Book Review: The Whistler by John Grisham

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity and impartiality are the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice.

But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe? It’s rare, but it happens.

Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.

But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout U.S. history.

What’s the source of the ill-gotten gains? It seems the judge was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself to a sizable skim of each month’s cash. The judge is getting a cut and looking the other way. It’s a sweet deal: Everyone is making money.

But now Greg wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. Greg files a complaint with the Board on Judicial Conduct, and the case is assigned to Lacy Stoltz, who immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.

Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else.

My Thoughts:

I am a HUGE John Grisham fan!  I love his legal thrillers and always race through the book.  It's been a long time since I've read one of his books though.  I was immediately drawn into the story and hardly put the book down until I finished it.

Lacy works for the Board on Judicial Conduct in Florida.  She is single and happy to do her job and go home to her French Bulldog.  She hangs out with her partner, Hugo Hatch and his wife Verna.  She has a good life. 

Hugo is a father of four with his wife, Verna.  The littlest is still just a baby and loves to keep her parents up at all hours of the night.  Hugo is sleep deprived and grumpy but you can tell he loves his wife, loves his kids and loves his job.  He was my absolute favorite character!

Lacy gets contacted by a man that claims he has information on a corrupt judge, a mafia group and an Indian casino.  Lacy and Hugo meet the man to see if his information pans out.  The man, Gregory, is in hiding himself and is very cryptic.  He gives Lacy and Hugo just enough information to get started.  After speaking with their boss, they decide they will investigate.  

Now Lacy and Hugo are thrown into a dangerous game where someone is very likely to get hurt.  People are killed, some disappear and others are hunted.   The evidence against the judge, the casino and other key players builds up and these people are getting nervous.  

I loved the characters in this novel.  Lacy was stubborn and ambitious and was not really afraid of a lot (other than getting behind the wheel of a car later but there is good reason for that).  Hugo is just a big, lovable teddy bear and Gregory was mysterious but also a very fun character to me.  

This book started off with mystery and kept it going until the end.  It was exciting and full of surprises.  John Grisham did not disappoint me with this book!

 

Book Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

"All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others."

One night on an English farm, Major the boar recounts his vision of a utopia where his fellow creatures own the land along with the means of production and are no longer the slaves of humans.

Before long his dream comes true, and for a short while all animals really are equal. But the clever pigs educate themselves and soon learn how to extend their own power, inevitably at the expense of the rest of the community.

This well-loved tale is, of course, a satire on the Soviet Communist system that still remains a powerful warning despite the changes in world politics since "Animal Farm" was first published.

This production is based on Orwell's own radio version which was first produced in 1947. 

My Thoughts:

I assigned this book to my 8th grader to read for literature this year (we homeschool) but figured that since I was making him read it, I should read it as well.  It was one of the books in my AP English class that I decided to skip in high school.  My son and I had a great time discussing this one!

Old Major knows he is nearing the end of his life.  He has a dream and decides to share it with the other animals on Manor Farm.  He talks about a revolution, how humans are no good, and how the animals are living a life of misery and slavery to make a human's life better.  Once Old Major dies, the idea of a revolution starts to grow and suddenly the animals on Manor Farm are in charge after running their owner off. 

The animals come together at first and work to make sure all animals are treated equally.  They have rules to follow that they write on the barn wall and they all work together to get Manor Farm, now known as Animal Farm, to be productive.  The animals decide that the pigs should be the ones in charge since they are the most "intelligent".  Pretty soon that leads to more problems than before though.

Animal Farm is a very powerful story.  It's about power and greed, brainwashing, communism, and how history often repeats itself, especially if there is no one who remembers the past.   This book has a lot of lessons to be learned and I am very glad I decided to read it.  It led to many interesting talks with my kiddo.

 

Book Review: Sweet Lake by Christine Nolfi

 

 Synopsis (from Goodreads):  

Linnie Wayfair knows just how many people are counting on her. But knowing doesn’t make doing any easier.

Everyone in Sweet Lake, Ohio, wants her to muster all her business sense and return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope she’ll forgive her scoundrel of a brother and reconcile the family. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open the inn—and her heart—to new possibilities. And her hilarious lifelong friends Jada and Cat are dropping none-too-subtle hints for her to ignite a romance with Daniel Kettering, the sexy attorney who’s been pining for her for years…

Now a shocking turn of events will open old wounds and upend the world Linnie has carefully built. She has to make changes quickly—and the results, though not entirely what she expected, might be what she’s been yearning for all along.

My Thoughts:

I have read a few of Ms. Nolfi's novels and while I have enjoyed them all, I think Sweet Lake is my favorite.  It was a sweet, feel good story that had some romance, turmoil and some family issues that desperately needed to be resolved.

Linnie is working hard to undo the trouble that her older brother, Freddie, imposed on her family and her town.  The inn that her parents have put her in charge of when Freddie ran off with stolen money is finally in the black again.  Linnie is in charge of a big event that will definitely help the inn when she finds out her brother is in town for some mysterious reason.  

Linnie is hurt when her long time friend, Daniel, helps Freddie.  Daniel is an attorney so he is unable to break client/attorney privilege and tell Linnie why Freddie is in town or what issues Freddie is dealing with.  Freddie is a film maker in California and brings his whole entourage to the inn to wreak havoc and cause Linnie stress.  Add to this chaos Freddie brings, Linnie also has to deal with the town and the group of older women called The Sirens that are ready to hang Freddie.  Oh, and did I mention Linnie also has to deal with her parents who think that Freddie does no wrong and a romance that is beginning with Daniel?  Poor girl has a lot on her plate!

I loved most of the characters in this book.  The Sirens were hilarious.  They were a group of older women who were trying to protect Linnie as best they knew how, which included good luck charms, good energy and wisdom of their years.  Daniel was very sweet and has had feelings for Linnie for a long time.  You can tell he cares deeply for her but he has his morals and cannot bring himself to break his client's confidentiality.  Cat and Jada, Linnie's best friends, are hysterical and I found myself agreeing with them about how Linnie should approach her family drama.  Freddie was an immature child and I couldn't stand him or Linnie's parents.  Linnie would annoy me slightly when she wouldn't stand up for herself with her parents but in the end, I was very proud of her.

I thought this was a very entertaining and uplifting book.  I can't wait to read more about Sweet Lake and its crazy characters!

 

Book Review: Caitlyn's Christmas Wish by Laura L. Walker

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

 Just when former model and single mother Caitlyn Drevier Reel has finally put her life on track after a divorce and six-month stint in rehab, she is surprised to receive an invitation from her ex-in-laws to spend Christmas with the family. After all, she reasons, her ex-husband Grant is constantly on the road with his band and it's only fair to allow them to get to know her young son, Brody. What Caitlyn isn't prepared for, however, is the spark of attraction she feels toward Ridge, Grant's older brother, or the sense of belonging to their wonderful family once again. Ridge, who is recovering from his own personal heartache, seems to feel the same about her. As they work together to ensure the success of the Winter Festival his parents have organized for their small Wyoming town, Caitlyn begins to envision a bright future. But will Grant's unexpected arrival keep her Christmas wish from coming true? This inspirational novella will have you grabbing a cup of hot cocoa as you get in the holiday mood.

My Thoughts: 

Caitlyn's Christmas Wish is a short, sweet, Christmas story that leaves you feeling good when you finish it.  

Caitlyn is a former model who was once married to a famous country singer, Grant.  Caitlyn divorced Grant when she found out she was pregnant because Grant was selfish and addicted to drugs.  Caitlyn had her own problems with eating disorders and Grant's family supported her while she went to a rehab center.  Now Grant's family has asked Caitlyn to spend Christmas with them.  They want to see their eight-month old grandson, Brody and they don't expect that Grant will be around because, well, he never comes home for the holidays. 

Caitlyn takes the family up on their offer and heads to the town where Grant's father is the mayor.  Grant's family is in the middle of a Christmas festival that lasts a few days so Ridge, Grant's brother, is the one who meets up with Caitlyn when she arrives.  There is an immediate spark between the two and Ridge, although a little awkward with Brody, seems to enjoy him.  

Of course, a couple days later, Grant surprisingly shows up.  Grant is having some issues and needs to get back together with Caitlyn to solve those issues.  Caitlyn has (very quickly) fallen in love with Ridge and has no desire to get back together with Grant.  The family goes through some conflicts but the story ends leaving you feeling good and in the Christmas mood.

I really liked Caitlyn and Ridge.  This book is such a short and fast read that there had to be an instant attraction between Ridge and Caitlyn so I wasn't too annoyed with that like I usually am with instant romances.  Grant was a very childish and immature man that annoyed every part of me.  

Charles and Jacinda are Grant and Ridge's parents and I really liked how they put Grant in his place several times.  He is their son and they love him but they had no problem telling him that he was wrong in the past and that he wasn't going to be allowed to act like the entitled brat that he was acting like.  

The story was very clean.  There was romance and kissing but no sex or foul language.  The Reel's are a religious family who believe that the birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for Christmas but it was pretty mild and not preachy at all.  

If you are looking for a feel good Christmas story that you can read quickly, because we all know how busy this time of year is, then pick up this book.  

 

Book Review: The Liar by Nora Roberts

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …

The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.

Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning … 

My Thoughts:

I have always loved Nora Roberts.  Her books are always a fun read that doesn't make you think too much but full of suspense and anticipation.  The Liar is no different.  Although I had the ending figured out almost from the first chapter, I was still in for a few surprises.

Shelby is from a small town in Tennessee.  She meets Richard and runs away with him to get married and live a life of luxury...or so she thinks.  Shelby travels the world with Richard but once she gets pregnant, Richard is distant and it is obvious he doesn't want a child.  He leaves Shelby and their daughter often for business trips.  The one trip they were supposed to take with Richard, they end up staying home because of a sick child, and Richard gets into a tragic accident.  His body is lost at sea and Shelby is left a single mother with an unimaginable debt to pay off.  It seems Richard was not at all what he said.  Their whole life was a sham.

Shelby and her daughter, Callie, head back home to the hills of Tennessee.  There she is welcomed by her family and most of the town.  When some strange people show up in town and some even stranger things start to happen, Shelby knows that there is something more going on with Richard's lies and that she may very well be in danger.

I had the ending figured out pretty much from the beginning so that was a little disappointing but the book still kept me interested and it was such an easy read.  I loved Shelby and her mom and grandmother.  Nora Roberts described the town much like what I would expect from a small southern town (think Steel Magnolias) with the beauty shop gossip and the "second runner-up" beauty queen that still thinks she runs the town.  

There were a couple issues I had with the story like the way the law enforcement was portrayed. I come from a family in law enforcement and there is no way that some of the stuff that Forrest (Shelby's deputy brother) did would fly in any department that I know.   I was not bothered by the instant romance between Shelby and Griff because that isn't unusual in a Nora Roberts book but the way they talk to each other sometimes drives me insane.  "I just met you but I am in love with you and we will date/have sex/get married because I say so" dialogue is just annoying.  Shelby's family was almost perfect and it was so easy for her to just jump back into life in her town.  She found not one but two jobs that were just perfect for her and, aside from one "mean girl" character, everyone forgave her for running off and it was just like she never left.  Even her best friend, who was deeply hurt, had a quick talk with Shelby, said she was going to be hurt for a little bit and then seemed to forget about it all.  

If you want an fun, easy, slightly suspenseful and romantic read then you will like this book.  If you are looking for a mystery with an unpredictable ending, you will be disappointed in this one.  I enjoyed it but it definitely won't at the top of my favorite 2016 reads.

Book Review: Beautiful Affliction by Lene Fogelberg

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Lene Fogelberg is dying—she is sure of it—but no doctor in Sweden, her home country, believes her. Love stories enfold her, with her husband, her two precious daughters, her enchanting surroundings, but the question she has carried in her heart since childhood—Will I die young?—is threatening all she holds dear, even her sanity. When her young family moves to the US, an answer, a diagnosis, is finally found: she is in the last stages of a fatal congenital heart disease. But is it too late? 

My Thoughts:

My friend emailed me last month with a request to review this book for a friend of hers.  I was so busy and told her that I wouldn't be able to do it for a little while and thought that was the end of it.  Luckily for me, my friend had her friend send me the book anyways.  I didn't really know anything about the book and I will be honest...when I received it I was not too excited to be reading a memoir.  They just aren't my usual read.  But I decided to give it a try since I told my friend I would and I am so very glad I did.  This story was amazing and had me from the very first page!

Lene Fogelberg has always known there was something wrong with her body.  She always felt that she would die young.  Her mother took her to a doctor when she was six and she was told she had a heart murmur but would never have to worry about it.  Being born and raised in Sweden, Lene didn't have the same health care system that we have here in the USA.  There were no well child exams every year or physicals for school.  Once the doctors told her she was okay, that was the end of it.

As Lene grows older, every breath is a struggle.  She tires easily and can't do what a normal kid or young adult can do.  She knows deep down that there is something wrong but she fights to make her body work for her.  She gets married and has two children.  She fights every day to be a good mom and a good wife but you can see the toll it takes on her.  

After she moves to the US with her family, she finally gets the answers that she seeks.  The answers are frightening but Lene will do what it takes to be strong and make it for her family.

This book was so beautifully written.  You could feel Lene's helplessness and depression as she was told over and over that she was fine and there was nothing wrong with her.  This book was so riveting that it had me up into the wee hours of the night reading because I simply couldn't put it down.  I had to know how Lene was going to survive.  She is such a strong woman and I was simply amazed at her perseverance.    

This book will make you believe in miracles.  It will restore some faith in humanity.  It will make you want to send it to everyone you know to read.  It was really just that good!  

A HUGE thank you goes out to my friend Marie and her friend, Angelica, for sending me this book for review.  It will forever have a place on my bookshelf.

 

Book Review: The Unsaid by Aaron Blaylock

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Maggie’s job at the Department of Thoughts and Records in heaven is pretty simple. She is a spirit curator—an observer of human life who sorts and categorizes every unsaid thought. When Eric, her beholden, shows interest in the new girl at work, Maggie can’t help ignoring the rules to understand the wonders of mortality and love. But meddling in mortal affairs has consequences that Maggie couldn’t have ever imagined . . . 

My Thoughts:

This book was a great, feel good book that I totally wasn't expecting.   Maggie was a little annoying sometimes but I loved being in Eric's head and laughed many times at his sarcastic thoughts...mainly because I was thinking the same things!

Maggie is a spirit.  Her job is to categorize all of her beholden's thoughts until it is her turn to inhabit a body on Earth.  Maggie's beholden is Eric.  She is not supposed to get to involved in Eric's life.  Her job is strictly to watch his thoughts but after being in someone's head for twenty-some years, I imagine you would become pretty invested in their life.  

Eric works at a candy dispenser shop as in the IT department.  He is recovering from a bad breakup and just plodding through life.  He really doesn't enjoy his life or the people he works with.  That is, until he meets Lindsey, the new girl in the office.  Eric starts to get involved with Lindsey and everything is going well.  When Lindsey ends in a bad situation, Maggie ignores all the rules and "leaps" into Eric's head.  From there on, Eric and Maggie must work together.

This book was a very fast and fun read.  The book was clean with no sex or swearing which was very refreshing.  I was a little worried at first because I thought the first chapter was a little slow but as soon as you get into Eric's head, things pick up and then you don't want to put it down.  The ending was sweet and came full circle.  It left you wanting to be more positive in your life and with a good feeling.

Book Review: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #3) by Sara Shepard

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!  

My Thoughts:

My daughter and I watch the TV show and my daughter just recently devoured all 16 books so I decided I better read them too.  I read the first two last fall and just remembered I should actually finish the series.

I love that these books are on the shorter side, easy to read and so entertaining.  They don't require a lot of thought but it's easy to read one in a day or two and for both my daughter and me, they keep our attention through the whole book.

In the third book of the series, Aria is living with her boyfriend, Sean, because her mom has kicked her out after a little incident she had with her father's new girlfriend.  Aria still has feelings for Ezra though so things are quite complicated for her.

Spencer has started seeing her sister's psychiatrist and is remembering events from the last night that she saw Ali alive.  Spence also gets nominated for the Golden Orchid, a very prestigious award based on an economics report that she wrote....or did she?  Poor Spencer has to try to decide if she comes clean about the report but she is enjoying the attention so much.

Hanna and Mona have a little tiff and now Hanna is worried that Mona is going to move on without her.  She is trying her hardest to keep Mona in her good graces but finds it so stressful that she starts to eat a lot of junk food again.  When she starts chatting with Lucas, things get even harder for poor Hanna.

Emily is in all sorts of trouble after her parents find out that she has kissed a girl.  Now Emily has to decide is she can try to change for her parents or stand firm in who she is.

While these books are fun and easy to read, I find that they are sometimes a little over dramatic.   As a mother, I find it hard to believe that Aria's mother would kick her out of the house over something so dumb.  What Aria did was wrong but there is no way I would tell my teen to leave my house over it.  I would make her call and apologize but really...leave the house and not even worry about her or give her a call or anything?  Yeah, I'm not buying it.  

Emily's parents were over the top as well.  Okay, so you are shocked that your daughter is kissing another girl but to threaten her with reform or send her to her ultra religious aunt and uncle in Iowa?  These relatives supposedly make their sons run in the morning to get out any sexual tensions and keeping a list of sins daily is ridiculous...although I am sure there are those people out there.  

I am excited that we have all the books so I can finish up the series.  I haven't figured out who A is right now but my daughter says I won't be surprised so we will see!

 

Book Review: Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

It's Spring Break of senior year. Anna, her boyfriend Tate, her best friend Elise, and a few other close friends are off to a debaucherous trip to Aruba that promises to be the time of their lives. But when Elise is found brutally murdered, Anna finds herself trapped in a country not her own, fighting against vile and contemptuous accusations.

As Anna sets out to find her friend's killer; she discovers hard truths about her friendships, the slippery nature of truth, and the ache of young love.

As she awaits the judge's decree, it becomes clear that everyone around her thinks she is not just guilty, but dangerous. When the truth comes out, it is more shocking than one could ever imagine...

My Thoughts:

I devoured this book in one sitting!  It reminded me a little of the Amanda Knox case...teens out of the country, someone dies, dealing with a trial in a foreign country, etc.  Even though I predicted the "twist" at the end, it kept me second guessing myself the whole time.  

Anna and her friends are finishing up their senior year of high school.  They head to Aruba for Spring Break and party hard.  When they find that their leader, Elise, has been murdered, they are shocked.  When Anna is targeted as the suspect and has to fight to regain her freedom.  

The book is told from Anna's point of view.  She goes back and forth between the present, with her being in jail and the trial, to the past, where you get a look at how Elise and Anna became such good friends.  You also get to see how Tate and Anna become a couple and the twisted relationship between the three.  There are other friends in the group that add to the plot but the main story is between Anna, Elise and Tate.

Once Elise has been found and Anna is arrested, it really seems as if the prosecutor (I can't remember his title in Aruba but essentially, he would be the prosecutor) has it out for Anna.  I really ended up hating him and wanting him to fail because it appeared as if he concentrated all his focus on Anna and dismissed any other leads.  I also was disgusted with Tate and Anna's other friends at first because they appeared to only be looking out for themselves and they kind threw Anna under the bus.  Then I decided, if faced with a murder accusation and life in prison in a foreign country, I would probably do the same.  

The ending did not shock me at all as I thought I knew who the killer was the whole time but like I said, it had me doubting myself the whole time.  I was pretty sure but there were always a couple questions that made me pause.  

If you liked Gone Girl or Girl on a Train then you will definitely like this one.  It says it is a YA book but I think it is a mature YA book.  There is a lot of sex, drugs and alcohol in the book so I would definitely say ages 16 and up.  

Book Review: Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

 

Minutes before the train pulled into the station in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, Patty Bergen knew something exciting was going to happen. But she never could have imagined that her summer would be so memorable. German prisoners of war have arrived to make their new home in the prison camp in Jenkinsville. To the rest of her town, these prisoners are only Nazis. But to Patty, a young Jewish girl with a turbulent home life, one boy in particular becomes an unlikely friend. Anton relates to Patty in ways that her mother and father never can. But when their forbidden relationship is discovered, will Patty risk her family and town for the understanding and love of one boy?

My Thoughts:

 

I homeschool my kids so I get to decide what they read for literature.  I get some great suggestions from different curriculums.  I firmly believe that if I make my kiddos read a book, I should read it too, if I haven't already so the great thing about this is that I am finding some great books that I have never read before.  This was one of those books.

 

Patty is 12 years old.  She is the oldest daughter of a Jewish store owner.  Her parents make it incredibly clear that Patty's younger sister, Sharon, is their favorite.  She is pretty and talented and just the best thing since sliced bread.  Patty tries everything to get her parents, especially her father, to find some worth in her.  Because of this, she likes to embellish her stories, or just outright make them up, to try to impress the people around her.

 

In Patty's small and boring little town, something exciting is about to happen.  A train with German POWs comes to town.  Patty is very interested in the POWs, especially when they come into her father's store.  At the store, she meets Anton, a POW that she is instantly interested in.  She has a short conversation with him while selling him some items and he is permanently etched into her memory.

Weeks later, when Anton escapes the prison, Patty finds herself wondering how he did it and where he is until she sees him trying to hide.  Patty leads him to the abandoned rooms above her garage and lets him hide there.  While in hiding, Anton and Patty develop an interesting relationship.  

This story was so heartbreaking for me because of the way Patty's parents treated her.  Her father actually beat her several times.  I was glad she had Ruth, her families help, and then Anton.  Patty's stories were slightly annoying but you have to remember that she is 12 and she is trying to get someone to believe she is worth something.  

When the ending comes, I really wanted karma to get Patty's parents, mostly her father.  You never really find out what becomes of her parents or Patty after she leaves the school she is sent to but despite that, the ending was satisfying (I also know there is a sequel so maybe that answers those questions).  I think this is definitely a must read!

 

 

Book Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything...including Snow's return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero. 

My Thoughts:

I really love fairy tale retellings!  At first glance, I thought this was a retelling of Snow White, which is my favorite fairy tale of all time.  It seems like this is more of an Ice Queen retelling though, which I still really enjoyed this book.  

Snow is stuck at Whittaker, an institute for those with sever mental health issues.  She is really all alone except for her nurse, Vern, her friend, Bale and her cocktail of pills, which she refers to as her seven dwarfs (see why I thought it was Snow White at first?).  After Snow and Bale share their first kiss, something strange happens to Bale and they are separated.  Now Snow just has her nightmares, Vern and a soap opera to keep her distracted.  But strange things start happening to Snow that she doesn't understand.  Then one night Bale disappears and between his disappearance and another patients distraction, Snow is able to escape from Whittaker.  

After escaping, Snow ends up in Algid.  Snow soon finds out that Algid is her real home and her mother took her to the "other world" to try to protect her.  Algid is in the icy hold of the King and everyone is looking to Snow to save to them but all Snow wants to do is rescue Bale and head back home...wherever that may be.

I liked Snow most of the time but found that she could be extremely stubborn and selfish a lot.  Some of the time I wanted to smack her to make her see reason.  She was never weak though and at the end, when she had to make a very hard choice after having quite the secret revealed, she did what needed to be done. 

I loved Gerde!  She was so sweet and caring and you really can't help but find her charming. Kai is very standoffish and cold.  He has his reasons but at first I didn't really care for him.  He cares a lot for Gerde though and helps both her and Snow.  I really hope we see more of both of them in the next books.  

The Robbers were my favorites.  I really enjoyed Jagger and can see the potential love interest there.  I am very curious about the masks that he wears and who he really is.  Fathom and Howl are also very entertaining.  Margot has an interesting back story and I ended up understanding her even though I didn't really like her.  

This story had a lot of little twists that kept it interesting.  Some things I could predict but there were a few things that totally surprised me like the Duchess and Snow's mother.  The beginning was a little slow but it quickly picked up and kept me entertained.  I will definitely be finishing this series!

Book Review: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

 

Synopsis (from Goodsreads):

Lucy Acosta's mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They're inseparable—a family.

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she's ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother's voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin's sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations. 

My Thoughts:

I have really mixed thoughts about this book so this may be an interesting review.  I have not read this author's first book but it is definitely on my list after I have finished this one.  This book sucked me in from the very first page with Walter's suicide and kept me intrigued and not able to put the book down until I finished it, which took about 10 hours.  

Lucy is seventeen and lives in a huge, old house with her father, her aunt and her cousin, Margaret.  As the book starts, Lucy has found one of their workers who had hanged himself.  That starts a series of events that changes Lucy's life.  First, her aunt goes for a walk in the woods and never returns.  Lucy questions her father as to what he is doing about it and her father assures her that he is doing everything possible to find her aunt and yet Lucy has seen no police or anyone other some some men from the County Club looking for her aunt.  Then Margaret starts to lose her mind.  Margaret is pulling away from Lucy and claims she is hearing voices in the walls.  She does some horrible and disgusting things and Lucy is very worried about her.  After another crazy event (that I don't want to spoil for you), Lucy thinks she is going crazy as well.  She has only the new girl, Vanessa, to confide in.  Her father doesn't seem to care and Vanessa's mother, who has taken over Lucy's aunts responsibilities, has her own issues to deal with.  

I love a scary, creepy story and this definitely fits that description.  The house is huge and full of secrets.  I only wish we were able to get a better sense of the house and grounds.  I would also have liked for the girls to have explored the cemetery a little more so you could get a better feel for it.  I wasn't really sure if the house was modern or stuck in older times, other than the description of the wallpaper.  

Lucy and Margaret were both difficult to relate to.  They were seventeen but other than at the beginning when Lucy talked briefly about a homeschool project, there didn't seem to be a lot that the girls did.  They had no hobbies and really no interests.  They have no friends because Margaret got easily jealous.  It talks a bit about why they left public school but I really didn't even know where they lived or what time period they lived in.  I wasn't sure if they lived in the country, in the city, in a small town and I couldn't tell if it was current times or in the past.  The only clue we got to the time period was that there was Google.

I also was not satisfied with the ending.  The description of the "Mother" character was not appealing for me.  I don't want to give anything away but I didn't like what she was.  If she had just been some supernatural being without all the weird appendages then I would have liked it better but that just didn't make any sense to me.   

I thought the whole "Club" thing was not really explained well either.  I am still not sure what the "club" was or what exactly happened.  I know what happened to Clara but it just didn't explain why the grounds were sacred and who exactly the "Mother" was or what her part in all this was.  I was left questioning the point of the men in the "club" and why the men thought the grounds were so important (maybe just for the wealth and prestige??).  

Those were the things that I had some issues with but even with all that, it was a really fast read.  I could not put the book down and wanted to know what was happening and who the voices were.  It was a very creepy book that keeps you guessing until the end.  Just be prepared to be a little confused and have questions that aren't answered.

*Book provided by Around the World ARC Tours for review*

 

Book Review: Haunted Destiny by Heather Graham

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

Between the evil and the deep blue sea…

A historic cruise ship, a haunted ship, the Celtic American Line's Destiny, sets sail from the Port of New Orleans—with a killer on board. He's known as the Archangel Killer because of the way he displays his victims in churches. And how he places a different saint's medallion on each body. No one knows exactly who he is or why he's doing this.

Jackson Crow—head of the FBI's Krewe of Hunters, a special unit of paranormal investigators—is assigned to the case, along with local agent Jude McCoy. Then Alexi Cromwell, who works in the ship's piano bar, is drawn into the situation when a victim's ghost appears to her—and to Jude. She and Jude share an attraction, and not just because of their mutual talent.

There are many suspects, but one by one they're ruled out… Or are they? In the end, Jude and Alexi have to rely on each other to catch the killer and escape his evil plans for Alexi.

My Thoughts:

Jude is partnered with Jackson Crow to find the Archangel killer who has just struck in New Orleans.  As Jude and Jackson are looking over the crime scene of the latest victim, Jude notices a suspicious person and the two take off chasing him.  Jude and Jackson end up on the Destiny, a cruise ship, after the follow the man on board.  

Once on the ship, Jude and Jackson meet Alexi, a woman who is in charge of playing piano at the bar and who can conveniently see ghosts.  With Alexi's help, and those of her ghost friends, the agents have to try to figure out who the killer is before anyone else dies.

I have always liked Heather Graham's books.  They are an easy and fun read that you don't have to think a lot about.  You can just enjoy the mystery and romance and of course, the paranormal.  While I enjoyed this book, I wasn't crazy about the cruise ship setting.  There is just something about New Orleans, where most of her other books are set, that adds to the paranormal and creepiness.  This one just didn't have the same intrigue for me.  

I also wasn't crazy about the romance in this one.  Alexi is mourning the loss of her fiance, who died overseas.  It's been a year but she's still having a hard time dealing with his death.  Then Jude shows up and while it is mentioned that Alexi still loves Zach (her deceased fiance) and that she knows he wants her to be happy, it just seemed like she got over his death very quickly all of the sudden.  

There were several suspects on the ship and I wasn't able to predict who the killer would be.  I wasn't surprised at all when the killer was revealed but I hadn't narrowed it down to this exact person.  I would have loved for it to have been someone that totally shocked me and wasn't one of the original suspects.  It would have made the ending a lot more fun for me.

I also wasn't crazy about how almost everyone could see ghosts.  Alexi could see them, Jude and Jackson could see them and then Alexi's friend sees them (even though she doesn't realize she is seeing the dead).  There were just a lot of people that had the "sense" that made it slightly unbelievable to me.

With all that being said, I still enjoyed the book and the paranormal mystery.  It is a fun and light read that will keep your attention.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book**

  

Book Review: Opposition (Lux #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Opposition

Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came. She can't believe Daemon stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred.

Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.

My Thoughts:

I finally finished this book!  It seemed to take me forever but it wasn't because the book was bad because, well, let's face it...I don't think Jennifer L. Armentrout could write a bad book if she wanted to.  It was amazing like all her others.  I just got caught up in ARCs, finishing school with the kids and life in general and maybe I knew when I finished it, the Lux series would be over for me so I dragged it out a little.

After Daemon left Katy to go with the other Luxen, Katy goes back with Archer and Luc and Beth.  Beth is pregnant and not doing well so Archer and Katy decide to run to the store to grab some vitamins.  While there, all hell broke loose and Katy ends up being captured by Luxen, or more  specifically, she gets captured by Dawson.  Dawson takes her back to the Luxen headquarters where she is reunited with a very different Daemon.

I don't want to give too much away so I'm not going to say anymore about what happens.  I thought Opposition was action packed and fast paced for the most part.  There were some slow parts and there were many times I wanted to smack Katy upside the head.  She put herself and others in danger SO many times because she didn't want to do what Daemon told her or didn't want to leave Daemon.  I thought there were many times when she was just plain stupid.  Daemon is as sarcastic and horny as usual.  There were many sex scenes, not graphic but still a lot that seemed at times to be too much. 

I loved Archer, Luc and Hunter.  Hunter is an Arum and he was probably my favorite character.  It's a toss up between Hunter and Archer.  I wasn't sure what was going to happen with Dee but I'm glad that she ended up the way she did at the end of the book.  Towards the end, I thought Katy and Daemon were a little corny with all their marriage talk and planning.  I was very happy to see Dawson and Beth have the happy ending that they deserved.

While this book has some minor flaws, I still loved it and how it tied up the whole series.  It had a ton of action and the end will keep you reading into the late hours of the night just to see how things turn out. 

Book Review: I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

My Thoughts:

This book has left my mind spinning!  Much like the last book I read, this one has a plot twist that you will absolutely not see coming!  At the end of part one, I had to reread the last paragraph just to make sure I was understanding it because everything I had been thinking I knew about the characters just flew out the window. 

The story starts out with a young mom walking her little boy home from school.  It is raining and she is laughing with her son and keeping a close hold on him until they are across the street from their house.  She lets him go and suddenly her whole life is changed.  A car comes out of nowhere and her child is struck down and killed and the driver of the car just drives away.

DI Ray Stevens takes on the hit and run case with his trainee, Kate.  Ray is dealing with his own issues at home that he would really just like to run away from.  This case gives him a reason to stay away from home and Kate is young and ambitious and reminds Ray why he is doing this job to begin with.

After the accident, Jenna ends up leaving Bristol and heading out to anyplace that will help her hide her memories.  She ends up at the coast in Wales.  She is happy starting fresh but soon her secrets will come out and she will have to deal with her past again.  

I cannot say much more about the plot in this book because I don't want to give anything away.  I loved all the characters but Jenna had some moments for me.  During her talks with Ray and Kate, I sometimes felt that she was weak and wanted to say "just tell them already" but I have never been in her position so I am not sure how I would have handled it either.  Jenna redeems herself at the end when she finds strength that seems to come out of nowhere.  

This book easily kept my attention and was a very fast paced read.  Once you get to the end of part one, the story seems to fly by and I really had a hard time putting the book down.  I figured out what happened towards the end but there were still enough twists that it kept me wanting to finish the book just to see if I was correct in my thinking.  

This is an excellent, fast paced and totally unpredictable psychological thriller.  Make sure  you pick this one up when it comes out and see if you can predict the ending.  

**A HUGE thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book!**

  

Book Review: Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she's the person Quinn thought she knew.

Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under Pearl's spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end.

My Thoughts:

I have read both of Kubica's other novels, The Good Girl and Pretty Baby.  I loved The Good Girl but I found the characters in Pretty Baby to be annoying and unrealistic.  I was very interested to see how I was going to like Don't You Cry.  I am pretty sure this book will remain on my top ten best books of 2016 list.  Don't You Cry was so filled with twists and turns and every single time I was sure that I knew what was going on, Kubica would throw in another twist and everything I thought I knew went out the window.  For  me, this book was very unpredictable, I had no idea what was going on until Kubica wanted me to know and it kept me intrigued through the entire story.

The story starts out with Quinn.  Quinn lives in Chicago with her roommate Esther.  Quinn wakes up after a night out to discover that Esther is missing.  Her bedroom window is open, her blankets are on the floor and Esther is gone.  Quinn is sure Esther will return and spends the day waiting for her.  When Esther doesn't return and Quinn finds some disturbing letters and other strange items in Esther's room, she finally starts to really worry.

Then we skip to Alex.  Alex lives in a small town in Michigan, about an hour from Chicago, and works at a local diner.  His mother left his father and him when Alex was  young and Alex's father is nothing but a drunk.  Alex has heard stories about the dilapidated old house across the street from him.  Stories that claim the house to be haunted by a 5 year old girl who drowned in a bathtub while her mother was busy attending to her younger sister.  Alex and his father see strange lights in the house and just figure it is squatters.  Then comes the day when "Pearl" enters the diner that Alex works at.  Pearl fascinates Alex and he takes a great interest in her.

This story is told in alternating views of Quinn and Alex.  You don't have any idea how the stories intertwine until the end (even though you think you might know....you don't).  Quinn works hard to find out what happened to Esther and in return she finds out some horrible things that make her believe Esther actually wants Quinn dead.  Alex gets to know Pearl and then finds that she holds some very dangerous secrets.

This book is fast paced, intriguing, and completely unpredictable.  It hooks you from the very first page and keeps you turning those pages late into the night.  If you want a psychological thriller that you can't put down, get this book when it comes out.  You won't be sorry!

**A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book**

Book Review: What the Dead Want by Norah Olson

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

16 -year-old Gretchen takes photographs to understand the world around her, a passion her mother Mona fostered and encouraged when she was still around. Since her mom disappeared years ago, Gretchen and her dad have lived on their own in New York City, haunted by Mona’s absence.

When Gretchen’s great aunt Esther calls unexpectedly to tell her that she has inherited the pre-Civil War mansion on her mother’s side of the family in upstate New York, Gretchen understands nothing except that her aunt needs her help. But what she finds there is beyond her imagination. The house is crumbling apart, filled with stacks of papers and journals from decades, even centuries past, and it’s crawling with rodents. It’s also full of secrets and a legacy of racism and violence so reprehensible that the ghosts of the past are exacting revenge on the living.

Somehow the mystery of Mona’s disappearance and the atrocities that happened on the land during the Civil War are inextricably intertwined, and it’s up to Gretchen to figure out how…before even more lives are lost. 

My Thoughts:

This book was an interesting and quick read for me.  It had a lot of action and mystery so I really didn't want to put it down and while it was a little creepy, it wasn't nearly as creepy as I had hoped.  It had some parts that didn't make sense to me and seemed a bit rushed.  There was a lot thrown at you all at once.  

Gretchen lives in New York with her father, sort of.  Gretchen's mother disappeared and now her father tries to keep himself distracted by traveling all over the world as a doctor.  This leaves Gretchen at home with her mother's best friend, Janine.  

One day, out of the blue, Gretchen receives a phone call from her great-aunt, Esther.  Gretchen has never met Esther and only vaguely remembers hearing about her from her mom.  Esther tells Gretchen that she has inherited the Axton mansion.  Esther asks Gretchen to come out to the mansion and help her with it.  The  next day, Gretchen is on her way.  This is one part that was just slightly odd to me.  Gretchen has never met Esther, never been to the mansion and decides that she will go out there for the entire summer to help this woman.  Janine doesn't seem to find anything odd about it, no one consults the father (although he is some poor village with no working phones).  I just don't know if I would have been so ready to just leave everything with a couple hours notice.  

Once at the mansion, Gretchen realizes that it isn't at all what she had expected.  It was dilapidated and weird things start to happen.  Her aunt is a little eccentric and doesn't seem to mind that the mansion is in such a sad state.  

From this point on, I don't want to say a whole lot more about the story.  Everything seems to happen so fast and then the end felt incredibly rushed.  The author did tie up some loose ends but I still had a few questions that were left unanswered.  There were some slightly creepy parts but nothing like what I was hoping or expecting.  

I had some issues with this book but in the end, I enjoyed the fast pace of it and the slight creep factor.  I would have no problem recommending it to anyone but would let them know not to expect anything like Stephen King or John Saul.  

 

Book Review: The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Darkest Corners is a psychological thriller about the lies little girls tell, and the deadly truths those lies become.

There are ghosts around every corner in Fayette, Pennsylvania. Tessa left when she was nine and has been trying ever since not to think about it after what happened there that last summer. Memories of things so dark will burn themselves into your mind if you let them.

Callie never left. She moved to another house, so she doesn’t have to walk those same halls, but then Callie always was the stronger one. She can handle staring into the faces of her demons—and if she parties hard enough, maybe one day they’ll disappear for good.

Tessa and Callie have never talked about what they saw that night. After the trial, Callie drifted and Tessa moved, and childhood friends just have a way of losing touch.

But ever since she left, Tessa has had questions. Things have never quite added up. And now she has to go back to Fayette—to Wyatt Stokes, sitting on death row; to Lori Cawley, Callie’s dead cousin; and to the one other person who may be hiding the truth.

Only the closer Tessa gets to the truth, the closer she gets to a killer—and this time, it won’t be so easy to run away. 

My Thoughts:

I'm not really sure how I felt about this book.  It grabbed my attention at first and I really enjoyed the mystery.  It kept my attention all the way through (and I would have finished it sooner if this flu bug hadn't kicked my butt for the last 8 days) but there were some things towards the end that just made me hesitate to give it four or five stars.

The book begins with Tessa in the airport on the way to her childhood home.  Her father, who is in prison, is dying and Tessa feels like she should see him one last time.  Tessa is dreading going back to Fayette because when she was young, her best friend and her put a man on Death Row.  When Tessa and her friend, Callie, were young, Callie's older cousin was murdered.  Tessa and Callie said they saw the man who did it but now Tessa is starting to question what they really saw.  

   

Once in Fayette, Tessa is staying at Callie's house, much to Callie's dismay.  Callie and Tessa haven't spoken since Tessa left Fayette.  When Tessa goes to visit her father and finds out that he has already died and that her missing sister was there, she tries to find a way to stay longer to try to find her sister and her mother.  

Then one of Tessa and Callie's friends turns up murdered in the exact same way as Callie's cousin and the other girls.  Now Callie and Tessa are wondering if they really helped to put away the Ohio River Monster or if they put an innocent man on Death Row. 

This book kept the mystery going and I honestly had no idea who the Ohio River Monster was or who killed Callie's cousin.  There were so many questions that kept coming up.  The ending was so chaotic for me though and there were way too many things going on.  First you find out who the Ohio River Monster was and that whole part felt very rushed to me at the end.  Then you have Tessa's mom and the whole question of why Lori was murdered.  Last you have a whole new kidnapping plot thrown in for a twist that just seemed off to me.  It just felt like way too many plots thrown into the ending chapters.  

I am happy to say that this book was completely unpredictable though and I did enjoy that.  There were some issues with the police procedures and how they did things but the book was a good mystery with many, many twists and turns.  

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review**