7.31.2019 - The Book Charmer

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books, and Karen Hawkins for the opportunity to read this wonderful book!  5 glowing stars for a book that had everything - and it's the first in a series so there's even more to look forward to!

The Dove family is special in small town Dove Pond - they have special abilities.  Like with Sarah, the librarian - the books speak to her and tell her what person needs a particular book.  Or her sister Ava who can make a tea to help just the person who needs it.  But Dove Pond as a town is in financial trouble.  When a new town clerk Grace, comes to Dove Pond, Sarah's book tells her that she may be the one to save the town.  But that's going to be a job because Grace has her own troubles.  She is caring for her foster mom, Mama G, who is slipping away with Alzheimer's, and has care of her sister's daughter, Daisy.

There is a wonderful touch of magic in this book but it also touches on serious subjects such as trauma, Alzheimer's, family, community.  I love books about books plus I loved each of these characters.  I found myself laughing, tearing up, and rooting for all of them.  Please hurry with book #2 - a highly recommended charming read!  And the cover is beautiful as well!

7.29.2019 - The Arrangement

Many thanks to NetGalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and Robyn Harding for the opportunity to read her latest book - loved it!  I really liked The Party and somehow missed Her Pretty Face - definitely a must-read author!

Natalie had a tough childhood - her dad left her and her mom when she was young, her high school boyfriend became obsessive, and her mom remarried and had a new family where she didn't quite feel at home.  So a chance to go to art school in NYC was too good to pass up.  And Nat loved her new life - except it was expensive.  When she meets fellow student, Ava, who has a beautiful penthouse apartment and all that money can buy, she learns about the sugar daddy/sugar baby lifestyle.  While she can't imagine being with an older man, when her money is gone, she signs up with Ava's help.  She meets Gabe, the perfect rich, older man who eventually enters into an arrangement with Nat - he will pay her a monthly fee to be available to him.  But Nat breaks the rules when she falls in love.  Since the prologue tells us that Natalie is in jail for murder, we know things go horribly wrong.

This was a quick read - just a good summer escape book into another world!

7.28.2019 - The Escape Room

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Megan Goldin for the opportunity to read and review this book - loved it!  4.5 stars!

Sara Hall, a young MBA graduate who is starting her first job at a powerful Wall Street investment banking firm.  The money is better than she could have hoped for, but the hours are brutal and the atmosphere the same.  She is the lowly analyst on a 4 member team.  As we learn about Sara's life, there are alternating chapters entitled The Elevator, where the 4 team members are trapped.  They were all called to an important meeting they couldn't say no to and find themselves in the elevator escape room.  The four are given clues to help them figure out how to escape.  But their cut-throat behavior only escalates once they are trapped.

Push reality on the back burner a bit and just enjoy this wickedly fun thriller!

7.27.2019 - The Silent Ones

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller.  A good read with twists I didn't see coming!

Two young cousins are accused of a horrible crime - brutally assaulting an elderly neighbor.  When they are brought in for questioning, they remain silent and won't answer any questions.  Their parents, sisters Chloe and Juliet, are beyond horrified and are sure that their daughters aren't responsible.  Until one confesses.  This crime rocks the small community they live in and everyone turns on the families and their business.  The worst part is the families are turning on themselves.  Chloe and her daughter still live with their parents.  This tragedy opens up wounds from their childhood when their youngest brother died.

Solving the mystery is just part of this book; the family dynamics is the real story.  A good lesson into how our past shapes us and how difficult it is to move forward and not inflict those same wounds onto the next generation.

7.25.2019 - Lady in the Lake

Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Laura Lippman for the opportunity to read her latest mystery.  I'm a huge fan of this author and this work, while different, will not disappoint her many fans.

Maddie Swartz has been married for 20 years, been well-taken care of, and has an older teenage son.  She considered herself mostly happy.  Then a chance dinner guest who happened to be an old boyfriend made her see that she wasn't living the passionate life she used to dream about.  So she leaves her husband and son and starts a new life.  She helps police find a missing girl and uses that to break into the newspaper business.  Maddie is desperate to be able to write a story of her own and she thinks she finds the perfect one when a woman is found dead in a fountain.  She begins investigating on her own to find out all she can about the victim, Cleo.

The story takes place in the 1960s in Baltimore, so the race issues are at heart of this story.  The best part of this book was the writing style, even though it took me a bit of time to get used to.  You hear points of view from people Maddie meets along the way, each of their voices adding to the story timeline.  Don't forget to read the author's note at the end for a poignant note to the story.

7.25.2019 - Never Tell Paperback Release!

IMPORTANT REPOST because the paperback edition of Never Tell hits bookstores on August 6^th!   Plus it's got this great new cover for the paperback version.

If you haven't had a chance to read it, mark it on your calendar to pick up the latest installment in this wonderful series.  And if you haven't read any of the books, don't worry - this is a perfect stand-alone read as well!  

My original review...

Many thanks to NetGalley, Emily Canders at Dutton, and Lisa Gardner for the opportunity to read and review her latest D.D. Warren installment - 5 glowing stars.  This series just keeps getting better and better, although first-time readers to this series would still love the thrill ride of this book.

D.D Warren's latest case involves the shooting death of a husband, discovered by the police with his wife, Evie, standing in his office with a gun, having just fired shots to destroy his computer.  She's immediately booked for murder.  D.D. recognizes her from a case when she was new to the force - Evie then standing over the dead body of her father.  This book also brings back Flora, survivor of Jacob Ness' kidnapping, working as a Confidential Informer now for D.D.

The intersection of all these people and cases is a total thrill ride.  I loved trying to figure it all out and the great ending of the book.  Can't wait to read the next in this series!

7.24.2019 - Good Girl, Bad Girl

Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Michael Robotham for the opportunity to read his latest thriller.  While I'm heartbroken to have to wait for the next book to find out more of what happens, I'm so excited that this will be a series involving Cyrus Haven.  Robotham has been a favorite author of mine forever and this book is the perfect example of why.

There are multiple storylines here but they all fold together in classic Robotham style.  A young girl is found hidden in a house where someone was brutally murdered.  She won't tell anyone about her past and no one can figure out who she is or any details about her identity.  She is being held in a secure children's home for troubled youth.  She also has a unique ability - she is able to tell when someone is lying.  A psychologist, Cyrus Haven, is brought into the case when the girl, now called Evie, asks to be declared 18 and released.  Meanwhile, an Olympic-hopeful teenage skater, Jodie, is found murdered.  While someone eventually confesses, is that the end of the story?  Cyrus, himself damaged from his childhood, works on both cases.

Wow - just a great read.  It leaves questions at the end to leave you anxiously awaiting the next book!  Highly recommended!

7.22.2019 - A Stranger on the Beach

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Michele Campbell for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller - another great read by this author!  4.5 stars - couldn't put it down!

Caroline has it all - a beautiful new beach home on Long Island that she's preparing a huge housewarming party for, and her family - husband, Jason, and their just off to college daughter, Hannah.  However, things start going wrong - Jason is suddenly traveling more and shows up at their party with a Russian mistress, causing a social scene.  Desperate for a distraction, Caroline heads to the local bar and strikes up a conversation with the handsome bartender, Aiden.  They have a brief affair - and one that turns to obsession for Aiden.  Told in alternating (and very different) points of view from Caroline and Aiden - which story is true?

The less said about this storyline the better - trust me that you will enjoy trying to figure this one out!  Great read!

7.20.2019 - The Two Lila Bennetts

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity to read their latest book - loved it!

"Maybe all we are is a sum of our choices, each one leading us down a different path, each with its own unique outcome."  Lila Bennett is a very successful criminal defense attorney, married to an author, Ethan, who struggles with depression.  However, there are lots of people that Lila has wronged along her path to the top and it's time to pay up - and we get to see those two different paths.  In one, Lila is captured and being held in a concrete room, scared and wondering who of those she has wronged is behind the kidnapping and if she'll survive.  In the other path, Lila is free but someone is exposing her secrets and destroying her life.

I loved this book and the unique way it was written - in alternating chapters of Captured and Free to show us how the decisions we make effect the path of our life.  Highly recommended!

7.18.2019 - Tell Me Everything

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Cambria Brockman for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - I loved it!

We know from the opening chapter of this book that among a close group of friends at an elite college in Maine one person will not live to graduate.  The story is told from the viewpoint of Marin and is told in 3 different time periods - during her childhood in Texas, their freshman year, and then their senior year.  Marin's group of friends consists of her best friend, Ruby (an art major); John (rich and entitled); John's cousin, Max; Khaled, a prince from Abu Dhabi, and Gemma, who just wants to fit in.  Marin is the quiet outsider who sees all and plans accordingly.

This is a slow burn of a book - I loved getting glimpses of the different timelines to better understand the characters and their motivations.  The setting and atmosphere of this book were perfect - you felt you were in college in Maine.  I raced to see what was going to happen and I can't wait to read more from this author.  Highly recommended debut book!

7.16.2019 - Last Summer

Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union. Publishing, and Kerry Lonsdale for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel.  I really enjoyed her Everything series and this stand-alone book is a great one to pack in your summer beach bag!

Ella Skye is a journalist who wakes up in the hospital with parts of her memory gone.  She remembers all about meeting and marrying her husband, Damien, and their life together.  But she can't remember the car accident that put her in the hospital nor the baby she lost in the accident.  She can't even remember being pregnant.  When she gets home, she throws herself into trying to remember that missing block of time.  She is assigned to write a story about Nathan, an extreme sports celebrity.  Her boss tells her that the story was pulled but that Nathan was ready to be interviewed again.  But Ella remembers nothing of Nathan.  When she meets up with him, she is instantly drawn to him.  But who is keeping secrets from Ella?  What secrets is she keeping from herself?

An interesting topic - memory - set into this novel that kept me turning the pages to see how it was going to all end up.  Great read!

7.15.2019 - Shamed

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Linda Castillo for the opportunity to read and review her latest Amish-based mystery - another 5 star read for my favorite series!  I'm always so happy to immerse myself back in this world.

Police Chief Kate Burkholder finds herself investigating a horrific crime and racing against the clock to resolve it - an Amish grandmother was brutally murdered and her young granddaughter kidnapped.  The investigation leads her to another Amish community in southern Ohio to try and find some connections that could lead to the missing girl.  The girls parents are devastated - but are they holding anything back?

If you haven't read this series - start now!  Each of these books are wonderful stand-along mysteries but are so much better when read in order to understand the relationships between the people.  Plus, Ms Castillo is so wonderful at explaining the Amish world in these books.  Since I spent a fair amount of time in that area, I also love reading about familiar places.  Highly recommended!

7.12.2019 - The Things I Know

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Amanda Prowse for the opportunity to read and review her latest novel - another winner!  Amanda Prowse is so good at developing such engaging characters that really pull at your heartstrings.  4.5 stars!

Thomasina, nicknamed Hitch, was born with some issues - cleft pallet that was badly repaired, along with a club foot and other disabilities.  She was raised on her family farm and lovingly cared for by her parents, but she always was told and known that she wouldn't be able to learn and achieve what the other kids did.  Add much bullying on top of that and Thomasina was happy to stay on the farm and tend to her chickens.  Until one day a guest at their B&B, Grayson Potts, came into her life.  He had his own share of issues - probably Asperger's, and a troubled family life.  But Grayson was the first one to really see Thomasina's beauty and allowed her to finally see it in herself,  But could it last?

Just a good book to get lost in.  It also should serve as a warning to not install those self-fulfilling prophecies into our children or others.  

7.11.2019 - One Night at the Lake

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Bethany Chase for the opportunity to read her next book - great read!

Leah and June are best friends - they've shared everything since they were 12 years old.  Leah is hopelessly in love with Ollie and is convinced that he will propose to her when they go back to Ollie's family's summer home on Seneca Lake in Upstate NY.  June, meanwhile, is hopeless in love - she always seems to pick the wrong guys.  Leah convinces June to go along with her and Ollie to the lake.

Told in two perspectives and in two different times - Leah 7 years ago on that fateful trip and June in the present, as she heads back to Seneca Lake to confront the demons that happened there .  June is now engaged to Ollie and hasn't been back to the lake since Leah died there.

This book explores family, friendship, loyalty told in two strong voices while we discover what really happened the night that Leah died.

7.8.2019 - The Last Book Party

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Karen Dukess for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - a great summer read!

In the late 1980s, Eve is working for a publishing company as an editorial assistant while she dreams of being a writer yet holds back actually writing because of fear.    She attends a party thrown by Henry Gray, an acclaimed writer for The New Yorker, who lives in her family's Cape Cod hometown.  There she meets Franny, Henry's son, and becomes infatuated with him.  When she goes back to NYC, she is told that she was passed over for a promotion and decides to quit and become Henry's assistant on his memoir.  Romantic feelings begin to develop between the two, made easier by the fact that Franny is away.  She also meets Jeremy, a family friend, who has just written a wonderful first novel.  These three men and Eve will come together in a dramatic way at the Gray's annual book party.

I just enjoyed being immersed in the Cape Cod summer while reading about writing and books!  A great debut - looking forward to more from this author!

7.6.2019 - Girls Like Us

Many thanks to NetGalley, GP Putnam's Sons, and Cristina Alger for the opportunity to read her latest thriller - loved it!  I haven't read this author before but I'm definitely going back to read her other books.  4.5 stars!

FBI Agent Nell Flynn is recovering from a shoulder injury she received on the job and the suspect is still on the loose.  Meanwhile, her father, a Suffolk County police detective, passes away and Nell heads home to handle the details of his death.  After her mother's murder, the two never had a close relationship and Nell is anxious to tie up loose ends and head home.  However, her father's partner, Lee, asks her to help solve a recent murder that is very similar to the last case her father worked before his death.  When she begins investigating, she starts finding clues that point to her father being a major suspect - could he also have had something to do with her mother's murder?

This is a fast-paced thriller that I couldn't put down.  Great read!

7.5.2019 - Lock Every Door

Many thanks to NetGalley, Dutton, and Riley Sager for the opportunity to read his latest 5 star novel - loved it!

Jules is down on her luck - her live-in boyfriend cheated on her on the same day she lost her job, she has no family left, and no money.  When she finds an ad to be an apartment sitter in a gorgeous apartment in a Manhattan building, her prayers are answered.  This will be a reset on her life.  For 3 months of living in the apartment, she'll get enough money to start over.  But there are rules to living in the Bartholomew.  She meets Ingrid, another apartment sitter, and is shocked when she disappears the next day.  She begins investigating and finds things aren't what they seem.

What a wonderful creepy Gothic-style suspense book - I couldn't put it down.  Just like everything Sager writes, this is another 5 start book destined for the top of the charts.  Don't miss it!

7.4.2019 - A Nearly Normal Family

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and M.T. Edvardsson for the opportunity to read and review this book - lots to think about from this read!

The Sandell's appear to be a normal family - Adam, is a pastor in the Church of Sweden, Ulrika is a defense attorney, and Stella, the almost 18-year-old daughter trying to save money for a trip to Asia.  When a man is found dead at a nearby playground and Stella is arrested for the murder, everything changes.

Told in an interesting format - first from the viewpoint of Father, then Daughter and Mother as we get the backstory and the case goes through the court system.

We discover that everyone has their secrets and must come to grips with what they will do to save their daughter.

Gripping read - you'll find your thoughts about each character changing along the way.

7.2.2019 - The Marriage Betrayal

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Shalini Boland for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller - another great one!  4.5 stars rounded up because I couldn't put this one down!

Jake, Faye and their son Dylan go on a vacation with Jake's sister and her family to the seaside town where Jake grew up thinking it would be the perfect surprise for his birthday.  But when they get there, Jake seems sullen and upset and they decide to call the vacation short.  Their last morning, Jake and Dylan go dolphin watching - and never return.  The police are called and they eventually find some blood and Dylan's hat on the cliffs but no sign of the pair.

The twists and turns in this book will leave you guessing until the very last page - another great thrill ride!

7.1.2019 - Don't Ever Tell

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Lucy Dawson for the opportunity to read and review her latest thriller - won't disappoint!  4.5 stars rounded up!

Charlotte is a writer, working from home so that she can take care of her two boys.  Her husband, Tris, travels a lot and the marriage seems to be under stress.  Charlotte is at a writer's conference when she sees a young woman who looks remarkably like she did when she was younger.  That's how she meets Mia, a struggling actress.  Charlotte eventually contacts Mia with an idea for publishing her next book.  And such it begins.

I can't say too much even about the storylines without the fear of giving anything away - and you need to discover all the twists for yourself!  As with this author's other books, you will have a hard time putting this book down and you'll definitely be surprised at the end!