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: THIS IS HOW WE LOVE by Lisa Moore

courtesy of House of Anansi Press via NetGalley

2:  INSOMNIA by  Sarah Pinborough

courtesy of William Morrow and Custom House via NetGalley

3: MEANT TO BE by Emily Giffin

courtesy of  Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine via NetGalley

4: THE FAVOR by Nora Murphy

courtesy of St Martins Press via NetGalley

SECRETS OF OUR HOUSE by Rea Frey

 

A thrilling domestic drama set against the power of the wilderness, Rea Frey's Secrets of Our House is a deeply-felt novel of long-held secrets and the strength of family.

Desi is the mastermind behind her dream getaway house. Nestled high into the mountains of North Carolina, it is a sleek place, a luxurious place, a dark place.

A place full of secrets.

Secrets about the man she longs for, a man who is not her husband. Secrets about the roots of her family that must never, ever, see the light of day. When Desi and her family arrive from Chicago to spend the summer in the mountains, the seeds for the tumultuous months to follow are planted—her marriage on the rocks, not knowing which way they’ll go. Her seventeen year-old daughter Jules, falling in love for the first time with a local boy—and forging a new path that will take her to uncharted places. And Carter—a man Desi knew long ago, before she expunged him from her life for good.

All hurtling toward events none of them can undo.

Engaging, propulsive, and with a dramatic, heart-pounding final act, Secrets of Our House is a dazzling novel, richly-drawn, that shows no matter how hard outside forces may shake you, the bonds of family are stronger than the harshest winds.

MY THOUGHTS

I've read a couple of this author's books and loved them. I enjoyed this one but it fell just a bit short. The reason being, I didn't like the main character, Desi or her husband, Peter. I also didn't like the friend, Carter. I did however love Jules who is Desi and Peter's daughter, Will, who is Jules's boyfriend and Tommy who is Desi's brother and Peter's best friend. Those three had it more together. Will's parents, who was in the story a bit, I also loved. 

This book is told from Desi and Jules perspective. Alternating between the two. Desi is a bit overbearing and comes across and a strong woman who puts her business above all else. Yet I saw her truly as a weak woman who didn't do the right thing early on. She should have followed her heart instead of money. I say money because that is what I got from her. She went for the money. 

Jules is a young lady who falls in love and knows deep inside what she wants. She's a survivalist who was taught early on how to get by by Peter and Tommy. She's very smart and self-assured. Until something happens to turn her world upside down. 

Will is a pilot and in love with Jules. He's a good young man and cares about people wholeheartedly. When he loses his mother it seems his life spirals out of control. He does things without thinking first. Listens to the wrong person. But he's a good one. He's really a good person.

This book had a few surprises though one I did figure out fairly early on. It came as no surprise to me at all. It did however make me a bit sad. She should have told someone. I won't say who or what just that she should have. 

When people lose their perspective it seems that a lot of others can be hurt deeply. You lose your way too. I don't think Desi should have taken the road she did but it made the story so it was meant to be. The description of The Black House made me feel as though I was standing in the driveway looking right at it. The deep snow felt cold to my bones. The accident made me cringe. It also made me cry bit ugly fat tears. I felt like I was there so that made up for anything that I didn't like in this story. 

Well written and told in a way that makes you feel lots of emotions. This author has a way of making you feel what the characters feel even if you don't like some of them. I felt Desi's loneliness and heartache. Peter's sadness and shock. Jules pain of losing something so important to her. Will's, well his all. He lost a lot and I felt so bad for him. 

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

4/5 stars and I do recommend it. It's good. You'll need some tissues so be prepared.

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: FIRST BORN by Will Dean

courtesy of Atria via NetGalley

2: BEYOND THE MOONLIT SEA by Julianne MacLean

courtesy of Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley

3: AFTER WE WERE STOLEN by  Brooke Beyfuss

courtesy of SOURCEBOOKS Landmark via NetGalley

THE LIZ TAYLOR RING by Brenda Janowitz

 

“Brenda Janowitz writes with extraordinary humor and heart.” —JANE GREEN, New York Times bestselling author

Three siblings. A priceless family ring. One legendary love story.

In 1978, Lizzie Morgan and Ritchie Schneider embark on a whirlwind romance on the bright beaches and glamorous yachts of Long Island. Over the years, their relationship has its share of ups and downs, including a nine-month hiatus that ends with a stunning eleven-carat ring—one that looks just like the diamond Richard Burton gifted Liz Taylor after their own separation. Like the famous couple, despite the drama that would unfold throughout the Schneiders’ marriage, the ring would be there as a symbol of their love…until it wasn't.

Decades later, when the lost ring unexpectedly resurfaces, the Schneiders’ three children gather under one roof for the first time in years, eager to get their hands on this beloved, expensive reminder of their departed parents. But determining the fate of the heirloom is no simple task, unearthing old wounds and heartaches the siblings can't ignore. And when the ring reveals a secret that challenges everything they thought they knew about their parents’ epic love story, they’ll have to decide whether to move forward as a family or let the ring break them once and for all.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my first book by this author. While I really enjoyed it, there was a few things that drove me nuts. 

To me comparing Richie and Lizzie to Richard Burton and Liz Taylor is crazy. Not in a whacky sense but in a sense to me that Burton and Taylor's marriages were not true, forever, unconditional, love. They were both messed up. Both been married too many times. But this author apparently was in awe of them so that is all it takes to write a good story. I admire her for that. For all she wrote at the end also. She clearly put a lot of thought and research in this novel. Well done.

Now for Richie and Lizzie... Richie was truly a jerk. He loved the gambling way more than he did his wife or family. I mean really, he gambled away everything. As for the ring that was just crazy. It was more of a show piece or an item for Richie to turn too when he needed to use it again for his gambling. Lizzie was also messed up but she did love the jerk. She tried hard to keep forgiving him. Even though she stayed with him I can't believe she still thought he hung the moon and loved her unconditionally. She had to know after all those years that he had an addiction. 

The children of Richie and Lizzie were all messed up in many ways too. I think living in the shadow of their dad being gone a lot and gambling so much and their mother telling them what an epic love story her life with him was had to play a big part in them having problems. The oldest girl, Addie, was very selfish and hateful to the youngest girl, Courtney, who was born like twelve or thirteen years after the first two. The son, Nathan, was ok. He did have a lot of insecurities that stemmed from the stories their mother always told him and all the letters he read that his dad wrote to his mom. There is love then there is the fact that you just can't seem to walk away. You have time invested in the marriage and you stay. Because of the children. Because you don't know what else to do. That is what I think. 

I may have liked Maggie and Holly a bit. That is truly funny though. You get to know Maggie in the beginning and near the end. Lizzie's older sister who had secretly dated Richie for a while. Then she was like a child who lost something. Her sister gets Richie and she can't stand it. Even all those years after her and Richie broke up. Good grief who needs a sister like that. Though I can't imagine dating a man that my sister ever dated. So there's that. Holly is Maggie's daughter. She was the one that I honestly liked the best. I won't say why. I just did.

This book is good. It goes back to when Richie and Lizzie started dating then to after when their children are all grown with their own lives. Many things are told about the epic love story and each child has their beliefs as to what happened to the Liz Taylor Ring. I think it was the jeweler myself. I think he did something. ha ha You will know what I'm talking about if you read this to the end. This ring really caused a lot of heartache but it was the center of the story and the family revered it. It was the thing they all loved and hated. The thing that saved a marriage. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #BrendaJanowitz, #Harlequintradepublishing for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars and I do recommend it. It's very entertaining and a lot of fun to read. Well done Ms Janowitz. 

LAST SEEN ALIVE by Joanna Schaffhausen

 

Last Seen Alive is the fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series.

Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition—Reed must bring him Ellery.

Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it.

MY THOUGHTS

This is the fifth book in this series. I read the last one also but not the previous three. It can be easily read as a standalone with all the background info it contains. It's pretty brutal so be warned. This serial killer is truly sick. Truly horrible and has no conscience at all. No thought to any of his victims.

This is the story of Ellery Hathaway and Francis Coben. Also the detective, Reed, who saved Ellery way back when. This book is pretty intense. Pretty spot on in its descriptions and brutal in many ways. But it's well written and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way. Keeps you guessing as to what is coming next. Who will survive. Who may be helping Coben. Who may be a copycat or possibly more. 

You learn a lot about what Ellery went through all those years ago. What Agent Reed went through. How cold blooded Coben truly is. You will mourn for what happened to these young women. Most just very young girls. Ellery was only fourteen when she was taken. Held for three days and tortured beyond belief. But she lived. She survived to help take Coben down. Her life was never the same after though. Everyone knows her and Agent Reed no matter where they go or what they do. 

You will feel the walls of the prison closing in on you as you read. The fire in the cabin bringing warmth even though it's in an evil place. The pain that someone feels when stabbed. The sorrow that a family feels when they are awaiting to find their long lost daughter. So much is going on in this book yet you never lose your way. You root for the good guys and wonder why this monster isn't dead yet. 

Then the unthinkable happens.....

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

4/5 stars. It lost one because I did figure out who was helping fairly quickly. And there was one question I had and never got an answer for. I do highly recommend this book and this author. It's so good. Edge of your seat good.

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: WHERE SECRETS LIVE by S. C. Richards

courtesy of Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley

2: THINGS WE DO IN THE DARK by Jennifer Hillier

courtesy of St Martins Minotaur Books

SOMEBODY'S HOME by Kaira Rouda

 

A quiet neighborhood. A lovely home. A promising new beginning. In a heartbeat everything can change in this propulsive novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Julie Jones has left her suffocating marriage. With her teenage daughter, Jess, she’s starting over. Their new house in Oceanside is the first step toward a new life. Even if it does come with the unexpected. The previous owners, a pastor and his wife, have left something—or rather someone—behind…

Tom Dean has a bitter hatred for the father who considers him a lost cause, and for the woman who’s moved into their family’s house. The only home he’s ever known. He’s never going to leave. She thinks he’ll be gone in three days, but Tom has the perfect plan.

For a newly single mother and her daughter, a fresh start is the beginning of a nightmare. Before the weekend is over, somebody is going to get exactly what they deserve.

MY THOUGHTS

This is my second book by this author. This one starts out with a pull you right in beginning and does just that. Though I am still wondering what happened to the person in the vehicle who rushed in to save the day. Could it have been the pastor's wife? I do believe it was...

This book is told from different POVs. Julie, Jess, Roger, Sandi, and Tom. Julie is married to Roger and they have a daughter, Jess. Julie left Roger and bought Sandi and Doug's house. Tom is Sandi and Doug's son. Actually Sandi's stepson but she loves him as if he was hers. 

This story is very complex but easy to follow. There is a whole lot going on. A group of teens who are busted for a beer drinking game that slams Jews and makes it look like they are Neo-Nazis. A stupid game that they should never have even known about. Should have got into too much trouble for. For playing and for drinking. Though teens are going to party so that part maybe was not the worse part. The Nazi game was horrid though. Then we have a husband who is arrested for being involved in a possible prostitution ring. Also a young man who is plotting something very sinister and horrible. Friends will turn their backs on each other. Parents are not there when they should be for their child. A priest who does bad things and thinks it's ok. Let's just sweep it under the rug and move on. A whole lot going one. But each person tells their story and why they do the things they do. Why they did the things they did. 

There is a lot going on. A lot of hurt. Hatred. Selfishness. Narcissistic people. Rich who think they can get away with anything. Mothers who will do anything to protect their children. Parents who are not always listening. This book takes a turn for the worse and you will have to buckle in and hold on tight. The feelings are very raw. The anger. The hurt. The horror. 

This book gave me a lot of feelings. A lot of tears for some of the characters. A lot of anger for some. Some I really didn't like and may have grown a tad fond of in the end. Sometimes it takes a drastic turn of events for a person to realize what they have. What they don't want to lose. But is it too late? Will things work out? 

Thank you #NetGalley, #KairaRouda, #Thoma&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

4/5 stars and I do recommend it. Be warned there is a lot going on. But it's so good.