a homeless man when she is suddenly thrust into the limelight of investigating the murder of a very famous young actor on the city streets while filming an action movie.  There are hundreds of people around, all in zombie costumes, making finding the killer almost impossible.  All of the suspects are unreliable and Gemma is feeling the pressure.

Great read - highly recommended!  Definitely could stand alone but always best to read the first in a series.  I'm now anxiously awaiting the next book in this series - please don't let us wait too long to find out what happens next!

11.27.2018 - The Mansion

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria/Emily Bestler Books, and Ezekiel Boone for the opportunity to read his latest thriller.  As a fan of this Hatching series, I really liked this one too!

Billy and Shawn were university friends when they holed up for 2 years in an abandoned cottage on the property of Shawn's relatives with the crumbling mansion, supposedly haunted, hulking over them.  They came up with what became Eagle Logic and were working on an even bigger project - an AI/personal assistant they called Nellie - when their personal and work relationship came to a grounding halt.  Billy left with Shawn's girlfriend, Emily, and slowly started a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol.  Shawn, meanwhile, turned Eagle Logic into a multi-billion dollar venture.  As Billy's status becomes dire, Shawn approaches him with the opportunity of a lifetime - to help fix Nellie and become rich again in the process.  What could go wrong?

Stay tuned - this is a fun/creepy ride all the way to the end.  You'll never look at your Alexa/Google Home device the same way again!

11.22.2018 - Before We Were Strangers

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mira Books, and Brenda Novak for the opportunity to read and review this book - a great, twisty tale that was hard to put down!

Sloane has been estranged from her dad and brother since she left home 10 years ago.  Something happened when Sloane was only 5 years old between her parents and her mom went missing afterwards.  Sloane has always blamed her dad for the disappearance and her brother took his dad's side.   When she decides to come back to the small town in Texas where she grew up, she is determined to find out answers to her mom's disappearance at all costs.  Once home, she reconnects with her former best friend and ex-boyfriend - both who are still trying to cope with her abandonment of them so long ago.

Enough said - this is a fun ride and the least said better.  I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in this one!

11.19.2018 - The Adults

 thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Caroline Hulse for the opportunity to read this book.  While your holiday family gatherings may not turn out like the one in this book, you can bet that there will be drama.  Grab this book and hide in the corner from your family reading it.  I was just in the mood for this book - I liked the dry wit, the snakiness, the truth of it all.

Matt and Claire are the divorced parents of Scarlett.  They decide to spend Christmas together at Happy Forest to make good memories for Scarlett.  However, they also bring along their new partners, Claire's boyfriend Patrick and Matt's girlfriend Alex.  Oh, and Scarlett has an imaginary giant rabbit, Posey.  What could possibly go wrong?  Plenty - the book opens up with Alex making a 911 call that someone has been shot.

I also liked the way the author interspersed Happy Forest brochure pages and police interviews along with all the different points of view to tell this story. Lots of fun!

11.16.2018 - An Inconvenience Gone

Thanks to NetGalley, WildBlue Press, and Diane Marger Moore for the opportunity to read this book.  3.5 stars

This is the true story, written by the prosecutor, of Michelle Jones, a young mother on trial for killing her 4-year-old son.  These stories are always horrifying but what was so surprising to me was the differing verdicts between this case and the eerily-similar case of Casey Anthony.  While race wasn't presented as an issue in this story, which took place in Indianapolis, with a young, black single mother as opposed to Casey Anthony, a pretty white girl.  Meanwhile, both children are dead.

The author did a good job walking you through the entire trial - I learned quite a bit about the judicial system.

11.13.2018 - A Ladder to the Sky

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hogarth Books and John Boyne for the opportunity to read and review his latest work.  Wow - 4.5 stars for this one!  I didn't read his big buzz book last year, The Heart's Invsible Furies, but I think I need to put it on my to-read list.  However, at first, I wasn't sure about this book - be prepared for unlikeable characters and talk of gay sex.  But as I got into it, I couldn't put it down.

Maurice Swift is a handsome young man who wants to be a writer; unfortunately, he doesn't have the natural ability and doesn't have the imagination to come up with his own stories.  Working as a waiter in Germany, he meets an older, celebrated novelist, Erich Aukermann, who quickly becomes obsessed with the young man.  When Erich divulges his past to Maurice, Maurice knows he found the story he can write.  He does and it becomes a hit, although there are consequences for Erich.  But now Maurice is on the hunt for more stories and ideas that he can use - so up he climbs the ladder of ambition, leaving others in his shadow.

The writing is wonderful and this is a true character study of a psychopath who will let nothing stop him from the success he feels is rightly is.  This one deserves the buzz it's getting.

11.10.2018 - What We Owe

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mariner Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this powerful debut book - 4.5 stars!

Nahid and her boyfriend, Masood, are 18 year olds starting out at university with bright futures.  But they join the revolution to overthrow the Shah's regime.  It's all exciting and clandestine, until the night that Nahid brings her younger sister along to a huge demonstration.  Then nothing will ever be right.  The young couple are scared for their lives and flee to Sweden.

Now 55 and newly diagnosed with cancer, Nahid is angry, lonely, mean to those around her, full of regrets and feeling like no one can understand what she's been through, and why she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere  Not always likable, Nahid's story will pull at your emotions.

Highly recommended!

11.10.2018 - Everything We Give

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Kerry Lonsdale for the opportunity to read and review the final installment of this series - it was so nice to delve back into these characters' world again.  You definitely want to read the first two books - Everything We Keep and Everything We Left Behind. - to get the full impact.  In fact, I wish I would have gone back and read them again to remember all the details.

This final book focuses more on Ian, happily married to Aimee and father to Caty.  But he still struggles with his past - and this book brings that all into focus.  He's estranged from his dad and doesn't know where his mom is, plus he holds an incredible amount of guilt because he feels responsible for the breakup of the family.  Ian finally gets his dream assignment - to shoot pictures for National Geographic - but a clue to his mom's location may put that as well as his family in jeopardy.

A great series - part mystery, suspense, family drama - highly enjoyable!

11.7.2018 - Night of Miracles

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and Elizabeth Berg for the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  This is the sequel to The Story of Arthur Truluv - if you haven't read that one, grab it first.  You will totally love it and it will make Night of Miracles even better.

Taking place in the small town of Mason, Missouri, you will meet a delightful cast of characters.  Lucille, now living in Arthur's old house, is elderly but has the energy of a much-younger woman.  She has started teaching baking lessons to people in town, helping them create beautiful desserts.  Iris came to Mason from Boston, living with hurt and regret, and is hired by Lucille to help create a website and help with the classes - even though she is not a baker.  Lucille also helps the new people living in her former house next door when a crisis comes into their lives.

This is just a charming, feel good story about how the things we do for each other can make an impact in so many lives.  I fell in love with these characters and I miss them already!

11.4.2018 - The Retreat

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Mark Edwards for the opportunity to read this thriller - definitely will keep you glued to the pages!  4.5 stars for a book that was hard to put down - very typical of Edwards' books.  If you're not familiar with this author, what are you waiting for?

Julia lost her husband in a tragic drowning accident and her young daughter, Lily, was presumed dead although Julia doesn't believe it.  Two years later, Julia opens up a writer's retreat in their home to help pay bills. Lucas is a horror writer, trying to write his next book after his first was a hit.  He also is trying to recover from a tragic loss.  Along with the other writers at the retreat, strange things start happening.  Lucas becomes obsessed with investigating what's happening and whether they are related to Lily's disappearance.

I kept changing my mind on how this book was going to turn out and I was still surprised at the ending!  Great read!

11.1.2018 - The Perfect Family

 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Shalini Boland for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - a great 4.5 star read! 

Gemma has the perfect family - handsome, personal trainer husband, Robert, and two adorable, sweet girls.  She also has her own business that requires her to work long, late hours and she feels pressured on all sides between home and work.  But suddenly things begin to happen that make her question her ability to do it all.  When her mother-in-law, Diane, steps in with the perfect live-in nanny/tutor for the older daughter, Gemma caves in and allows Sadie to move in.

Enough said.  This is a fast-paced book that will keep you reading until you turn the final pages.  Great read!