SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Lauren Clark

 

I've read and loved so many of Lauren Clark's book. Also her suspense books under Laura McNeill and loved them. She's a great author of many genres.

This is a quick read that will keep you turning the pages. It's easily read in one day and is a light read. A happy and somewhat emotional read. The story of a love that was lost. A boy and a girl who tried to move on without each other.

Amber works hard at an advertising agency. Something she was always meant to do. She has a life and many friends. Her best friend Becca and her work together. When she is expecting someone from All Star, Inc to arrive she has a horrible panic attack. Something she tends to suffer from. She had to grow up fast early on after losing both her parents. She raised her younger brother, Quinn, on her own and managed to finish college, buy a house and make a good life. When a man from her past comes in she has all kinds of mixed emotions. She also has a horrible panic attack and passes out. From there she can only go up. Or so you would think.

Seems like in Kurt's presence, Amber, becomes very clumsy. But to be fair he is responsible for some of the accidents. They had dated years before. Kurt was the love of her life but things got in the way and they went their separate ways. Now after all this time he's back and they are face to face.

Will love prevail? Will they get any closure? Will they get back together? This is truly a good book. It made me laugh out loud a few times. Shed a couple of tears and feel like dancing in parts. You'll have to read it to understand the dancing part. It's a great story that will lift your spirit in many ways.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, The Longshot, Becca's story out now and only .99 cents.

Thank you to #Camellia Press, #LaurenClark for this wonderful story. 

I had to give it a big 5/5 stars and I do highly recommend this book. It's was a joy to read.

THE DARKEST EVENING by Ann Cleeves

 

This book started out strong. It had great potential and was a somewhat good story. I had a few problems though. A car on the side of the road with the door open. A baby inside. A cop, Vera, getting lost??? I can't believe the cop who was headed home got lost. That was a bit out there but I could overlook that. She takes the baby and goes to a house close by where a dinner party is taking place. Also she is related to the owner. When Vera finds there is a dead woman on the property she does not tell the guests to stay put. She does not make the house a crime scene and demand that everyone present separate and not discuss things. She's supposed to be a seasoned DI and yet she does not treat this crime the way I would have expected. I didn't find that believable. There were just some things about this that didn't read right. But I was still interested and wanted to know who killed this young woman and why. 

This book takes you through a lot, including two murders and a kidnapped baby. It's got some twists and the descriptions are quite vivid. Maybe a bit much at times but still good. You will feel the cold in this book. The deep snow and the pain the middle aged DI feels while trying to solve this case. I don't mean mental pain either. She's feeling the pain in her job, walking, running, falling, being attacked. I would have loved this book if it would not have read more like a Murder She Wrote episode or even a Colombo in part. Vera could get on a nerve for sure. But she did do a good job and did catch the killer. I didn't at all guess who it was. Though it may have been because I was losing interest by this point. I hate when books do this to me.

This book honestly had great potential and it may just be me in that I didn't like the slowness it took. It starts out with a bang and then kind of drags. It finally did pick back up but at almost the end. It just was not my kind of book. It was more of a mystery than a thriller which would be ok if it would have held my attention better. It was just ok for me.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AnnCleeves, #StMartin'sPress for this ARC. This is my own review.

I gave it a 3/5 stars. I say read it for yourself and decide. It was just not for me. Sorry.

IT'S MONDAY!! WHAT ARE YOU READING? 9-7-20

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I hope you had a great reading week.

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This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at BOOK DATE! 

Post the books completed, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish at some point.

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Currently reading: 

THE DARKEST EVENING by Ann Cleeves 

Review tomorrow

Plan on reading next: 

SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE by Lauren Clark(one of my favorite authors) 

Review will follow

Books I'm reading this week:

THREE PERFECT LIARS by Heidi Perks

Review will follow

THE DAY I DISAPPEARED by Brandi Reeds

Review after reading

Mailbox Monday 9-6-2020

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

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.

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Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Leslie @ Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 

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THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

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I hope you had a good mailbox.

I had an AMAZING mailbox!!

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Thursday September 3rd I received:

1: SHOULDER SEASON by Christina Clancy Courtesy of St Martin's Press and NetGalley

2: MARGREETE'S HARBOR byEleanor Morse Courtesy of St Martin's Press and NetGalley

3: ALL THE CHILDREN ARE HOME by Patry Francis Courtesy of Harper Perennial and NetGalley

4: THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS by Jennifer Rosner 

I bought it for myself..

Friday September 4th I received: 

5: LITTLE WISHES by Michelle Adams Courtesy of Harper Collins William Morrow and NetGalley

My Amazon Prime First Choice is: 

6: MILLICENT GLENN’S LAST WISH by Tori Whitaker

THE BEST OF FRIENDS by Lucinda Berry

 

This book is going to make you do some serious thinking. So very serous crying. And bring out some serious anger. This told from the three main people affected, Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani. Each a mother who is dealing with loss. In different ways but still the same too.

After a horrible accident, which may not even be an accident, three best friends have to deal with the fallout. What happened that horrible night. Did one of their sons shot the others or was it truly a freak accident. With Sawyer dead, Jacob in a coma and Caleb not able to speak, will anyone ever know what really happened? Was a girl involved? Or was it something deeper? Or was it just truly an accident? 

While I did guess totally at why one of the things happened it was still an excellent story. It was a deep story that will have you turning the pages to find out what happens next. I never guessed who did exactly what though and that was ok. Three mother's lost their sons that night. Even though one is alive they all lost them no the less. Sometimes in life you lose. 

This book is told from three different POVs. You find out about each woman's life and how their families are affected when the unthinkable happens. One woman is in a very hurtful, cruel marriage. I wanted so bad for her to get out. Leave that excuse of a man. Each of these woman have secrets. Secrets that will come out. Their husbands have a few secrets also. 

These families will never be the same. They won't ever get over the losses they have to face. But they can learn to be there for each other. Learn to forgive each other. Learn to forgive their boys for the crazy night that turned all of their lives upside down forever. This is a deep book. One that will make you feel so many things. Mainly the pain of loss. The emotions of what it's like to let go. One family has to make a lot of very hard decisions. One has to bury their son. One has to try and break through the wall that theirs has built around himself. This is a very painful book. But it's also good. Very realistic. But good. So so very emotional... Yet so good.

What would you do? Could you do what these mother's did? Can anyone ever go back to who they were before? I doubt that one very seriously. This book pulls at your heart in a way that no other book ever has for me. It made me cry some big ugly horrible tears. The ending really got to me. When the truth comes out, it's not that it's a huge surprise, it's how it's told. This author captured this book tp perfection. Such raw emotion. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LucindaBerry, #Thomas&Mercer for this arc. This is my own review.

I had to give it a big 5/5 stars. It's so worth each tear. A big 5 box of tissues. A high recommend. 

Book Blogger Hop - 9/4/2020

Question of the Week: What book or books are you going to read on Labor Day weekend? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer) 

 My Answer: THE DARKEST EVENING by Ann Cleeves

"As a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high expectations for Cleeves’ 

latest. . . . A stunning debut for Cleeves’ latest crimefighter."—David Baldacci on The Long Call

On the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in the back seat.

Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It’s also where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there’s a party in full swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.

As the blizzard traps the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her investigation, she also begins to uncover her family’s complicated past.

THE LIES THAT BIND by Emily Giffin

 

I loved this author's book ALL WE EVER WANTED and decided to give this one a chance. I was not disappointed. 

This is a great story with plot that will keep you wanting more. A story of love, loss, deceit, forgiveness and moving on. A love that is either strong and worth fighting for or a love that can't hold up to expectations.

My favorite line from this book is: "WELL, I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. IF YOU WERE MINE, I'D DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO KEEP YOU."

That line explains so much when you read this book and try to decide who you think is a good guy or a not so good guy. 

This is the story of a woman. A woman who is deeply in love with a man. It's also the story of a woman who has a bit of a history with a man. One is destine for her. The other not so much. It took me a while in this book to decide who I liked the most but after hearing both I did finally make up my mind. While I despised one and really didn't care a lot about the other I did finally give in. One melted my heart.

Cecily lives in New York and works for a small tabloid newspaper. She's recently broken up with Matthew who could not commit after dating for four years. She then meets Grant at a bar and they start seeing each other. Grand comes with a lot going on and is not one to jump into bed or a sexual relationship fast.  Even though they both seem to want things to go to a different level it just isn't in the stars so to speak. Grant is leaving for a trip with his twin brother. His brother has ALS and they can get him in a clinical trial in London. He has to go. 

I thought the book was going in a complete different direction when the two started emailing back and forth and was very happy that it was just the one chapter. I would not have liked reading that for long. Not that what they had to say was boring. I just don't like reading emails in a book all the way through. Needless to say they keep in touch.

On the one hand you have Matthew who is familiar and Cecily has known him for four years. Then you have Grant whom she has basically just met but just feels right. Then you have the sequence of events that happen. The awful 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. Then one man goes missing. A lot comes out after this. A whole lot of things that will make Cecily wonder if anyone is who they say they are. If anything is what it seems. The ups and downs in this book kept me turning pages. Kept me wanting more.

This book is filled with so many emotions. The love, loss, found, terror and a few more. It will keep you captivated to the end. You will root for them all in different ways. One will totally have you wanting him but then something happens and you will pull for the other. But the main thing is for Cecily to make the right choice. It's about her life after all. Her destiny and her future. Whether alone or with one of these two men. This is what makes fiction so grand. Things can work out one way or the other. Whether it's always believable or not. It's fiction after all.

I loved this story. I loved the characters. All of them. They all held a very important part in this book. Even Amy, who you will kind of not like but like. These characters are totally human after all. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #EmilyGiffin, #RamdomHouseBallentinePublishing for this ARC. This is my review.

I was going to give this book 4 stars but that ending made me change it to a big 5/5 stars and a high recommendation. I loved it!