Paper Ghosts by Sarah Addison Allen

 

My thoughts

I enjoyed this book very much. To me it was just the thing for this time of year. Maybe even more so if it was October, but right now it's what I needed. 

This is a story told in three parts. In two timelines. A kind of before and after story. One is Willamena's story, 1976, and the other is her granddaughter, Bailey, present day. It's a story of a small town with lots of, in my opinion, snooty people. Not all, but a lot. Especially the kids where Bailey went to high school. 

This has a love story going on too. A marriage of convenience also. There are some ghostly things going on but not in a scary way. 

I absolutely loved Willamena Wester. Her grandmother, Alice Wester, was not on my list of favorite characters at all. I understand that she thought she was protecting Willamena but she went too far. Enough already. Let that girl enjoy her life. Go to college. Marry who she loves.

Bailey was Willamena's granddaughter. Willamena encouraged her to leave. Go do something with your life. Go to college. Fall in love. She was the opposite of Alice. 

Bailey's dad called her home. Alice was not well and they needed to make amends. 

This story was so sweet. It had it's tense moments and there was an almost assault. But overall it was a very pleasant read. I read it pretty quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I also listened to the audio. Narrated by Marin Ireland. She did a good narration. Brought out the voices and kept me enthralled with the story.

Thank you St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

4.75 stars. 

About

Part ghost story, part love story and steeped in magical realism, Paper Ghosts will transport you to a place where old secrets echo through the years and love finds a way of bringing us home.

Every family has its secrets... The Wester women live inside theirs.

For decades, the women of Wester House have unsettled and fascinated their small, timeless North Carolina town. Their home is full of whispers, old griefs, and uncanny knowing. But when Willamena Wester reaches out to the granddaughter she once pushed away, long-buried truths begin to stir.

1976:
Restless young Willamena falls for a stranded musician who brings freedom and the promise of another life to her carefully controlled world. Their brief, incandescent love story promises to escape the pull of the Wester legacy until Willamena makes a fateful choice that changes her life forever.

Present Day:
Returning home is the last thing Bailey Wester wants. Yet as she reconnects with Willamena, the grandmother she feared, Bailey begins to understand the love, heartbreak, and impossible choices that shaped the women in her family and realizes the past may not have been trying to haunt them after all.

A luminous novel filled with Sarah Addison Allen’s stunning prose and signature blend of romance, Southern charm, and wonder, Paper Ghosts reminds us that in order to have the future we really want, sometimes we need to live with the past, and not let go of it.

Mother Daughter Sister Stranger by Hank Phillippi Ryan

 My thoughts

This book was so good. I highly recommend it. Also, I guessed at quite a few people being the kidnapper. I didn't get it. I was way off.....

Two sisters survive a plane crash that took their mother. Bea and Eliza survived. Bea married and has an adopted daughter Piper. I adored Piper. She's very smart and is eleven. She loves books and stuffed animals. She's just adorable. Eliza has her for the week and as they are waiting for Bea to show Eliza wonders, aloud, why Piper has her remembrance dress with her. They are going to the cemetery for the annual remembrance of the parents they lost. Bea is not there. Bea hasn't shown up to get Piper...

Eliza and Piper go through a whole lot of things. They are practically terrorized by things that are happening. They both wonder where Bea is and why has she left Piper. Has she been kidnapped or is she just deserting her daughter?

 

Eliza finds out a lot about her parents when she and Piper go to the family cabin. She hates this cabin but needs a safe place for her and Piper to go until she can find out what is going on and where Bea is. What she finds in the cabin is crazy. A book her father was writing at the time of the crash. And that her boss Whitney, who is a publisher, may have been having an affair??? It's a lot and Bea is determined to get to the bottom of it all. Then along comes their Aunt Margaret. She's the one who came to help them after their parents deaths. 

A lot of things happen but it's fairly easy to follow. Very well written and keeps you wanting more. A few twists and turns along the way and then a big surprise....

The narrator, Stevi Incremona​, did a great job. She kept each character separate and did Pipers character beautifully. Piper is a child and not all narrators can do that...

Also read the Acknowledgments... No, I never read an ending first. That would ruin it for me. I hate spoilers of any kind.... 

Thank you St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the arcs..

Five stars

About:

What happens when the past rises from the ashes to destroy you?

Eliza Ramsey and her sister Bea are the sole survivors of the fiery plane crash that killed their parents—and share a bond they vow is unbreakable. But now, eleven years later, on the exact anniversary of the tragedy, Bea fails to retrieve her pre-teen daughter from a sleepover at Eliza’s. Eliza knows her sister would never leave her precious Piper behind—even in her care—and fears the worst.

Piper is confused at her mother’s absence. Her father, Bea's recent ex, is out of town and uninterested in Bea’s whereabouts. Police are dismissive. But Eliza is terrified. Especially as it becomes clear that Bea might have planned her own disappearance.

The Ramsey’s lives have already crashed and burned once—and now, Eliza discovers she must protect her niece from the horrifying truth about her family’s sinister history—and together, they must prevent their lives from going up in in flames once again.

A missing influencer. Her frightened daughter. And a sister on a desperate search for a happy ending. But someone knows the deadly key to their shared past—and now won’t stop until they’ve written a terrifying final chapter. Mother, daughter, sister—stranger.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

 

My thoughts

I received an ALC and ARC of this book. It's the second in the Annie Gore books. 

Annie is hired to find out what happened to her father. An estranged father. He's a faith healing, snake handling, minister in a small town called Brimstone Hollow in the Appalachians. Right off it seems someone does not want Annie poking around. While most seem friendly there is someone who doesn't want Annie there. 

There are several dead bodies and between the cops and Annie it seems maybe they are related somehow. It's her job to figure out if Ezra actually died from snake bites or if maybe someone else did it. And if so why....

The cops work well with Annie and most of the people help as much as possible. But there are some who are set on leaving the dead to rest in peace. 

During all that is going on Annie keeps having crazy dreams and doesn't get a lot of sleep. But she does keep trudging on and when the pieces finally start to click she is in danger. She has to fight for not only herself but for another man who is shot trying to help her. Annie is bitten by a timber rattler and if she doesn't get help she could die.  

Annie of course solves the case and finds out exactly who did what and why. From murder, drugs, snakes, religion, you will find out what was done and who did it. I can't say I was totally shocked to find out who did one killing. There was a couple of clues that jumped out at me. It did not in any way take away from the story though. 

I look forward to more by this author. More of the Annie Gore series. This one was a bit dark and dangerous but Annie did get what she was after....

I have to admit that the audio had parts I didn't like. Emily Pike Stewart did a great job. The one thing I didn't enjoy though was her singing. Not that she sounded bad, just I didn't enjoy that part. She should have just read it. She does have a lovely singing voice, I just don't like when a narrator sings....

Thank you St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio. 

5 stars for the book and 4.75 for the audio... 

About

Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard, private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow, bringing readers back to the mountains that author Archer Sullivan, a ninth-generation Appalachian, knows so well.

There isn’t much that happens in the Appalachian Mountains that Private Investigator Annie Gore hasn’t seen. Before she was an Air Force Special Investigator, she was born and raised in those rolling hills, and lately Annie's cases have called her away from her Louisville office and closer to the small towns of her youth than she ever anticipated. But when her newest client asks if she’s ever been to a snake-handling church, Annie knows she’s about to enter unknown territory.

Katie May has been estranged from her father—one of Appalachia’s last infamous snake handling preachers—for twenty years. But when Katie finds out he’s been fatally bitten, and a funeral was held within twenty-four hours, she questions whether someone deliberately rushed the process. Despite Annie’s doubts, she takes the case. After all, when she looks at Katie, she sees a version of a girl who needs to understand her father in order to understand herself.

As she navigates the hidden hollers and dangerous secrets of this insular Eastern Kentucky town, Annie works fast, hoping to find the truth in record time for her client—and before too many memories from her own childhood surface. But it soon becomes apparent that someone wants Annie’s investigation to stop—by any means necessary.

God's Country by William Kent Krueger

 

My thoughts

This author is definitely one of my favorites. He's my top favorite male author. The books this man writes bring you right into the heart of the story. Keep you wanting more and give you things to think about. This series is great. I do need to go back and read some of the earlier books though. I have every one on my kindle. 

In this installment of the Cork O'Connor books Cork goes on a trip with the men in his family. They run into trouble and Cork meets two men who will forever change him. Make him doubt all he believed about himself. I cringed while reading parts of this book. The brutality of what the Kennedy brothers do will have you holding your breath. The older brother is way more hostile and cruel than his younger brother but both are responsible for what happened. One through not trying to prevent things. The other by being a cruel mean hearted man. Even though he was raised by a very brutal man who abused him, there is no excuse. None. I just can't give any clearance to anyone being so mean that they will kill good and decent human beings. 

This book takes you through a whole lot and you start to feel like you are there. In a canoe going through beautiful waterways and stopping for the night to camp in gorgeous ares. It just came alive to me. But as that did so did the brutality of what happened along the way...

Well written. Well lived. A breathtaking look at how our surroundings and childhood may make us who we are as adults. Maybe...

This is book #21 and I look forward to book #22....

Thank you Atria for this eARC...

5 stars. 

About

From the New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember, a new mystery in the wildly popular Cork O’Connor series.

Cork O’Connor, preparing for a family trip into the Boundary Waters, is troubled by ominous visions about his future. Ignoring the warnings, he uncovers signs of violence while searching for his missing friend, Cordell Bishop. Soon, he is forced to negotiate with dangerous criminals, the Kennedy brothers, who are seeking their late father’s hidden stash.

Facing escalating danger and difficult choices, Cork grapples with his darkest instincts as he helps others escape and eventually takes justice into his own hands. God’s Country is an action-packed thrill ride that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin

 

My thoughts

May these pages remind you what women have always known-that love is power, kindness is strength, and the care of a friend is the best gift life will ever offer.

This book is so good. This is a quote from the end of the book. The Pages from the Grimoire
Be sure to read the Author Note. Lots of great info.

The audio was so good. It was executed to perfection. Distinguished between the characters like a pro. Well done.

An excellent story with two timelines a few hundred years apart. How they interact and are related. This book has two powerful women who help each other when death is imminent. If not one will cease to exist. Just disappear as if she never was.

How men ruled women by calling them witches if necessary. How love can sometimes prevail after many years.

The witch trials were horrible. The thought that women could turn on each other so easily is beyond my comprehension. Maybe to save themselves from being labeled a witch.

Thank you Harlequin Publishing and Harlequin Audio for the arc.

About

Two women, bound by blood and betrayal, must break silence across centuries—or be silenced forever, in the dazzling new novel by New York Times bestselling author Madeline Martin.

Lilith Legare’s life is unraveling. Since her mother’s death, strange things have been happening - plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.

Her search for answers brings her from Savannah to England, to the decaying Brackenmere Manor where the past blurs with the present. There, Lilith discovers a legacy she never asked for and along with it, the threat of peril. History must be rewritten, or she too will die.

In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham stands accused as a witch. An educated, wealthy widow, she is branded a threat by men who fear her independence. As arrests begin and suspicion abounds, Sybil must protect her younger sister, even as betrayal takes root within her household.

Across centuries, Lilith and Sybil are bound by blood and by danger. To save themselves, and each other, they must confront the silence that has stolen women’s power for generations—and dare to claim their voices before it’s too late.

The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen

 

My thoughts

I enjoy Sarah Pekkanen's books almost every time. This one was a good story. It did start just a bit slow but picked up with each alternating chapter..

Riley applied for a job as a caretaker for an elderly woman. When she steps in Betty's home she is instantly transported to the 1960s. Betty has no television. Has never heard of the internet and no cell service. Her appliances are vintage and she's the sweetest women you'd ever hope to meet. Betty is in her 80s. She's in a wheelchair but gets around her home pretty good. Also.... Betty hasn't been out in like sixty years. Her husband brought her to this house and that is where they lived. He died and now Betty is all alone. 

This is one of those stories that makes you stop and think. About age and aging. About things that may have happened in a time when women were expected to obey and always be submissive to men. A time when men took advantage of women. In this case used the women's husband's jobs to make them do what was needed doing. A professor who was hoping to make it big with mind reading. He took four young women and shaped them. Made them do as he wanted. Put them through rigorous testing. Testing of their minds. They had to stay with him during one such testing period. I thought that if it was me I would have just left... If I had lived back then I would have done exactly what these young ladies did. Endure. Take whatever they had to take. Do what they were told.

I felt a lot of emotions while reading this story. One being so much anger. Anger at how females were treated. Anger at them for allowing it. Sadness for the losses that came. Anger at how the husbands treated their wives. But mostly I had sympathy for these women. You get to know Betty most of all. She is the one who hires Riley. Riley is a good person and helps Betty. Helps her find some semblance of closure and acceptance. Riley takes Betty outside. Takes her on adventures. She not only helped Betty, but also herself. 

I enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down. I did figure out who took the college girl in the present. It was just obvious to me. It did not in any way take away from the story though. Also I was very proud of Riley for how she handled her ex-husband in the end. Way to go girl!!

The audio was great. The narrator Saskia Maarleveld did such a good job of changing between many characters. She truly brought them to life.

Thank you St Martins and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

4.5 stars. 

About

The newest next thriller from #1 Bestselling Author Sarah Pekkanen combines a decades-old mystery with spine-tingling paranormal elements in this twisty novel of the seen and unseen.

Extrasensory perception.
The Gift.
A Sixth Sense.
Or something else….

In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history. Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era - no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet. Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines - Betty’s 1960s era of 5 o’clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley’s quest to uncover the truth about the missing women - old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.

The Wonder of One by Suzanne Redfearn

 

My thoughts

I have read and loved so many of this author's books. This one may be her best one yet. It's a bit different from the others, but still holds your heart hostage throughout the whole story. There is a child in this one that will touch you in a very profound way. Vivien.

Vivien was born with a birthmark on her face. Around her eye. An ugly birthmark. One that makes some people shun her. Makes other children run from her. But to the ones that love her it's just a part of who she is. A part of her love and most sincere being. Vivien is a rare child. One that will touch your heart. Make you cry for her. Make you root for her. All the way through this book you just want to hug her. 

Vivien's mother was a bit cold. She was not kind to Vivien. Not motherly if you will. I'm not even sure if she truly loved Vivien. At least not in the way a mother should love her child. Maybe it was the circumstances of how Vivien came to be. Maybe it was just a deal to get what she wanted. 

Vivien had plenty of people who loved her though. Ones that stood up for her. The ones who were there for her no matter what. Feed her. Taught her. Clothed her. Did all the things a mother should have done. They were the ones who had been there from the beginning of Vivien's life. 

There is no father. But there is a male role model. She did have Profe. He was everything that a father should be. He was also someone who had been in the family for many years. He had worked for Vivien's grandfather and now for her mother. He was the one who taught Vivien until her mother finally sent her away to school. 

Vivien was bullied something awful. Mostly by a bully called Bart. A person who I believe was just jealous of Vivien. Vivien did have friends. She had people who were there for her at school. But there was also the ones who were mean and cruel, like Bart. Bart terrorized her. 

You read about Vivien's life throughout many years. She grows up to be, in my opinion, a very strong young lady. She gave ice skating a try and was very good. She met Meryl at a pond by the school where Vivien went. Meryl was an ice skating teacher. She saw something in Vivien. They became the best of friends.

This book is priceless in my opinion. It has everything you want in a story. There is laughter, joy, love, heartbreak, death. To much death maybe. Separation. Politics in a vague way. In a huge way when one of the most important people in Vivien's life is taken by ICE. This is one of those stories that will stick around. Make you wonder about things. I hope it will make you look at people who are different in a better way. Not be so judgemental. If you read it that is.

I listened to the audio and read the book. I loved Natalie Naudus as the female narrator. To me though, JD Jackson just wasn't right for the male part. He left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I just could not seem to get into his way of bringing the character to life. He seemed wrong for the part. 

Thank you Lake Union and Brilliance Audio for the ARCs. 

5 stars for the story but only 3.5 for the audio.... 

About

From the #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant comes an inspirational coming-of-age story about one extraordinary girl’s determination to chase a dream.

Vivien Kendall has always been different. Born with a birthmark covering much of her face, she’s been bullied, ridiculed, and mistreated as a child. But at the age of six, Vivien learns that in each of us there burns a spirit flame—a deep belief in oneself that must be nurtured and never allowed to go out.

Living by that wisdom and through the enduring friendships of her nanny, her mentor, and the legend who eventually becomes her coach, she chases her dream to someday become the greatest figure skater in the world.

Along the way, she faces a rapidly evolving world full of modern prejudice and injustice. She falls in love, has her heart broken, learns what it means to win or lose, and discovers the wonder of one, the power within each of us to change things.