Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross

 

My thoughts

I've not read Divine Rivals or Ruthless Vows. I will asap though. I had no idea this was a prequel to them until I read a few reviews. I loved this book. It was both heartbreaking, interesting, and magical. It was filled with so much. A fantasy, romantasy, fiction, and so much more. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I also shed a few tears while reading this. Especially in the last Act. It has five Acts and each is better than the last. Told from Matilda and Vincent's POVs. 

This book takes you through three realms. Matilda is a goddess. She has powerful magic. She lives in the underworld but can go to other worlds. There are doors that take her. She meets her father after losing her mother. He is from the upper world. He is not a warm sort. He is a brute in my opinion. 

Matilda meets Vincent through his dreams. As children. She helps him in many ways with the nightmares he has. When they finally do meet face to face though the story really reaches a whole new plateau... I loved reading about them. About the tension between them. The love blossoming. Vincent is human. A mortal. Vincent will age and eventually die. Matilda will not. 

This book is stunning. It's written in such beautiful detail that you will feel it in your heart. It brings out emotions. Hopes. You root for Matilda. For Vincent. You get involved with Vincent's world and love the people there. His brother. It's just a great story. One I will most likely want to read again. After I read the first two that is. 

Thank you #StMartinsPress/SaturdayBooks for this ARC. 

About

Born ​in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

Gone In The Night by Joanna Schaffhausen

 My thoughts

This series has been so good. All of the books have been great and this one is too. It is a bit of a touchy subject though.

I was cringing throughout a lot of this story. From all the murdered men to why they were murdered. While I do believe they all deserved it we can't just take justice in our own hands. Can we? If you were abused, either beat by a spouse or sexually assaulted by a predator, wouldn't you want to get even? If you could. If you could get away with it. I think most of us would. If we are honest. At least in the cases of the women in this book I can see it happening. While I don't condone violence I also believe in justice and in so many cases there is no justice. Especially when it comes to defending a child who has been violated. A slap on the wrist maybe. If that....

Annalisa and Nick are married. Expecting a baby. Annalisa is a PI now but things are slow as no one seems to want to hire a pregnant women to investigate anything. When her brother asks her to visit him in prison, where she put him, she is a little dismayed. But she goes. She listens to what he has to say. She meets with this guy named Joe. Joe who has spent thirteen years for the murder of a man and claims he is innocent. Annalisa takes the case. You will learn all about what he did or didn't do. You get to know Joe. You also get to know the women from Ruby's Place. A home for abused and battered women and children. You get to know them well.

This book is hard in places. It deals with abuse. It deals with child sexual abuse too. Very young girls. It's heartbreaking to know there are people in this crazy world who would do such horrendous things. To know that they do it and get away with it. This is the story of abused women and how Annalisa and Nick solve a serial killer case. 

Thank you #StMartinsPress/MinotaurBooks for this ARC.

4.75 stars. 

About

Detective Annalisa Vega hasn’t forgiven her brother for his role in a murder, and he hasn’t forgiven her for turning him in, so she’s surprised when he asks her to visit him in prison. Turns out, he has a possible case for her: one of his fellow inmates, Joe Green, may be innocent of the murder that landed him behind bars.

Joe is doing hard time for killing his ex-wife’s lawyer, but an anonymous letter sent to the prison warns that the eyewitness in Joe’s trial made up her story. With her private investigation business foundering, Annalisa is desperate enough to start poking around into Joe’s meager case. She immediately finds two problems: One, the eyewitness definitely lied about what she saw the night of the murder, and two, Annalisa’s husband Nick was the cop who arrested Joe in the first place.

Faced with correcting Nick’s mistakes, Annalisa digs deeper into Joe’s past and discovers he has two ex-wives with nothing good to say about him. The women may have orchestrated an elaborate frame to put Joe in prison, but one wife has completely disappeared since then. Did Joe somehow kill her? Or is he the real victim? Annalisa’s search for the truth tests the bounds of her marriage, her family, and her own sense of justice. Meanwhile, a devious killer keeps sending men to a watery death in the vastness of Lake Michigan. If Annalisa doesn’t figure out the truth about Joe soon, her husband might be next. 

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin

 

My thoughts

This is a must read. It will be in my top twenty at the end of the year. This book was so good. A sad tale of what life was like for women who loved reading back in 1895. And what happened if they disobeyed their husband. Yes I said disobeyed. Can you imagine? 

This is about four women: Mrs Eleanor Clarke. She was married and had a baby boy. Her husband was a beast. You will thoroughly hate him. His abuse knows no boundaries. Mrs Rose Wharton. She's also married. Her husband truly loves her. But he had banned books for her because of his brother. Lady Lavinia Cavendish. She's the youngest. Not married. She lives with her parents and siblings. She suffers from what to me seems like social anxiety. Writing poetry helps her deal with that. Lady Duxbury. She is the one who invited the other three to her Secret Book Society. She's truly a force. A caring, understanding, force. She's been married three times. She gives these women a place where they feel safe. Feel like they can express themselves. Not just with books. With their thoughts. Their wishes. Their lives. Their hurts.

This book is so well written. You truly can feel each woman's pain and happiness. The way they deal or can't deal. Most likely you can relate to at least one of these women in some way. 

I have to say this book is emotional. It will have you in tears in many places. Also give hope to these women. Give hope that all will be ok. Eventually. The sad part is that women are still held hostage by most men. In one way or another we have to answer to them for something. But we have honestly come a long way since they could ban books from us. Now it's the government that bans the books. Go figure.

Add this one to your tbr list. I promise you won't regret it.

Thank you to the publisher for this arc.

Five big fat stars. 

About

A captivating new historical novel from Madeline Martin, set in Victorian London about a forbidden book club, dangerous secrets, and the women who dare to break free.

You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society...

London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club-a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories.

Eleanor Clarke, a devoted mother suffocating under the tyranny of her husband. Rose Wharton, a transplanted American dollar princess struggling to fit the mold of an aristocratic wife. Lavinia Cavendish, an artistic young woman haunted by a dangerous family secret. All are drawn to the enigmatic Lady Duxbury, a thrice-widowed countess whose husbands' untimely deaths have sparked whispers of murder.

As the women form deep, heartwarming friendships, they uncover secrets about their marriages, their pasts, and the risks they face. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything. 

Forget Me Not by Stacy Willingham

 

My thoughts

I've read an enjoyed all of this author's previous books. I enjoyed this one. The best in my opinion was her very first book, A FLICKER IN THE DARK... It was so good. 

This book is about a young woman whose sister went missing. Natalie was the oldest of the two sisters. When she went out the window to meet up with someone it was the last time she was seen. Claire seemed to blame herself for what happened. Because she didn't tell. Because she was only eleven and thought she would get in trouble if she told. Natalie was never seen again. The older man that everyone thought she was dating was blamed for her murder. Though no body was ever found he still got life in prison. 

Claire went home to see about her mother and ended up staying at the Galloway farm where her sister had worked that last year of her life. She finds a diary written by a teen and starts reading it. That is when this book really takes off. You find out a lot about other missing and possibly abused girls. Including Natalie. Some secrets about their mother are brought forth also. 

This book is not at all a thriller but it is a good mystery. I did figure out a few things, but it didn't take away from my interest in any way. I liked Claire. I liked Liam. I was on the fence about her mother until I got to know why she did what she did pushing Claire away. There were some things that I wish would have been written about more. Like Claire and Natalies parents. Yeah they divorced but good grief they certainly should not have. Not over what I found out later was the reason. I just felt like there were a few things unanswered in this book. Little things though. 

Well written for the most part. The beginning kind of dragged. But when Claire finds the diary this book is harder to put down.

There is a cult experience in this book. A cult of young ladies being abused. Taken away from their family. Never to be seen or heard from again. A man who likes submissive females I suppose. He gets them at eighteen. They seem to be in need of attention and he preys on that. I do feel like this story was missing something but I can't quite figure out what. I loved the ending. I loved how Liam ended up and how Claire and her mother finally came to terms with each other. 

This was good but not as good at A Flicker In The Dark...

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC. Thoughts are strictly my own.

3.75 stars.  

About

A pulse-pounding new Southern thriller from the author of the runaway bestseller A Flicker in the Dark.

Twenty-two years ago, Claire Campbell’s older sister, Natalie, disappeared shortly after her eighteenth birthday. Days later, her blood was found in a car, a man was arrested, and the case was swiftly closed. In the decades since, Claire has attempted to forget her traumatic past by moving to the city and climbing the ranks as an investigative journalist... until an unexpected call from her father forces her to come back home and face it all anew.

With the entire summer now looming ahead—a summer spent with nothing to do in her childhood home, with her estranged mother—Claire decides on a whim to accept a seasonal job at Galloway Farm, a muscadine vineyard in coastal South Carolina less than an hour away from where she grew up. At first glance, Galloway is an idyllic escape for Claire. A scenic retreat full of slow-paced nostalgia, as well as a place where her sister seemed truly happy in that last summer before she vanished, it feels like the perfect plan to pass the time. However, as soon as Claire starts to settle in, she stumbles across an old diary written by one of the vineyard's owners, and what at first seems like a story of young rebellion and love turns into something much more sinister as it begins to describe details of various unsolved crimes. As the days stretch on, Claire finds herself becoming more and more secluded as she starts to obsess over the diary's contents… as well as the lingering feeling that her own sister's disappearance may be somehow tied to it all.

Galloway was supposed to be a place to help her move forward, but instead, Claire quickly finds herself immersed in her own dark and dangerous past. 

My Sister's Only Hope by Alison Ragsdale

 

My thoughts

I've read and loved, through many tears, so many of this author's books. They always make me cry and always make me think about things. This one was good. It was sad. It made me think. But it was not my favorite book. I was a little let down.

Two sisters who are the best of friends. Each married to the man of their dreams. The loves of their lives. Sisters who lost their parents on the very mountain that is viewed from their home. While Kenzi hates the mountain. With a passion. Olivia loves hiking on it. She loves all that there is to love about climbing and hiking this mountain. 

Kenzi is married to a great guy, Arran. From the very beginning of their relationship both vowed to never have children. Each had reasons. It was just not to be. 

Olivia and Glenn want a child but can't have one. When Kenzi donates one of her eggs for them they are elated. But it seems that their excitement is not exactly as Kenzi thought. She senses something is wrong.

This book has a few secrets. Olivia has a big secret(which I guessed right away). Even their mother had her secrets. But Kenzi was kept in the dark so when she finds out she is somewhat floored. Though I still can't seem to understand why she would think it was the end of the world. Bad yes. But get over it. 

Olivia is killed from a fall during a hike and everything changes. Glenn becomes distant. Kenzi goes completely nuts and Arran is just not there as I thought he should have been. But when Kenzi decides she just has to have the baby no matter what I lost all respect for her. She knew what it was going to do to her marriage. I mean he is the love of her life. Her soulmate. Her reason for being. But she's going to do the one thing they both agreed never would happen. Have the baby. I felt bad for Arran. I didn't blame him at all for what he did. Yes Kenzi should have a child if she wanted one but she should have handled it a bit differently. I think she was so selfish. I just didn't like her after that. I was a bit upset with Arran but not as bad.

Glenn was my favorite character in this book. He had his heart ripped out and dealt with it in his own way. He knew Olivia's secrets and handled them appropriately also. Glenn was just a very nice man. He deserved way better that any of what happened to him. 

I liked but didn't love this story. It was one I could put down and get back to later. It took me five days to finish and not because it was horrible. It was because I just didn't get so invested in this story. Not like this author's other books. I hate that too. This is one review that is breaking my heart to write. But I do have to be honest.

Thank you #Bookouture for this ARC.

3.75 stars 

About

‘Will you help me become a mother?’ My sister whispers, her hands clasping mine. ‘You’re my only hope…’

When my sister asks me to help her have a child, I already know I will say yes. She has always dreamed of being a mother, and this might be her last chance.

Not long after the embryo is created, my sister is killed in a tragic hiking accident. The grief of losing my best friend is unbearable, but in the days that follow I realize there is a shimmer of I can still fulfill her dream, and bring her baby into the world.

But no matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about my sister’s last words to me. On the day she died, she said there was something she needed to tell me. And when my brother-in-law finally tells me what my sister was hiding, I can barely breathe.

My heart breaks as I realize I may not have known my sister at all. But now I know her terrible secret, do I have the strength to be the mother of her child?

The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck

 My thoughts

I have read and enjoyed several of this author's books. I have also learned quite a bit from each. This one is about a women I had never heard about. I'm very glad this was written. Not just for the story but for the info. How a female was a force to be during several wars. As a photojournalist. And as a strong, albeit, tiny female.

You meet Georgette "Dickey" Meyer Chapelle at the very beginning of this story. She's quite the woman too. You meet her family and quite a few friends. I liked every one of them except her "husband" and I use that term loosely. But Dickey loved him. She took up photography because of him. But he was not a faithful man and Dickely deserved better. Or to be free...

This book takes you from New York City in 1954 to October 1965. You'll learn how Dickey endured each war. Taking pictures of injured and innocent families. How she became a prisoner. How she met some strong leaders. Some of which totally let her down. Lied. Dickey loved her family but didn't have a strong bond with her mother. Seems her mother thought she should remain home and be a wife. Not that that was a bad thing. It was just not what Dickey wanted. 

Dickey worked for several magazines and other places. She had pictures that the government confiscated due to the content. She loved the Marines more than anything and wanted to be one. But that was just not meant to be. Dickey knew how to survive. She went from WW2 through Vietnam photographing wars. She met so many kind and wonderful people. Of course there were some pretty awful ones too. 

This book is kind of repetitive but it explains all of the things Dickey did and went through. You really get an in depth view of her life. Dickey lost some good friends and some family. She handled it as would be expected. I enjoyed this book but did wish it was a tad shorter. I learned about a woman who went after what she wanted and got it. 

Well researched. Well told. I enjoyed the letters and posts from Dickey and others. I enjoyed learning about a strong female back when females were meant to be home having babies and waiting on husbands. I admire what Dickey did. A lot.

Thank you #sourcebookslandmark, @tantormedia, for this ARC.    

About

From bestselling author Erika Robuck comes the perilous and awe-inspiring true story of award-winning photojournalist Dickey Chapelle as she risks everything to show the American people the price of war through the lens of her camera.

Manhattan, 1954.

Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier, combat correspondent Georgette "Dickey" Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at the next opportunity. In the aftermath of a an assignment gone wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey—to survive in order to be the world's witness to war from the front lines.

Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands to raging seas to luscious jungles, revealing one woman's extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger. And it's along the way, in Dickey's desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself.

At a time when a woman's heroic spirit often gave way to homeland reality, Dickey blazed a trail for the revolutionary hearts inside us all.

The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan

 

My thoughts

This is one book you don't want to miss. If you love a good edge of your seat thriller. A mystery to hold your interest from start to finish. If you love a good story that keeps you guessing. I loved this one. It is definitely in my top ten of the year. 

I listened to the audio and I am blown away at how good the narrator, Emily Pike Stewart, did. She made each character her own. The realistic voices were spot on perfection. I'll definitely listen to more by this narrator.

Three girls went missing. One was returned. What happened to these little girls? Who would do this? And why was one returned? When PI Annie Gore takes a job from a young man looking for his missing sister, she has no idea what she's in for. The girl has been missing ten years. Most likely she is never returning. Most likely she is dead. Annie took this job because Max Andrews was so persistent. He had saved so much to hire her. He had heard she was the best. The best at finding missing people. She could not say no. 

This book takes you to the Appalachian mountains. To a small town where everyone knows everyone. But there are a lot of secrets. A lot of things that are well hidden. And there are missing children. Two still missing after ten years. Can Annie find them and if she does will they be alive. 

Some of the people in this town help without blinking an eye while others want it to go away. Want it forgotten. But it can't be forgotten. Not by ones mother and by one brother. 

This book is so well written. It's writing it almost lyrical. The descriptions make you feel like you are there. In the cabin. In the bakery. In the mountains. In the woods. It's so realistic and haunting. It's filled with so much hope and a whole lot of sadness. You want Annie to find these two girls as much as their family does. Then another child goes missing. Was it the same person or a copycat? Will Annie be able to save this child too.

I'm telling all my friends who love a good thriller/mystery to grab this one. From what I can tell this is a debut and so beautifully written. It's not about witches. It's not magical realism. It's just a story about stories told. Told about a witch and her two beautiful daughters. A story of a town where three children went missing and one was returned....

Thank you #stmartinspress, #macmillianaudio, for this ARC. 

About

A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.

Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.

Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old—it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.

In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.

Too Old For This by Samantha Downing

 

My thoughts

This book was so much fun to read. Yes it was a book about a serial killer. Yes she was older and had retired. Yes she starts killing again. But..... You may find yourself rooting for her to not get caught. To get away with everything. Just maybe you will like Lottie...

I absolutely loved Lottie. She was quite a character. She did bad things but she had reasons for most. She was a murderer, but still she had reasons for it. You just should not make Lottie mad. Or back her in a corner. She can be mean if provoked. But she's a good mom. She loves her boy. She was a single mom. Now her son is grown and going to be married. For the second time.

You get to know Lottie pretty well. You also get to know her victims pretty well. The reasons why they had to be killed. And what Lottie does with the bodies. Most bodies that is. And the cops. Especially Burke. Burke wanted so bad to prove Lottie's guilt. He tried for over forty years. 

Lottie goes to church. She is very involved. She loves her family. Her son and grandchildren. She cares for her ex daughter in law. She gets to know her future daughter in law and likes her too. She is a fairly peaceful person. Private. Until she's not. That is when the dark side of Lottie shows it's face. I did feel bad for Plum Dixon. She was just a young lady looking to do a docuseries about Lottie's previous life. She was very determined. I could have felt bad for Plum's mom but I didn't. She was never a good mom to Plum. I did feel bad for Cole. Cole was Plum's boyfriend. And the suspect when Plum went missing.

This book made me laugh so much. Yes I did my fair share of cringing and I gasped a few times, but it was still a fun story. I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. Or should. 

I highly recommend this one. If you are up for a few murders or a few chuckles, then I say grab this one and get comfortable. You won't want to put it down.

Thank you #Berkley for this ARC. 

Five big stars from me.

About

A retired serial killer’s quiet life is upended by an unexpected visitor. To protect her secret, there’s only one option left—what’s another murder? From bestselling author Samantha Downing.

Lottie Jones thought her crimes were behind her.

Decades earlier, she changed her identity and tucked herself away in a small town. Her most exciting nights are the weekly bingo games at the local church and gossiping with her friends. 

When investigative journalist Plum Dixon shows up on her doorstep asking questions about Lottie’s past and specifically her involvement with numerous unsolved cases, well, Lottie just can’t have that.

But getting away with murder is hard enough when you’re young. And when Lottie receives another annoying knock on the door, she realizes this crime might just be the death of her…

You Belong Here by Megan Miranda

 

My thoughts

This is Megan Miranda's best yet. Riveting. Thrilling. A story to keep you guessing until the end. 

I throughly enjoyed this story. It had so much. So many good thrills. So much family drama. So much to keep you guessing and most likely you will be wrong. Family secrets can be deadly. Or possibly they can keep your loved ones alive. 

What really happened twenty years ago when two men died in a fire. And who actually started this fire. What was the motive? Did the perpetrator get away alive or did she die never to be seen or heard from. Or at least not to be heard from for almost twenty years whether dead or alive. Someone knows the truth and one mother doesn't want it revealed. A mother will do almost anything for her child. Even cover up a crime. 

When Beckett's daughter Delilah is accepted at the university where she went all those years ago. Where a horrible fire took the lives of two men. Where she had to leave. Beckett is horrified. She didn't ever want Delilah to be caught up in what would always be a part of Wyatt College. During a night of howling winds, called The Howling. During a time when someone was going to have to pay for something. 

This book kept me guessing. I did realize who did what but not until it was almost revealed. There are a lot of secrets in this story. Beckett's parents and Beckett for instance. I didn't much like Beckett's mom at first. She did grow on me after a while. After a long while. I thought Beckett was a little over protective but I also understood why. And I rooted for Beckett and Trevor to finally get together. I hoped things would end well and I suppose they did. In their own way. 

I did love how this story ended. Seems justice did prevail. But at what cost? 

Thank you #SimonElement/S&S/MarySueRucciBooks, for this ARC. Also BOTM... It was a BOTM choice for me and I'm so glad. 

4.75 stars 

About

A decades-old secret that drove a mother from her hometown now threatens her college-bound daughter in this twisty new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda.

Beckett Bowery never thought she’d return to Wyatt Valley, a picturesque college town in the Virginia mountains steeped in tradition. Her roots there were strong: Beckett’s parents taught at the college, and she never even imagined studying anywhere else—until a tragedy her senior year ended with two local men dead, and her roommate on the run, never to be seen again…

For the last two decades, Beckett has done her best to keep her distance. Then her daughter, Delilah, secretly applies to Wyatt College and earns a full scholarship, and Beckett can only hope that her lingering fears are unfounded. But deep down she knows that Wyatt Valley has a long memory, and that the past isn’t the only dangerous thing in town…

The Secret Librarian by Soraya M. Lane

 

My thoughts

I love this author. Her books never seem to disappoint me in any way. This one is her latest. Set in Lisbon during the second World War. About two strong females who happen to be attractive and have the brains we all know females can and do have. 

A story about two females who become the best of friends is always such a pleasure to read. Though the time was harsh and what they were doing was for a very intense and sad reason, Camille and Avery found each other through a book store and became very good friends. 

Camille owns the bookstore. She came to Lisbon in search of the man who betrayed her and her husband. She helps the Jews who are there to receive the papers they need to move on with their lives in America. In the USA they can start over and not have to worry about being killed. 

Avery is in Lisbon as part of her job. She got a job for the US government to put important news articles on microfiche. She is very skilled with this. She also becomes friends with Camille and wants to help her in her quest to help the Jewish people. 

This is a great story. It has such feeling and depth. It pulls you right in and captures your heart. From the time Avery tells her parents she doesn't want to marry but wants to go work for the government to the last page when you find out exactly what her life turns out to be. This is such a compelling story. It is part friendship and part love story. And yes it will make you shed some tears. It will keep you on edge in places. But it's mostly a story about female friendship. 

Well written and thought provoking. Makes you see another side to how women did some things during the war. How they contributed to help humankind.

Thank you #AmazonPublishingUK, #BrillanceAudio, for this ARC.  

About

From the bestselling author of The Secret Midwife and The Berlin Sisters comes an inspiring story of friendship, hope and courage.

New York, 1942: Avery is engaged to be married. Longing for adventure instead, she jumps at an unexpected offer to trade her library job for undercover intelligence-gathering in Portugal. But her new life in Lisbon, known as the Capital of Espionage, challenges everything she thought she knew about herself.

Local bookshop owner Camille, a French widow with access to the enemy newspapers and magazines Avery needs, befriends her. But are the rumours that swirl around Camille true—does she really have a Nazi boyfriend? And what secrets did she bring with her when she fled France? Avery must decide—fast—if she can fully trust Camille. Millions of lives depend on it.

As Avery discovers more about Camille’s world, she realises that living in a city of spies will take all her courage. With suspicions growing, they are both playing a terrifyingly dangerous game. And not everyone will live to tell their story. Can Avery and Camille stay far enough ahead of their enemies to survive?

Threaded through with daring, sacrifice and love, this is the inspirational story of two women prepared to risk everything to help others survive the horrors of World War II.

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

 

My thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It drove me crazy in parts but I still enjoyed it. I figured out the twists so no big deal there. I also knew what Mandy had hidden. 

Two sisters, twins, who never knew each other. Both adopted but by different couples. One grows in a luxurious home with all she needed. Except love. Her adoptive mother was mean. She was cruel. Georgia was adopted by the elite family. She also had a sister growing up. But they were not close. Not until much later in life. 

Mandy was raised by a typical family. Not a lot of money but they did owe a bar that was left to her. She did good with it and made a nice living. Mandy knew she was adopted but not any details. She had no idea she had a twin sister. Not until she was in her thirties. 

When Georgia is put in a mental ward for murdering her sister, Annabelle, who is the biological daughter of the Cartwright. She needs help proving she is innocent and there are a lot of powerful people involved. 

I figured out the secrets that Georgia's mother was keeping and what she actually did. I knew the Senator's secret. There were no surprises for me in this story. Two women find out they are related, twins, and they just start having the twin things. They didn't before finding out so what was it? Magic. No it was ridiculous. Also two grown women who had all but hated each other their entire lives suddenly become the best of sisters/friends overnight. Doubtful. And waiting until you are in your thirties to find out who your real father is. I didn't buy that either. Not with things like they are now. DNA testing is way to easy. 

While I did enjoy reading this book I found it to be so unbelievable and unrealistic. I didn't like any of the characters. Not one. The twins were childish. The mother was a witch. The father was a wimp. I just didn't like them. I did appreciate how the story played out in places. I enjoyed knowing true justice was going to prevail. And the atmosphere in The Locked Ward felt real. Though I honestly didn't know they let men and women share a ward. I learned something...

Thank you #StMartinsPress, #MacmillanAudio, for this ARC.

3.75 stars 

About

Was it...
Bitter, all-consuming jealousy?
Pathological sibling rivalry?
Pure insanity?

Whatever the cause—and everyone has a theory—it's the Crime of the Decade when glamorous Georgia Cartwright, who was adopted as a newborn, is accused of killing the biological daughter of her wealthy, Southern family.

Georgia is locked in a psychiatric institution where the most violent offenders are held while she awaits trial. The only words she whispers when her estranged twin sister Amanda visits are, “I didn’t do it. You’ve got to get me out of here.”

Amanda doesn't trust Georgia, but she can't abandon her in a place so eerie and menacing that it seems to exist in another dimension. Is Georgia the victim of a powerful family that's so depraved murder is the least of their crimes? Or is Amanda being led down a path of madness into the web of a master manipulator?

Nothing is as it seems in Sarah Pekkanen’s The Locked Ward, a shocking psychological thriller about the complex bonds of sisterhood—and what happens when they are stretched to the breaking point.

Some doors in the Locked Ward should never be opened.

Grave Birds by Dana Elmendorf

 

My thoughts

This is my second book by this author. It was good. I liked this one even better than In The Hour Of Crows. Still about death and things that happen after death. 

This is a kind of strange story. Or at least it was for me. I liked it very much. It's a bit goth and southern charm. A bit of a mystery and thriller. Also a few murders thrown in for good measure. And a handsome stranger who causes a big stir when he strolls into town like he owns the place. Taking the women by surprise. Many of course wanting to get to know him better. 

The story is quite lyrical and haunting. Hollis sees the "Grave Birds" and has what must be visions of what happened to the deceased person. Especially the four whose deaths may be related. Hollis is an events planner and has the towns most prominent family's big event scheduled. She also has uncovered quite a bit of darkness about this family. Many secrets. She doesn't know exactly what to do with this information but can't just sit on it. Or can she?

Cain came to town with purpose. He strode in and bought the big house that was promised to Hollis. They start off not so great. But Hollis learns that Cain can also see the "Grave Birds." Hollis knows the reason she sees them is because she dies once. Could Cain have died also? Is he responsible for all the strange things going on in this town? Can they become friends and find out what is happening? Or is he to sinister?

This book will keep you wanting to find out who did what to whom and why. How certain people died. What is causing some of the crazy things going on. You'll want to find out what can come between Hollis and Cain. If anything. 

Well written and a good story. This book was fun, intriguing, and edge of your seat in a few places. Some characters are awful. You'll hate them. But most are good. Some are even dead. Telling their stories through "Grave Birds."

Thank you #HarlequinTradePublishing, #MIRA, #HarlequinAudio, for this ARC. 

About

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this twisty, fresh take on a Southern gothic that follows a mysterious, charming bachelor as he makes his way into a small town, bringing a plague and the devil with him, from GMA Buzz Pick author Dana Elmendorf.

Grave birds haunt the cemeteries of Hawthorne, South Carolina, where Spanish moss drips from the trees and Southern charm is imbued with lies. Hollis Sutherland never knew these unique birds existed, not until she died and was brought back to life. The ghostly birds are manifestations of the dead’s unfinished business, and they know Hollis and her uncanny gift can set them free.

When a mysterious, charming bachelor wanders into their small town, bizarre events begin to plague its wealthiest citizens. Like blood dripping from dogwood blossoms, flocks of birds crashing into windows of their homes, and faces in paintings morphing into distortion. Hollis knows these are the omens her grandfather warned about, announcing the devil’s return. Despite Cain Landry’s eerie presence and the plague that has followed him, his handsome face and wicked charm win over the townsfolk. Even Hollis falls under his spell as they grow closer.

That is, until lies about the town’s past start to surface. The grave birds begin to show Hollis the dead’s ugly past from some twenty-five years ago. And she learns all about the horrible things these noble families did to gain their wealth. Hollis can’t decide if Cain is some immortal hand of God, there to expose their sins. Or if he’s a devil there to ruin them all. Either way, she’s determined to save her town and the people in it, whatever she has to do.

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman

 My thoughts

This is now my favorite book by this author. Her book, The Orphan Collector, was and it is a great book also. 

This book is very emotional. Even when things are good. When things go as you want them too, it's emotional. I laughed in a few places at the things children said. Overall though I cried many tears for the characters in this novel. The things I read about really happened. It was awful and to know that it happened right here in the USA makes it even more upsetting to me. How could this country be the very one that started such horrid things. The very one who taught other countries how to find and stop people who they deem unworthy to be either killed or sterilized. How dare they. Let us hope it never happens again. Oh how I hope it's not happening now. 

This is a story about a young woman and her family who entered the USA via Ellis Island. Who saved everything they had to come to this country to find a better life. Who had nothing back home or here but were willing to work hard. But who were deemed unacceptable. Or at least the young boy and his mother were unaccepted. This young woman was allowed to enter the country. But only after she went through a vigorous inspection and sprayed with chemicals and humiliated by the people who were suppose to help her. Her and her little girl. Her brother and mother were deemed unfit. Her brother they said was feeble minded and her mother to sickly. Sickly after just departing a ship. After being so seasick. Feeble minded because he refused to answer some questions and could barely speak English. He was learning. He was a hard worker and he was young. Only fifteen. 

The story starts at Ellis Island. May 31, 1928. Magdalena Conti and her family, her mother, brother, and child, landed on Ellis Island and had such dreams of a better life. In Germany they had gone through many horrors after the war. They saw things that no one should ever have to see. Families killed. Bombings. Starvation. They thought coming to America would be so much better. 

What Lena goes through is so sad. She is alone with just her daughter after her mom and brother are sent back to Germany. A distant cousin, Silas Wolfe, had paid for Enzo and Mutti's passage. They would work for him. But since they were sent back it was Lena whom he got. She was to take care of the house and his two children. Their mother had died in childbirth. He needed the help. It was hard work but Lena was willing to work to ensure her daughter Ella had food to eat. And boy did they have food. More food than Lena had thought possible for a single family. 

Lena goes through so much though. It was not a matter of just getting here and working for a person and living happily ever after. Silas's children and Lena's child were taken from them by people who wanted the mountain land. They were taken away and no one knew where or how to find them. Lena was put in an institution and sterilized. Told that the sterilization was the only way she would ever get out. She was deemed dimwitted because she had a child out of wedlock. 

What happened in this book gave me pause. Made me think about this country in a whole new light. How dare they. Who did these people think they were. How can anyone think it's ok to take away a person's ability to have children just because they look different or because you want their land. Yes they took the children from Silas because they wanted his farm. His land. The things he worked hard for. Him and many other mountain people. 

This book is so well researched and written that you will learn what exactly happened back then in Virginia. How the land was stolen from hard working people. People who were citizens of this country. Who had lived here many generations. And how immigrants were  truly treated when entering this country. Most likely still are treated this way. The research shows how the USA set up places to euthanize human beings. It's in the Author's note. Please read that part. It has so much info that you should know. Things I didn't know about. 

Thank you #KensingtonPublishing, #RBmedia, for this arc. 

About

In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.

When Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.

Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”

After a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.

Hazel Says No by Jessica Berger Gross

 

My thoughts

This is a debut novel and a good one. It's a touchy subject matter but a good one. It has ups and downs. Laughter and tears. A strong teenager. A strong family vibe. 

The Blum family moved to Maine from Brooklyn, NY. A small town in Maine where everyone knows everyone. There are few secrets. Gus Blum got a job at the college. Claire is going to start her own clothing business. Wolf starts middle school. Hazel starts her senior year of high school. All should be great. But then something happens that no one could have seen coming.

On the first day of school Hazel is called to the principal's office. He propositions her saying that every year he picks a girl to have sex with and this year it's her, Hazel. Hazel is flummoxed. Did she really just hear her principle say that. Hazel says no and leaves quickly. 

Hazel has no idea how much her life is about to change. She rushes home and of course she has to tell her mother what happened. Her mother in turn tells her dad. The whole time her little brother is listening and adding his opinion. When word spreads it's not good. Not good for Hazel or her family. The people in this town love Principal White. He's a major upstanding person. He's done so much for the school and the community. How dare Hazel accuse him. Maybe she misunderstood. According to him Hazel made a pass at him. Yeah right. Isn't that what all predators say?

The Blums go through a lot. There are a few who believe them and stand with them but most are on the principal's side. He could and would never do such a thing. 

You get to know this family well. How they stick up for each other. How much they love each other. It's the subtle things. The little things they do. Sometimes big things. Hazel has big ambitions. She wants to go to Vassar. She has dreams. Principal White threatened her dreams. Tried to make her believe he could stop her from graduating if she didn't sleep with him. Hazel said no...

More girls come forward. Hazel did the right thing. But will it all be ok. Will she be able to live in Maine and get into the college of her dreams. Will her brother be able to cope with things. Wolf has ADHD. Though he can be cute and funny at times he is also a very serious kid. He has no friends. Well he had one but turns out she is Principal White's daughter. Go figure.

This book takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. From laughter to full on tears. From serious to a bit comedic. A family with problems but also there for each other. How will this one end....

Thank you #HarlequinPublishers, #HarlequinAudio, for this ARC. 

4.3 stars. Read this one. It's good. 

About

When a tight-knit family moves from Brooklyn to Maine, their lives are upended by an event that will alter their new community forever in this bighearted, deftly drawn debut for fans of Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Pineapple Street, and Schitt’s Creek

Hazel Blum, please report to the principal’s office. Hazel Blum.

When Hazel Blum’s father gets a tenure-track professorship at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, an aspiring fashion designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town’s sprawling community. That is, until a dramatic fallout on the very first day of her senior year tips the fickle balance of idyllic Riverburg and impacts everyone in her family.

Tracking through the perspectives of each member of the Blum family, this relatable fish-out-of-water story handles big issues with great empathy and humor, capturing the love that unites one unforgettable family and the essence of life in small-town Maine. Emotionally deft, authentic, and compulsively readable, Hazel Says No is a debut novel not to be missed.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

 

My thoughts

Another good one from Lisa Scottoline. What a book!! Scottoline does not disappoint. Her books will keep you engaged. 

After Julia's husband is murdered right in front of her Julia becomes reclusive. She orders her groceries delivered. Works from home. She is afraid to go out in case the killer is out there waiting. But when she receives a call about inheriting a lot of money and a villa in Italy what is she suppose to do. She has to go check it out. Of course she doesn't believe it is real. She thinks it may be a setup. But she finds an email she didn't see and it's from the same lawyer. Her best friend talks her into going and seeing what it's all about. If nothing else she can sell the villa and add even more to the large sum she is suppose to receive.

This story takes you from the USA to Italy. There is a lot going on. A lot of intense things. But Julia did really inherit the money and the villa. Julia was adopted and thinks maybe the woman who left all of this too could be her biological grandmother. Who else would leave her such a vast thing. Julia's mother, her adoptive mother, died on her birthday when Julia was only nine/ten. She has lost a lot in her life and wants more than anything to have a family. But things are not all good when she gets to the villa. There are some strange things going on. 

Julia believes strongly in the astrological signs. She's seen things before they happen. Or had feelings of bad things beforehand. Even seen or felt good things. She knew something was going to happen the night her husband was killed. She blames herself for not being more careful when she and Mike were out that night. If she had said something maybe he would not have been killed. 

Seems Julia has a kind of gift. She can communicate with people on the other side. Even on this side in certain circumstances. She is being followed. Stalked. Drugged. Harassed. And she's scared. When Julia meets a guy and there are sparks she feels guilty. But she also really likes Gianluca. He's a good guy and they seem to make a good team. If she can only let go and give it a chance. 

This story takes you on a life altering chase. Julia has to literally fight for her life. She doesn't trust many of the people in Tuscany. Not even the police. With good reason. 

Grab this book and sit back for a scary and intense ride. It's very good and will keep you turning the pages. The ending is perfect and all loose ends are tied up nicely. I enjoyed it.

Thank you #GrandCentralPublishing, #HachettAudio/GrandCentralPublishing, for this ARC.

4.5 stars. 

About

From a #1 international bestselling author, a gothic, suspenseful tale in which a young widow inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy—a “compelling thriller with dashes of romance and excellent twists!” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author).

Lately, Julia Pritzker is beginning to think she’s cursed. She’s lost her adoptive parents, then her husband is murdered. When she realizes that her horoscope essentially foretold his death, she begins to spiral. She fears her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.

Then a letter arrives out of the blue, informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and vineyard —but her benefactor is a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. Julia has no information about her biological family, so she wonders if Rossi could be a blood relative. Bewildered, she heads to Tuscany for answers.

There, Julia is horrified to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse, who believed herself to be a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a legendary Renaissance ruler. Stunned by her uncanny resemblance to Rossi, and even to Caterina, Julia is further unnerved when she unearths eerie parallels between them, including an obsession with astrology.

Before long, Julia suspects she’s being followed, and strange things begin to happen. Not even a chance meeting with a handsome Florentine can ease her troubled mind. When events turn deadly, Julia’s harrowing struggle becomes a search for her identity, a race to save her sanity, and ultimately, a question of her very survival.

Twisty, transportive, and haunting—this is suspense with a passport.