Revenge, death, deception... These
are the things Cyrus Dodd has to overcome if he is to give Ruth the
life he's promised her. The problem is he's got a prideful nature and
when a seemingly innocuous argument leads to a bitter feud with his
neighbor, his life changes forever. The plans he has falls by the
wayside and before he finds a way to fix it, he comes to understand the
meaning of regret.
In this early twentieth century family saga, two
men come up against each other--both are iron-willed and stubborn. One
will lose his farm; the other will lose his family. In a tale of
betrayal, murder and revenge two West Virginia farmers will discover
that being right does not necessarily mean being happy.
Believing he
has lost everything Cyrus Dodd is forced to start over. He promises Ruth
that this time it will be better, but the truth is he doesn't know if
it's a promise he can keep.
Review: I was given a copy of The Regrets if Cyrus Dodd for an honest review and this is my review.
This
book was a very good book about two very bull headed men whose bull
headedness and obsession with a feud over a pig almost destroyed one's
life and pretty much ruined the other's happiness.
Truthfully, I did
not like either men. I thought they were both acting like entitled
children and I would have been happy if they both would have been
miserable because to me they both were both acting like toddlers, but
that is not how the story was told. Cyrus had to give up his beloved
farm and in this book had all these regrets for what he did and what he
had to give up but he brought it all upon himself for not listening to
everyone and doing what he had to do to fix the problem that he caused.
As for Virgil he is nothing but a bully and he enjoys hurting people and
enjoys the power that he has over others so he brings the things that
happens to him on himself. No one likes bullies even back then and the
underdog will take his shots when he can even when he knows he going to
go down.
This book is about regrets, redemption and doing what you feel is right at all cost. I am giving it five out of five stars.
At age ten, Riley
Lambert watched helplessly as her sister was abducted from her bedroom.
Fifteen years later, she’s channeled the pain of her past into a career
as an FBI profiler. Riley devotes her life to bringing violent criminals
to justice…and secretly uses government resources to search for her
sister, who was never found.
When Riley gets a call from the only
man who’s ever swept her off her feet with a killer two-step and
dangerous smile—ex-Navy SEAL Thayne Blackwood of Singing River,
Wyoming—it stirs up dark memories. Thayne’s sister, Cheyenne, has been
kidnapped. There are no leads, and the only witness is the victim’s
Alzheimer’s-afflicted grandmother.
Desperate to find Cheyenne,
Thayne needs Riley’s expertise. With time running short, they delve into
dangerous small-town secrets while fighting against an increasingly
ruthless adversary. But when her past and his present collide in a
shocking revelation, can they overcome the secrets that have kept them
apart?
Review: I was given an ARC of Forgotten Secrets from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
I
can honestly say I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It
was full of action and had a very intriguing plot that kept me guessing
throughout the book.
I usually don't like books that have as many
active character points of views as this one had but for this book it
really worked and the author did an excellent job keeping the book
flowing without any problems or confusion.
As for the two main
characters Riley and Thayne I liked both of them. I mean what is there
not to like about a brilliant female FBI agent who can get into crazies
heads and a sexy Navy Seal who goes home to fill in as Sheriff to help
out when his Dad is sick? They are the perfect people to pair up in a
book.
Then when this story gets unravelled after they start to put
the pieces together on who took Thayne's sister this book starts to play
with your mind completely. The perfect recipe for a romantic suspense
book.
I am giving Forgotten Secrets five out of five stars.
Catriona and James are
desperate for children, and embark on an IVF program. After a gruelling
round of treatments, Catriona finally falls pregnant, and they donate
their remaining embryo anonymously.
Diana and Liam are on a waiting list to receive an embryo. Sooner than expected, they are thrilled to discover one is available.
After
a difficult pregnancy, Catriona gives birth to Sebastian. But severe
postnatal depression affects her badly, and quickly turns into deadly
psychosis. For her protection and her baby’s, she’s admitted into
psychiatric care. When she comes home, she again struggles to bond with
her baby, but gradually life finds its own rhythm.
Meanwhile, Diana has given birth to a beautiful little boy, Noah.
But when he is two months old Noah is abducted … and Diana and Liam’s nightmare begins.
Where is Noah?
Review: I was given an ARC of Claiming Noah from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
This
book had all kinds of twist and turns and interesting subjects that are
going to make the reader sit down and think about when they are done
with this book. The first one being is IVF an acceptable way to get
pregnant? The second who is the legal parent of a child that is born
from an embryo? The ones who conceived the baby or the ones who gave
birth to the baby? These are just a few topics that are addressed in
this book that grabs the readers attention from the start and takes the
reader on a journey full of all kinds of surprises until the very end.
I
really don't want to get into the plot very much for spoiler reasons
but I will say this book had my mouth dropping in shock in a number of
spots. So if you like edgy books with a bit of controversial topics this
is a good read for you.
I am giving Claiming Noah five out of five stars.
Wildlife biologist Mac
Barrett avoided his hometown of Scarlet Falls for years—too many bad
memories. But when he receives the news that his father is dying, he
rushes home only to discover he’s too late. Shaken, Mac retreats to his
remote cabin seeking peace and solace. Instead, he crashes his jeep to
narrowly avoid running over the naked body of a woman lying in the road.
Even more disturbing, when he regains consciousness, the body is gone.
Police
detective Stella Dane wants to believe Mac, even if his story about the
vanishing body seems far-fetched. But when Mac’s description matches
the missing woman she’s been searching for, it raises a disturbing
question: How does a dead body disappear?
Mac and Stella will
have to work together to find the answer and catch a psychotic
kidnapper—and quickly. The killer has a deadly message to send, and the
case is about to become personal…
Review: I was given an ARC of Seconds to Live from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
This
was the third book in the Scarlet Falls series and it can be a stand
alone book even though it does refer to some things that happened in
previous books it really does not give anything away. However, I
personally would recommend to read the books in order so you get the
entire feel of the series the way the author meant for it to be read and
I can honestly say it has been an excellent series and well worth
reading it in its entirety.
Now for my review of Seconds to Live. I
really enjoyed Stella and Mac's story and their pairing as a couple in
this series. She is the person who saw beyond the "show" he was putting
on for his family and saw there was more to Mac then he was letting on. And man was there more when he came clean and let Stella and his family know
he had been working for the DEA and not just avoiding the family in the
rainforest observing otters. As for Mac he was always running from
commitments and his family until he realized they needed him and wanted
him around and he could not get Stella out of his head. Needless to say
these two had sparks flying off them throughout the book.
As for the
mystery part that was also interesting. A person was taking people who
had prior drug habits but had been clean for some time and for some
reason was killing them and making it look like an OD. Stella has a
number of suspects from a husband who seems to abuse his wife to a skin
head who has a problem with women in authority. With Mac's help will she
be able to figure out who her killer is before he kills his third
victim who is also a very close friend of hers who she has taken under
her wing and has been helping or will they be too late?
I am giving Seconds to Live five out of five stars.
All Detective Mason Callahan wanted was a quiet fishing trip with the guys—a chance to get away and unwind before Halloween.
Until
he finds the body of his boss, Denny Schefte, near their remote Oregon
cabin. Now all he wants is to catch the sadist who slit Denny’s throat
and covered his face with a mask. Mason was the last person to see him
alive and will stop at nothing to find his friend’s murderer.
When
the FBI learns of the mask left at the scene, they realize they have a
serial killer on their hands—one who is targeting cops. They assign the
case to Special Agent Ava McLane, despite her engagement to Mason.
Barely recovered from her own nearly fatal injury and her sister’s
attempted suicide, Ava hopes she is ready to chase another killer.
But as she delves into the increasingly disturbing case, the killer may be closer than expected—dangerously close.
Review: I was given an ARC of Targeted from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
Targeted
was another excellent book by Kendra Elliot and the fourth book in her
Callahan and McLane series. Even though this is part of a series it can
be read as a stand alone. It does make references to the previous books
but does not give any true spoilers about who the killers are so none of
that will be ruined for you just some other plot parts might be ruined
by not reading the books in order.
As for this book the dynamic duo
of Mason and Ava are back to try to find another crazy killer and this
time the killer is hitting close to home. His victims are cops and his
first victim was Mason's beloved boss who he killed right under Mason
and three other cop's noses while they were away on vacation together.
What kind of killer does that? Then to make things interesting he covers
his victims faces with a mask from a villain from a horror movie.
Because Mason is a witness he can't officially be part of the case so
that leaves it up Ava and a talented task force to try to figure out who
is after these officers and why and who will be next? With the body
count raising and a false confession will Mason and Ava figure out who
is doing the killing before someone else dies?
I also loved that this
book let us learn more about Ava and her sister's relationship and more
about her childhood. It was nice getting to know Ava better. It also
touched on Zander a bit more so it was nice seeing more of him.
Overall,
this book had it all, an in depth look at the characters in the series
and a great mystery. I am definitely giving it five out of five stars.
All children’s book
illustrator Claire Turner ever wanted was to be a mother. After six
years of trying to conceive, she and her husband, Josh, have finally
accepted that she will never be pregnant with a child of their own.
Yet
once they give up hope, the couple gets the miracle they’ve been
waiting for. For the first few months of her pregnancy, Claire and Josh
are living on cloud nine. But when she begins to experience debilitating
headaches, blurred vision, and even fainting spells, the soon-to-be
mother goes to the doctor and receives a terrifying diagnosis. Since any
treatment could put their unborn baby’s life at risk, the Turners must
carefully weigh their limited options. And as her symptoms worsen,
Claire will have to make an impossible decision: Save her own life, or
save her child’s?
Review: I was given an ARC of Saving Abby from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
Saving
Abby is another excellent book by Steena Holmes that takes her reader
on an emotional journey that they will not soon forget. I went from
laughing to crying while reading this book and felt a number of emotions
in between.
As a reader I don't know what I would have done in
either main characters shoes. In Josh's case I know I would have been
angry the love of my life may die if she did not get the treatment she
needed right away. But, I am not sure how I would handle the pregnancy
knowing that is what may kill her. Even though we both wanted the baby
so badly. Would I resent my wife for keeping the baby and risking her
life and blowing up our perfect life for unborn child? Or could I accept
her choice and know she may die but at least if all goes well I will
have the child we created together when she is gone?
Then there is
Claire she finally gets pregnant after being told it will never happen
and then she hears oh btw you have stage 3 brain cancer and you can't
get treatment because you are expecting. Knowing you gave up one child
and how badly you wanted this child an abortion is not an option and
this may kill you and your husband resents it you decide to wait and see
what happens. Would I choose my unborn baby over my life, maybe?
These
are the things these charters are dealing with and it is their
emotional journey that you go on. Saving Abby is an emotional ride that
will make you laugh and cry. I am giving this book five out of five
stars.
At the grisly murder
scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum’s past
roars back to haunt her. When she was a teenage runaway, she was
kidnapped, drugged, and left unconscious on the streets. She has no
memories of what happened, only strange recurring dreams of two men
playing cards.Former FBI agent Clay Bowman, Riley’s old flame,
is Shield Security’s newest member. He’s plagued by the unsolved case of
a serial killer nicknamed the Shark who murdered girls as part of a
sadistic poker game. Only one girl survived. With the Shark now bent on
evening that score, Clay has a chilling suspicion: Riley is the girl who
escaped the Shark’s deadly amusement—and she is his next prey.
As the Shark gets ready to play his hand, can Riley and Clay stop him—or will this killer finally claim the one who got away?
Review: I was given an ARC of The Shark from NetGalley for an honest review and this is my review.
Mary
Burton was definitely on her game with The Shark, her first book in her
new series, and if this book is any indication of what we as readers
have to look forward to with the Forgotten Files I can't wait for more.
This book had it all: romance, suspense, murder and a few twist that
most people will not see coming, in short it was the whole package for a
great summer read.
I loved the characters Riley and Clay. I also
liked the fact that they had a bit of history with each other as well so
this was sort of a second chance book for them to get together as a
couple. As for the idea behind the story I found that intriguing as
well, using young women who live on the streets as stakes in a poker
game. If you win the game the girl lives, if you loose she dies. What a
twisted way to play poker and a brilliant idea for a book. Years ago
Riley was the only girl who lived in a game against the Shark and now he
is back and wants the one who Lady Luck thought fit to let go. Clay and
Riley work together to make sure that this time the Shark and cards
don't have a different outcome for Riley this time around.
I am giving The Shark five out of five stars.
