Mailbox Monday

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

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Warning:  Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.
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Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday
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Here is a shout out to the administrators:

Emma @ Word and Peace

Serena @ Savvy Verse and Wit

Martha @ Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf

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THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

NetGalley's

1: The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski

Three couples. Three days. A family getaway to die for.

Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings—heirs to a copper fortune—gather at their luxury winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It's a tradition they've followed nearly all their lives, and now they are back with their significant others for a much-needed weekend of rest and relaxation, away from the public spotlight.

With lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, the trip should be the perfect escape. But it soon becomes clear that even a remote idyllic getaway can’t keep out the problems simmering in each of their lives. As old tensions are reignited, the three couples are pushed to the edge. Will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates?

When a torrential rainstorm hits, plunging them into darkness, the answers prove all too deadly…

2: The Roaring Life of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar 

In this dazzling new novel, the discovery of a hidden label on a famous gown unearths the story of a talented young seamstress and her journey from the smoke-filled speakeasies of Jazz Age Seattle to the costume houses of Hollywood.

2023, The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: A costume conservator is preparing an exhibition featuring movie costumes from the 1920s to present day. As she gingerly places a gown once worn by Greta Garbo on a mannequin, she discovers another name hidden beneath the designer's label, leaving her to wonder—who is Zora Lily?

1924, Seattle: Poverty-stricken Zora Hough spends her days looking after her younger siblings while sewing up holes and fixing hems for clients to bring in extra money, working her fingers to the bone just to survive. But at night, as she lies in the bed she shares with one of her three sisters, she secretly dreams of becoming a designer like Coco Chanel and Jeanne Lanvin.

When her best friend gets a job dancing in a club downtown, Zora is lured in by her stories of music, glittering dresses and boys. She follows her friend to the underground speakeasies that are at once exciting and frightening—with smoke hanging in the air, alcohol flowing despite Prohibition, couples dancing in a way that makes Zora blush and a handsome businessman named Harley. It’s a world she has only ever imagined, and one with connections that could lead her to the life she's always dreamed of. But as Zora's ambition is challenged by tragedy and duty to her family, she'll learn that dreams come with a cost.

Bookmail this week

1: Dreaming of Water by A.J. Banner

A woman’s investigation into her past reveals family secrets and lies in this novel of discovery, redemption, and the mutability of memory by the bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and In Another Light.

Astrid Johansen swore she would never return to Heron Bay, Washington. In that idyllic coastal town, her little sister, Nina, drowned in a reflecting pool under Astrid’s watch seventeen years ago. Though guilt has kept her away, Astrid can’t ignore her aunt Maude’s urgent plea to come back. Maude claims to have found a letter that will change everything about the past.

When Astrid arrives in Heron Bay, she finds Maude unconscious, perhaps the victim of an attack. As Maude lingers in a coma, Astrid uncovers alarming evidence that Nina’s drowning that tragic night was no accident. But in a town rife with secrets, and in a family still fractured by grief, who knows the truth?

Astrid’s investigation leads her down a trail of dark memories, lies, and betrayals that will shatter her perception of everyone she thought she knew—even herself.

Lilith by Nikki Marmery

 

My thoughts

This is a whole new to me spin on the Adam and Eve story. The beginning of the start. The Garden of Eden thing. Even a few other things that were have suppose to of happened according to the book called the Bible. While I question almost all of that book as reality some could have happened. But a flood... No way. And the dove bringing back an Olive branch. From where? It would have taken years for a tree to grow and if they were all flooded then the trees were dead. Yes DEAD! As for Adam and Lilith. Adam ruined all of that Paradise. 

In the beginning we actually have no idea who made who or what really happened. Only what a group of "men" want us to believe. That women are beneath them. Women are not as good. Not as smart. Not as strong. Totally dependent on these said men. But what if: What if women and men were equal. What if they would have stayed that way. What if Adam had not of decided he wanted her "beneath" him. Both physically and mentally. What if it too a god and goddess to create or start life. What if people have it all wrong. Since I have so many questions about how things are written in the book called the bible then this is just another possibility. It very well could have happened. Since I have never heard of Lilith then how do I know she did not exist. How do I know there was not a goddess in the beginning. I wasn't there. No one ever told us. Mystical. Myth. Truth. 

I believe if women and men would have live in harmony. In total equality. In a balance if you will. Things would be different. I believe if the men didn't want to dominate women things would be way more peaceful. What gives them the right to say we are beneath them. To say we have no brains. To teach us that they are the superior beings. Look at the world and you might take a different stance on that thought. I believe if women and men would have worked together as equals this world would not be tearing itself apart. It would still be just as strong as it was in the beginning. That is my thoughts.

This book was a fun read. It gives a new light to the beginning. Lilith is a very smart woman. Her mother, the creator of life, wanted her to be knowledgeable and strong. Yes the Goddess, Asherah, was there. She was the Heavenly Mother. But Yahweh, the God or Father of Heaven, didn't want her to be equal either. Thus this story. Asherah went through hell for women. God just merely spoke. Man just called women names and that was the end of them. How small is that. 

This is also a love story. The love between Maryam and Yeshua. They would be Magdelena and Jesus. The story of what really happened had to be covered up for men to stay in charge of the world. Also the love between Lilith and Samael. I enjoyed these very much. They told a whole different story don't you know. How living and giving will work if done together. How sacrifices are made for the ones you love most in the world work out. 

Yes this is a fiction story but it could have happened. It may have. I don't know. I wasn't there. As for Lilith, I loved her. She was good. She was strong. She was loving. She cared. Worked her whole life at bringing a better ending than what we are facing according to men. I honestly did enjoy reading this book. It got a bit preachy in parts but that was needed I think. Lilith lost track of a few years but good grief look at what she was doing. Look at what she did. It could have happened. 

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

I gave it FIVE big stars because in my opinion it deserved it. This author had to know her bible to be able to write such beauty as this. Thank you for that. I recommend you all read it. Just to see another side.

Synopsis

A triumphantly feminist retelling of ancient creation myths in the tradition of Madeline Miller and Claire North.

Lyrically rendered, this epic U.S. debut tells the story of the woman known as Adam's first wife and her fall from Paradise and quest for revenge.

Before Eve, there was Lilith.

Lilith and Adam are equal and happy in the Garden of Eden. Until Adam decides Lilith should submit to his will and lie beneath him. She refuses—and is banished forever from Paradise.

Demonized and sidelined, Lilith watches in fury as God creates Eve, the woman who accepts her submission. But Lilith has a secret: she has already tasted the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. Endowed with Wisdom, she knows why Asherah—God’s wife and equal, the Queen of Heaven—is missing. Lilith has a plan: she will rescue Eve, find Asherah, restore balance to the world, and regain her rightful place in Paradise.

Lilith’s quest for justice drives her throughout history, from the ziggurats of Ancient Sumer, to the court of Israel’s Queen Jezebel, and to the side of a radical preacher in Roman Judea. Noah’s wife, Norea, Jezebel and Mary Magdalene all play their part in Lilith’s enlightenment. In the modern age, as she observes the catastrophic consequences of a world built on inequality, Lilith finally understands what must be done to correct the wrong done to women—and all humankind—at the beginning of time.

Inspired by ancient myths and suppressed scriptures, Lilith is a thought-provoking and ambitious novel with an evocative literary voice and a triumphantly engaging heroine.

Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen

 

My thougths

This is the third book in the Detective Annalisa Vega series. I hope it's not the last. I've read and enjoyed all three and others by this author. I always get happy when I see a new book by Joanna Schaffhausen. She's one of my favorite authors. 

This book has several murders and a man dressed as a chicken robbing people all going on. I suppose you could easily get lost while reading it but I really don't think it's hard. Annalisa is pulled off the chicken case and put on another. Her boss calls her to the scene of a man hanging from a tree with the word PIG painted on his shirt. The P is backwards. The man is a friend of Annalisa's boss from way back. He was once a cop but turned PI after leaving the force for his own reasons. Annalisa is to work this case and find out who did this. She also starts looking into three cases that the PI was working on. One being the college where her niece goes. She's being stalked and her dad wants to know who. There are several suspects in the PI's hanging and you will find out who did it. The college case is scary in many ways. Someone has abducted Annalisa's niece's best friend and roommate. 

This book has a lot going on. I mean a lot. But if you can differentiate each case you won't have a problem following this story. There is also Annalisa's life with her partner Nick. They were married then divorced but are back together and doing great. I finally like Nick... 

Annalisa has solved some pretty deep cases in her career. I can't say much about that or I'll be giving something away and if you haven't read the first two books you would not want me to tell. Read them. They are great. Then you'll want to read this one of course. 

The story here is told in such a way that you get to know several of the characters and what they are going through. You'll remember some from the last two books. I liked the characters and the writing style very much. This author does not disappoint. It's all laid out there for you to try and figure out. I did not. I had a hunch about the PI's death and in part was right. The rest I had no clue. Well wait, I did figure out who was responsible for the missing mom. That was kind of a given to me. I loved how this one ended. Partly that is. I hope it's not the last book. I want to know more about Nick and Annalisa. Will they make it this time and what will he think of her big decision? 

I throughly enjoyed reading this book. Now to wait for the next one. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #JoannaSchaffhausen, #StMartinsPress/MinotaurBooks for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five huge stars and the highest recommendation.

Synopsis

The next installment of Joanna Schaffhausen's critically acclaimed Detective Annalisa Vega series.

For Chicago police detective Annalisa Vega, Sam Tran’s death presents an ominous puzzle. The ex-cop turned PI is found hanging from a cemetery tree with a message across his chest that suggests someone holds a murderous grudge against the police. Annalisa suspects the real answer lies in one of Tran’s open cases. She believes he stumbled on a dark secret during his investigations and someone killed him to keep him quiet. Her own family harbors plenty of secrets, something Annalisa is reminded of when her brother turns out to be one of Sam’s last clients.

Vinny Vega hired Tran to find a dangerous stalker on his daughter’s college campus. Now Sam is dead and the stalker remains at large, with Annalisa’s niece Quinn firmly in his sights.

To protect Quinn, Annalisa begins tracing Sam’s steps back through his open cases, which include not only the campus stalker but also a brutal double homicide from twenty years ago. Did Sam finally find the killer? Did he uncover the stalker’s identity? Annalisa must figure out which secret got Sam killed, and fast, or someone else will die. Every move she makes brings her closer to the truth of Sam’s death, and closer to a murderer who will stop at nothing to remain free.

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 is a shout out to the administrators:

Emma @ Word and Peace

Serena @ Savvy Verse and Wit

Martha @ Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf

************

THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

NetGalleys this week

1: Call The Canaries Home by Laura Barrow

Three estranged sisters reconnect in their Louisiana hometown to face an unresolved past in a heartfelt novel about family, grief, secrets, and forgiveness.

Savannah was four years old when her twin sister, Georgia, went missing from their small Louisiana town, fracturing their family. Twenty-eight years later, Savannah convinces her estranged older sisters, Rayanne and Sue Ellen, to honor the pact they made as children and retrieve the time capsule they buried in their old backyard. But coming home means confronting old ghosts…and their stubborn grandmother, Meemaw.

Sifting through the artifacts, they come across a photograph taken on the day Georgia disappeared and spot a familiar woman lingering in the background. While Sue Ellen and Rayanne want to move on with their lives, Savannah is determined to find the woman—and perhaps a clue to the past.

When old tensions, rivalries, and memories resurface, the sisters must reconsider what they thought they knew about that fateful day, about each other, and about themselves. On their search to uncover what happened to Georgia, each of them will discover what Meemaw has known all along: family is everything.

2: American Girl by Wendy Walker

A pulse-pounding novel about a small-town business owner found dead and the teenage girl caught in the crosshairs, American Girl is the latest thriller from internationally bestselling author Wendy Walker.

Charlie Hudson, an autistic seventeen-year-old, is determined to leave Sawyer, PA, as soon as she graduates high school. In the meantime, she works as many hours as she can at a sandwich shop called The Triple S to save money for college. But when shop owner, Clay Cooper—a man both respected and feared in their small economically depressed town—is found dead, each member of his staff becomes a suspect in the perplexing case. Before she can go anywhere, Charlie must protect herself and her friends by uncovering the danger that is still lurking in their tightknit community.

Based on the #1 bestselling Audible Original, author Wendy Walker returns with another riveting thriller, told through the eyes of an unforgettable protagonist.

Book Mail

I was so excited to receive this unexpected hardback copy... 

1: None Of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Nobody Told Me by Kay Bratt

 

My thoughts

Book six of a series by one of my favorite author's. The Hart's Ridge series is great. Well written and each book has many twists and turns. They all capture a story from a headline that actually happened though the names are changed. They always make me gasp loudly when the tragedy is revealed. In this one I kept hoping it was not going to be who it was. 

This book is focused mainly on Lucy and Taylor's relationship. Mostly Lucy and her past catching up with her. Lucy feels much guilt about things she did in her past and is also dealing with so much depression. Her life both when she was just a child and after she got older played a huge part in molding her. Her younger life was so tumultuous and without Taylor she does not think she would have survived. Even though she's made quite a few mistakes in her life she knows where she needs to be now. Her son depends on her. Her new dog depends on her. Her family is all she has and she loves them deeply. 

Taylor has always had a sixth sense when it comes to Lucy. When she senses deep danger she responds. She sets out to rescue her no matter what. With Shane's help they take off to save Lucy from something big. What has Lucy gotten herself into this time. Come along to Hart's Ridge and you will find out. As Lucy sets off to right a wrong that is eating away at her. Hoping to stop all the things that have been popping up against her Lucy feels she can make it all go away if only she can see the person she believes is responsible.

There is also the missing teen who is very close to Taylor's heart. Can he be found in time and will he be ok? Also can Taylor finally find out who assaulted her so many years ago? Will her and Sam finally have a peaceful relationship? What will happen between them? Love is strong in this series as is the mystery in each book. They have two stories in each book and are all very heartfelt. 

I love this series very much. Well written and just enough love to make it feel so real.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this for review. 

Five big stars from me. I loved it.

Synopsis

In Nobody Told Me, the sixth book in the Hart's Ridge small-town mystery series by Kay Bratt, Deputy Taylor Gray is called upon to investigate the sudden disappearance of a beloved young man. With time running out, she races against the clock to uncover the truth and bring him home safely.

Meanwhile, Lucy Gray is determined to start anew, build a stable life for her son, and prove that she's not defined by her past. But as she sets out on a path of self-discovery, she realizes that the journey isn't as straightforward as she thought it would be.

As the mystery unfolds, readers will be drawn into the tight-knit community of Hart's Ridge, where even the most seemingly perfect towns have their secrets. With Bratt's signature style of masterful storytelling, Nobody Told Me is a gripping tale of suspense and intrigue that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

If you're a fan of small-town mysteries with well-drawn characters and an engrossing plot, then you won't want to miss Nobody Told Me, the latest installment in the Hart's Ridge series.

MADALENA by Candi Sary

 

My thoughts

This book is beautiful. Well written and a real page turner.

One of my favorite lines in this book:

I never thought I had it in me to cheat on my husband-but sometimes life throws a Benjamin at you and you can't help but rethink never. 

I didn't really like Benjamin but I did laugh at this line. In a very serious way. 

Another line that I liked was: 

"Sometimes you have to close your eyes so your heart can see better." 

Dottie's husband has been in a vegetative state for years. She's been faithful to him all this time. She's living in the nursing home with him for a while. You will get to know Dottie both while she's staying here and when she's living in their home. Dottie's had a tough break many times over but she is still one of the sweetest ladies ever. In my opinion. She's had several miscarriages that left her devastated. 

Dottie has been picked on just about all her life by the neighbors. Even in school she was an outcast. Her and Mario, her husband, were a strange pair. But Mario did everything for Dottie. He loved her completely. He would do anything for her. 

Magdalena is a fifteen year old living with her grandmother Buttons. Yes that is her name. I like her name but that is all. Buttons is not the nicest person. Though she may have reasons for being such a grump. Magdalena has the power to see dead people. At least that is what she says. Maybe she can. In this town, Sam's Town, there are many ghosts running around. They seem pretty harmless. Just need to move on and some need a little help. Magdalena is being raised by her grandmother but wants desperately to leave Sam's Town. She feels she does not belong there. She wants to go live with her mother but her mother doesn't seem to want her.

This book is pretty complex but easy to read. It's emotional in places and kind of funny in others. It talks about miscarriages and possible sexual assault by a priest in the making. I say in the making because he was not yet a full on priest. But what he did was wrong in my opinion. 

Synopsis

"Beautifully written and satisfyingly creepy, this is one of the most poignant and original ghost stories I've ever read." -Mark Haskell Smith, author of Blown

In a small, secluded town that thrives on gossip and superstition, Dottie offers plenty of both when the scandal breaks about a missing girl, a ghost, and the affair that started it all. Having suffered a history of miscarriages, reclusive Dottie develops a strange motherly interest in her 15-year-old neighbor, Magdalena. Somewhere between fantasy and reality, Dottie finds new life in her relationship with the mysterious girl. But Dottie's entanglements with Magdalena, a curious centenarian, a compelling stranger, an ex-mobster, and a murder of crows thrusts this once cloistered woman into a frenzy of public scrutiny. To quell the rumors, Dottie puts pen to paper and discovers something as frightening as it is liberating—her voice.

Excerpt

Magdalena once told me she knew how to cure sadness. She read on that little phone of hers that we all need fifteen minutes of sun every day and without it, depression could set in. Those of us here on the peninsula barely get fifteen minutes a week. The fog comes in over the cliffs in the morning, creeping through town, shrouding all neighborhoods with a thick graveyard effect. We don’t have an actual graveyard, but the landslide all those years ago took enough lives and left enough ghosts behind to bring on that kind of fog. If it does lift around midmorning, a heavy cloud cover still stays most of the day, keeping things gray. I’d always thought my sadness came from the unfortunate things that happened in my life, but according to Magdalena, my gloom might simply be a lack of vitamin D.

From the day she got the phone, she stared into it constantly, seeking answers to all of her questions and even finding new questions she would have never thought of on her own. She fed on its information like meat.

“Mushrooms,” Magdalena said. “We need to eat mushrooms.” The girl was my only visitor. When she spoke, I hung onto her every word. “If we eat enough of them, we’ll get the vitamin D we’re missing from the sun.”

I didn’t question her. For weeks, I based all my meals around mushrooms. I made mushroom casseroles, salads, risotto, soups, but I’m not sure it changed me. I’m not sure it changed her. How many mushrooms would it take to replace the sun? I wish I could ask the girl, but she’s gone. Three weeks ago, I lost her for good.

I pull up my sleeves and roll up my pants. My arms and legs are so pale in this light. They look like white maps with long blue roads leading to nowhere. The lighting in my house is soft enough to disguise my pallor, but here in the rest home, the deficiency is glaring. I quickly lower my sleeves and pants again.

“Focus, Dottie.” My command is quiet.

I swallow down one of the tiny white pills and sit up straight in my chair. Pen in hand, I look around the dismal room I currently share with Mario. It is a holding cell for the dying. We aren’t dying like the old people in this nursing home. But our town is small. They had nowhere else to put my husband after the accident a decade ago. And they had nowhere else to put me after the devastating incident at my house last week. So now we live together again in room eleven with the beige walls, the brown and yellow floral comforters on our beds, and the slim, dark wood secretary desk beside the bathroom door. The old desk is where I currently sit as I tap my pen on the blank page, trying to gather my thoughts.

Now the cold distracts me. I pull a blanket from the bed and wrap it around me. The air conditioner is dreadfully high. They say it’s to keep germs down, but I sometimes wonder if they’re trying to weed out the weakest of us.

“Focus, Dottie, focus,” I say a little louder, closing my eyes.

“What do you need to focus on?” someone asks.

Startled, I tighten the blanket around me and turn toward the voice. There is a white-haired lady in a wheelchair at my door. Her face is all wrinkled up like fingertips after a long bath, and her lips seem to be growing inward around her teeth. Thick bifocals, wrapped around her head like goggles, magnify her wet and cloudy eyes. There are some really old people here, but she has to be the oldest.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” she says, her ancient voice slowly rattling out the words. “I heard you from the hall.”

I wasn’t trying to be heard. I place my hand over my mouth to show her I’ve no interest in a conversation. I’m hoping my hand gesture will make her leave, but it doesn’t. Instead, she wheels through the small space between the two beds and parks next to me at the desk. Her nightgown is purple and far too big on her. She smells like leftover broccoli.

“I’m curious. What do you need to focus on?” she asks again.

It’s going to take some time getting used to this place. I’m not in the habit of answering to anyone, having lived alone for so long. “A letter,” I finally say. She’s so close now, there’s no escaping her. “I’m writing a letter. A story really. The rumors are terrible and—” I catch myself before it all comes flooding back. Their ugly words. All the lies. “I need to tell my story. It’s the only way to get the truth out.”

Her face lights up. “You must be Dottie,” she whispers. I nod. “I should have known.” Her eyes travel the length of me. “I heard about you, the young woman living in the old people’s home.” It sounds strange out loud but worse things have been said about me. “How old are you, dear?”

“Forty-three.”

“So young.” She shakes her head. “It’s just awful what happened to you. How long will you be staying with us?”

“Well.” I look over at Mario in his bed. His eyes are open, but there’s no telling what he’s thinking as he stares at the ceiling tiles. “The Sisters say I can stay with my husband as long as I need. I’ve nowhere else to go.” She leans over the side of her chair to get a closer look at him.

“Does he even remember who you are?” “I haven’t let a day go by without coming to see him.” “But with what happened to him, do you think he can remember?”

“Oh, he remembers me.” I won’t let anyone convince me otherwise.

“That’s nice.” Her smile is kind. “Sometimes I think I remember too much,” she says. “Some things I wish I could forget, but the pictures are there in my mind, clear as day.” She sets her bony hands in her lap, and the veins bulge like soft worms. She smiles. Her demeanor is pleasant; it’s just the broccoli smell that’s bothersome.

I notice a pin on her nightgown. It’s gold with blue letters spelling out centenarian. I point to it. “You’re a hundred?”

“A hundred and two.”

“That’s incredible,” I say, feeling a new respect for her. She’s not just an old lady—she’s National Geographic material.

“It’s a curse, old age. The lucky ones die young. Freed from these bodies, they can move on. Or, of course, they can stick around.” She raises the few hairs left of her eyebrows, as if I know something about this. I feel her words in my stomach. I don’t respond. She whispers, “The ghosts of Sam’s Town are persistent, aren’t they, Dottie?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my letter.”

“But we haven’t talked about what happened to the girl yet.” She laces her fingers together under her chin. “We need to talk about what really happened to Magdalena.”

Hearing her name almost makes me lose my breath. I close my eyes and indiscriminate memories resurface—her blue nail polish, those stolen sunglasses on her head, lemon juice dripping from her fingers, her blood on the linoleum.

“Do you know what happened?” the old woman asks. “I mean what really happened to her?” She’s staring at me, waiting for an answer. I reach for my pen, gripping it like a weapon. “Until I write it all down, I’m not talking about it to anyone.”

“You can trust me, Dottie.” She wheels closer.

“I don’t even know you,” I say.

She smiles. It’s a sad smile. “Then let’s get to know one another.” She glances toward my husband before leaning forward. The smell is strong, her voice is soft. “Is it true that the man,” she asks, “who started it all was your lover?”

I close my eyes again, to escape her question, but now there he is behind my eyelids—Benjamin. His hand creeps under my dress and he’s massaging my leg. I squeeze my eyes tighter.

“Go away!” I shout. “Go away!” I am talking to Benjamin, but when I open my eyes, the old lady in the wheelchair is hunched over, wheeling away as fast as her bony arms will take her. I should explain that I was not yelling at her. But I don’t. I stay quiet.

While I feel a bit guilty, I’m relieved to see her go. The poor woman looks so frail heading for the door, like her arms might snap. That’s the other effect of vitamin D deficiency—frail bones. This town is killing all of us.

 

Excerpted from Magdalena by Candi Sary © 2023 by Candi Sary, used with permission from Regal House Publishing. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Candi Sary is an award-winning writer and graduate from the University of California, Irvine. Her writing has won Reader Views Literary Award, a Chanticleer International Book Award, and was First Runner-Up in the Eric Hoffer Book Award. A mother of two adult children, Sary lives in Southern California with her husband, a dog, a cat and several ducks. She can often be found surfing and paddling boarding in the waters of Newport Beach. She is a proud steward of a Little Free Library. 

Author website:https://www.candisary.com/ 

Author IG https://www.instagram.com/candi.sary/ 

Author Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083735882581 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/62997448 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Magdalena-Candi-Sary/dp/1646033345 

Bookshop  https://bookshop.org/p/books/magdalena-candi-sary/18961144 

Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magdalena-candi-sary/1141902097 

@regal_house_publishing & 

@candi.sary

The Last One by Will Dean

 

My thoughts

I am again in the minority with a Will Dean book. I did not enjoy this book. Yes it had some very intense things going on but it was so unrealistic. I didn't for a second believe one bit of this story. Not that any of it was true but still. Usually you get a realistic sense with a book. 

A couple, Pete and Caz, board a ship for a much needed cruise. They have a great first night. But what comes next is nothing but horrific. No matter how you read it, it's horrible. Caz wakes up and no one is on this ship. Not one single person. All the cabin doors are open and the rooms empty. The thousands of people are all gone. Including her love Pete. What the heck? What is everyone?

Then of course there are three others who were left behind. Frannie, Daniel and Walter Smith who goes by Smith. They are informed that they are now the participants of a reality tv show and have to complete tasks. Whoever does the best will win a significant sum of money. But they are first starved, left thirsty, cold, and so alone. On a huge cruise liner they are abandoned. Each is giving a task to complete. Some may not even survive. 

You meet each of these people and as a group how they work together to make it through. After a devastating loss it's finally down to two. Walter and Caz. 

Caz spends a lot of time on the water before she is finally rescued. Now the part I really did not like. I can't tell you all or I give away many secrets. I did figure this out even the very ending which was another unbelievable storyline. 

I read this hoping it would grab me and make me enjoy it but that never happened. It is very well written and would probably make a great movie but as a book I just didn't enjoy it. If this happened I would NEVER leave my significant other. It just would not happen. Yet Pete left. Of course it was not what he wanted to do. He was swept up in a mob but still.. I would have fought.

Thank you #NetGalley, #WillDean, #Atria/EmilyBestlerBooks for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3 stars from me. Read it and decide for yourself. You may love it. I didn't.

Synopsis

An unputdownable locked-room thriller about family, trust, and survival from the acclaimed author of the “utterly thrilling” (Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author) First Born.

When Caz steps onboard the exclusive cruise liner RMS Atlantica, it’s the start of a vacation of a lifetime with her new love, Pete. On their first night they explore the ship, eat, dance, make friends, but when Caz wakes the next morning, Pete is missing.

And when she walks out into the corridor, all the cabin doors are open. To her horror, she soon realizes that the ship is completely empty. No passengers, no crew, nobody but her. The Atlantica is steaming into the mid-Atlantic and Caz is the only person on board. But that’s just the beginning of the terrifying journey she finds herself trapped on in this white-knuckled mystery.