The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea

Nicole Cutty and Megan McDonald are both high school seniors in the small town of Emerson Bay, North Carolina. When they disappear from a beach party one warm summer night, police launch a massive search. No clues are found, and hope is almost lost until Megan miraculously surfaces after escaping from a bunker deep in the woods. 
A year later, the bestselling account of her ordeal has turned Megan from local hero to national celebrity. It s a triumphant, inspiring story, except for one inconvenient detail: Nicole is still missing. Nicole's older sister Livia, a fellow in forensic pathology, expects that one day soon Nicole's body will be found, and it will be up to someone like Livia to analyze the evidence and finally determine her sister's fate. Instead, the first clue to Nicole s disappearance comes from another body that shows up in Livia's morgue that of a young man connected to Nicole's past. Livia reaches out to Megan for help, hoping to learn more about the night the two were taken. Other girls have gone missing too, and Livia is increasingly certain the cases are connected. 
But Megan knows more than she revealed in her blockbuster book. Flashes of memory are coming together, pointing to something darker and more monstrous than her chilling memoir describes. And the deeper she and Livia dig, the more they realize that sometimes true terror lies in finding exactly what you've been looking for. 

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie Donlea that I read and reviewed.
This was a very interesting book. I found it intriguing because it was told in both current and past time so you knew what happened and what was taking place as you were reading.
I absolutely loved the story and had no idea who the person was who took the girls until the author revealed it to the reader. I had my guess by a few clues and I was completely off base. 
This is an excellent book and I don't want to go into much due to spoilers but it will keep you in the edge of your seat until the end.
This book gets five out of five stars.

The Hangman (The Forgotten Files #3) by Mary Burton

Julia Vargas is a cop with a mission. When she’s not chasing down bad guys, Julia dedicates her time to investigating the Hangman serial killer…the same unsolved case that her father, Jim Vargas, was working on when he supposedly shot and killed himself three decades before. While rumors continue to swirl around her father’s death, Julia attempts to hunt down the truth.
The case once again hits dangerously close, however, when a woman’s bones are discovered in a historic downtown home, together with a photograph of Jim and Julia as a young girl. As horrifying as this discovery is, it may just be the break Julia has waited for. Working alongside Tobias Novak, a homicide detective with whom she shares a complicated—and steamy—history, she’s forced to confront her own past even as the Hangman looms in the shadows. But as the mysterious killer circles closer, Julia can feel her own noose begin to tighten…

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Hangman by Mary Burton that I read and reviewed.
I loved The Hangman because it kept me wondering who the killer was until the end. I absolutely love it when Burton makes the reader change their mind over and over about who they think did it and she did that to me a number of times in this book and I could not wait to get to the end to see who the Hangman was.
I also loved Julia and Novak as partners and as a couple in this book. They were a great match for each other and they added another great dimension to this story besides The Hangman case they were trying to solve. I honestly could not put this book down because I could not wait to see what was going to happen next. This book is packed with action and romance and it will keep the reader guessing. Another great book in this series and I hope their will be more to come because Burton seems to be slamming them out of the park with The Forgotten Files and especially with The Hangman.
I am giving this book five out of five stars.

No Easy Target by Iris Johansen

Margaret Douglas has worked hard to put her painful past behind her. Raised off the grid in an abusive home, her only escape was the nearby forest where she sought refuge whenever she could. There, in the peaceful woods, she discovered a strange gift: the ability to understand animals and to communicate with them. And so those creatures became her only friends, her only joy during a desolate childhood. Now Margaret wants nothing more than to live a quiet life, close to the animals and under the radar. But her abilities have not gone unnoticed and there are those who would use them for their own purposes. Determined not to be a pawn in anyone’s game, every time someone gets too close, Margaret uproots her life and outruns them.
When John Lassiter breaks into Margaret’s apartment, she vanishes again, but Lassiter has good reason to be persistent. As a CIA operative, he owes his life to his men , one of whom is being held captive by an unrelenting enemy—an enemy who has set his sights on Margaret. Which means that Lassiter must control her to use her as bait.
With danger in hot pursuit, Margaret finds herself matching wits with a man who refuses to stop or be stopped. Turning from the hunted to the hunter, Margaret must use everything she has ever learned to not only survive, but to defeat a great evil. And to prove once and for all that she’s no easy target.

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of No Easy Target by Iris Johansen that I read and reviewed.
This book is about one the characters that show up in Johansen's other books. This time the main focus is Margaret Douglas who has the unique ability to communicate with animals.
I really enjoyed Margaret having her own book because she is such a fascinating character but there was never not much said about her past so this book lets the reader get to know all about her. I also loved John Lassiter, the male character who Johansen matched her up with, because he was also a fascinating character who was the perfect counterpart for her.
This book was full of action and also a touch of romance so it had a little bit of everything in it and it definitely kept the reader turning the pages. Another great book by the wonderful Iris Johansen.
I am giving No Easy Target five out of five stars.

My Cubs: A Love Story by Scott Simon

No metaphor is necessary; the Chicago Cubs have been the living example of disappointment and failure for more than a century--until now. The Cubs' 2016 World Series win marked the end of a 108-year drought in the team's history, and Game 7 will forever be remembered as one of the most thrilling, monumental moments in sports history. 
For Scott Simon, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday and a lifelong Cubs fan, it was a moment he never thought he'd live to see. MY CUBS chronicles Simon's adolescence in Chicago as a die-hard fan to tell the story of the relationship between the team and the neighborhood and city, and how the condition of Cubness has both charmed and haunted the lives of so many fans. From theories and curses to jinxes and myths, Simon chronicles how a team of -loveable losers- inspired such fervor and dedication from their fans, and how their 2016 win transcended sports to become an underdog narrative for the whole nation.

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of My Cubs: A Love Story by Scott Simon that I read and reviewed.
I loved this book. It made me laugh and cry as a total Cub fan it was so awesome reliving the the World Series and even going through all the heart break through the years that brought the team to the top. I loved how Simon relived the years that he spent in Chicago and what it was like growing up a Cub fan and having family that worked for the team. 
This book was an insight to the team through the eyes of a true fan. How he saw the players, the team, the field, the wins, the losses, the idea of a curse and of course the Championship. This book is perfect for young and old because it will bring back memories and also introduce facts to younger Cub fans.
I am giving My Cubs: A Love Story five out of five stars.

Saving Mercy (Fatal Truth #1) by Abbie Roads

He's found her at last
Cain Killion knows himself to be a damaged man, his only saving grace the extrasensory connection to blood that he uses to catch murderers. His latest case takes a macabre turn when he discovers a familiar and haunting symbol linking the crime to his own horrific past-and only one woman could know what it means.
Only to lose her to a nightmare
Mercy Ledger is brave, resilient, beautiful-and in terrible danger. The moment he sees Mercy, Cain knows he's the one who can save her. He also knows he's beyond redemption. But the lines between good and evil blur and the only thing clear to Cain and Mercy is that they belong together. Love is the antidote for blood-but is their bond strong enough to overcome the evil that stalks them?

Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Saving Mercy by Abbie Roads that I read and reviewed.

This book was the first in a new series and it was pretty good. I was surprised by who the killer was and did not see it coming at all. Some aspects of the book were a bit out there like how Cain covered himself in blood from crime scenes to be able to see what happened. For me that was kind of strange but oh well.
I however, did like the romance between Cain and Mercy even though that was a strange pairing as well. The son of the the serial killer who looks just like his dad that killed her entire family, but hey if they can make it anyone can.
I am not going to get into the book much more due to spoilers but the series does show promise and I am giving the first book Saving Mercy four out of five stars.

One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline

On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He's applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he's ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable.
But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.
Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he's being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.
Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin's baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.
Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon's wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them. 
At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

 Review: Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline that I read and reviewed.
This book was one of the best books that I have read so far this year. When I started reading the book I thought it was going one way then suddenly it was going in a different direction and I was like WOW I loved how couldn't put this book down.
I fell in love with the character of Chris from the start. Even when I could not tell what he was up too I was in love with his personality, how he acted and pretty much everything about him. Then as the book moved on and I learned more about him I thought it was genius that the main character of this book was a male. It added something more to the story, I personally felt.
I also enjoyed the three families the book followed because they were all so real and so typical of what you would find in a regular high school and small town. Each one had their own problems and their own things that they were dealing with behind closed doors. All three boys were your typical high school athlete in some ways but in others had their own secrets they were hiding. 
I am not going to give anything away because of spoilers but I am going to say this is a must read. It had me guessing and I could not out it down. Truthfully, as I said a great read.
I am giving One Perfect Lie five out of five stars.