The Expat's Affair by Kimberly Belle

 

My thoughts

Definitely one of my favorite authors. I always want to read a Kimberly Belle book. And I'm never disappointed. 

This story is set in Amsterdam. It's about two women. One married to a very rich man. One who recently moved to Amsterdam after a divorce. This is about how diamonds may not always be a girls best friend....

When Rayna wakes to find a body in the shower she runs. Of course she does. Wouldn't you. It was just a night of drinking and meaningless sex. A man she met on Tinder. Xander works for a very rich family. He also knows how to make or grow diamonds. Perfect diamonds. Diamonds that you can't tell from the real thing. Could that have gotten him killed? What does Rayna know? 

Willow is married to Thomas Prins. Thomas Prins is the CEO of the diamond company. Willow has many secrets. But would she have had reason to kill Xander. Yes they kind of had a fling. Sorta of. Yes she has kept something from her husband. But he has secrets too. Maybe he is the killer. Or possibly it's his sister Fleur. She's angry at Thomas but is she angry enough to do this?

A story of an unlikely friendship. A family who seem to only care about money and standing. Someone either killed or had Xander killed. But could it have been one of the Prins? And the diamonds. Are they fake or the real thing? 

I enjoyed this book from start to finish. I loved the characters. I did figure out who the stalker was but that was ok. It didn't take away from the story at all. I didn't trust anyone they were all suspects to me. lol This story kept me guessing about some things though. Kept me turning the pages all the way. There was a secret unveiled that I didn't see coming and was so glad of the way it played out. I can't tell you what it is though. Just know the story ends good. 

Kimberly Belle always delivers for me. Well written and edge of your seat thrills. Family drama. A few lies and a murder. What more do you need? It's one I do highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.  

About

An American expat‘s startling discovery plunges her into the glamorous but deadly world of Amsterdam’s diamond industry.

Following a nasty divorce, Rayna Dumont came to Amsterdam for a fresh start. She’s never been the type for a one-night stand, but this move is all about adventure, and Xander is handsome and successful and more than willing to go along for the ride. Until the morning after, when Rayna finds him dead on the shower floor and millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds missing from his safe.

From her lavish home in the heart of the city, Willow Prins is captivated by the news. Her husband is Xander’s former boss and heir to a diamond house, and the scandal strains their already-rocky marriage. As the house comes under scrutiny, Willow wonders if her life is about to implode—and how much of the blame she can place on Rayna. Soon, Willow and Rayna are dragged into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the diamond market, where they’ll have to uncover the truth to survive. Who killed Xander? Where are the missing diamonds? And who can you trust in a strange and unfamiliar city thousands of miles from home?

The Famine Orphans by Patricia Falvey

 

My thoughts

This was my first read by this author. I will look for more.

Quote on the last page that got to me:

"We are emigrants and we exist in two worlds, one past, one present, and we are nourished by both."

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It started out a little slow for me. To much on the ship I think. Though it was a necessary part of the story. 

The Irish potato farms were hit by a plague. The potatoes were rotting and people were starving. Most had to give up everything and join workhouses just to survive. Some didn't even survive that. This is a story of what happened to the many orphans were starving in Ireland. The ones who were sent to Australia to become a servant. Hopefully to find a job with a good family. 

This is the story of a group of young girls on a ship called the Sabine. A group who worked together on the ship to survive and hopefully get a good report so they would be hired. In this story you meet Kate Gilvarry. Kate left Ireland after the death of her mother. She left behind a younger brother. Kate works hard but seems to have horrible luck at every turn. Some didn't like her and to me it was just very unjust. Kate was smart and worked hard. But she also endured a lot. She was definitely a fighter. A survivor. 

You get to know other girls who were in Kate's small group also. What happened to each and how they ended up. This story does not leave you hanging. It has closure on all counts. Kate is the one telling this story and what a story it is. 

From 1848 on she tells about all the tribulations and triumphs she and her friends endure. There is a love story in here also. While I liked both men to an extent, one really captured my heart. I was glad Kate ended up happy after all she went through. Also the other girls. Bridie, Patsy, Mary, Lizzie, and Sheila. Lizzie and Sheila had the strongest friendship of them all but all were friends. Bridie was my favorite character besides Kate. She was just that kind of person who you want in your corner.

I will never as long as I have lived and may still live, understand why being an orphan makes people want to be cruel. It's not like they can help what happened to them. They have lost everyone and then face cruelty???

This book is based on the truth. Well researched and descriptive. It will hold your heart in many places. It is one that I do highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

About

A powerful, captivating novel of historical fiction from the acclaimed author of The Titanic Sisters, based on the little-known story of the thousands of young women sent from Irish workhouses to Australia after the Famine.

1848: The girls, 4,000 in all, come from every part of Ireland—from the shores of Galway to the Glens of Ulster and Belfast’s teeming streets—to board ships bound for Australia. All were chosen from Ireland’s crowded workhouses. Most are orphans. The Earl Grey Scheme was presented as an opportunity for young women to gain employment as domestic servants in the Colony. But there is another, unstated purpose—the girls are to “civilize” the many men sent there as convicts, so that settlements can be built.
 
Kate Gilvarry has spent six months in a Newry workhouse, subsisting on a diet of watery porridge. She knows there’s no future for her either within its walls or outside, in a ravaged, starving land. But once Kate’s ship completes the harrowing voyage, she and her companions find their reception in Sydney dismayingly unwelcoming, as anti-Irish sentiment grows. Homesick, and disillusioned by love following a shipboard crush, Kate strives to fit in, first as the servant of a demanding English woman, then as a farmer’s bride in the Outback.
 
When heat and drought force her husband to leave for long periods to work on a sheep ranch, Kate is left alone to fend off wild animals, drifters, and her aching loneliness. She longs to return to Ireland. But first, this beautiful, unforgiving country will teach her about resilience and survival, and the limitless possibilities that come with courage and love.
 
Evocative and compelling, The Famine Orphans is a testament to the young women whose pioneering spirit left an enduring legacy in a land so far from home. 

Marguerite By The Lake by Mary Dixie Carter

 

My thoughts

This is the second book I've read by this author. I believe this is her second book. Though it was fairly good, it was also a bit of a let down for me. Not bad, but not one that wowed me either. It kept me turning the pages and guessing what was coming though. That was a good thing.

I totally disliked the main character, Phoenix. She may have known flowers and other plants but was sorely lacking when it came to people. I didn't care for Marguerite either. She was to self-centered and came across as the "I'm better than you", type. She could be so condescending and obnoxious. Especially towards Phoenix. I understand why partly but not when Phoenix saved Marguerite's husbands life. Was she not grateful to the young lady? I didn't like him, Geoffrey, either. He seemed like the type that just used people to get what he wanted. I guess the only one I really liked was Taylor, the Gray's daughter. She at least seemed to care about people. She didn't much care for Phoenix though and I fully understand that.

This book was well written though it left a few things unanswered. For me at least. If I say what though it will give away some things that are important to the story. I did not like the ending. To me it did not sum up anything to well. I wanted some answers. I also wanted to see someone pay for what happened to Marguerite. 

This book had some horror overtures going on. Maybe a little gothic in the living picture. lol It didn't make me cringe though. It was just part of the story. Phoenix was losing her ever loving mind. What she stayed for is beyond me. But stay she did. And at the end I was just a bit confused. Did she burn the trees or herself. Or maybe herself and the trees. 

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. 

About

From Mary Dixie Carter comes an atmospheric, tense novel about the death of a wealthy garden designer, her lonely widower, and the scrappy young gardener who smoothly steps into her life.

Marguerite Gray is a lifestyle icon known for her garden parties, high-end business ventures, and being the muse behind the famous Serge Kuhnert painting, Marguerite by the Lake. Her presence is overpowering, her taste, legendary. For the last few years, Phoenix has been the gardener on the famed Rosecliff grounds, home of the Gray Marguerite and her husband Geoffrey. Phoenix came from humble beginnings, and now she works hard to craft the landscape that underpins Marguerite’s brand.

When a storm threatens the launch party for Marguerite’s latest book, it’s Phoenix who spots the danger to the guests and rushes to Geoffrey’s side to save him from a falling tree. Geoffrey is grateful—perhaps too grateful. Marguerite is . . . jealous. Phoenix senses the danger of being drawn deeper into their lives but can’t resist the attention, becoming embroiled in an affair that could destroy her career.

But soon after the affair begins Marguerite falls to her death, from the same high point at Rosecliff where she posed for Marguerite by the Lake. Now Phoenix has another secret, one that haunts her even as Geoffrey invites her to move into the manor with him. A secret that Detective Hanna and Marguerite’s daughter—her spitting image—are circling closer and closer to. Phoenix tries to put it all behind her and find her rightful place at Rosecliff. But as every gardener knows, nothing stays buried forever.

Death At A Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong

 

My thoughts

I've enjoyed this series so much. I already look forward to the next book. I am rooting for Gray and Mallory to end up together. Though she has gone back 150 years in the past and basically decided to stay there Mallory pretty much has fallen for Gray. 

In this book the group go to the Cranstons estate for a wedding. While there they encounter a few things that will make you cringe. And there is a murder. The murder of the groom's best friend. All is not as it seems though. While trying to find out who the murderer is Gray and Mallory uncover some pretty dark and sinister things. Things that the deceased may have done and the grounds keeper is part of. 

I enjoyed this book so much. It was a real page turner. It keeps you guessing and keeps you on edge. The things going on are of a touchy nature. Or I should say things there went on. There are a few love tangles along the way. Some scandals also. Even back in this time period women were held responsible for anything that may happen to them of a sexual nature that they may not have wanted. Pretty much the same is today.

There are quite a few secrets revealed. A murder of course. Attempted kidnapping possibly. There are a few who could be guilty. I can't say I was shocked at who the murderer was even though I didn't guess. The reason fit. 

My favorite character in this book was Fiona. She was just fun. And so honest. My least favorite was Muller. He was a cad of the worse kind. I look forward to reading more about Gray, Mallory, Isla, and McCreadie. Where they will end up next. I think this is my favorite book of this series so far. All are great though. This author knows how to write a story that pulls you in and keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

About

Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth installment in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's gripping Rip Through Time Novels.

After slipping 150 years into the past, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has embraced her new life in Victorian Scotland as housemaid Catriona Mitchel. Although it isn’t what she expected, she's developed real, meaningful relationships with the people around her and has come to love her role as assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie's younger sister's wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who's been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat's injuries don't match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong’s unique time travel mystery series continues to entertain as Mallory adjusts to life in the 1870s. 

Letters From Strangers by Susan Walter

 

My thoughts

I read and listened to this book. The narrators did such a good job. It felt like I was right in the middle of the drama. And boy was there drama. But it was so good. A well written story. It will make you stop and think about what you would do in this situation. Both as the mothers and as the child. 

This is a story of love and grief. Of loss and finding. A story of family. 

It's told from a few different points of views and different timelines. 

Jane's dad died and she found letters in his desk from another woman. Not from her mother. Jane's parents never separated or divorced so this is a shock to her. Jane takes the letters to her house and reads them. She finds that her dad may have fathered a child by this other woman who is only know by initials GM. And she lives in Boston, MA. 

Apparently Jane's dad has been seeing this woman for many years. She knew he was married but still had a lifelong affair. I did not like her. She should have had better sense than that. How dare she. And yes part of me felt sorry for her. He was her first love and seems they both loved each other deeply. But he married someone else so how much could he really have loved her? Or respected her. Or himself.

You read some letters to a child that was given up for adoption almost seventeen years prior and letter from the mother to the child. Also the love letters from GM to Richie, the married man. 

I didn't like Jane's husband either. He was not in the least supportive about her and finding out about this other woman. He was not supportive to her in her quest to find a possible half brother. I never believed he wanted a child either. He was just a jerk. 

I think Jane's mother was a bit mean but I kind of understood her feelings. In a way. She had been done wrong throughout her marriage. She had two children by this man and he was seeing another woman almost the whole time. 

I enjoyed reading this book even though parts sure made me mad. I liked the son, Adam and I loved Rowan. Though I do think he and Jane rushed into sex way to fast. I still liked him. I liked Jane and her brother Kenny. I finally liked her mother but it took a while. I didn't like Richie or GM. 

This story keeps you turning the pages to find out who is who and what happened back then. Also what is going to happen now. It has a big surprise that I personally did not see coming for some reason. But I did love it. Well played... 

This book hits on abortion, death, loss of baby, adoption, weight problems(both losing and gaining). It shows that people have real problems. Lots of real problems. 

Thank you to the publisher and author for the arc of this book. 

About

From the creator of the 2017 film All I Wish comes the heartbreaking story of two strangers searching for the truth about their families—and discovering a secret that will change their lives forever.

Jane’s father is far from perfect. But his sudden death brings crushing grief. As Jane grapples with her pain, life delivers another a stack of letters pointing to a secret life. A life her father shared with another woman…who may have had his child.

Across the country, sixteen-year-old Adam is self-destructing. His adoptive parents never intended to show him the unsigned letters from his birth mother, but he is desperate for answers, even if they hurt.

Jane and Adam are on a collision course, but not for the reasons we might suspect. Because the letters do not tell the whole story. What is true is that Adam and Jane are both looking for a woman who does not want to be found.

A family saga spanning two decades, this emotional story explores how good things can grow from the ashes of old scars.

Little Child Gone by Stacy Green

 

My thoughts

This is the best series I've read. The best thriller series. I'm so glad there will be more Nikki Hunt books. This author knows how to pull you in and keep you turning the pages. Holding your interest and making you feel like you are there. Stacy Green is one fantastic thriller/mystery writer. 

In this, book #10, Nikki Hunt has a couple of cases going. One a cold case. Two bodies found in a boarded up apartment in a house. The other a boy is missing. Actually there are a couple of boys missing around the same age. 

Ms Smith and her three children move in with Karl Hendrickson. Not in a romantic way but to work. To help him and have a safe place to live. Karl cared deeply for Ms Smith. Like the daughter he always wanted he said. He had a daughter but she was a bit cruel. She didn't care about anyone else and hated Ms Smith and her children. She accused them of sponging off her father and stealing from him. She said they were using him to get money. Karl told his daughter to leave and never return. 

When Christy and Jared's son goes missing Nikki wonders if it's possibly related to two other freshman boys who went missing. One was found washed up on the creek bed but the other was still missing. Taylor was mad at his mom and she figured that was the reason he didn't come home. Until she finds out he never showed for work. And he never contacted anyone. 

There is a whole lot going on in this book but I promise it's easy to follow. You hear all about each family. Both the cold case and the newly missing boy. Nikki and her team work hard to find out who the bodies in the closet are and who took Taylor. Or if Taylor ran away. She investigates all the involved parties and uncovers a few things that these people didn't want her to know about. Or anyone to know about. 

This author always writes books that keep you guessing but rarely will you figure out who did what and why. At least with this one I didn't. The descriptions are so well done and the edge of your seat thrills are perfection. Stacy Green always produces the best thriller books.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. 

About

The wind from the storm outside blows through the house, making Nikki’s eyes sting. The secret room is hidden behind a wardrobe in the dusty, abandoned living room. A light flickers to reveal a dark stain on the floor, and two sets of fragile bones…

Standing in the old farmhouse, Special Agent Nikki Hunt holds her breath as the smell of bleach overwhelms her. She can’t take her eyes off the blue baby toys scattered around the floor as her team examine the remains. A housekeeper and her three children disappeared from the property ten years ago. Do the bones belong to two of them? Did the other two survive?

But before Nikki has a chance to investigate further, she receives a panicked call from the local sheriff begging for her help: fourteen-year-old Taylor Hall has gone missing. In the boy’s grand family home, Nikki finds his mother and father utterly distraught, but there are whispers about his mother’s drinking habit. Despite the younger children’s rosy cheeks, and the plates of homemade fudge, is this family hiding secrets?

While digging into Taylor’s life, Nikki spots a crumpled note sticking out of his locker at school. Her finger traces the exact date the housekeeper went missing from the old farmhouse, and a “Bailey”. Is this Taylor? As a child, did he survive what happened all those years ago? Or is someone playing a cruel game with Nikki?

The truth about Taylor’s real family is deadlier than Nikki could imagine, and he will have to dig deeper than ever before to save him. Can she unravel the terrible events of the past and protect more than one innocent life before her time runs out?

Fans of Lisa Regan, Mary Burton and Kendra Elliot will be up all night reading this electrifying thriller from USA Today bestseller Stacy Green.

The Girls Of Good Fortune by Kristina McMorris

 

My thoughts

By the author of SOLD ON A MONDAY, which was my all time favorite by this author. This one pulls you right in and keeps you wanting more. 

You meet Celia in prison at the beginning of this story. Set in the late 1800's and told from before Celia's imprisonment and after. You get to know her and how she became a prisoner. And why. 

Celia is a housekeep for a very rich family in Oregon. Her and the couple's son are madly in love. Stephen has to go abroad for school but vows that he and Celia will marry when he returns. Celia holds on to that while suffering a devastating loss. Her father, a Chinese man, was killed in a slaughter at a gold mine. Celia finds out she's with child and the Bettencourt's, Stephens parents, send her away. They don't want to believe that she is truly pregnant by their son. She's half Chinese and a maid. And they are upper class and a bit snobbish. 

Celia goes through so much once she has to leave. They've sent her to a brothel to be a maid and she works hard. She gives birth and ends up being taken away for a bit. She's on an adventure that no young woman needs to be on. You find out why she was put in jail and how she managed to get out. How she survived the whole ordeal and got back to her baby. Only to find her precious Pearl gone...

This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming. It deals with bigotry and hatred. Towards the Chinese. You will be rooting for Celia and Stephen to find their way back to each other. And for justice for what happened along the way. 

I enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. This author did a great job of researching the time period and she left a couple of recipes at the end that sound good. I'll have to try them.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

About

The New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide shines a light on shocking events surrounding Portland's dark history in this gripping novel of love, lore, and betrayal. 

She came from a lineage known for good fortune…by those who don't know the whole story. 

Oregon, 1888. Amid the subterranean labyrinth of Portland's notorious Shanghai Tunnels, a woman awakens in an underground cell, drugged and disguised. Celia soon realizes she's a "shanghaied" victim on the verge of being shipped off as forced labor, leaving behind those she loves most. Although well accustomed to adapting for survival—being half-Chinese, passing as white during an era fraught with anti-Chinese sentiment—she fears that far more than her own fate hangs in the balance.

As she pieces together the twisting path that led to her abduction, from serving as a maid for the family of a dubious mayor to becoming entwined in the case of a goldminers' massacre, revelations emerge of a child left in peril. Desperate, Celia must find a way to escape and return to a place where unearthed secrets can prove deadlier than the dark recesses of Chinatown.

 A captivating tale of resilience and hope, The Girls of Good Fortune explores the complexity of family and identity, the importance of stories that echo through generations, and the power of strength found beneath the surface.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

 

My thoughts

This book absolutely captivated me. I had no idea where it was going at first but couldn't put it down. 

 

You follow Dan Garvie from when he was just a kid who escaped a serial killer at a rest stop. Dan was with his parents and his best friend Sarah. He always felt guilty that he didn't save the little boy that was with this man. The boy with the haunted eyes. The scared child that it seemed everyone turned their backs on. 

You meet Dan and his childhood friend and the bully who became the sheriff after Dan's dad retired. You hear from Dan's dad also. Dan was called to come home because it appeared his dad committed suicide. Dan is a prison psychologist. He listens to the worse of the worse as they try to come to terms with things that happened to them. Dan feels so much guilt over the little boy from his childhood. 

Dan and his dad didn't have such a good relationship. He mother left shortly after what happened at the rest stop. Each had their own problems. 

This is a very intense story. One that will captivate you. Hold your interest all the way. Parts made me cry and near the end it made me weep. I forgot about the letter that 

You'll be trying to figure out who the Pied Piper is. Who the killer is. And what happened to all the children. All the adults. Why is this guy doing these things? What happened to him to make him so cruel. And he is cruel. 

The Pied Piper always said, "Nobody sees. Nobody cares". But my favorite line in this book was at the end... "We See. We care."

This author knows how to write a good thriller/horror story. This one had me on the edge quite a lot and I did not guess who he was. I did have a few guesses of course. I was always wrong. 

If you like a page turner thriller with a touch of horror wrapped in you need to grab this one. 

I received an ARC via NetGalley and a physical copy from the publisher. This is my honest opinion of this book. 

I'll be looking for more by this author. 

About

The latest gripping serial killer thriller from the New York Times bestselling author Alex North.

Dan Garvie’s life has been haunted by the crime he witnessed as a child—narrowly escaping an encounter with a notorious serial killer. He has dedicated his life since to becoming a criminal profiler, eager to seek justice for innocent victims. So when his father passes away under suspicious circumstances, Dan revisits his small island community, determined to uncover the truth about his death. Is it possible that the monster he remembers from his childhood nightmares has returned after all these years?

With his signature shock and suspense, Alex North brings us The Man Made of Smoke. In turn emotional, introspective, and utterly terrifying, this is a story of fathers and sons, shadows and secrets, and the fight we all face to escape the trauma of the past.

Roll The Sun Across The Sky by Barbara Linn Probst

 

My thoughts

First I have to say that this is the best book this author has written so far. She's a marvelous author. Her books always draw me in. This one is just so good. 

I didn't like Arden at first. I thought she was just a cold person who wanted her way about everything and didn't care who she hurt in the meantime. But as I kept reading I saw that she was looking for something. Something that may not be easy to see or understand. But something nonetheless. Yes she wanted security. She wanted love. She wanted to be accepted. And she could be selfish. But she had a heart in there too. A pretty big one. I felt for Arden in lots of ways. I think maybe I could relate to her in many ways. Arden had some anger issues that I tried to understand. She also had so much love to give when she wanted to. Arden was a complex woman for sure. 

Her love life was certainly a mess. She did men wrong much of the time and hated, absolutely hated, to be told no. I believe she was spending time looking for complete and total loyalty. Yes she wanted to have money. She was not in a good financial situation. And yes she wanted total loyalty, in all areas. She seemed to use people like they were disposable. Like she would never need them again. But she did grow up. She did fall in love. In complete love. Arden married a few times. Once for a father for her unborn baby. Bit mistake. Once for security. Yes again, big mistake. Though that one did help her a lot. But Connor. Connor was her true love.

Arden lost her husband and her daughter right in the beginning of this story. A horrific train accident. Then you learn about them and her. You get to know Arden's daughter Leigh and her husband Connor. And her granddaughter Danielle. Danielle is something else. A complex child. One that Arden takes into her home and gives all the love she has. Danielle has problems after losing her mother. What child wouldn't. But she is resilient also. Just like Arden...

This is a great book. It had me crying and laughing. Feeling so many emotions. Rooting for Arden and Danielle. I felt bad for Robert, the first guy you meet, but he prevailed on his own. And he gained a lot later... Arden was a character to reckon with. You either love her or hate her. I actually ending up loving her. This book definitely tugged at my heart.

Thank you to the author for the arc book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc ebook. 

About

For fans of dual-timeline, mother-daughter novels like The Paper Palace and Tom Lake, a compelling contemporary novel about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible.

From the ruins of Egypt to the privileged life of Manhattan’s Upper West Side, the story of a woman’s odyssey through the maze of love, loyalty, recklessness, and remorse, as the consequences of her acts ripple through the generations.

Approaching a milestone birthday, Arden Rice has seen it all: three marriages, hardship and wealth, choices she both regrets and defends, all fueled by the same fierce desire—to give her daughter the best possible life. At least, that’s what Arden tells herself.

But nothing is simple. Arden is haunted by her impetuous history, with its trail of damage and deception. Yet she’s finally made a life where she can be her best self—until the unthinkable happens, and a train engineer’s lapse in attention throws that life into chaos.

Secrets begin to unravel, and Arden finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew—along with her own role in shaping the disturbing person her daughter has become. As the stakes increase, especially for the vulnerable granddaughter who’s now in her care, Arden must face questions she’s spent a lifetime avoiding: Which acts define a person? Can someone be better than her worst acts?

For fans of dual-timeline and mother-daughter novels, a compelling story about a woman’s struggle to face her reckless history, with its trail of damage and deception, and her quest for the redemption that might still be possible.

The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy

 

My thoughts

I always enjoy this author's books. While this was not my favorite it was still good. A creepy, gothic, ghost, sensual, type story. One that gave me goosebumps. 

While I did not like the main character, Sadie, at all, the story was good. I thought Sadie was too much. First of all she had been having an affair with a married man. The parts where she meets his wife were unbelievable. No woman ever truly wants to meet the other woman. Or one of the many other women as the case may be. Besides this though Sadie just grated on my nerves. She decides to go to Blackberry Grange and stay with her aunt who is suffering from dementia. The first night she's there she is left alone with her aunt. What was up there. Did Aunt Marguerite always stay alone at night. As she suffered from dementia I would not think so. But it's fiction right. Still...

I liked Aunt Marg. She was something else. An artist. And what an artist she was. Her portraits were so lifelike you could almost find yourself inside them. I felt bad for Marg. She seemed to be so lonely until Sadie arrived. Except for the gardner/driver and the nurse there was really no one there. No family. Just her and her paintings. Marg has a lot of secrets though. A whole lot...

You meet Sadie's relatives and oh my what a group. All seem so selfish and self-centered. I didn't like any of them. Not even their awful, spoiled, bratty, kids. Destructive little creatures is what they were. I kind of liked Beckett. He was Marg's gardner/driver and he cooked. Seems he was a great cook.

This story has a lot of ghostly things going on. A lot of sexual tension it seems. I didn't much find parts of that believable either. I mean, a ghost. Really? But again it's fiction. And gothic. And a horror story too. Anything can happen in a fiction story afterall... And boy does it.

I did enjoy this book. It was well written and in places edge of your seat scary. While some characters, most of them, I didn't like there were some I did. Even though parts were unbelievable it was still very good. This author has a way of pulling you into her books and not letting you go until the very end. And what an ending. That part made me cry. It was perfect...

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.     

About

For a young caregiver in the Ozarks, an old house holds haunting memories in a ghostly novel about family secrets, sacrifice, and lost loves by the author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport.

In the summer of 1925, the winds of change are particularly chilling for a young woman whose life has suddenly become unbalanced.

Devastated by her mother’s death and a cruel, broken engagement, Sadie Halloran learns that her great-aunt Marguerite, a renowned artist now in the throes of dementia, needs a live-in companion. Grasping at newfound purpose, Sadie leaves her desolate Kansas City boardinghouse for Blackberry Grange, Marguerite’s once-grand mansion sitting precariously atop an Arkansas bluff. Though Marguerite is a fading shell of the vibrant woman Sadie remembers, Marguerite is feverishly compelled to paint eerie, hallucinatory portraits of old lovers—some cherished, some regretted, and some beastly. All of them haunting.

With each passing night, time itself seems to shift with the shadows at Blackberry Grange. As truth and delusion begin to blur, Sadie must uncover the secrets that hold Marguerite captive to her past before reality—and Marguerite’s life—slips away entirely.

The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner

 

My thoughts

To me this book started out kind of slow. I didn't have a hard time putting it down. It was good. It was very interesting. There are a couple of stories going on and finding how they relate was interesting. For the most part I was lost for a while. When it did pick up though I enjoyed it. 

This story is about sunken treasure. Witchcraft. Love. Family. It has a bit going on. Haven Ambrose is a nautical archaeologist who is working along the Amalfi Coast. To me she was a bit weak and not at all as strong as she should have been. I liked her but wish she had been written as a stronger female. 

When she is replaced on a job she gets upset but when called back she goes for it like nothing ever happened. I thought she should have put up more of a fight in the first place but definitely should have gave them a hard time about coming back. And her dad's so called friend, Conrad... What a loser. I didn't like him at all. I did love Enzo though. He was the guy who stole Haven's heart. A love story there. This part is told in the present.

Mari is a Strega. That is a witch but seems to be more powerful. She could control the waters where the ships sailed. If they got to close she would make it so they had to leave. Mari met and feel for Holmes. I liked them both. They had a strong love. 

This story is told from three POVs. Two timelines. From 1821 in Mari's and Holmes' life and the present from Haven't pov. It was a very interesting story but I can't say that I loved it. It was ok but not breathtaking. It had beautiful scenes. The descriptions make it sound gorgeous. I'm sure it is. 

I enjoyed this story but still was not blown away by it. Not like I love a book to make me feel. 

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. 

About

Powerful witchcraft. A hunt for sunken treasure. Forbidden love on the high seas. Beware the Amalfi Curse…

Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven’s arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?

As Haven searches for her father’s sunken treasure, she begins to unearth a centuries-old tale of ancient sorcery and one woman’s quest to save her lover and her village by using the legendary art of stregheria, a magical ability to harness the ocean. Could this magic be behind Positano’s latest calamities? Haven must unravel the Amalfi Curse before the region is destroyed forever…

Against the dazzling backdrop of the Amalfi Coast, this bewitching novel shimmers with mystery, romance and the untamed magic of the sea.

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

My thoughts

Alex Finlay is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His books tend to keep me guessing all the way. 

I enjoyed the audio somewhat. I did find the narrator to be annoying in a way. She seemed to be listing everything instead of smoothly reading or narrating this story. It got easier to overlook but was still a bit aggravating. I did enjoy it other than that though. 

Five students at an esteemed college go missing. Right after another students body is found. Natasha Belov's body was found in a cave. Everyone assumed she was caught in the cave and drowned when the tide came in. But could it have been murder and could the five students who have gone missing be responsible. And where are these students now.

At the Parents Weekend all of the parents are waiting for their child. Each tells their pov about their lives and their child. Some are not as close as they appear. Many secrets are revealed. Could one of these parents been responsible for the girls death or the other five's disappearance? Maybe these students are pulling a prank. Some of them are known to do that. 

There is a lot going on in this book. A lot of povs and each chapter told by a different one. The FBI agent has her pov also. So that is another character. 

While I liked most of the characters I have to admit there were some I wanted to smack. Even a couple of the students needed a good smack but overall they seemed to be good kids. What they go through is a rough thing for anyone. 

I never figured out who was the killer. I had lots of guesses but was wrong. 

This book hits a tiny bit on sexual abuse by an adult. Nothing in detail though. It also hits on the loss of a child to cancer and another one who attempts suicide. There is also a suicide after an affair. Just so you know.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. 

About

From the bestselling author of If Something Happens to Me, comes one of the year’s most anticipated thrillers.

In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.

At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.

Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?

Told through multiple points of view in past and present—and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family.

Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas

 

My thoughts

This book was a delight to read. A light hearted story with some intense scenes along the way. I enjoyed it very much.

When Haidie, Cheet, and Boots, ma dies their lives go awry. Cheet is the oldest. He decided to sell the farm, not that it was worth a lot, and take the money for himself. Their pa had left for Colorado to become a gold miner and Cheet thought he was in charge of everything. In many ways he was. He put his sister and younger brother in an orphanage. Haidie and Boots didn't belong there. They had a pa and wanted to go find him. So they escaped and took off on an adventure that would take them across the country. Through indian territories. Through lots of ups and downs. They didn't know who to trust but did get lucky and found a train of wagons to help them. 

What these two kids went through was tough but they were certainly resilient. Both were hard workers and got along with others. Everyone thought Haidie was a boy. She had cut her hair off short so as to not be recognized. Haidie certainly could do a lot of work that most boys her age would not have been able to do. She was not afraid of much either. She could shoot a gun and that helped when they were attacked by indians.  

You get to know these children and will love them. They work hard to get to Colorado and have plenty of hardships along the way. Traveling the land with strangers took a lot of guts but they really didn't have a lot of choices. 

Parts of this book will have you gritting your teeth. Will they make it. Will they find their pa and if they do will he take them in. He had loved his family. He had been a good pa. But was he still even alive. Haidie would not stop until she had her family back. And Boots would go wherever Haidie went. He trusted his sister. 

This was a fun story. It had just enough to keep me wondering what would happen next and a lot of heart and soul. And boy was Haidie smart. I thought she was maybe one of the strongest children ever. Of course for that era she had to be...

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. 

About

In this homage to True Grit, a young woman makes a perilous journey west in 1863 in search of her gold-mining father.

After their mother dies, Haidie Richards and her younger brother, Boots, are put to work in an orphanage. Their father left four years earlier to find a gold mine in Colorado Territory, and since then he’s sent only three letters. Still, Haidie is certain that he is alive, has struck gold, and will soon send for them.

But patience is not one of Haidie’s virtues and soon she and her brother make a break for it. Boots and Haidie, disguised as a boy, embark on a dangerous journey deep into Western territory. Along the way, Haidie learns fast not only how to handle mules, oxen, and greedy men, but also that you are better off in a community. Hers includes a card shark, independent “spinster” sisters, and a very fierce dog. Once she arrives in Colorado and finds out the truth about her father, Haidie will need all her new friends for a get-even plot worthy of The Sting.

Filled with vivid period detail, colorful characters, and the irreverent voice of our scrappy heroine, Tough Luck celebrates both the tenacity of youth and the persistence of the heart in the great American West.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

 

My thoughts

This was an excellent debut. A beautifully written story of such pain, hope, and love. Addiction, loss, love. There are some parts that made me weep. But overall it was just a great debut novel. 

This is the story of the Bright family. 

When Lillian first meets Ryan she is working at the bank. He's an aspiring artist and very good. He saw her at the library and said hello and from there their love story took off. A love that is so deep. They seem to truly have it all. Until they don't.

Ryan and his mother ran away from Ryan's father when he was very small. His father was an abusive alcoholic. Ryan vowed he would never drink. And he didn't. Until he did.

After the birth of their daughter Ryan changes. He adores his baby daughter very much. But seems there is a demon in him that was waiting to get out. He starts drinking and he scares Lillian when he throws a bottle at her. Ryan leaves. He doesn't want to hurt his wife or daughter and believes he would if he stays. 

This book takes you through all the ups and downs of having an addict for a husband and father. And son. Elise is Ryan's mother. She has lived this life and doesn't approve what he has done. She only wants him to stop drinking and be the man she raised. Elise loves Lillian like a daughter and of course adores her granddaughter.

This book deals with giving a baby away. Losing a fetus. Alcoholism. And finding the way to sobriety. It deals with the loss of loved ones. It deals with a lot. I cried big tears while reading parts of this. It's a tough subject but also very good. This author did a great job of painting the picture of a family dealing with addiction...

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC.

About

One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they’re unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga perfect for readers of Mary Beth Keane and Claire Lombardo.

“A heartbreaker and heart-mender at once.” —Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage

Ryan and Lillian Bright are deeply in love, recently married, and now parents to a baby girl, Georgette. But Lillian has a son she hasn’t told Ryan about, and Ryan has an alcohol addiction he hasn’t told Lillian about, so Georgette comes of age watching their marriage rise and fall.

When a shocking blow scatters their fragile trio, Georgette tries to distance herself from reminders of her parents. Years later, Lillian’s son comes searching for his birth family, so Georgette must return to her roots, unearth her family’s history, and decide whether she can open up to love for them—or herself—while there’s still time.

Told from three intimate points of view, The Bright Years is a tender, true-to-life novel that explores the impact of each generation in a family torn apart by tragedy but, over time, restored by the power of grace and love.

Coram House by Bailey Seybolt

 

My thoughts

Author's note worth reading:

While Coram House is a work of fiction, the story owes a debt to the real history of St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington, Vermont. Between 1854 and 1974, more than thirteen thousand children passed through its doors. They were abused and silenced by the people who were supposed to protect them. The legacy of orphanages and residential schools has proven that power lies in controlling what is remembered and what is forgotten. May we remember....

"I'll never understand why orphans are abused. What is it about these children that is so unlovable. They certainly did not ask to be abandoned or left behind. They should be cherished."

This is a story about a woman, Alex Kelley,  who is hired to ghost write a book about an orphanage. She uncovers a lot of things but this story does not go into great detail about the abuse that happened at Coram House. It's there but not in such detail that this book is hard to read. You know what happened by the testimonies of the grown kids who lived it. Who witnessed it. Who survived...

Alex is hired by Stedsan to ghost write a book about Coram House. She goes to Vermont to do this job. Alex is still grieving the loss of her husband Adam. He was the love of her life and when he got sick and died she was devastated. 

Alex uncovers a lot while researching for this book. She learns about the nuns and the pedopile priest. She gets a good sense of several of the survivors who live in this town. Seems there are quite a few who never left. But when people start being murdered and Alex finds them she has to wonder if she's next. What is someone trying to hide? 

This is a good debut novel. I liked most of the characters. Not the abusive ones of course but they were not front and center in this story. The book is well written and keeps you on your toes. I didn't figure out who the killer was until about two thirds of the way in. I was still shocked though. I missed a few details I guess. 

I'll always wonder how people who claim to be christian can abuse these children who are left. How can anyone do such horrible things then lay down and sleep at night. I have bad dreams just hearing about the children in life who are abandoned. It makes no sense. 

Well done. Well written. A lot went into this book and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #Atria,  for this ARC. 

About

Sharp Objects meets I Have Some Questions for You in this haunting novel—inspired by a true story—about a crime writer who risks everything as she investigates the mystery of two deaths, decades apart, at a crumbling Vermont orphanage.

On a blistering summer day in 1968, nine-year-old Tommy vanishes without a trace from Coram House, an orphanage on the shores of Lake Champlain. Some say a nun drowned him, others say he ran away. Or maybe he never existed. Fifty years later, his disappearance is still unsolved.

Struggling true crime writer Alex Kelley needs a fresh start. When she’s asked to ghostwrite a book about the orphanage—and the abuses that occurred there—she packs up her belongings and moves to wintry Burlington, Vermont.

As Alex tries to untangle the conflicting stories surrounding Tommy’s disappearance, her investigation takes a chilling turn when she discovers a woman’s body in the lake. Alex is convinced the death is connected to Coram House’s dark past, even if local police officer Russell Parker thinks she’s just desperate for a career-saving story. As the body count rises, Alex must prove that the key to finding the killer lies in Tommy’s murder, or risk becoming the next victim.

Drawing inspiration from the real-life stories of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Coram House “reckons with both the long aftermath of violence and the hazards of writing true crime. It is an eerie, suspenseful mystery, sure to find readers among fans of Tana French” (Flynn Berry, author of Northern Spy).