A THOUSAND STEPS by T. Jefferson Parker

 

A Thousand Steps is a beguiling thriller, an incisive coming-of-age story, and a vivid portrait of a turbulent time and place by three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author T. Jefferson Parker.

Laguna Beach, California, 1968. The Age of Aquarius is in full swing. Timothy Leary is a rock star. LSD is God. Folks from all over are flocking to Laguna, seeking peace, love, and enlightenment.

Matt Anthony is just trying get by.

Matt is sixteen, broke, and never sure where his next meal is coming from. Mom’s a stoner, his deadbeat dad is a no-show, his brother’s fighting in Nam . . . and his big sister Jazz has just gone missing. The cops figure she’s just another runaway hippie chick, enjoying a summer of love, but Matt doesn’t believe it. Not after another missing girl turns up dead on the beach.

All Matt really wants to do is get his driver’s license and ask out the girl he’s been crushing on since fourth grade, yet it’s up to him to find his sister. But in a town where the cops don’t trust the hippies and the hippies don’t trust the cops, uncovering what’s really happened to Jazz is going to force him to grow up fast.

If it’s not already too late.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first book by this author. I will be looking for more. This one was very good. 

This story is set in 1968. During the Viet Nam war and the hippie explosion. It's a typical California town but not such a typical family. The Anthony's are one messed up family. The mother a drug addict and the dad a deserter. A deserter to his family. He left for a better life several years prior. Another woman was involved too. The Anthony children are basically left to fend for themselves. The oldest boy is in the Army and stationed in Viet Nam. The daughter, Jasmine, seems to be a good girl but she disappears without a trace. The youngest boy, Matt, is a level headed young man who is beside himself with worry over his sister's disappearance. He will stop at nothing to find her. He also works hard. He has a newspaper delivery route and does other odd jobs to make money. I really liked and felt for Matt. He has a heart of gold and the will power of a saint. 

This story will have you guessing what happened to Jasmine. Who or what took her. Did she leave on her own or did something horrible happen to her. At the beginning you read about another young girl, teenager, who's body was found so you wonder if the same will happen again. This story is about young love also. Though it's partly in the background you will root for Matt to find true love. Though he is only sixteen he is such a smart and resilient kid. He has several runs with the worst luck possible but never gives up. He is just a very likable kid.

I did not like either parent and thought they should be ashamed of themselves for how they treated their children. Not that either beat them but neglect was rampant.  It was like the mother, Julie, didn't care if they had food or did their homework or anything. She stayed in her room most of the time smoking weed or worse. She did not seem to care about anyone but herself. The dad was just as bad if not worse in many ways. He had just left and didn't help out in any way. But when he did finally come back to help Matt look for Jasmine, the things or way he talked to me was quite silly for a grown man. He thought he was so much smarter than anyone else and was a bit condescending to Matt. And he even enticed Matt to drink alcohol. What kind of dad does that to a sixteen year old who already has the weight of the world on his shoulders? I just didn't like either parent. 

I did like this book though. It's well written with just a few mistakes that I could easily overlook. It held my interest from page one and all was wrapped up by the end. Not a rushed ending either. This book makes you feel as if you are back in that time period. From the cop who rides around to just bust the hippies. The protestors of the war. The drug use. The way people talk. It takes you back for sure. If you are old enough that is. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #TJeffersonParker, #Macmillan-TorForge for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars from me. I recommend you read this one. It's really very good and in lots of ways a fun read. Edge of your seat in places too.

Mailbox Monday

 

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

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

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

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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 

Velvet @ vvb32reads

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                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 

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Received this week

1: DON'T LOOK BACK by D. K. Hood

courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley 

2: OUR KIND OF PEOPLE by Carol Wallace

courtesy of Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley

BOOK MAIL..

ALL GOOD DEEDS by Stacy Green. 

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED by Amanda Prowse

 

In this life-affirming tale from bestselling author Amanda Prowse, one woman built a new life to escape her humiliation. Now, can she put the shame behind her and finally find happiness?

Young and desperately in love, Merrin had the whole world ahead of her. But just as her new life was about to start, the ground beneath her feet was cruelly swept away. Devastated by the humiliation, she ran far away from the beloved fishing village she had always called home to lick her wounds and escape her gossiping friends and neighbours.

It hasn’t been easy, but six years later Merrin has forged a new life for herself far from the sea, burying the impulsive girl she once was. But when tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to return to the village she swore she’d never set foot in again.

Reluctantly back in the arms of her community, Merrin begins to realise what she’s been missing out on all these years. As she begins to remember the person she used to be, she is forced to make choices about her future, and to question the past. What does she want from her life? Who is important to her? Who is to blame for everything that went wrong? And can she forgive them, let old wounds heal and finally be her true self again?

MY THOUGHTS

'I believe you, I thought we were on the same page, but turns out we weren't even reading the same book.'

'Words are easy like the wind, faithful friends are hard to find." William Shakespeare said that.'

Turns out her dad had been right when he wrote:

When you're ready and you've done enough adventuring and figuring out, come home, Merrin. Come back to Port Charles, this little place where your spirit linger even after you have driven off in Vera Wilma Brown. Walk the beach barefoot in all weathers, my little maid, and let yourself be. Be open to what is right in front of your very eyes and let yourself be happy.

Those three things were the ones that really took my heart hostage while reading this beautiful book. Amanda Prowse has written her best book yet. It will capture your heart and keep you turning the pages. You will laugh, cry, want to scream. You will feel so much reading this book. It's just a beautiful yet sad story. But that is love at times. Beautiful and sad. My take away from this book is to never ever give up on love. Always hold on to your heart. Keep your mind open to things that can and do happen.

Merrin is the main character in this book. She goes through so much and you will feel for her. She is so much stronger than she thinks though. After the heartaches and losses she still runs barefoot on the beach. She still loves deeply the people that she holds close and dear. She's a survivor. I really liked her so much. 

This book is about surviving a very sad situation and prevailing. Finding yourself after a loss that is so unexpected. The family in this story, the Kellows, are a tight family. A simple family. They are there for each other even when it seems like they aren't. The two sisters, Merrin and Ruby, may fight but they also love each other fiercely. Their parents had a love that would never end. They set an example for their girls that love is wonderful. That love, true love, always prevails. Always wins. No matter what. Even with so much adversity in her life Merrin knows this. But she is holding back, until. 

This story will stick with you. It will make you stop and think. Stop and take notice. It will make you believe in things. It's written in such a beautiful way. The words just flow off the pages straight to your heart. Even the very saddest parts when you will cry those big fat ugly tears you always get from a Prowse book will make you want more. Keep you turning the pages. All the way to the very end you will hope things end perfectly for Merrin. 

There are a couple of characters in here that I truly despised. Even after I read what they had to say I was not happy with them. Some things should not ever be tampered with. But that would have made this book different so it's really done to perfection in my humble opinion. The would be mother in law did finally grow on me a tad. Not a lot, but a bit. As much as I didn't want to like her, she had some good points. I felt for her a little. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmandaProwse, #AmazonPublishingUK, #LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 huge, big, giant stars from me and the very highest recommendation possible. Read it. Have lots and lots of tissues though. You may need them.

WHY SHE LEFT by Leah Mercer

Why She Left

Leah Mercer 

Out 13^th December 2022 

When I open the door and see her, my mind starts churning. Why are they here? What do they want? And why did my daughter leave in the first place? Am I finally, after all of these years, going to find out? I take a deep breath and usher them in…

Ruth has spent every day of the last fifteen years wondering why her daughter Isobel left. Walking around the school to which she has given her life, every child she sees reminds her of her family’s bright future which vanished in an instant.

So when Ruth opens the door to find Isobel and a teenage grandson she never knew existed, she feels a rush of relief. Despite the years of hurt she never stopped loving Isobel and wants to help rebuild her life. Enrolling her grandson at the school, Ruth wants to make sure they stay for good.

Isobel has spent her life running from a painful secret. A secret which could have destroyed her family. Now, as she flees a bad relationship, she knows that her childhood home is the only place where she can be safe.

But as Isobel looks at her son in his crisp new uniform, she is taken straight back to the reason she ran all those years ago. Soon it becomes clear that she is not the only one tormented by the past. Someone is prepared to destroy everything Ruth and Isobel hold dear. Can Isobel confront her darkest secret before it is too late?

From the bestselling author of Who We Were Before comes a powerful and emotional page-turner about devastating family secrets. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Emily Bleeker and Imogen Clark.

About Leah Mercer

Leah Mercer was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Her first ambition was to be a journalist, but after completing a master’s in journalism, she soon realised she preferred anything other than reporting the news. After trying her hand at public relations, teaching and recruitment in various countries around the world, she finally settled in London and returned to writing… fiction, this time. Her first two novels, Who We Were Before and The Man I Thought You Were, were shortlisted at the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. Leah loves books, running and visiting historic houses with her husband and their son.

Social media: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahmercerauthor/ @leahmercerauthor

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahMercerBooks @leahmercerbooks 

MY THOUGHTS

I did enjoy this book a lot. The one thing I didn't like, actually two things, was the mothers. Both mothers. Ruth is Isobel's mother and Isobel is Isaac's mother. Ruth is a very cold and selfish woman in my opinion. Even at the end she did not grow on me at all. She was just not at all likable. Nothing came before her precious school. Not even her own flesh and blood. Nothing. Isobel talked about how close her and Isaac were yet it seemed to me she didn't know her son at all. Not at all. I know that some things happen and parents do not know but this was a bit ridiculous. If what she said about them being so close was true she would have known where her son was and what he was doing. At least part of the time. As for Isaac I'm afraid that he was fairly dumb in ways. He knew what they was running from yet he did something that left absolutely no doubt as to where they were? He was suppose to be a very smart young man. Really just a kid but he would have known better. He just would have. But still it was a good story. It was a good book. I did enjoy reading this one. I just didn't like any of the characters. It happens.

This book is not really a thriller. It's a bit of a family drama. A whole lot of family drama. Isobel is running away from an abusive man. She goes back to her childhood home to a mother she left years ago while she was still just a child. Her mother lets her and Isaac in and seems like she wants them there but she is not excited or happy. When Isobel was a child they were so close yet now her mother closed her heart to her youngest daughter without knowing why she left in the first place. I just didn't understand that. It's her personality though. She loves the school more than anything. As did her dad. 

Then we have Cecily. I wanted to like her and in so many ways I did. She gave up her life for her mother and this school. She did all the things that Isobel would have done if she had not of left. Yet Cecily is not exactly done right by her mother. But then again Cecily was a bit selfish too. She was pretty cold and calculating in the things she did. I liked her in that she gave up her life to help her mother. In that she was a daughter that Ruth should have been very proud of. 

This book will keep you turning the pages. You will want to know who did what and why. You will want Isaac and Isobel to smooth things over. You may even want her and Ruth to smooth things over. It's possible I suppose. I just didn't like them and the ways they wanted us to think they were. I did think that both mothers loved their child in a way. In their own way. But in selfish ways too. Maybe Isobel was not exactly selfish. I'm not sure how to explain her. I guess you have to read and figure that out for yourself. 

I liked Alex. He had the right idea. He was the one that I rooted for.

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

4/5 stars for me. It's a good story just filled with some people you may not like. Or you may. 

Mailbox Monday

 

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

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

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

 ************

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

Velvet @ vvb32reads

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

                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive. 

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

Received this week

1: NEVER COMING HOME by Hannah Mary McKinnon

courtesy of Harlequin Trade via NetGalley

2: LISTENING WELL by Heather Morris

courtesy of St Martin's Press via NetGalley

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 

I hope you had a great reading week.

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This is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at BOOKDATE! 

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

READ

WHY SHE LEFT by Leah Mercer

review and blog tour 12/14 

READING

THE SORORITY MURDER by  Allison Brennan

review and blog tour will be 12/15

WILL BE READING

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED by Amanda Prowse

THE MAID by Nita Prowse

Cover Reveal

 I'm so happy to be a part of this reveal. It's going to be such a great book! 

COVER REVEAL!

 

I’m incredibly excited to bring you the gorgeous cover for NEVER COMING HOME by @hannahmarymckinnon. It pubs on May 24, 2022 and I can’t wait for this twisted, darkly humorous thriller. Let me tell you what it’s about.

 

“First comes love. Then comes murder.

Lucas Forester didn’t hate his wife. Michelle was brilliant, sophisticated and beautiful. Sure, she had extravagant spending habits, that petty attitude, a total disregard for anyone below her status. But she also had a lot to offer. Most notably: wealth that only the one percent could comprehend.

For years, Lucas has been honing a flawless plan to inherit Michelle’s fortune. Unfortunately, it involves taking a hit out on her.

Every track is covered, no trace left behind, and now Lucas plays the grieving husband so well he deserves an award. But when a shocking photo and cryptic note show up on his doorstep, Lucas goes from hunter to prey. 

Someone is on to him. And they’re closing in.

Told with dark wit and a sharply feminist sensibility, NEVER COMING HOME is a terrifying tale of duplicity that will have you side-eyeing your spouse as you dash to the breathtaking end.”

 

Sounds brilliant, doesn’t it? Go pre-order right now. Head to https://bit.ly/BBNCH for all the links.

Add it to your Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58917391-never-coming-home

 

@bookclubbish @htpbooks #Thriller #Suspense #DomesticSuspense #NeverComingHome #CanLit #ReadTheNorth

Bio

 

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing. While her debut, TIME AFTER TIME, was a rom com, she moved over to the dark side thereafter. Her suspense novels include THE NEIGHBORS, and bestsellers HER SECRET SON, SISTER DEAR, YOU WILL REMEMBER ME, and the forthcoming NEVER COMING HOME.

 

Hannah Mary lives in Oakville, Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons.

 

 

Connect

 

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