Sunday, March 29, 2020

The Dilemma by B.A. Paris Book Review

This is a book I was fortunate enough to win through a Goodreads giveaway. While this book started off a bit slow, for my taste, I gave it a chance and it turned out to be a pretty good read.

This story is about Olivia (Livia) and her husband, Adam. Ever since they were married, Livia wanted to have a fortieth birthday party as she didn't have the wedding of her dreams. Adam made sure that dream of hers came true. For the past twenty years, Livia had been planning her big party. They had two children, Josh and Marnie. There was a falling out with Livia's parents because Josh was born out of wedlock and they disapproved. They had Marnie after they were married, but neither of their children ever met Livia's parents. Though Livia tried to forge a relationship with her parents, it was to no avail. The day of her big party arrived and both Livia and Adam were keeping secrets from each other. Neither one of them knew that their world would come crashing down around their ears, so to speak. When Adam finally built up enough courage to tell Livia some devastating news, she made the assumption that Adam was going to tell her what she wanted to tell him. In Adam trying to tell Livia his secret, Livia blurted out that she already knew and a whole lot of confusion ensued. When Livia finally calmed down enough, Adam told her the news that would shake their family to its core. Adam held off on telling Livia the news because he wanted her to have her last few hours of happiness.

Give this book a chance ... it is a light read with some family secrets, the mending of a relationship between a father and a son mixed in with some good friendships.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

The Unwilling by John Hart Book Review

This is the first book I "won" via BookishFirst. This is a book that I had my eye on and when I started to read the excerpt, I didn't even have to finish it to know it would be a good read. I was not disappointed.

This story takes place during the Vietnam war era and revolves around the French family, parents Bill and Gabrielle, twin sons Robert and Jason, and youngest son Gibson (Gibby for short). Like his father, Robert joined the service and went to Vietnam. He did not return. Jason, his twin, decided to join and serve in Vietnam as well. The only difference ... Jason came home a broken man. Bill is also a member of the police force, so when Tyra is murdered all suspicions point toward Jason as he knew Tyra; as well, some suspicions were pointed toward Gibby because he also had a brief encounter with Tyra. Then, Sara, Tyra's roommate, goes missing. Also, suspicions were pointed heavily toward Gibby because he was seen with Sara. Enter Becky Collins, a girl who has had a crush on Gibby since sophomore year in high school. There is also Chance who is Gibby's best friend. There are also a couple of really nasty dudes, one simply referred to as X who is basically in charge of Lanesworth Prison where Jason ends up. Then, there is Reece who is apparently X's lawyer, but really is just a pawn in X's endgame as are the warden of the prison and a few of the guards.

At the heart of the story is a family who has been hurt by the war, a father who only wants to love and understand his son (Jason) and wants to also protect his younger son (Gibson). Gabrielle, the mother, always favored Robert and wanted only to protect her baby boy, Gibson, and wanted nothing to do with Jason nor did she want Gibby to have anything to do with Jason. Of course, Gibby has some conflicting emotions himself, to include anger at his father and his mother for shunning, so to speak, Jason, and he wanted to be involved in his brother's life.

This is a well-thought out and written story of what a family goes through in trying to understand each other through a time in our history that was not an easy one.

Due out June 23, 2020
St. Martin's Press

Thursday, March 19, 2020

She Who Lies by Alex Kane Book Review

I had the opportunity to download a copy of this book from Net Galley.

List of Characters:

Brenda Shaw - the matriarch of the family, Gavin and Eva's mother, who did what a "mother had to do" to protect her young son, Gavin.

Gavin Shaw - a young entrepreneur who started his own landscaping business when he was a teenager.

Eva Shaw-Laird - ignored by her mother for the most part throughout her childhood, or so she thought, married to Stevie Laird.

Stevie Laird - partnered up with Gavin in his landscaping business when he was a teen, married to Eva Shaw for the wrong reasons.

Carla Laird - Eva and Stevie's daughter, who became an advocate for  mental health issues.

Kate - Eva's long-time friend from teenage hood who suffered at the hands of another "friend." No one, including Eva, believed her.

Dawn - a bartender who stood up for Kate.

Anika - young lady who worked with Carla.

Rebecca - Anika's twin sister.

Jo - the reporter with the "inside scoop" on the Shaw/Laird family. Turns out she wasn't who she was thought to be.

Maureen - a background character, but one who also turned out to be someone else.

A mother's job is to protect her children. A family's job is to stick by each other ... usually, no matter what. But to what lengths would a mother/family actually go to even if the crime committed was unspeakable? Find out when you read this intertwining tale to see the answers and how just one lie, carried around for years, can destroy an extremely profitable company, but more importantly how two families were demolished when the truth finally surfaces. Some very intriguing twists are contained in the telling of this story.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

The One Night Stand by Carissa Ann Lynch

I had the opportunity to download this book from Net Galley. It is also the first book I have ever read by Ms. Lynch and let me tell you what ... she nailed it! If you like psychological thrillers with major twists then I highly recommend you give this book a read.

What would you do if you woke up with two dead people in your bedroom, one in your bed and one under your bed? This is exactly the situation Ivy found herself in. She had to hide these two bodies from her daughter, Delaney, so Ivy was grateful that Delaney was spending so much time with her father, Michael, his wife Samantha, and their two twin boys. Finally, Ivy had to include her best friend, Pam, in on the secret of what was going on ... Pam and Ivy have history that goes way back. Ivy had also accidentally backed into her neighbor, Fran, who ended up with a broken arm. In her attempts to apologize to Fran, they became friends in a strange sort of way, Ivy seeking a mother figure as her mom passed when she was a child and Fran was a lonely widow.

Ms. Lynch has this book so well written, going from "Now" to "Before" to childhood memories of Ivy. There are so many twisty turns involved ... oh, goodness! Just read the book!

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Fractured Truth by Susan Furlong Book Review

As a member of Ms. Furlong's review team, I had the opportunity to read "Fractured Truth."

Brynn, an ex-Marine, along with her dog, Wilco, find themselves back home in Bone Gap, Tennessee. Brynn is a member of a "clan" called the Pavees, or Travellers, but her own people tend to distrust her because she is working on the police force who they refer to as "settled folk." This causes her some turmoil, but she is only trying to do her job, that of solving the murders of two young girls, Maura and Addy, Maura being a Pavee girl. The Pavee people believe that justice is better served "clan style" and not by the police force. While looking for the second victim, an old car and some old remains are discovered. Brynn knows immediately who they belong to and is hoping that none of her past comes back to haunt her.

This book has just the right amount of intertwining stories to include two new murders, an old murder, hints of romance (old and new), teenage jealously issues, and the main character, Brynn, is forced to deal with some of her own demons. While this book is part of a series, one can certainly read it as a standalone. It is a fast read and will hook the reader from the very beginning, easily to be read within a day or two if one has the time.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Her Perfect Life by Rebecca Taylor Book Review

I was fortunate enough to have been able to download an early copy of "Her Perfect Life" from Net Galley.

Clare was born a Kaczanowski, but knowing that wouldn't sell books, even if she could sell books she authored, she changed her last name to Collins. Collins being the last name of her high school sweetheart. Clare was the first of four roommates to be published in a major newspaper to the shock of one of her roommates, Donna. Donna later went on to make a name for herself in the writing world. Through thirty-six books, Clare was a favorite of her reader base until her thirty-seventh book, which her readers did not particularly care for. Suffice it to say, she finally was brave enough to write her own truth. A truth that neither her husband nor her sister, Eileen, even knew about. Through this tale, Eileen was dealing with some truths of her own which are tightly woven into this story as well. Simon, Clare's husband, also was forced to deal with some truths that he knew existed but didn't really want to face. You'll have to read the book to see how all these tales come together as I don't want to give too much away.

I have to say that for a debut women's fiction novel/psychological thriller ... whatever genre you want to put this tale in ... Ms. Taylor has knocked it out of the park. She obviously has some raw talent for this kind of writing. This is the first book I have read of hers and, if she continues in this genre, she will, without a doubt, be able to hone her skills. After a good proof/edit, this book is one to be enjoyed if you like this genre.

Keep at it, Ms. Taylor. You will be a shining star, I think, in the psychological/thriller genre. Well done!

Sunday, March 1, 2020

The Diary of a Serial Killer's Daughter by L.A. Detwiler Book Review

This story is dark ... darker than anything I have ever read. Be warned.

According to the blurbs Ms. Detwiler has put out on Facebook, she wanted to explore the dynamics involved in being related to a serial killer. And, man-oh-man, did she accomplish that in spades. This book is written in diary form from the perspective of a daughter, beginning when she was a young girl on through when she was a teenager. Ruby, the young girl in the story, discovered her father went out in the middle of the night and she wondered why. She discovered a peephole in the garage ... the garage her father warned her to stay away from because it was dangerous. She always took "Daddy" at his word, staying away from the garage until she couldn't. She used the peephole to spy on "Daddy." What she discovered surprised her and mystified her all at the same time. In the end, she wanted to protect herself, wanted to understand "Daddy's" proclivities, wanted to protect him at all costs fearing she would lose him. This tale takes you on a journey you are not soon to forget. I am still "digesting" the story and how close to the truth it may really be.

Be warned, again, though ... it is a very, very dark tale.