A MILLION LITTLE LIES by Bette Lee Crosby

Another great by Bette Lee Crosby.

Each book I read by this author gets better and better. This is a very heartwarming story of love, sadness, lies, childhood and forgiveness.

My favorite line from this book: Over the years, Suzanna had told a million little lies and not once had she stopped to look back at the damage they might have done.

Suzanna left a bad relationship with her seven year old daughter for a better life. At least that is what she was hoping for when she left Earl. She had got pregnant while in high school only to be left alone by Bobby, the father of her baby. Earl took her in after her dad kicked her out. Earl was not a good man. He was a drunk and a bit abusive. Suzanna wanted more for herself and her daughter, Annie.

Suzanna ended up in Cousins, GA where she met Ida Parks and thus her new life began. Ida is a widow and looking for someone to make her feel like living. That is where Darla Jean enters the story. Ida Parks thinks Suzanna is Darla Jean, her deceased husbands long lost granddaughter. The relationship born from this is one of much love, laughter, happiness and a few tears. This is a family even though there is no blood relationship there at all. Darla Jean goes through a lot of ups and downs but eventually she accepts that she has to tell a few more lies for a little while to make Ida feel happy again. She intends to move on soon. Ida does not make it easy on Suzanna/Darla Jean though.

This is a great story told from Suzanna, Ida Parks and Earls points of view. It’s set in the 50s and has that small town charm going on that will capture your heart from the start. Throw in a man named Gregg and then you have a love story on top of everything else. This book is a great read that will keep you turning the pages. Keep you wanting more. Keep you rooting for everything to work out. You will want to smack Bobby and Earl a few times but will give you faith in humanity in ways too.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #BetteLeeCrosby, #BentPinePublishing for this ARC. This is my own true honest review.

A big 5 stars from me and a very high recommendation.

SOME OF MAY’S BEST READS

These are some of the very best books I read in the month of May...

WHAT LIES BETWEEN US by John Marrs

This is my first book read by John Marrs and definitely will not be my last.

A few quotes from this book that jumped out at me:
AND SHOULD MY SOUL SOAR, I PROMISE THAT YOURS WILL SINK LIKE THE HEAVIEST OF ROCKS, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN.
I DON’T BELIEVE ANYONE WHO CLAINS TO HAVE NO REGRETS. THEY’RE LYING TO THEMSELVES. WE ALL HAVE THEM.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT WOMAN HAS LOST TO END UP TRAPPED IN THE LIFE SHE LIVES NOW, BUT I KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE YOUR WORLD THROWN FROM ITS AXIS THROUGH NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN.
I TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT MY REFLECTION IN THE GLASS AND STRUGGLE TO RECONISE MYSELF. HOW DID I BECOME THIS WOMAN.
BEING A MOTHER IS NO GUARANTEE OF ANYTHING.
I SHUT MY EYELIDS TIGHT UNTIL THEY HURT. IF I HAVE MY WAY, THEY WIL NEVER OPEN AGAIN.

This book was one deep, dark, emotional thriller. It was tough in some parts but vital to the story. It has a touch of horror to it in a way that I can’t quite describe. It’s one that will keep you turning the pages to find out what is coming. What will happen next and why. Why is it happening. Who is bad and who is good. Is it the daughter or the mother who is bad. Maybe both. It’s told from the two main character’s POV and a few different timelines that are way important to the story.

Maggie would do anything for her daughter, Nina. She loves her more than life and has basically sacrificed her own happiness for her. To what extent does a mother do this though? Is she willing to give up her freedom for things her daughter does or has done? Or is Nina a product of her mother’s making. By covering things is Nina bad or just being what she was made into? What would you do to keep your daughter safe? Would you risk your freedom? Would you give up the most important people in your life? Or would you force her to acknowledge things even at a very young age? That is a hard one for a mother. When faced with decisions that will possible haunt you for the rest of your life how can you know if you made the right decision at the time. Later you will know, but then it’s to late.

Nina is a child of 13 when her dad goes missing from her life. She will never be the same again either. She blames her mother and goes a bit wild. Sleeping around, getting drunk and lying at every turn. But Nina’s mum loves her unconditionally and tries everything to be there for her. Though she makes big mistakes you don’t doubt that Maggie loves her daughter and that Nina loves her mum. But is love enough? Is love enough to make the things that happen between these to ok. Ever?

Through lots of turmoil this book keeps you turning the pages. It’s like that train wreck that you can’t look away from. You have to know what happens next and why. Why does Nina feel the way she does toward her mum. Why does Maggie allow Nina to do the things she does. Until Maggie no longer has a choice.

Truly this book is exceptional. It’s one that you just can’t stop reading. You will feel the pain, the anger, the love, the hate. You will even have a couple of laughs. It is well written and the characters are ones you will love to hate. In parts. You’ll love them one minute and hate them the next. A well developed story. A well written story. It even makes you wonder what kind of person can think like this. Much like I do with Steven King books... What kind of mind does this author have to think this way? I loved it. It’s very good.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #JohnMarrs, #AmazonPublishinUK for this ARC. This is my review in my own words.

I had to give it a big 5 stars and a high recommendation.

WATER’S EDGE by Gregg Olsen

First let me say that this is my second book by Gregg Olsen and I can not wait for the next one in this series. I was set to give this a 4 star rating because I truly thought I had the killer all figured out. Boy was I ever wrong. Dead wrong.

Megan Carpenter is a detective who has a history of her own. She is the product of a serial killer/rapist. She has become a cop to see justice is done for others no matter what. She will go to the extreme to see that the killer in this story is brought to justice. She has gone through a lot to get where she is and has no intention of letting anyone stand in her way. She’s tough, strong, unstoppable yet human too. She puts up a very strong front but deep down inside she just wants to have a good peaceful and happy life. She wants to hear from her baby brother, who was in Afghanistan, also. He holds a lot against her from their past.

When the body of a young woman is found Megan and Ronnie, a young cop, go to the end to find the killer. They uncover more bodies that have been found before and find the link to them all. It’s a pretty gruesome account of what happened to each young woman and what they had to endure before dying. Each had had a child, one pregnant, and given them up for adoption. Each was a red head and they all looked so similar they could have been related.

This is a great mystery/thriller and the thing I really liked about it was I did not figure out who the killer was. I usually do and was very surprised that it was not who I thought. It’s a story told by Megan and takes you on a ride you won’t soon forget. It spans several counties in the state of Washington and threw several different cops. Each has their own theory. But Megan does not give up until her and the young woman, Ronnie, working the case with her are finished finding all the evidence and putting away the bad guys. They sure go through a lot and are almost killed themselves. While all of this is going on you get a clear picture of what Megan’s life was growing up through the tapes she has and listens to in this story. All she endured trying to keep herself and her young brother safe. To top it off someone is stalking her from her past.

I can’t wait for the next book in this series. The first, SNOW CREEK, was great and this one even better. I think the next will be even better than this if possible. Keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through. The main character, Megan, is a very likable person and you will root for her to survive this. You will root for her to find this killer and bring them to their knees. I liked most of the characters in this book yet there were a few that you just will not like at all. They are just not likable.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #GreggOlsen, #Bookouture for this ARC. I was in no way compensated for this review. It’s my own true feelings.

A big 5 stars from me and a very high recommendation for anyone who loves a great edge of your seat thriller/mystery.

A PERFECT SECRET by Steena Holmes

This is the best Steena Holmes book I have ever read and I’ve read quite a few. It’s going to keep you glued to your seat until the very end.

“I’LL NEVER TRUST AGAIN. NOT AFTER THIS.” One of my favorite lines in this book.

This is the story of Ada Bishop. She gets out of prison and starts a new life. A new job and in a new town. Her mother worries about her all the time. Afraid she will slip back into the wrong crowd and land back in prison. But Ada has no intention of ever going back. She meets Donald and Alexius Dixon and her life is never the same. She starts a new job at a landscaping company owned by the two and the bodies start stacking up. Donald and Alexius are no longer married but are partners in the business. Donald also owns a used car lot. Alexius is the main owner of the landscaping business and it’s thriving. Donald is more of a silent partner in Alexius’s business but he does some hands on at times.

Donald sweeps Ada off her feet and they become engaged. Ada is happier than she has ever been. Or is she? Is it all a ruse to cover up things? Is anything as it appears. Ada’s mom, Caryn McCoy, does all she can to keep Ada on the straight and narrow. She worries all the time that Ada will fall back into her old ways and end up back in prison. She calls her everyday and checks up on her. They are very close and Ada truly does not want to let Caryn down. Caryn is the only one who ever cared, truly cared, about her. Caryn is a foster mom but they have a closeness that goes beyond a natural mother/daughter relationship. Caryn is the only person in Ada’s life that ever stood by her no matter what. Who was there the day Ada got out of jail and has always been there for her. She worries all the time about what will happen to Ada. When Ada and Donny get engaged Caryn is worried. She doesn’t trust Donald or Alexius. Nothing about them appears to be right. Something is off with their relationship and she wants Ada to see that.

This book is so well written. It’s one of those that will pull you in and have you rooting for the down on her luck Ada all the way. Personally I thought Ada was great. She’s much smarter than anyone wants to give her credit for and she’s just a very likable character. Donald, I didn’t like him from the beginning. From the very start he made my skin crawl. I just didn’t connect with him at all. Alexius was vital to this story and I liked her. Not a lot but she did grow on me and became one of my favorite characters. Officer Kaarns was another of my favorite characters. She was strong and didn’t want to give anyone a break for a while. Once she saw what was going on she could not be stopped. Spikes, the other officer, was also very likable. He believed in Ada from the start while Kaarns didn’t. All these characters will get under your skin. Most in a good way but some not so much. This is a very intense edge of your seat book that will draw you in from the very beginning and will not let you go. When the very last word is read you might be able to breath normal again...

“Never tell all you know-not even to the person you know best.” -Agatha Christie, The Secret Adversary (I love this line at the end of this book)

Thank you #SteenaHolmes, #SHPressInc for this ARC. This is my review given freely.

A huge and I mean huge 5 stars. I highly highly recommend this book to anyone that loves to read.

ANSWER CREEK by Ashley Sweeney

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. The only reason being that I had read another book that is along the same lines as this one. The wagon train from Missouri to California. While this one is quite a bit different and delves into things that the other did not, both are great books. This book literally had me holding my breath in places.

What would you do to survive? To live or allow others to live. When you are surrounded by death everyday and have such limited choices. What would you do? I don’t think any of us knows unless we are faced with the desperate, horrific, unheard of, challenges that these people where faced with. Day in and day out they marched on. So many didn’t make it. Such heartache. So much death and despair. Then to choose to go a different route and be stranded for months on end with nothing to eat, nothing to keep you warm, nothing to assure you that things will get better. Life during these times were so awful yet many people chose to go west. To go where they thought life would be better. Life would be easier. Giving not thought to what they would face.

Ada was only nineteen years old and had already had a lifetime of loss. A lifetime of heartache. She didn’t need anymore yet here she was facing the worst life imaginable. Stranded on a snowed over mountain with people who became her family. Friends who she thought would last a lifetime. A love she looked forward to seeing through. She had no idea what lay ahead for her. For any of them. Ada wanted a life, a family.

This book is so well written you will feel like you are right there in this wagon train heading west. The tiredness, the dust, the sickness and sadness. Losing friends to such horrible accidents. You will feel the freezing cold of the many feet of snow covering the mountain. The hunger from not having anything to eat. The pain of losing more than you ever thought imaginable. This story brought out so many feelings for me. From some laughter and deep sadness. Emotions that will stay with me for a good while every time I think of what these people endured. This author did a wonderful job with the descriptions in this book. You will love the characters, cry with them, laugh with them and feel the emptiness they felt. The hopelessness that some felt. The desperation to live. Sometimes we do things we never ever thought possible just to survive. Don’t judge until you have walked a mile in their shoes.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, #SheWritesPress, #AshleyESweeney for the ARC of this book. This is my own true review.

I gave it a big 5 stars and a very high recommendation.. Enjoy with an open mind and open heart.

A WEEK AT THE SHORE by Barbara Delinski

Another wonderful book by Barbara Delinski. This is a heartfelt story about family. Mother’s, sisters, dads.
“Memory is life experience. When we deny it, there’s a hole where it should be.” (My favorite sentence in this book.

This is the story of three sisters. Each one so very different, yet a lot alike also. After a tragic accident two move away. One stays. Mallory, Annie and Margo. This book is more about Mallory than the other two but it takes all three to make the story work. Mallory has a daughter, Joy, who is the center of her life. When she left the Shore she left behind the love of her life, Jack. Jack has never got over her nor has she him. She will go through some pretty deep things to realize what he means to her and what part he will ultimately play in her and Joy’s life. Mallory wanted a child and she chose to have one totally on her own and to raise her on her own. Joy is a great kid. Very smart for her thirteen years and wants more family so bad.

When Mallory decides to go back home for a visit Joy is delighted. She wants to get to know her aunts better and her grandfather. Mallory’s sister, Anne, has been taking care of their dad since their parents divorced twenty years prior. Tom, their dad, has dementia and depends on Anne for so much. She has always stuck by him and felt that her sisters sided with their mom. In reality it was not siding. It was more of an escape from a tragedy that happened all those years earlier. Each going their separate way to build a life. When they get back together it is up and down for sure. They each have a lot of pain to deal with and many questions. But their dad can’t give them the answers they do desperately want. He doesn’t remember much but when he does have good days he tries. He was a very strong man before this. A lawyer then a judge. He was a very strong and strict dad to them, especially Mallory it seems.

This book is filled with so many emotions. From the laughter shared by the sisters and niece to the tears each sheds. From the happy memories to the sad times. Each daughter has so much going on and questions why they are the way they are. Whether they are good enough or strong enough. They fight just like always and make up too. They love each other unconditionally yet put pressure on each other too. There is a lot of love in this family and a lot of unanswered questions. A love that is endless between three sisters and a niece. A love between a man and woman that will make you root for it to prevail.

A tragedy hits them and brings out lots of anger and questions. Can these three sisters work though this? Will they be able to move on and have lives? Will the bond they once shared be strong enough? This is a very sweet book that will keep you turning pages. It will keep you rooting for love to the very last page. The very last word.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartin’sPress, #BarbaraDelinsky for this ARC. This is my own review.

I gave it 5 stars and loved it. A high recommendation from me.

THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather Gudenkauf

I have not been disappointed by a book by this author yet. This one is now my favorite. The one quote that summed up this book was, “I’ll be able to say, This is how I lied, and now this is my truth.”
That is from the one person in this book that will take your breath away. At least it did for me. I was shocked by this story in many ways but also sort of figured who was going to be the ultimate bad person. Of course I did guess almost every character before I found out for certain. So there ya go.

This is the story of a woman who lost her best friend twenty five years earlier. Eve was killed at the age of fifteen. She went through way to much for a girl so young. She had way to much responsibility on her young shoulders. From an abusive boyfriend to a sister who needed to be watched out for way to much. Eve was a child with her who future in front of her. She was a good girl who only wanted to get on with her life. Move on after a bad relationship and live life. Eve died way to young.

Maggie, Eve’s best friend, grew up and became a cop. Her dad had been a cop and was the one who was in charge of Eve’s case. But he had to step down and he suffered from short term memory loss. Maggie was married to a boy from high school and expecting their baby. They had gone through a lot to have this baby and sure didn’t want anything to happen to it. Maggie was in charge of investigating Eve’s murder when new evidence was presented. Can she be unbiased and do the job she needs to do? Will she go into it with an open mind and with all she has to find out who killed Eve? Eve deserves justice. She deserves to rest in peace after so no one was arrested for so many years. Will her killer finally be brought to justice?

This book deals with several subjects. From teen abuse to teen molestation to murder. From friendships put to the test to a marriage put to the test. To family who can’t find closure to one that has many secrets. From a childhood ripped apart way to early. Best friends, Eve and Maggie, are put to the test about a few things. Maggie does not want Eve to keep putting up with the abusive boyfriend. Eve wants Maggie to make better life choices. Each has secrets. Each loves the other. But it’s not enough. One still dies and one moves on.

The characters in this book are well developed. I liked them all. I felt bad for Nola, Eve’s sister. She had problems for sure but she did love Eve. She may have been somewhat different and at times she was a pain and very dark, but I still felt bad for her. The next door neighbor I didn’t like at all. I won’t say more about him you will just have to read this book and judge for yourself. Maggie’s husband was a good guy and only wanted his wife and unborn daughter to be safe. She had many secrets she didn’t share with him but she loved him with all her heart. This is a book that will have you feeling sad in many parts. A few laughs and much edge of your seat thrills. You will hold your breath in many places and wonder who did what. Who killed Eve? And why.

This is a great book. If you love thrillers this one is for you.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)
Park Row, #HeatherGudenkauf, #ThisIsHowILied for this ARC. This is my own review.

I gave it a huge 5 stars and the biggest recommendation..

THE SUGAR QUEEN OF EMERSON PASS by Tess Thompson

• THE SUGAR QUEEN OF EMERSON PASS by Tess Thompson

This is the sweetest book I have read in a long time. Tess Thompson does such a great job of bringing out the feelings in her characters. The raw emotion. The laughter and the tears. There are many tears in this book. Finding and keeping your one true love is a feeling that never gets old. Being that one person who someone loves enough to move the world for is something special. That is exactly what this book does. The love between Trapper and Brandi is so strong it can withstand almost anything. Even years of being separated. It’s a pure love that was born when they were just kids. There are some tragic events that will leave you wondering how they did it. But mostly there is a love that can weather anything. 

Brandi has love Trapper her whole life. Her mother however didn’t approve so when Brandi found herself facing the future she thought Trapper would be better off without her. Sending him on his way to college and a career as a professional hockey player was the best thing she could do for him. She had no idea how hard it was going to be facing her life alone, without her other half there.

Trapper loved Brandi more than anything. He didn’t want to leave her but she told him she didn’t love him. He had no idea what was happening to their world. He went and did what he had to for ten years. Then her retired from professional hockey and moved back home to Emerson Pass. He wanted his girl back. He wanted a life with her no matter what.

Secrets tend to get in the way of true love sometimes. Can they overcome the secrets Brandi has and have a life together? Can the town survive anymore tragedies? Things have a way of happening in Emerson Pass. Good and bad. 

This is one part of a paragraph from this story that touched my heart in such a way. 

“In the years to come, remember to cherish each other and celebrate the miracle of your love. What was lost has now been found again. During squabbles or misunderstandings, try to remember what it was like before you made your way back to each other. As you grow older, keep the passionate teenagers you once were alive. Sneak down to the river together. Kiss in your truck. Dance barefoot in the kitchen. Lie in the summer grass and watch a cloud float by while holding hands. Revel in the small, simple moments of life, knowing how blessed you are to have found true love.”

This is a huge 5 star book. A high recommendation.

Thank you Tess Thompson for this ARC. This is my own true review. I loved this book!!

IF SHE HAD STAYED by Diane Byington

This book was not a favorite for me. It was slow and the main characters, Kaley and Scott, were more like young college students than a grown woman and man. Their interactions and the way they talked was just off. Scott was not at all likable and was one to not be trusted from the beginning. Kaley, who was suppose to be a very smart young woman did not have walking around sense after her boyfriend broke up with her and she got back in touch with Scott. It was like she wanted to relive their college romance, which was not that great from what I read.

Kaley reconnects with her college romance, Scott, after finding papers in a safe that belonged to Tesla. The journals contained his work on a time machine and told how he had gone back in time several times. It also said how it made him feel and it seemed to scare him to the point that he stopped using the machine. Kaley hasn’t seen Scott in many years yet she entrusts him with her most prized possession. Who does that. What intelligent hard working woman would do that. Scott was a stranger to her really. Not seeing him for so many years then jumping right into a relationship with him. He was unstable and to me it was obvious what he wanted from the start. Scott had personal reasons for wanting to stay with Kaley and go back to the past. He was just not who he appeared to be most of the time. It was just to obvious and what he did was expected. I saw it coming from the beginning.

I could not connect with any of these characters. I didn’t like them. They way they talked never seemed to change from college into adulthood. It was like listening to two kids with a kind of slang dialect in my opinion. Just not what I enjoy. Toward the end there was some thrills that kept me Turing the pages to see how it played out and I did enjoy that. There were some good things about this book but overall it was just not for me.

Thank you to #DianeByington for the ARC of this book.
I gave it 3 stars. I didn’t enjoy it but I would recommend you read it for yourself as I am sure a lot would maybe like this book. It seems anyway. I just didn’t. I’m sorry it was not one that I liked.

WHERE THE LOST WONDER by Amy Harmon

This is probably one of the saddest, happy, stories I have read in a very long time. I will put it up there with ONE FOR THE BLACKBIRD ONE FOR THE CROW and THIS TENDER LAND. Both are favorites of mine.

Two quotes from this book that really seem to touch me: That’s what hope feels like: the best air you’ve ever breathed after the worst fall you’ve ever taken. It hurts.
Transcendence is a world, a place, beyond this one. It’s what could be.

This book is about families who cross the US from Missouri to California. All they endure along the way. The many perils they had to face. The lives lost. The births of new life and the love of a man and woman.

The man, John Lowry, who is half white and half Pawnee Indian. He lived with his dad and step mother after he lost his mother. He never felt truly loved or that he belonged. I have to believe that Jennie, his step mother, did love him. She was kind to him and taught him to read, write and his numbers. I believe she was a very kind woman. His dad, John, was kind of a cold man but I believe he also loved his son. He had a way of keeping his feelings to himself, but when it came down to John Lowry leaving he was sad to see him go. He figured he would not be coming back there but moving on to make his own life.

The woman, Naomi May, was in the wagon train heading to California. The first time she met John Lowry she was sitting atop a barrel in town wearing a yellow dress. It was an instant attraction. She was a widow who had only been married three month when her husband took sick and passed away. She had known him her whole life and married him at the young age of 18. But she was not married long enough to get use to the idea and was back with her parents where she helped her mother with her many brothers. It had been her husband’s idea for them to all go to California. Thus her in-laws were on this journey also.

This book takes you through all the things you would expect from such a hard journey and some you may not expect. I felt like I was in the wagon, walking beside it, on the road, going through all the many ups and downs this family, the Mays, went through. They saw so much and went through so much. It was such a hard way to travel you will appreciate the fact that you didn’t live back then. In 1853, Naomi’s life changed forever. She loses so much and goes through so much that you will wonder how she endured it. The losses she faced were horrible. Deep pain and so much loneliness in the middle of nowhere. But she had found love with John Lowry. They did get married and he was a good man.

This story is told by John Lowry and Naomi in alternating chapters. Each tells a story that will both make you believe and break your heart. It will leave you breathless and hopeful. Happy and sad. It’s done with so much reality that you will feel the heat from the sun and the cold from the snow. The heat from the hot springs and the freezing cold from the lakes. The things these people go through to get across the plains to start a new life are hard. Some turn back. Some die. Some lost their minds. It was a very hard life for sure.

Reading the author’s note at the end sheds a lot of light on this book. Some of the characters are real people. Real people who existed. Who you will love and who you will feel a closeness to in many ways. There are some characters you will hate. Some who are just cruel. Both white and redskin. Some are just mean. But most are kind and caring and help each other. Most have hearts. It proves to me that all people are human no matter where they come from. Empathy is priceless and helps more than being cruel.

This is one of those stories that will stay with you for a good long time. A historical book that is timeless.

Thank you #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, #AmyHarmon for this ARC. This is my own review told from my heart.

A huge 5 stars and the highest recommendation to all..

WATCHING FROM THE DARK by Gytha Lodge

This book had great promise but to me fell short. I figured out who the killer was way early on and that just ruined it for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and just didn’t feel it like I should have. While I did finish it and thought it would have been a very good read if someone else would have been the killer that is just not what happened. It fell way short for me.

Not one of the characters seemed real to me. They all just seemed either way to weak, Angeline was way to clingy and seemed weak. I do understand that she would be upset over the loss of her friend but this was before that. When the story would go back to before Zoe was killed. Angeline depended on Zoe way to much and then seemed to be a person of interest later??? Maeve, I just didn’t like her for the same reason I didn’t like Zoe; dating a married man is just wrong. Wrong on way to many levels. None of the detectives did it for me and that was bad. I just could not seem to get into this book.

That being said, you may love it. Lots of others have. I won’t say it’s not for anyone because it just may be a great book for some readers. But in my opinion, if you like a good thriller and like figuring out who did it, this one is just not it. It was way to easy. But still, read for yourself. The author did do great with descriptions and scenery. Toward the end there was a scene with the killer and a DI that was intense and had me holding my breath. But I also knew he would be ok. Would not be killed. There was no reason for it. It would have been better if the killer would have taken their own life though. That may have made me like it better. Also taken their partner’s life too. Since it was partly the partner’s fault what happened.

For someone to not even call the cops and scream at them that they believe someone they are suppose to care about may have been hurt bad is beyond my comprehension. To do that because you might get in trouble is just cold. This person was unfeeling and to me very unlikable and a jerk. He knew someone had entered the apartment. But then again, he had things to hide didn’t he??? That part when it came out was good. There are good and bad in this book. Read it and decide for yourself.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #RandomHousePublishers, #GythaLodge for this ARC. This is my own review.

I gave it 3 stars. I didn’t really enjoy it but I do recommend you read it for yourself and decide. It could just be that I read lots of this type of book and expect more.

A GOOD MARRIAGE by Kimberly McCreight

This is a book about four couples. Four with their own set of problems. Three of these couples seem very happily married for the most part. But they all have problems. They all have the world at their fingertips but along with that are major problems that lead to one woman being killed and one defending the husband. All of their lives will interconnect and some are the best of friends. Secrets will come to light that none see coming.

This book is so filled with twists and turns. I thought I had it all figured out but boy I was wrong. I truly was not even close.

Amanda, who is married to Zach, is dead. You learn this at the very beginning of this story. Her husband is arrested for the murder. There are several things that make him look ripe for this murder. He’s a bit of a cold man. I didn’t like him at all. He was not one you will connect with. Amanda had anything and everything money could buy and a son she adored with all her heart. The thing she didn’t have was the kind of love and support her two best friends had. Zach was a workaholic and thought that was all they needed.

Lizzie, who is married to Sam, is the attorney who defends Zach. She knew him from law school many years prior. As much as he is unlikable he does deserve a good defense. Lizzie didn’t want the job of being his defense attorney but she has no choice now. She’s a good attorney no doubt. She leaves no stone unturned getting to the bottom of things. A strong and very smart woman who has problems of her own. Sam, her husband, is an alcoholic and is prone to blackouts. Blackouts where he remembers nothing. He does things yet can’t remember them after.

The other two couples, Kerry and Sarah, who have been married a very long time and have three children. They love each other very much and Kerry  will do anything for Sarah. Is he as good as he seems or does he had some dark secrets that will come to light. Do they have secrets that need to be exposed? Then there is Sebe and Maude. They do have a great marriage. Problems? Of course. All marriages have problems. But they do have what they consider a great life. Everyone loves going to their parties. Their once a year parties that happen when all the children are away at sleep away camp. That is when all the fun happens and this time trouble...

Most of the characters in this book are so likable. There is something about each that you may relate too. With the exception of Zach who in my opinion is very cold. It’s like he’s dead inside, almost. But does that make him a killer? Maybe, maybe not. This book is very well written and the descriptions are so well developed you’ll feel like you are walking down the tree lined sidewalks or running through the forest and up the steps that Amanda ran. It’s a story of a murder. What appears to be a brutal murder. It’s the story of one woman’s hopes and dreams. Her horrible childhood and there is a touch of mental health issues included. A lot of what being an alcoholic can do to a person and what some love, laughter and just being a friend can do.

I really did enjoy this book. It caught me right from the start and I could not stop until I found out who killed Amanda. It held my attention from the very beginning.

Thank you to #BookishFirst, #NetGalley, #KimberlyMcCreight, #HarperCollinsPublishing for this ARC. My own true feelings are expressed here.

A 5 star book and a very high recommendation.

THE LAST BATHING BEAUTY by Amy Sue Nathan

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book. I knew it would be a light read filled with love and laughter. But it has so much more. It’s a story that will make your heart fill, make it ache, make it beat fast and make it break. This is my first book by Amy Sue Nathan and I was not at all disappointed. It had so much going on that I could not put it down. Turning the pages to see what happens next and having such deep emotions is what makes a book great. This book is great.

Betty was a teen who seemed to have it all. She lived with her grandparents who adored her and gave her all they could. They owned a resort and Betty worked helping them out and had many friends. Two best friends who shared everything. The summer of 1951 was the best and worse year of Betty’s life. She fell in love, she competed in a beauty contest, she married and she got pregnant. But she had planned on going to New York and going to college. Becoming a fashion editor and living the dream before marriage and a family. She planned on marrying the love of her life and living happily ever after with him. But time was not in her favor. The year was a time when she would make hard decisions and give up her dreams for something else. She married and had a child. She fell in love with her husband and had a good life. But it wasn’t the life she planned.

Betty married Marvin and became Boop. Marvin had always called her Boop and thus it stuck. They had a long and happy marriage. Boop’s granddaughter comes to her with a big problem that is much like the one Betty faced when she was eighteen years old. The difference here is Boop stood by Hannah where Betty’s grandmother didn’t. As much as she loved Betty she thought she was doing what was right. Betty had a different plan and things did work out ok. Betty/Boop lived a good life but still you get the feeling something has been missing all these years. As she tells Hannah her story in 2017 this book goes back to 1951 and so much is revealed to Hannah. Things that will help her to move on with her life and have the love she so desperately wants.

This story is told in two different timelines and is done to perfection in my opinion. The things that happen in the 50s make you glad you didn’t have to go through that kind of thing. Women were truly not treasured very much. I mean that they had husbands who were more their bosses then partners. They had not choices in many things, including having babies, marrying for love, going to college. Having a life. It was unfair but was how it was. Betty/Boop had a good life but not the life she could have had if her grandparents would have stood by her no matter what. If they would have considered her feelings and not just how it might look or how things were being Jewish. It didn’t seem like love was to be the most important part of their arrangement for her. She did what she had to and did find a happiness eventually. Love did happen.

This book is such a good one. Filled with love that is found, lost and found again. Family who should be there no matter what and isn’t always. Friends who know all there is to know about each other with a couple of secrets thrown in but found out late in life. Betty/Boop at age 18 then at age 84. I enjoyed this book so much and hated for it to end. Though it ended with perfection. I loved this story. It’s one that will lift your spirits while bringing big tears to your eyes too. It made me laugh and cry. I had some serious tears in places. The characters are all very likable and so well developed. The storyline will keep you turning pages and rooting for love. It’s a very serious but also a lighthearted book.

Thank you to #NetGalley #LakeUnion, #AmySueNathan for the ARC of this book. This is my review as I see it.

A big 5 stars and very high recommendation..