1.31.2017 - Moral Defense

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book - another good one by Marcia Clark!

This is the second in the Samantha Brickman series and I liked this one even better than the first. Marcia Clark is really good at giving life to these characters as well as creating a mystery with many layers that will keep you guessing and intrigued. Plus, I love Sam's wit and a few of Marcia's notes thrown in...like in this book how she talks about how women are judged by their clothes!

The main character in this book is Cassie - a teenage girl whose entire adopted family is brutally stabbed, sparing her. Sam is in charge of defending her once evidence comes out that Cassie may have been the killer.

Don't want to say too much because I may spoil the fun for others. Suffice it to say that this is another great mystery/legal book with great characters in the mix. Highly enjoyable!

1.30.2017 - Blood Defense

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is the first in a new series by Marcia Clark, infamous as the prosecutor in the OJ Simpson trial. The main character in this book is Samantha Brinkman, a defense attorney, struggling to build up a small practice in LA.

A police detective is accused of a high-profile killing of an actress, whom he was dating, and her roommate. This is just the kind of case that Samantha and her associates hope will help build their clientele and get them out of the drug-infested neighborhood. Michelle is her childhood best friend and is her right-hand in the office. A new investigator, Alex, comes to the office with a dubious background.

I really liked this book - it moved quickly, I liked the characters and Samantha's dry wit, and things kept me guessing til the end. I'm excited to move on to Book #2 in this series!

1.27.2017 - The Veins of the Ocean

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

This story had lots of promise and I wanted to like it more than I did. Actually, the first part of the book held my interest, but that waned in the second part.

Reina comes from a complicated, dysfunctional family. Her brother was her everything - until he committed a heinous crime and was on death row. Reina was his only visitor and she made quite the effort to never miss. However, part of that was her guilt for her part in his crime. This is the part of the story that felt so real and drew me into the characters.

It slowed down after Reina moves to the Keys and takes up shelter in a little cottage. She meets Nesto, an immigrant from Cuba, who has a family there that he is trying to get to come to the states.

I found myself using the translator on my Kindle quite often in this book - many Spanish phrases not translated.

1.23.2017 - Behold the Dreamers

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a book pulled right out of today's immigration conversations. Jendi and Neni come to New York City from Cameroon in Africa to live the American dream and provide a better life for their son. Unfortunately, this is right before the Great Recession. Jendi had found a job as a chauffer for Clark Edwards, a Lehman Brothers executive. Neni is going to school part-time with hopes of becoming a pharmacist. She also works for the Edwards family during their summer vacation in the Hamptons as a housekeeper and nanny to their young son.

This story is beautifully written and an amazing debut novel. It would be a wonderful book club selection with so many things to discuss - class differential, cultural differences, parenting, marriage. I would have given it 5 stars if I liked the characters a bit more. There were things I loved about them but enough jarring behavior that made me feel a bit distant from them.

1.19.2017 - All Our Wrong Todays

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I'll admit I have a love/hate relationship with time travel - it's always so confusing! But this book is definitely not your typical time travel story. It's funny, it's sweet, it's confusing - it's mostly very original.

Tom lives in a world that is the epitome of what a future world could be - peace, free energy, food replicators, hover cars and on and on. All of this is because a man created a generator to produce energy without any of the typical ills associated with that. Tom hasn't quite found his place in this world - his father is a genius working on a time travel machine, his mother is dead, and an accident happened with the girl of his dreams. So he hops in the time machine which is set to go back and witness the creation of this energy generator. And everything goes wrong. Tom eventually finds himself back in 2016 but it's a very different world - it's basically our world.

The way this book is written will make you laugh and keep you intrigued. Definitely worth a ride!

1.17.2017 - A Daughter's Deadly Deception

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm fascinated by true crime stories and trying to learn more about people and their motives. This book was the story behind the crime that took place in Canada where a 24-year-old hired people to kill her parents.

The author did a great job in telling this story as well as letting us glimpse into the family life of Jennifer. Her parents were what some described as "tiger parents," as is popular in the Asian culture of success at all costs. However, that can never be the reason for murder as this book certainly emphasized.

Jennifer's lies were beyond belief - she lied about high school and college graduations and her lies were good enough that her parents believed her. While some might question that, we as parents are programmed to believe the best in our children.

This crime took place in Canada and prosecuted by the Crown. With very little hard evidence, cell phone records were what brought all this to prosecution. Some of that got a little tedious and I could have used a score card to keep up with it all. Also, I'm obviously not versed enough in text talk and so much of this was difficult to understand.

If you like true crime, definitely a book to pick up.

1.15.2017 - A Short Time to Die

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this great debut thriller!

The book is told in two different voices 13 years apart. Marly Shaw is a teenager growing up in Central New York in the Harris family that is holding the area hostage to their violent ways. The police are powerless, the family breeds among themselves, and no one can get away. Marly is coming home from a dance when she is chased by two men, one of them her stepfather. Both die and Marly is forced to start making plans to escape.

Thirteen years later, Vanessa is a sheriff's detective trying to solve the deaths of two people found in California. The dead turn out to be from the Harris family and her and her partner, Jack, are off to New York to investigate.

This is a great thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Filled with powerful women who show their resilience and faith in each other. Don't miss this one! I'm already looking forward to Bickford's next novel!

1.14.2017 - The Futures

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I really enjoyed this debut novel set in 2008 at the height of the financial crisis. Told in alternating voices and timelines, this book will take you back to the time where your place in life felt scary and your choices and actions reflect that.

Julia and Evan are a young couple, college sweethearts, who move to NYC for the start of their grown-up life. Evan has a job with a hedge fund and Julia flounders a bit trying to find a job and a place in the city. Evan becomes so involved in work that everything else gets neglected, including Julia, who looks for someone to fill that void.

The plot of the novel - what happens with Evan's job - becomes almost secondary to the feelings that everyone in this novel experience as they are trying to find their way. Kind of a more grown-up coming of age story. While our paths are different, everyone can relate to the struggles of finding oneself and hoping not to lose yourself in the process.

A wonderful debut novel - loved the characters (most of them!) and the feelings it invoked - plus there were definitely life lessons to be learned here.

1.12.2017 - Lucky Boy

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the privilege of being able to read and review this book.

What a journey. My heart still hurts after finishing this book. The story is told in two different voices - Soli is an 18-year-old from a poor village in Mexico filled with dreams and courage. She finds a way to make it over the border and ends up in Berkeley CA with a cousin. She begins work as a housecleaner for a wealthy couple and finds herself pregnant. She is a fierce mother and protector of little Ignacio - or Nacho as she calls him. Until she is herded up by Immigration.

The alternate voice is that of Kayva and her husband, Rishi, are a young couple living the American dream. A nice house in Berkeley, both have good jobs - the only thing missing is a baby. When Kayva is unable to conceive, they try adoption which leads them to fostering Ignacio.

At the crux of this story are two mothers - both fiercely in love with their child. There are no clear winners in this story and it will tug at your heartstrings.

The writing in this story is beautiful - amazing that this is a debut novel. In today's environment with the immigration issue in all the news, surely makes you think. Highly recommended!

1.9.2017 - The Marriage Lie

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book - I loved it!

Iris and Will have the perfect marriage - madly in love, both have great jobs, a beautiful home in Atlanta and want to start a family. Then Will heads off to Orlando for a conference for work. Meanwhile, a plane crashes leaving from the same airport heading to Seattle killing everyone one board - and Will is listed as being on board.

Iris is devastated with grief but at the same time she can't figure out why Will was on a plane to Seattle instead of Orlando. She starts investigating, with the help of her twin, and finds out that Will might not have been who she thought he was.

I don't want to give anymore away because I raced through this book to figure out what happened and loved it. Suspenseful but also very thought-provoking to put yourself in Iris' position and wonder what you might do.

Highly recommended!

1.7.2017 - The Best of Adam Sharp

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author and publisher for granting my wish to read this book - see, wishes do come true!

First, this book isn't the Rosie books so if you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed. However, while it may be less laughs and a bit darker, it's still a great read - just a little more grown-up, mature read.

Just like Don from the Rosie books (and the author), Adam works in IT. While on an assignment in Australia, he has a passionate relationship with Angelina, a soap opera actress estranged from her husband. When he leaves Australia at the end of his contract, he feels that he lost his one true love.

Fast forward twenty-two years and Adam is in a long-term relationship with Claire. They have more of a business arrangement and less of a love story but they are making it work. Until an email comes from Angelina and their flirty banter leads him to think that he might have another chance with her. These thoughts reengage Adam to lose weight, get his career on track, even spice things up with Claire. Then an invitation from Angelina to spend a week with her and her husband in France comes - he throws everything to the wind to see if he can win back his love.

The ending redeemed this book for me - I was getting a little tired of some of the game playing midway. This is a must for any music lover - not a page goes by without a music reference and there's even a playlist in the back of the book.

Graeme Simison is showing another side of his writing with The Best of Adam Sharp - and bravo for that!

1.5.2016 - Every Thing Belongs to Us

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I was never 100% involved in this book, although I really wanted to be. This book is set in Seoul, South Korea in the 1970s. I found some of the cultural references interesting, especially in reference to class/family standings, education and family life.

At the heart of this book are two young women who met as middle school students. Namin comes from a poor family, is brilliant and carries the weight of responsibility for her family on her shoulders. They sacrifice so that she can succeed and take care of them. Jisun is from a wealthy, powerful family. She struggles against her dad, doesn't care about money, and goes from one activist cause to another.

Both women become involved with Sunam, a smart but not extremely motivated young man who is flattered by Namin's attention yet drawn to Jisun. Sunam is also involved with Juno, Jisun's brother, who is his mentor and tries to move him into the future.

I just never felt engaged with anyone but Namin and the ending left me feeling more sad than anything else. It was a good read, just not a great one to me.

1.2.2017 - Two Days Gone

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this great book!

I was unfamiliar with this author's work - this is not just a typical mystery. It's definitely a literary thriller, stuffed with wonderful writing, literary references, and more words that I had to look up in a book in a long time!

However, at the heart of this book is a great thriller. The story is told from two viewpoints - a hardened Pennsylvania State Trooper, Ryan DeMarco, and a bestselling author/professor, Thomas Huston. When Huston's entire family is slain and Huston goes on the run, DeMarco has to face the fact that the man he knows on a friendly basis may be guilty, even though he doesn't really believe it. Both of these men have demons to face so neither are thinking clearly as DeMarco's hunt for Huston and the truth go on.

A great book with that requisite twists and turns - don't miss it!