Sunday, May 31, 2015

Fatal Reaction (Paramedic Anneliese Ashmore Mysteries #1) by Belinda Frisch

During a slow night on duty, paramedic Ana Ashmore drives past a crime scene at the shabby Aquarian motel--a scene that, strangely, wasn't broadcast on her first-responder's radio. Curious, she stops to help and quickly realizes why she'd been excluded from the call. Her sister, Sydney, has been found dead of an apparent suicide. But why would Sydney kill herself after fighting a triumphant battle against cancer?
As the police get to work, Ana decides to launch an investigation of her own. Sydney's soon-to-be ex-husband certainly had a motive to murder her, and while the police focus on him, Ana makes a startling discovery: a chain of e-mails between Sydney and her surgeon that brings into question Sydney's diagnosis and the life-altering treatment that followed. With the help of Dr. Jared Monroe, who has his own troubling connection to the surgeon in question, Ana uncovers a ring of corruption and greed. As the two dig deeper, they develop a complicated attraction. Can they survive their attempt to expose a dangerous deception and avenge Sydney's murder?





Review: I was given a free copy of Fatal Reaction from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
I enjoyed the plot and storyline of this book but for me it was told by too many perspectives. I was getting lost at times trying to keep who each person was separate so I could keep track of what was going on. For me one or two perspectives are enough when you add more then that it information overload that could be given without adding all these other main voices to the mix to add confusion.
I did look like the story and would read another by the author just to see if I get use to the writing style or if it get tighter as she writes more. I am going to give this book three out of five stars because the story was great but it did have a lot of extra going on that had me looking back to refresh my memory about who characters were and that was a bit annoying.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

In such a small community as the Falkland Islands, a missing child is unheard of. In such a dangerous landscape it can only be a terrible tragedy, surely...When another child goes missing, and then a third, it’s no longer possible to believe that their deaths were accidental, and the villagers must admit that there is a murderer among them. Even Catrin Quinn, a damaged woman living a reclusive life after the accidental deaths of her own two sons a few years ago, gets involved in the searches and the speculation.
And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise.
But three islanders—Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum—are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: all three of them are grieving, and none of them trust anyone, not even themselves.
In Little Black Lies, her most shocking and engaging suspense novel to date, Sharon Bolton will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.





Review:  I was given a copy of Little Black Lies for an honest review from NetGalley and this is my review.
All I can say is this is one of those books that keeps you guessing until the very end and when I say the very end I mean the very end. The last twist that was revealed had my mouth dropping open and my mind spinning. I will not give any spoilers away but this book had me guessing the entire time and I loved it.
If you are into suspense books that are told from different perspectives and leave the reader guessing this book is a must read. I am not going to get into the plot because I don't want to give away any part of the story I am just going to say I was not sure about this book at first but it turned out to be an excellent story. I also found the parts about the wildlife and military conflict on the island the book took place on interesting information that just added a little something extra to the story.
I am giving this book five out of five stars and highly recommending it for other readers who enjoy a good mystery.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

They might’ve been a family. 

Virginia finally had the chance to explore a relationship with Aaron when he asked her on a date. She had been waiting, hoping that the widower and his young son, Buddy, would welcome her into their lives. But a terrible tragedy strikes on the night of their first kiss, crushing their hopes for a future together.
Nineteen years later, Virginia is engaged, though she has not forgotten Aaron or Buddy. When her dog goes missing and it comes to light that her fiancĂ© set him loose, a distraught Virginia breaks off the engagement and is alone once again. A shy young man has found the missing pet, and although he’s bonded with the animal, he answers his conscience and returns the dog. Before long, Virginia and the young man discover a connection from their pasts that will help them let go of painful memories and change their lives forever.





Review:  I was given an ARC of Worthy from NetGalley for an honest review so this is my review.
I can honestly say I did not get into this book as much as I have gotten into others from this author. For some reason I did not connect with the story content or the characters in this book. Maybe because so many version of this story, a woman's love dies and she pines for him for the rest of her life, have been done with minor twists on how the woman deals with the loss have been written they just don't have the impact on me the storylines use to have. Yeah, this one had a bit of a twist that I can't go into because of a spoiler but it was not enough to have the kind of impact I am use to getting from a Catherine Ryan Hyde book.
Overall, I was looking for more then a topic that has been over written. I wanted something new and fresh and something that I would still be thinking about when put this book away for the last time and unfortunately this book did not have that impact on me and I guess that I a curse when your readers get use to those kind of books. I am going to give Worthy three out of five stars.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

You Can't Escape by Nancy Bush

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE 
The branding iron glows in the moonlight as he presses the searing metal into his victim’s flesh. She must wear the devil’s sign, just like the others. He knows the curse that afflicts them—and he’ll make sure they carry it to their graves… 
IS BELIEVING 
When investigative reporter Jay "Dance" Danzinger is nearly killed in a bomb blast, journalist Jordanna Winters senses a career-making story. Together they can find out who’s responsible. But as their investigation uncovers a string of unsolved murders, each body branded in the same way, Jordanna realizes that Dance isn’t the only one in danger. 
YOU COULD EVER GET AWAY… 
Small towns can hold big, dark secrets. Deep in Jordanna’s troubled past is the key to a killer’s terrifying mission—to purge the guilty one by one, burning their flesh to free their souls. And her turn is coming, as he prepares to make his mark once more…





Review:  I was given an ARC of You Can't Escape from NetGallery for an honest review so this is my review.
I have read a number of book in this "series" by Nancy Bush and this is this first one that it took almost the entire book for me to really get into it. For some reason this book seemed to jump around way too much and have more going on then really needed to be going on. There were three cases that were being dealt with at one time and sometimes the jumps from subject to subject just did not flow as smoothly as I would like to see. I hope this gets taken care of before the final version hits the stores but if not I think the book needs to flow a bit better with some of the transitions.
Now for the mysteries. I was not that impressed with the part about the bombing and who did it and that entire storyline. It was a good way to get Max and Jordanna together but other then that I really felt it was only in the book to tie the Rafferty link and series into the book because it really wasn't needed. As for the missing girl, the branded body and the "family curse" I loved that and that part of the book kept me guessing and I really wish Bush would have spent more time with that part of the book and gone a lot deeper with that story because that alone would have been an excellent read but there was not enough meat on that bone to take that part of that book alone to that next level. Then the final mystery, the bones in the closet, is more or less the tease to the next book so we just had a small taste of that, but not sure if it had to be in the main book to add more to a book with a lot going on already.
Overall this book was worth the read but for me it would have been a lot better if it did not pack so much in it. Sometimes more is not better and it is because of this I am giving You Can't Escape four out of five stars.

Monday, May 18, 2015

Navigating Life with Multiple Sclerosis by Kathleen Costello, Ben W. Thrower, Barbara S. Giesser

Navigating Life with Multiple Sclerosis will serve as a practical guide for meeting the challenges of this life-long disease. MS may cause a myriad of symptoms and varies greatly from person to person. The authors demystify MS and offer practical solutions and guidance based upon their extensive combined clinical and research experience. The book tackles many of the common symptoms experienced by the person with MS and looks into the future to explore where research is headed. If you are newly diagnosed or have been living with MS for years, this book is an invaluable guide.





Review:  I was given an ARC of this book for an honest review from NetGallery and this is my review.
As a woman with MS I found this book insulting and not very helpful at all. I felt like the authors either were spending their time dumbing up the illness for the reader or trying to make themselves sound smarter then they really are. Whatever way they were acting from chapter to chapter or topic to topic I just wanted to tell them to just stop and act more down to earth. Some of the things that were said in this book I really question because they go against what I have been told by my doctors and have read in other publications epically about the benefits and need of lumbar punctures for diagnosis purposes. I had had a lot of problems with a number of things in this book. It was almost like the authors wanted to write a book about MS and get everything in so they glossed over everything and by doing so they took a serious topic and dumbed it up, put in stupid antidotes and jammed it all in a 200 page book that ended up a big hot mess.
I am only giving this book two out of five stars because I know for a fact there are better publications about MS available for people to read.


Saturday, May 16, 2015

Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkne

Behind every lost dream lies a second chance…
When adored town spinster Joy Talley ends up in a coma after a peculiar accident, she is surprised and incensed to hear what is being said in her hospital room, including plans for her funeral. When she finally wakes, her well-meaning, but bossy, brothers and sisters dismiss her claims, thinking her accident has knocked her off her rocker, but Joy has never felt better, and is determined to set the past right.
Now Joy must face her darkest secret and risk reopening wounds caused by an old flame who rejected her more than twenty years ago. But taking risks brings change, as well as a new, younger man into Joy’s life, making her feel like a teenager again. Suddenly Joy’s once humdrum life is anything but boring and routine and the future beckons, exhilarating and bright.






Review:  I was given a copy of Waking Up Joy for an honest review and this is my review. I really don't know what to think or feel about this book. There were parts where I found myself laughing out loud and other parts I was asking myself why am I still reading this book? First off I felt that the secret Joy was keeping was dragged on way to long and it was getting to the point where I just wanted the book to end to put that secret out of my misery and then when it did come out I felt like it could have been done a bit better with the huge build up to it. Then Joy herself was such a wishy washy character by the end of the book I really did not like her at all. I find myself like strong female characters and Joy was everything but one and I wanted her to go far far away by the end of the book. The concept of the story was good and the overall plot was okay but for me this book lacked the IT factor that I look for in book that grabs my attention and holds it throughout the entire story and that is why I have to give Waking Up Joy three out of five stars.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Ashes of Life by Erica Lucke Dean with Laura M. Kolar

Married for just three months, Alex Barrett is stunned when her husband, David, dies in a tragic accident. And the absolute last thing the pregnant young widow wants is to take on responsibility for his teenage daughter, Maddie. Reeling from loss, Alex struggles to deal with her grief and her troubled stepdaughter, but one question haunts her: why was David with his ex-wife when he died?
All Maddie Barrett wanted was for her parents to get back together, but an icy road took that dream away. Afterward, Maddie is riddled with guilt that she can’t share with anyone. Feeling angry and alone, she lays all the blame on Alex. 
Alex and Maddie must find a way to move past their pain—shared, yet separate. Thrown together in an untenable arrangement, they fight through a frozen landscape of sorrow and redemption while redefining love, forgiveness, and family.





Review:  I was given a copy of Ashes of Life from NetGallery for an honest review and this is my review.
I absolutely loved this book. At first I wanted to slap the spit out of Maddie because she was such a big brat but as her character evolved throughout the book and she grew up and learned how to deal with her grief she became a very strong character that reader had no choice but to respect. Alex was also another character that the author was able to grow throughout the book so the readers could feel a true connection to her and feel her pain and her happiness.
This book was well written and the depth of the characters was outstanding. I loved the storyline and the characters interaction and how real it felt. This book had bit of everything from romance to parenting drama. I would highly recommend it and am giving Ashes of Life five out of five stars.

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs

When Tsara Adelman leaves her husband and two young children for a weekend to visit her estranged uncle, she little dreams he is holding several local children captive on his lavish estate. Mike Westbrook, father of one of the boys, kidnaps her to trade her life for the children’s. Soon Tsara and Mike are fleeing through New Hampshire’s mountain wilderness pursued by two rogue cops with murder on their minds.





Review:  I was given a copy of Wrong Place, Wrong Time from NetGallery for an honest review and this is my review.
I found this book very intriguing and intresting. Mike kidnapped Tsara because her uncle and his associates kidnapped his son and group of other children because a debt was not paid back and this book centers around Tsara's short time with Mike and then what happens after the ordeal is over. (Not going there due to spoiler information). However, for the first time in a long time I was really connected to one of the not so perfect people in the book. I really liked Mike better then Tsara and any of the other charters in the book and even though he was a good guy doing something bad for the love of his child he is still doing the bad thing and not painted totally perfect for he is doing by the author so the reader has the right to choose if you agree with what he is doing or not. I love him or hate him kind of thing.
Overall, this book for me made me choose sides and I think other readers may feel same way. If they want to look at things in shades of gray and not just black and white. Both characters Mike and Tsara were both well developed and great and the rest of the supporting cast of the book added to the depth of the story. This is one of those books one has to make up their own minds on. I was all for what Mike did and was glad I did not have Tsara's family has my own. She knew what her uncle was able to do so in my mind she really should not have been shocked about what he did.
With that said I am going to give this four out of five stars because there were a few loose ends not taken care of.

Friday, May 8, 2015

The Bones of You by Debbie Howells

A stunning, wonderfully assured psychological thriller that evokes Gillian Flynn and Alice Sebold, The Bones of You revolves around a young girl’s murder and one woman’s obsession with uncovering the secrets in an idyllic English village.

I have a gardener’s inherent belief in the natural order of things. Soft‑petalled flowers that go to seed. The resolute passage of the seasons. Swallows that fly thousands of miles to follow the eternal summer.

Children who don’t die before their parents.
When Kate receives a phone call with news that Rosie Anderson is missing, she’s stunned and disturbed. Rosie is eighteen, the same age as Kate’s daughter, and a beautiful, quiet, and kind young woman. Though the locals are optimistic—girls like Rosie don’t get into real trouble—Kate’s sense of foreboding is confirmed when Rosie is found fatally beaten and stabbed.

Who would kill the perfect daughter, from the perfect family? Yet the more Kate entwines herself with the Andersons—graceful mother Jo, renowned journalist father Neal, watchful younger sister Delphine—the more she is convinced that not everything is as it seems. Anonymous notes arrive, urging Kate to unravel the tangled threads of Rosie’s life and death, though she has no idea where they will lead.
Weaving flashbacks from Rosie’s perspective into a tautly plotted narrative, The Bones of You is a gripping, haunting novel of sacrifices and lies, desperation and love.





Review:    I was given an ARC of The Bones of You from NetGallery for an honest review. This is the review.
I am so lost about what to say about this book and where to go with this review. I will not give out spoilers so don't expect much on the content because if I go into the plot very far I will end up giving a spoiler so this will be a general review so I don't spoil the book for the next reader.
So here goes. I had a bit of a problem with the writing style for this book because I found it a bit choppy. There were places that for me had unnatural jumps that had me lost for a brief moment and I wish that the entire book flowed naturally. But that it just something that personally bothers me and may not get on the next person's nerves.
As for the plot I loved it and hated it. I had mixed emotions about it. Sometimes I enjoyed reading Rosie's (the victims) point of view from "the other side" other times I found her information absolutely worthless and would have liked to have know more about the crime or something that she realistically would have known. The rest of the plot was well thought out and even though I figured out who the killer was I loved how the story was put together to try to keep the reader guessing.
I would like to give this book a 3.5 star rating but that is not an option and a three is too low so I am going go with four out of five stars for this book just based on how well the plot was.
 

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Your Next Breath (Catherine Ling #4) by Iris Johansen

Catherine Ling is one of the CIA’s most prized operatives. Raised on the streets of Hong Kong, she was pulled into the agency at the age of fourteen. If life has taught her anything, it is not to get attached, but there are two exceptions to that rule: her son Luke and her mentor Hu Chang. Luke was kidnapped at age two, and now, nine years later, he has astonishingly been returned to her. Catherine vows never to fail him again. Now, just as she is building a relationship with Luke, it seems that someone from Catherine’s past is playing a deadly game with her, and using those she cares about as pawns. Three are dead already: the former prostitute who helped Catherine when she was out on the street, a CIA agent with whom she worked closely, and the informant who helped her free Luke. Someone is picking off the people Catherine cares about one by one, with the circle narrowing closer and closer to those she loves the most. Catherine has made many enemies throughout her life, and she has no choice but to weed through her past to find out who is targeting her now, and then go after the vicious killer herself.






Review:  Another excellent book by Johansen. Your Next Breath was one of those books that was excellent from start to finish. I absolutely loved how so many of Johansen's characters were in this book like Eve and Joe from the series who are a part of their own series and then of course Catherine Ling who was the main character of the series this book was a part of. The interaction of the two series and how at the end Johansen set up the next Eve Duncan book was brilliant.
Now for this book itself I loved it. It sent me through the emotional ringer when I thought Eve was going to loose Jane. (I won't say more for spoilers reasons). I also loved the new side of Catherine we saw in this book, a softer side where she is not so alone. Then Cameron, what can one say about Cameron? You want him and Catherine to give into the passion but it is so much fun to watch them fight the attraction. This book had it all.
The plot had action, suspense, cat and mouse games and teasers for the next book. Everything you could ask for in a great book. I am giving this book five out of five stars.

Monday, May 4, 2015

Spiraled (Mason Callahan #3) by Kendra Elliot


FBI Special Agent Ava McLane solves crimes; she doesn’t witness them. When she’s trapped in a mall without her weapon as a shooter picks off victims, she hides with a wounded teen and prays for her survival.
But that’s only the beginning…
An epidemic of mass shootings has swept across Oregon. The young shooters terrify the public, committing random murders before taking their own lives. The task force assembled to solve the case—which includes Ava’s boyfriend, detective Mason Callahan—remains stumped. And on top of this chaos, Ava’s troubled twin sister reappears, throwing Ava’s already-tumultuous life into a tailspin.
An old-fashioned cop with a strong sense of duty, Mason struggles to find the cause of the shootings as workaholic Ava spins ever closer to breaking down. But can one detective save the lives of countless innocents—and prevent the woman he loves from going over the edge?





Review:  I was given an ARC of Spiraled from NetGallery for an honest review and this is the review.
Spiraled had me hooked from the first shots at the start of the book and it held my attention until the very end. I absolutely adore this series by Kendra Elliot and even though the books can be stand alones I would recommend you read them in order because they all fit together so nicely.
This book about shooting that take place in public locations and the most recent one happens in the mall where Ava is at drawing her into the drama with the shooter. Then Mason is put on the task force to look into the crime so our favorite crime fighting couple in this series is involved in this case and before the end of the book the end up on a wild ride that test Ava's mental stability and the strength oh their relationship. I was not able to put this book down it was so excellent. I have been waiting for it to come out and it was worth the wait and so much more. I am not going to give spoilers but this is a must read for the summer. It is packed with action from the first scene and it does not let up throughout the book. I really hope Elliot add more books to this series. I have loved the characters and every book so far.
With that said I am going to give Spiraled a five out of five stars rating and a strong suggestion to read this series. You will not be disappointed if you enjoy romantic suspense.




Friday, May 1, 2015

Summer on Lovers' Island (Jewell Cove #3) by Donna Alward

Lizzie Howard's life is close to perfect, until her father's death brings her world crashing down around her. With her reputation and heart in tatters, she reluctantly agrees to temporarily take over her best friend's practice in scenic Jewell Cove, Maine—a position that's a world away from the high pressure career she once loved.
Josh Collins is no stranger to pain. After losing his wife, he moved home looking to start over. One of two doctors at the town clinic, his sleepy coastal practice is just what he needed. Until Lizzie Howard arrives. Lizzie is everything Josh wanted to get away from: brash, ambitious and not interested in a quiet life in a quiet town. But as the sparks fly between these two doctors, they realize that sometimes opposites really do attract.





I was given an ARC of Summer on Lovers' Island by NetGallery for an honest review so here is my review. This is the first book I have read in the series so I did feel a bit lost in the back story of the family members even though this is a stand alone book I would have enjoyed reading the two previous books. As for Josh and Lizzie's story this was a sweet romance that was well written that had the reader cheering for the couple the overcome the hurdles the kept throwing in front of themselves. This was a sweet romance book that had a main couple that the reader had no choice but want to see get together in the end. I am not going to get into spoilers so all I am going to say is if you enjoy books with two strong minded characters who are afraid to commit and admit what they have just may be a good thing this would be a great book for you to read.
I am going to give this book for out of five stars. I would have liked it to have moved a bit faster but other then that I really enjoyed the story and will look for from this author.