Monday, January 31, 2022

Mailbox Monday

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!
Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.
 ************

Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 
Velvet @ vvb32reads
************
                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 
************
Received this week:
1: WHERE SECRETS LIVE by S. C. Richards
courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley
2: THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier
courtesy of St Martins Minotaur Books


Wednesday, January 26, 2022

SOMEBODY'S HOME by Kaira Rouda

 

A quiet neighborhood. A lovely home. A promising new beginning. In a heartbeat everything can change in this propulsive novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Julie Jones has left her suffocating marriage. With her teenage daughter, Jess, she’s starting over. Their new house in Oceanside is the first step toward a new life. Even if it does come with the unexpected. The previous owners, a pastor and his wife, have left something—or rather someone—behind…

Tom Dean has a bitter hatred for the father who considers him a lost cause, and for the woman who’s moved into their family’s house. The only home he’s ever known. He’s never going to leave. She thinks he’ll be gone in three days, but Tom has the perfect plan.

For a newly single mother and her daughter, a fresh start is the beginning of a nightmare. Before the weekend is over, somebody is going to get exactly what they deserve.


MY THOUGHTS

This is my second book by this author. This one starts out with a pull you right in beginning and does just that. Though I am still wondering what happened to the person in the vehicle who rushed in to save the day. Could it have been the pastor's wife? I do believe it was...

This book is told from different POVs. Julie, Jess, Roger, Sandi, and Tom. Julie is married to Roger and they have a daughter, Jess. Julie left Roger and bought Sandi and Doug's house. Tom is Sandi and Doug's son. Actually Sandi's stepson but she loves him as if he was hers. 

This story is very complex but easy to follow. There is a whole lot going on. A group of teens who are busted for a beer drinking game that slams Jews and makes it look like they are Neo-Nazis. A stupid game that they should never have even known about. Should have got into too much trouble for. For playing and for drinking. Though teens are going to party so that part maybe was not the worse part. The Nazi game was horrid though. Then we have a husband who is arrested for being involved in a possible prostitution ring. Also a young man who is plotting something very sinister and horrible. Friends will turn their backs on each other. Parents are not there when they should be for their child. A priest who does bad things and thinks it's ok. Let's just sweep it under the rug and move on. A whole lot going one. But each person tells their story and why they do the things they do. Why they did the things they did. 

There is a lot going on. A lot of hurt. Hatred. Selfishness. Narcissistic people. Rich who think they can get away with anything. Mothers who will do anything to protect their children. Parents who are not always listening. This book takes a turn for the worse and you will have to buckle in and hold on tight. The feelings are very raw. The anger. The hurt. The horror. 

This book gave me a lot of feelings. A lot of tears for some of the characters. A lot of anger for some. Some I really didn't like and may have grown a tad fond of in the end. Sometimes it takes a drastic turn of events for a person to realize what they have. What they don't want to lose. But is it too late? Will things work out? 

Thank you #NetGalley, #KairaRouda, #Thoma&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and I do recommend it. Be warned there is a lot going on. But it's so good.


Tuesday, January 25, 2022

SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD by Alison Ragsdale

 

The first time I saw you, I knew you were meant to be ours. I took you in my arms, your little hands in tight fists, and I knew I was going to do everything in my power to be the mother you needed and deserved…


When Catriona loses her baby girl at birth, it shatters her. But like a light in the darkness, Catriona is given the chance to adopt beautiful baby April, and now she cannot imagine life without her.

The family’s picture-perfect home is filled every day with April’s warm giggles and joyful games. But when her daughter is just eight years old, Catriona gets the call that she has been silently dreading. April’s birth mother, Lauren, would like to meet her.

Lauren breezes into their home and April just sparkles around her. Their matching turquoise eyes and chestnut hair feels like a knife to Catriona’s heart. Lauren appears to have her life back on track, with a good job and a new house in an upscale neighbourhood. Pushing to spend more and more time with April, one day Lauren says the unthinkable: April belongs with me.

Who can truly give the little girl the love and family she deserves? Catriona is sure Lauren is keeping secrets. Catriona only wants what is best for her darling daughter, but does that really mean she has to let her go forever?

A totally unforgettable, emotional, and beautiful novel that will break your heart into a million pieces and put it back together again. Powerful and ultimately uplifting, fans of Kate Hewitt, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain will be captivated.

Author Bio

A former marketing executive, originally from Edinburgh, Alison now lives near Washington D.C. with her husband and dog. She was educated in England and holds an MBA from Leicester University.

For more information on upcoming books go to www.alisonragsdale.com.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralisonragsdale

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/AlisonRagsdale



Book: Someone Else's Child 
Author: Alison Ragsdale 
Pub Day: Jan 21st 2022 

Buy Link:


MY THOUGHTS

Alison Ragsdale always tells a story that will tug at your heartstrings. Make you weep. Make you keep turning the pages. Her books have such feelings. My emotions were all over the place with this one. Mainly weeping for a mother and child. Even for the dad, though I was very angry at him for a while.

When Catriona and Duncan lose a baby right after it's birth their lives take a sharp turn. They had twin girls and lost one. But there was another baby girl that needed a home. A baby girl who they needed also. Even if they didn't realize how much at the time. There was only a couple of days difference between these baby girl's birth. Hope was the biological baby who was suppose to have a twin sister coming home with her. April was a baby who they adopted. Little did they know how much this little one would mean to them. Little did they know the pain their lives were going to feel. A pain that is beyond words.

This story made me weep. It went through many tissues reading this one and loved every single minute of it. It brought feelings out that I wasn't expecting. Made me feel the pain that Cat felt. The silence she experienced from her daughter. The loneliness she felt from her husband, Duncan. Then the fear she felt from Lauren. Cat goes through so much after a devastating loss. She pushes her husband away and in many ways I understood why. I was angry at him too for a while. I felt like he ran. Deserted his wife and child. His grieving didn't seem to resonate with me. Until it did.

This is a very touching story of love and loss. Of a family almost destroyed. Of such pain that you wonder if they will make it through. Will they come out the other side together. Stronger. Or will they be alone to grieve separately. What will become of this family. Tragedy strikes and people change. But they can heal. Can't they?

Thank you to #NetGalley, #AlisonRagsdale, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and a very high recommendation. Just please make sure you have lots of tissues as it is typical Alison Ragsdale tearjerker reading. With just enough love to keep you sane.


Monday, January 24, 2022

Mailbox Monday

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!
Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.
 ************

Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 
Velvet @ vvb32reads
************
                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 
************
Received this week
1: THE ORPHANS OF MERSEA HOUSE by Marty Wingate
courtesy of Alcove Press via NetGalley 
2: THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark
courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley


Saturday, January 15, 2022

THE REPLACEMENT WIFE by Darby Kane

 

The #1 International bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife returns with another thrilling domestic suspense novel that asks, how many wives and girlfriends need to disappear before your family notices?

Elisa Wright is a mom and wife, living a nice, quiet life in a nice, quiet town. She’s also convinced her brother-in-law is a murderer. Josh has one dead wife and one missing fiancée, and though he grieved for them he starts dating someone new. Elisa fears for that woman’s safety, and she desperately wants to know what happened to her friend, Josh’s missing fiancée.

Searching for clues means investigating her own family. And she doesn’t like what she finds. A laptop filled with incriminating information. Other women.

But when Elisa becomes friends with Josh’s new girlfriend and starts to question things she thinks are true, Elisa wonders if the memories of a horrible incident a year ago have finally pushed her over the edge and Josh is really innocent. With so much at stake, Elisa fights off panic attacks and a strange illness. Is it a breakdown or something more? The race is on to get to the truth before another disappearance because there’s a killer in the family…or is there?


MY THOUGHTS

This is a great book. It has all the things you want in a thriller. The edge of your seat and the wonderment of who did what. It's one that will keep you wanting more. 

This book takes you into the life of a woman who already has trauma in her life. Already feels like her life is out of control in many ways. Elisa is married to the love of her life and has a young son who makes her life complete. But all is not well. There are many unanswered questions in this family. Starting with Harris's younger brother Josh. Harris is Elisa's husband. Nathan is their son. Josh is, well, Josh... 

Josh was engaged to Abby. Abby disappeared. Elisa wants answers. Her friend would not have just left without saying something to her. At least a goodbye. Especially after what Elisa had already been through. She just wouldn't. Josh is quite questionable about his relationships. He's been married twice already and both ended badly. Then he announces that he's seeing another woman when Abby has only been gone for a short time. What has Josh done? Has he committed the worse crime imaginable or has Abby really just up and left of her own free will. And why is her terrorizing Elisa who he claims to love like a sister. Of course she is trying to find out what happened and he may not want anyone to know. And exactly who is the new woman in his life. Rachel? What part if any does she play into this story?

This book takes you into the lives of these people. You will get to know each of them. You will have many guesses as to what happened and who did what. Then you will guess again. It's well laid out. Well written. Makes you feel like you are there. Whether getting up in the middle of the night to freezing cold or sitting on the steps waiting for your husband to return. You feel it. It made me hold my breath in several places. I guessed quite a few times and about one character I was right. But that did not take away from this story. Then you have an ending that will make you gasp. I certainly didn't see it coming. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #DarbyKane, #WilliamMorrowandCustomHousepublishers for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and a very high recommendation. Don't miss this one.


Wednesday, January 12, 2022

THE MAGNOLIA PALACE by Fiona Davis

 

Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City's most impressive Gilded Age mansions.

Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter's life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists' models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City's most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from the Vogue shoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica's financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.

MY THOUGHTS 

My first read by this author.

This book is a historical that has some intense things going on. Models, artist. Murder...

Fiona Davis weaved a story that will keep you reading. When Lillian goes on the run after being accused of helping her landlord kill his wife, her life is never the same. Then she gets a job where something else causes her to run. What if anything will she do. How is she going to survive it all. Lillian is a very resilient woman. Her mother taught her what to do in life to possibly get ahead. Or be known. This was in 1919.. 

Jump ahead now to 1966.. We meet Veronica. An aspiring model who was found quite by accident. After a horrendous haircut it seems people notice her for her life takes a turn for the "better.". But when on a photo shoot in the Frick mansion/museum things go horribly wrong. That is when things really get interesting,

This book is well written and will hold your interest. There is a lot going on and two timelines. Two women who's life intersect and some thrills too along the way. Well written and the descriptions make you feel you are there, in both timelines.

Thank you #NetGalley, #FionaDavis, #PenguinGroupDutton for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and I recommend it.


Monday, January 10, 2022

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!
Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.
 ************

Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 
Velvet @ vvb32reads
************
                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 
************
Books received this week
1: NO MORE LIES by  Kerry Lonsdale
courtesy of Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley
    2: MOMENT IN TIME by Suzanne Redfearn
courtesy of  Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley



Sunday, January 9, 2022

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain

 

A community’s past sins rise to the surface in New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain’s The Last House on the Street when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery.

1965

Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a certain type of proper Southern lady. Enrolled in college and all but engaged to a bank manager, Ellie isn’t as committed to her expected future as her family believes. She’s chosen to spend her summer break as a volunteer helping to register black voters. But as Ellie follows her ideals fighting for the civil rights of the marginalized, her scandalized parents scorn her efforts, and her neighbors reveal their prejudices. And when she loses her heart to a fellow volunteer, Ellie discovers the frightening true nature of the people living in Round Hill.

2010

Architect Kayla Carter and her husband designed a beautiful house for themselves in Round Hill’s new development, Shadow Ridge Estates. It was supposed to be a home where they could raise their three-year-old daughter and grow old together. Instead, it’s the place where Kayla’s husband died in an accident—a fact known to a mysterious woman who warns Kayla against moving in. The woods and lake behind the property are reputed to be haunted, and the new home has been targeted by vandals leaving threatening notes. And Kayla’s neighbor Ellie Hockley is harboring long buried secrets about the dark history of the land where her house was built.

Two women. Two stories. Both on a collision course with the truth--no matter what that truth may bring to light--in Diane Chamberlain's riveting, powerful novel about the search for justice.

MY THOUGHTS

I've read several books by this author and loved each one. This one is no exception. It's another great one. A very sad book though. A though subject to read about too. So much has changed yet nothing has changed over the years. To much prejudice back then and too much now. Voter suppression then and it still exists today. What happened to black people back in the early to mid sixties was horrible. It is still horrible. All the killings and prejudice. All the things that happened then and a lot of what still happens today. This really needs to change. 

This is the story of two women and two time periods. How their lives will intersect. What happened back in 1965 and what is happening now in 2010. Two women of different ages. Different backgrounds but both white women. Both who have empathy for their fellow human beings. Both with lives and loves. Both lost someone so important to them. A story of the horrors of the KKK. The bigots of the south. How one woman tried to make a change and what happened to her. How a town can hide so many secrets and be so cold blooded. And so so many lies. So many lies from a family who claim to love each other. 

This book will make your skin crawl. Make you cringe. Make you weep and feel pain like you never thought you would. Things that happened in the sixties and even what happened to Karla in 2010. The extreme someone will go to just to hide the truth. To keep things buried. To keep answers from being revealed. I was both shocked and horrified at what a person with so much hate is capable of doing. And these things really happened back then and even now. How dare a person of color think they are equal or worthy or can possibly have a relationship with a white woman. What a town will do to keep things from moving forward. So sad.

This book is full of deep feelings that will keep you turning the pages. Secrets you will want revealed. You will want to know what happened and why. Who did what. Sometimes things are not as they seem. Sometimes you just can not trust people to do the right thing. Or to be honest. So many lies that tear families apart. Tear communities apart. It's just sad.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #DianeChamberlain, #StMartinsPress for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and I consider it a job well done. I highly recommend this book. Have a few kleenex handy while reading this one.


Thursday, January 6, 2022

THE SAINTS OF SWALLOW HILL by Donna Everhart

 

Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds as award-winning author Donna Everhart's latest novel immerses readers in its unique setting--the turpentine camps and pine forests of the American South during the Great Depression--for a captivating story of friendship, survival, and three vagabonds' intersecting lives.
 
It takes courage to save yourself...

Few writers evoke the complexities of the heart and the gritty fascination of the American South as vividly as Donna Everhart, whose lyrical new novel, set against the background of the Great Depression, is a powerful story of courage, survival, and friendship...
In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together.

Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it--and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity--a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill.

Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer's tally. Delwood Reese, who's come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers "Ray" a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again.

MY THOUGHTS

This book is another hit by Donna Everhart that will take your heart and soul on a ride you won't soon forget. The things that happened back during the depression and the people who worked the turpentine camps. What they endured. How things were done. How the whites and blacks were treated differently. How unfair life was to hard working people. 

This story is about two broken souls. Del, who was a womanizer who's luck ran out. He got caught with his pants down. What happened next was not pretty. Even reading it gave me chills. I do believe Del's out of body experience. That is completely possible. I've experienced that one myself. As a very young teen. It's a protection of sorts. He was forced in a way to run and seek employment in a turpentine camp. You start out in debt there but if you work hard you might, or might not, be able to get ahead. The things that Del dealt with were horrible. From the hard work to being put in the box. The box was a place where most never came out alive. Just big enough for one person to lay and suffer. Hot and dark. Smelly. The smells of the ones who were there before. 

Then we have Rae Lynn. Rae Lynn was married to a man who was very good to her. He took her from an orphanage and married her. They fell in love and he had a turpentine business that they worked. It was almost impossible for him to have any help besides Rae Lynn because he was so clumsy and people tended to get hurt that worked for him. He was also very stubborn it seems. He took a fall and would not allow Rae Lynn to fetch the doctor. He suffered such horrible pain. What happened after was another hard to read part. I felt so bad for Rae Lynn. I felt bad for her husband, Warren, also. But what Rae Lynn went through after was really sad. She left her home and disguised herself as a man to get a job at a turpentine camp. She had no idea how her life was about to change.

Del and Rae Lynn are both very broken people. Two people who deserve to be happy. The odds are stacked against them but they fight back. They work hard and finally find a way to be happy again. Together?? You'll have to read it to find that one out. They make lifelong friends and experience things that are so hard. But they are both resilient and have a will to succeed. To prevail against all odds. To have a family. To be happy. To overcome things from their pasts. Each has a story and they are good ones. 

This book is a very emotional and enduring one. It will keep you wanting to read. It will hold your interest all the way through. Very well written. Very captivating. Makes you feel things. Experience things. You will feel like you are in this camp. In the swamp with the deadly snakes. In the box. In their lives. This book is so good. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #DonnaEverhart, #KensingtonBooks for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and a very high recommendation. Read it. Have plenty of kleenex. It's that good!


Monday, January 3, 2022

Mailbox Monday

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!
Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.
 ************

Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 
Velvet @ vvb32reads
************
                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 
************
Received this week
1: STAY AWAKE by Megan Goldin
courtesy of St Martin's Press via NetGalley
2:  A RIP THROUGH TIME by Kelley Armstrong
courtesy of St. Martin's Press via NetGalley


Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera

  My thoughts This was probably the most aggravating book I've read in like forever. It was interesting but a bit on the dramatic side a...