SPRING GIRLS by Karen Katchur

As with the previous two books in this series this is an excellent read. It is another that will leave you reeling. Have you holding your breath and hoping for justice to be served. For the cold blooded killer to be found before he can claim another victim. He is pure evil. Ruthless, uncaring, no conscience, no feelings or remorse in any way for what he has done and would do again if given the chance. To many lives have been forever ruined by this cold blooded killer. Time for him to pay.

“A strange kind of calm settles inside her, a dead calm, an acceptance of what is coming, as though she has chosen it herself: a tragic ending to a mostly happy life.”
“She spies the bridge, the pillars, the cold steel rail where signs post warnings about the dangers of jumping; the lone figure staring down at her.”
“This would trouble her for many nights to come, the hindsight of such things, along with the images of the Spring Girls.”
Those were some quotes from the book that told a story of their own.

Two detectives, Geena and Parker, are called to the scene of a body that was found in the water from the lake that was being drained. The body of a dead young woman. She had been brutally raped and killed, bringing the death toll for these young lady’s to three in as many years. How many more were there. How many more would be found? Who is doing this inhuman thing to these young women. Taking their lives before they even had a chance to live. College girls who deserved to live long happy lives. Their families left to mourn and suffer. Always wondering who would do such a horrible thing.

Janey survived. She lived. She wasn’t suppose to, but she did. She lives in constant fear and can’t remember any details about what happened to her. She has no idea who or why. Janey is a single mother who works hard to raise her son, Christian, and deals with the problems he has on a daily basis. He has some issues going on and that makes it harder on Janey, but she loves him unconditionally and will do whatever she has to for him to have a somewhat normal life. With the help of a child therapist Janey strives each day to help Christian make friends. Help him in school. In life. Janey has had way more in her young life than anyone ever should have to deal with. Her parents are close by and they help her emotionally and when she needs them to watch her son. She works very hard to live but she is in constant fear of being attacked again. Your heart will break for Janey and her son many times in this story. You may get frustrated with her and Christian at times also. But you will still root for them to prevail.

This story touches on emotional problems and fears. Anxiety and even depression. Being attacked and trying to move on. Single motherhood and mental problems caused through no fault of their own. A retired detective who knows things that may possibly help find the killer. A wife who is a bit protective, but who should maybe also have kept her mouth shut at times.(you’ll see) A woman alone who is doing her best to move on. Parents who are surviving after losing their daughters. A daughter who just wants some peace and wants to be left alone. A very disturbed person of interest.

This was a very good book and kept me on edge throughout not knowing what was coming next. Wondering who could possibly be attacking these women. I had some suspicions about who the killer was but I didn’t figure that out. I didn’t trust several people in this book and one rightly so.

The characters in this book are very likable. The scenery very well done. You will feel like you are on that riverbank, in that water. Drowning, gasping for breath. Running for your life. Your heart will break for a child and his mother. For the child who is possibly telling the truth but no one believes him. You will feel elated in parts too. The love a mother has for her son is undeniable and strong. She will do anything to protect her child.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KarenKatchur, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own review of a well written book.

I gave it a huge 5 stars and do highly recommend it to anyone that loves a good thriller.

LAST ONE TO LIE by J.M. Winchester

I’D KILLED TWO PEOPLE AT TWELVE YEARS OLD, BUT NEVER IN MY LIFE HAD I WANTED TO STAB AGAIN UNTIL THAT MOMENT.
That is one sentence in this twisted, page turning, crazy to the bone, thriller. It will take you places that you never thought about or wanted to think about going.

This is really a good book if you like thrillers as much as I do. The only problem I had with it was I did figure out one of the main parts way to soon. To me it was so obvious. But still, it’s a pager turning book.

Told from two and sometimes three points of view and a couple of timelines. One is from the victim. One from the detective. It’s like reading two stories in one also. The detective, Paul Ryan, wants to get to the bottom of what happened to Kelsey’s child and what happened to his sister 15 years before. Could Kelsey possibly know what happened in both instances or is she an innocent victim in all that happens in this story. Will she get her daughter back and have the life she has always wanted. Is her husband lying about things or is something more cynical going on. This book will take you on the biggest ride of your life. You will keep reading to find out who is who, who did what and why things happened that way. Just when you think you have it figured out another twist is thrown in. You will want someone to find closure and someone to pay for things that happen. But at what cost.

Thank you #NetGalley, #J.M.Winchester, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own.

I gave it 4 stars and a huge recommendation.

BOOKS I HAVE ENJOYED THIS MONTH SO FAR

YOU CAN’T CATCH ME by Catherine McKenzie

Ok, I have had the great fortune of reading some of the best books ever lately and this one is again my new favorite of Catherine McKenzie. She has taken this story and written it in a way that you will not be able to put it down. You will want to know what happens. You will have to know who did what to whom. This is a big, huge, page turner from the very beginning to the explosive ending that will leave you in both tears and shaking your head.

Jessica Williams has come into some money from her past job. Jessica Williams has been scammed and all of her money stolen. Now Jessica is on a quest to get to the bottom of where the person who has the same name and birthday as her is and where her money is. She wants it back and she is determined to get it back. Jessica has had a pretty horrible life since the very beginning of her childhood. Living in a cult, taken from her parents, and raised by a crazy man who seems to be grooming her for something she does not quite understand yet. But she will. She will do whatever it takes to get away. The one thing she wanted more than anything was for her cousin, Kiki, to come with her. To get away. But Kiki refuses. She’s afraid and does not think it’s a good idea for her to leave. This is after all the only life she has ever know.

Jessica falls for her savior, Liam. Liam is not a bad guy. He’s a person who saves people. He does not want Jessica that way. Or does he. Is he secretly falling in love with her but afraid of letting her know? He is after all a few years her senior. There are many people from TODD, the cult where Jessica was, that Liam have saved. Friends of Jessicas. People she grew up with. They all know what was going on in the LOT, LAND OF TODD. It was not the happiest of life and the best thing to happen to them all was Liam saving them. Jessica does not care for her parents as she blames them for going to the LOT anyway. How could they do that and keep her there. How could any of the parents. Kiki’s parents and Jessica’s parents should have done better. They should have done something. But could they have truly? Todd was a maniac after all. A true cult leader.

This book was so well written. It was told with such intensity that you will definitely feel the pain that Jessica feels. All the pains she has had to endure. The characters are so well written you will feel like you know each one personally. The places told in descriptions that make you feel like you are right there. Whether it’s in the woods with the cult followers or in NY with Liam and the others he has rescued. Or on a trip with JJ to find the Jessica who cheated them both out of all their money. It’s a beautifully written story that will touch your soul. And then you have that ending. The one that ties it all together and reveals things that you would never have guessed. The things that made this book so good. Through many tears I read the ending and felt so much turmoil for Jessica. All she had gone through.

This is such a good book....

Thank you to #NetGalley, #CatherineMcKenzie, #LakeUnion for this ARC. This review is my own. Written from my heart.

A huge 5 stars and the very highest recommendation ever.

PERFECTLY FAMOUS by Emily Liebert

I’m a bit on the fence about the ending of this book. I truly enjoyed the whole story from start to finish but the very end left me a little confused. Maybe it’s going to have a sequel? Overall though this is an excellent book. It will hold your interest and keep you turning the pages. You will want to find out what happened and who killed Ward’s daughter, Stevie. Was it a stranger or someone she knew? All is answered but the ending has a twist that surprised me.

Bree is a newly divorced woman who has a good relationship with her ex and a rocky one with her teenaged daughter. I did not like the daughter, Chloe. I found her to be a spoiled, smart mouthed brat who needed some serious discipline. I liked the ex though he could be a bit of a jerk too. Overall I think Bree was very likable though. She got a job and went after what she truly wanted. She was strong and resilient and did not give up when things got tough. Her infatuation with Ward was a tiny bit strange but in hindsight understandable. Also it was what the whole story is based on so a big must. I liked Bree..

Ward lost her daughter to in a horrific way. For anyone to expect her to get over it in just six short months was not realistic in any way. It would truly take years if not a lifetime to get over something so horrible. Losing a child is the ultimate loss. The ultimate pain. You don’t just get back to your normal life after such a terrible thing. She lost her ability to write again and that is understandable. She became a bit obsessive and that is understandable. I liked her very much and felt so horrible for her loss. I think even her mother expected to much from her, until I got to know her anyway. I kind of understand her more and her reasons for some of the things she said.

I liked Bree’s best friend, Maggie, until she went ape over Chloe influencing her daughter to do something she shouldn’t have done. The reason I thought Maggie acted like a jerk was the way she treated Bree. Maggie was the one who should have apologized to Bree. She was in charge of Bree’s daughter and knew where Bree was and why. She acted like a jerk in my opinion.

Then there are the men in this story. Some you will like a lot and others you will wonder about. Or I did. I liked Scott. Bree and him were seeing each other and I rooted for them to make a go of it. I had many doubts about Evan and I didn’t like Alex. Alex just didn’t feel right to me after some things were said about his character. Daniel I liked. He may have been tough but he did run a newspaper so had to be.

This book is well written even though the ending still has me scratching my head. The characters are well written and most are very likable. The storyline will keep you interested and make you want to know what happens next. The truth will blow your mind. Overall I really did enjoy this book.

Thank you to #EmilyLeibert for this copy of this book.

I gave it 4 stars. I do recommend it to anyone who likes a great mystery. Enjoy!

THE HALF SISTER by Sandie Jones

This is the second book I have read by this author. While I truly enjoyed this one a lot, it was not a thriller and should not be in that genre. It was a family drama story that delves into some pretty deep issues at times. One being murder. One being DNA. One being spousal abuse.  One being adoption and the foster care system. A touch on abortion also. This book has a lot going on and is a very good one to read.

Two sisters who have a bit of a rocky relationship, Kate and Lauren, have Sunday dinner with their mother each week. They dad died of a heart attack ten months prior and is a big part of this story. This day while the two sisters and one’s husband are at their mother, Rose’s, home a young woman, Jess, comes looking for their father. She says that through DNA she knows he is her father also and she only wants to meet him.

You will get to know a lot about Kate and Lauren. What Kate and her husband go through to have a baby. What Lauren is going through in her home-life having three children and a very crude, hateful, husband. Kate’s married to a wonderful man who dotes on her through thick and thin. Lauren is not so lucky. but neither sister really knows much about the other’s life inside their marriages. Lauren knows Jess via the DNA sight and knows things that Kate refuses to believe.

This is a very intense story about a family. What a mother will do to keep this family together. To keep secrets buried. To keep herself from facing some hard truths. These characters are likable with the exception to Simon, Lauren’s husband, who you will love to hate. What all of these women go through to get to the truth will keep you turning pages to find out. What happened 22 years ago that can possibly change everyone’s life.

The ending is perfect too even though I did figure it out. This is a very well written story and was quite enjoyable in many ways. It had the family drama that you may like. It had the love of a good marriage that we all like and it had some surprises thrown in that keep you wanting more. A page turner for sure.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SandieJones, #StMartin’sPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

I gave it 4 stars and highly recommend it.

SISTER DEAR by Hannah Mary McKinnon

WOW, just WOW!! This is the best book yet by Hannah Mary McKinnon. It has it all. From the very first word to the dramatic ending you will be immersed into this story of love, loss, family, envy, sadness, danger... Well done Ms McKinnon. Very well done indeed!

This is the story of two sisters. One very privileged and the other very poor. While Eleanor is taking care of her dying father she finds out that he is not her true biological father. But he has always been there for her and she loves him with all her heart. After his death she finds out who her biological dad is and she sets out to meet him. He of course wants nothing to do with her. She then devises a way to get to know her half sister, Victoria. Eleanor’s mother is an awful woman who has never ever been kind to her in any way. Nor has her other sister, Amy. They are two of a kind. Users who only think of themselves. I truly detested Sylvia, Eleanor’s mother. She was such a horrible, terrible human being. She treated Eleanor like she was nothing.

Victoria was born rich. She’s the child Eleanor’s biological father raised. The one he loved. The only one he wanted anything to do with. Victoria has her own company. A rich husband and the kind of life she well deserves. Or does she. Does she really deserve anything? That is a hard one. Getting to know her was all Eleanor wanted. She devised a way to befriend Victoria and they did become the best of friends. Eleanor designed a web sight for Victoria and for Hugh too. Victoria seem to truly like Eleanor. Of course she didn’t know that Eleanor was in fact her half sister.

This book is going to blow you away. I did not see this coming in any way, shape for fashion. I would have not believed it had I not read it for myself. It was so well crafted. Well written. It took my breath away. I love when a story truly gets me. When it comes as a complete shock. This book has an ending that honestly will leave you breathless. In some ways I hope there will be a sequel, but in others I loved the way it ended. It did end by the way. The one time it seems evil may have won. It just may have.

The characters in this story are so well written. So rich and realistic. You will love them and love to hate a few. This is a story of family but family at their worse in many ways. The love of a family sure. The love between a man and woman also. The love of a woman for her half sister. All she wanted was a family that accepted her for who she was.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HannahMaryMcKinnon, #HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)
MIRA. This is my own review as I see it.

A big fat 5 star read for me and the highest recommendation ever. Best McKinnon book yet!

STRANGER IN THE LAKE by Kimberly Belle

OMG this is the best Kimberly Belle book ever. That ending brought me to my knees. This book has raw emotions. Be warned, it’s a must to have tissues while reading this great thriller. Kimberly Belle really outdid herself with this book. You can literally feel the emotion she put into this book. The heart and soul of this novel. Great job Ms Belle.

A few of my very favorite quotes from this book: And really, when you think about it, isn’t security just another word for love?
But for once, for however long the moment lasted, Jax didn’t feel so alone.
She didn’t look sad or disappointed. She just looked... accustomed.
Every person has a single defining moment. A moment that veer their life in a new direction, that changes them at a cellular level and makes them question everything they thought they knew, that colors every thought and decision afterward.
Then I will say, listen: no one ever taught my mother to love her babies, but somehow you taught me. You are the reason I am not like her, just like you will never be me. Every generation is a new life. A new chance to get things right.

Charlotte/Charlie married into wealth. She came from the poor side of the lake and was not truly welcome on the rich side. She loved Paul. She would do almost anything for him. He was her life and she wanted to make sure he knew she did not marry him for his money, home, wealth, but for love and love alone. Charlotte was a good wife and will be a great mother too. She does all she can to help Paul when things go crazy in their world. When a body shows up under his dock four years after his own wife was found in the same place. She vows to stick by him. Can anything change her mind? What will she do when things come to light about a years old death. When things start going south very quickly. When she catches Paul in lies and her mind starts to question whether she knows him at all. Is Paul capable of the things the police say he is? Would he truly be capable of murder?

Paul loves Charlotte. He wants to give her the kind of life she deserves. I believe he loves her with all his heart. I believe he loved his first wife just as much and maybe even more. But will he risk it all to keep things quiet. To keep certain things from coming to the surface? What will he do? Who will he choose? His wife or best friend? The truth or lies? And just who is the stranger in the lake really? Was she there to cause upheaval in people’s lives or was it just to get to the truth of what happened all those years ago?

This book takes you on many twists and turns. It has many highs and lows. Many curves. It’s beautiful written and the characters are so well and richly developed. The scenery is gorgeous and so realistic. You will feel the cold of the snow falling. Of the freezing water. You will feel the pull between a conscience and a heart. When you start out with a lie, a lie is all you will have left in the end. You will find yourself asking what would you have done in these friends places. Could you have made these choices. As a son, daughter, mother, wife, husband and child, all need protection but at what cost? This book takes you on a ride you will not soon forget. I felt like I was riding in the vehicles with these people on these icy roads. Down the steep hills and even going through the water. In the woods dark and alone. The emotion of this book pulled me in and would not let go. And that ending. It truly made me cry so hard. I felt such emotion for Charlotte. She’s one of the good ones. She really does deserve the best.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KimberlyBelle, #ParkRowPublishers for the ARC of this wonderful book. These are my own feelings about this book.

A big fat 5 stars and the highest possible recommendation for everyone.

TANGLED IN IVY by Ashley Farley

I love Ashley Farley’s books. This one is now my favorite of hers. It’s a quick read that will captivate you from the very first page to the very sweet ending.

Lillian and Layla are twins. But they are not your typical twins. They have almost nothing in common and seem to never get along at all. Lillian is more quiet and down to earth while Layla is a bit loud and outgoing. Lillian is more into books and painting and seems to have way more feeling that Layla. Layla is a typical narcissist person.

Lillian took care of Graham, the twins dad, until he took his very last breath. Layla arrives shortly after he passes away. Then the battles begin.

This is a very quick read and one that will keep you wanting more. It’s told from Lillian and Graham’s POVs. While Lillian tells what is going on in the here and now, Graham is telling about his life with the love of his life, Ivy. He has written a book for his daughter’s to read and boy what a story it is. While I pretty much guessed the two huge things going on in this book it is still so good. I think maybe it was not really meant to be a true secret what is revealed in this story, to the readers that is. Maybe it is and maybe not. Needless to say it’s the best book I have read by this author and I’ve loved several of hers.

This is the story of sisters. Not close, be there for each other sisters, but sisters none the less. It’s also the story of Graham and Ivy. Ivy was a very complicated woman and I personally didn’t like her very much. I didn’t approve of some of the things Graham did either but it’s what made the story what it is. Ivy was a spoiled woman and didn’t seem to care who she hurt when she got something in her head that she wanted. Graham was a good guy with a few bad flaws. He did love Ivy though and I believe she loved him in her own way also. Another that I didn’t like was Alice. Alice was Ivy’s best friend from a very young age. Alice and Ivy were both spoiled little rich girls and didn’t seem to care who they hurt in the process of getting what they wanted. But again this book needed their antics to make it the great book it was. You will learn to love or hate these two women. I didn’t like them very much at all. But they were who they were.

It’s hard to say much about this book because you can easily give something away and I hate spoilers. I’ll suffice it to say this is a wonderful story of love, loss, happiness, sadness, heartache and even a few laughs. It’s the story of a family and many secrets. It’s a story that will make you shed tears. Make you hold your breath and make you want to smack someone. It’s a great story and one that you won’t be able to put down.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #AshleyFarley, #Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

A 5 star book for sure. I highly recommend this book to you all..

BRAVE GIRL, QUIET GIRL by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I have read several books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and loved them all. She writes stories that you can relate to. You can immerse yourself in and feel you are truly there. She has a way of drawing you into her books and not letting you out until the very last word. This is by far my favorite of her books. It’s one that will pull at your heart on every page.

Some quotes from this book that really touched me: “Well, you know how it is. We either grow up to be our mother or we make a solemn vow to the universe to be her polar opposite. Doesn’t work every minute of every day, though.”
A whole life changed in six or seven seconds.
“Brave girl,” she said. “Kite Girl.” I couldn’t believe she did that. I mean, she was, like two.
I think we all more or less know where we stand with people, whether we like to admit it to ourselves or not.

This is the story of a mother, Brooke. A mother who loses her daughter, Etta, one night and goes through the most horrible night of her life wondering if she would ever see her again. It’s the story of a young girl, Molly, also. A sixteen year old young girl living alone on the streets of LA.

Brooke loves Etta more than life. She would do anything to keep her safe. Brooke was a divorced woman who had to move back home with her mother even though she herself was a grown woman. She had Etta to think about and didn’t make enough money to have her own place. Her ex did not want children. He wanted nothing to do with Etta. Brooke’s mother is a horrible creature who I honestly despised. She did not seem to care about anyone but herself. She treated Brooke horribly and it was inexcusable in every sense of the word. Brooke was a good woman. A hard working woman and would do anything for her baby girl.

Molly was basically alone in the world. She was from Utah and living on the streets of LA because her mother put her out of their home and told her to never darken her doorstep again. All Molly had was her friend Bodhi who helped her get to LA and learn how to survive on the streets. Bodhi was a good friend but Molly didn’t always like the way he got things. She didn’t approve of stealing even though it seemed at times like the only way they could have food. She was a very smart young girl. She had a heart. She actually had a heart of gold and only wanted to be accepted for who she was.

When Brooke is carjacked on the way home from taking Etta to the movies she has no idea how her life is about to change. The things she will go through for a total stranger who needs her. Molly finds Etta and protects her from being hurt. She unselfishly gives her all the juice and snacks and herself goes without. She has a maternal feeling towards the baby she found on the sidewalk in the dark. She keeps her safe and goes through so much just trying to get her back to her mother. That is where Brooke and Molly meet. Brooke does not like Molly and thinks she should have found a way to get Etta back to her much sooner. She has no idea what Molly had to go through and what she did for the baby girl. But as time goes by Brooke learns everything about Molly. How she took care of Etta and why she is on the streets.

This book will definitely tug at your heartstrings. It will make you weep for a mother. For a teenage girl and for what happened to the both. The sweet things that Molly does will bring tears to your eyes. The way she cares for Etta even though she is homeless and has no idea what to do. This is one of the most touching stories I have read. It is a sad story and a happy story. A few things will make you laugh but overall you will wonder how can people be so cruel. Hopefully it will make you see that most homeless people are not homeless because they choose to be but because of circumstances beyond their control. If it makes you have a bit of empathy for their plight then so be it. Well done. Ms Hyde did a wonderful job of making me feel the sadness, loneliness, desperation, and love of a young girl who had no one, nothing and most especially no home.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, #CatherineRyanHyde for this ARC. This is my own review.

I gave it 5 stars and would have given it many more if possible. I do highly recommend this book to anyone that loves a good heart touching book.

RULES FOR MOVING by Nancy Star

First and for most let me say that the only reason this book gets three stars from me is because I actually finished it. I did not enjoy this book at all. It started out with a lot of promise but then fell flat. I was bored with it but determined to finish it. I hate to start a book and not finish it. It happens but I do hate it.

Lane/Roxie is a wife, mother, daughter and advice columnist. I didn’t like her very much. She did have some good qualities about her, but overall she was just not that likable to me. She was a great mom and a great wife. She was even a very good daughter considering she had the worse parents ever in my opinion. The only time I liked them during this whole story was at the end when they finally treated her and her son, Henry, like they matter. Her dad was very condescending and her mother was just so fragile and meek it was kind of sickening. Sorry but that is how they came across to me.

I loved Henry and Nathan. Henry is Lane’s son. Nathan is their landlord and great friend.
Henry had stopped speaking and it is thought that that is because of his dad’s death. It could be some other reason but let’s say it’s the death of his dad. He dad was a loser and a drunk. He was not good to Lane at all as a husband but it seems he was a good dad to Henry. So Henry was very distraught over losing his dad.

This is not a book that kept me interested yet I did read it as fast as possible. I wanted to get it under my belt and start something else. That is brutal I know but honest. I actually found myself skimming over parts of this story because it became kind of monotonous. It seemed to drag on and on for me. I liked the advice parts. I think Rokie/Lane gave great advice for the most part. She just needed to maybe give herself and her parents some much needed advise. I liked her sister also by the way. She was up front and honest in how she felt about things. That was a good thing.

So not a lot of likable characters, not a likable plot, no great descriptions so I didn’t feel much for the area where this took place. It was just a story that gave me absolutely no emotion. That was not good. I need a book to make me feel what the characters are feeling. This one did not.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LakeUnion, #NanceStar for this ARC. This is my own honest review.

I gave it 3 stars and like I already said thee because I actually finished it. I can’t in good faith recommend this one. It let me down big time. Other’s may love it. I did not.