Phantom Limb by Lucinda Berry Book Review

 

Emily and Elizabeth (identical twins) did not have the best upbringing. To say their mother was cruel would be putting it mildly. One day, Social Services finally stepped in and took the girls from the mother, placing them with the Rooths. A couple who solely wanted to love the girls and see them flourish. With the girls’ background, it is no wonder they had all the difficulties they did. The Rooths, though, stuck by them, taught them what they needed to know, raised them into adulthood. Emily was the more loving of the twins, Elizabeth was the standoffish one and who could blame her, really? Then something happens and Elizabeth finds herself waking up in a hospital, having to face her demons. The twist though … the twist is what we keep reading for, keep waiting for.

Ms. Berry, as a clinical psychologist, I am certain has run into such cases and brings that touch of realism to her writing. I cannot even begin to imagine some of the horrors some folks are faced with in real life. This one has a twist that I sure didn’t see coming … and it hits you so subtly.

Friends Like These by Kimberly McCreight Book Review

 

I was fortunate enough to receive a gifted copy and am providing a review.

A bachelor party that is more than a bachelor party. There is an intriguing group of characters found within the pages of this story. They all met at Vassar and have carried a shared secret for the past ten years or so along with more secrets and deceits they have racked up singularly throughout those same years.

Jonathan – the friend who always wants to help everyone, unconditionally. His Peter fiancé who has a huge secret of his own.

Keith – the gallery owner as well as drug-addicted friend everyone wants to help.

Stephanie – the lawyer friend, because every story needs a lawyer.

Maeve – the shy friend.

Derrick – the friend with a bad temper that he keeps hidden away from everyone. He also has a secret crush on someone.

Finch – Keith’s successful artist client. No one wants to include him in their close-knit group, though he keeps superficially trying.

Crystal – she’s another drug addict, not remotely in the group, but an integral part of the story.

Alice – the friend who has been dead for many, many years but no one seems to be able to shake her memory because of their own guilt.

Detective Julia Scutt – the officer assigned to the case. There is also the underlying story of Jane (Detective Scutt’s sister) and Bethany (Jane’s best friend).

I actually read this book twice … and will probably read it again at some point in the future, even though I know what happens. The way these stories are intertwined will keep one guessing and the ending is quite a surprise. On my second reading, though I know what happened, I wasn’t sure exactly how the events transpired to get there. If you like a story told from multiple perspectives, with a couple of different story lines intertwined, a story full of lies and deceit, I am certainly you will enjoy this one. There may even be just the tiniest hint of romance thrown in for good measure.

Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby Book Review

 

This is the first book I have read by Mr. Cosby and it will not be my last.

This story takes you on the journey of Beauregard, a man who is trying to do right by his family. He was headed down the wrong path in life when he righted himself. Opened an autobody repair shop. Like, the “common” working man, he found himself in a heap of financial trouble. He found himself making the wrong decisions for the right reasons.

This is a book that we all can relate to, finding ourselves strapped with finances that are seemingly unmanageable. Some of us, like Beauregard, make the wrong decisions for the right reasons. There is a lot of truth in this book. Just reading it, you can tell it comes from a place of knowledge, a place of heart. This is definitely going back on my shelf to read again.

Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry Book Review

 

I had no idea what to expect from this book as I didn’t read the blurb. It’s a Lucinda Berry book so it has to be good, right? This is a deeply intense, kinda dark one.

This is the story of Noah, a smart kid, a good kid from the outside looking in. He did something that he felt guilty about and withdrew into himself until he couldn’t take it anymore and confessed to his mom. That started a sequence of events that seemed to take off like a freight train. He ended up in a juvenile psychiatric institution to get him the help he needed. There is also the fact that his family became so disjointed his mom moved out of the family home to an apartment where Noah could stay when he was released. His dad, Lucas, wanted nothing more to do with Noah after his confession. Lucas happened to harbor a deep-seated secret of his own. Katie, the seven-year-old sister in this story, just wanted her big brother home and her family together. 

I have to say that this is the second book I’ve read that has led me to shed a few tears. This book explores what it is like to have a family torn apart by a son’s actions that he could not control. This book explores the deep-seated honest emotions of what “real” people would probably feel in the same situation. This book explores a mother’s unconditional love for her son, but on such a level that she did the one thing, the one thing he wanted, to help him through his emotional suffering.

Trigger warnings: Pedophilia, suicide.

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson Book Review

 

Picture from Ms. Jackson’s web site.

I have had a copy of this sitting in my NetGalley account for a while now and why I waited so long to read it, I have no idea. I read “Never Have I Ever” by Ms. Jackson and thought it was good, but hands down “Mother May I” is so much better. Kind of dark, kind of twisted … the kind of thing I like to read. 

The Cabbat family was seemingly happy until the darkest secret possible surfaced. Bree came from poor and humble beginnings in life. She finally met Trey, a rich guy, when she was in college harmlessly strolling through a museum for a theater assignment. They ended up married with three beautiful children. Little did Bree know that Trey was holding a long-lost secret until one day her world fell apart. The path she had to go down to right her world again was a dark one. She had no idea why one of the worst things a mother could endure happened to her, but she soon found out. Enter Marshall, her long-time friend, who also married her best friend, Betsy. (Betsy was a police officer shot in the line of duty.) Little did Bree know Marshall harbored feelings for her that he chose to suppress, but he helped her right her world again.

With all the twistiness, the darkness, the sadness, the happiness, mistakes from the past creeping into the present … this one is sure to keep you reading well past your bedtime.

Her Secret Son by Hannah Mary McKinnon Book Review

 

I found this to be a page turner and would have finished it sooner if I didn’t have a day job. This book starts out with a seemingly innocent fall on some icy steps, but that fall led to Grace’s death, leaving behind her partner, Josh, and her son, Logan. Josh met Logan when he was two years old and, by rights, became his dad. After Grace’s death, Josh began uncovering some secrets Grace had been harboring all throughout their relationship. All he needed was Logan’s birth certificate and he couldn’t find it, which was a surprise to him because Grace was a meticulous recordkeeper. This trail led Josh down a path in search of answers, but would he find what he was looking for? His quest led him to a small town of Faycrest where a couple of unsolved crimes had been committed. While he was welcome by most of the small-town folk, some strange events happened to make him believe he was being watched … leading him down yet another path to find answers, but again … would he find the answers he needed? 

Ms. McKinnon nailed this one! This book will take you on some unexpected twists and turns until the truth is revealed. I think you’ll find yourself rooting for Josh, as a newly single dad doing all he can to find the truth and do what’s right by Logan. Lisa (Josh’s sister) and Ivan (Josh’s long-time friend) are also integral characters in this tale.

Corruptacy by Don VanLandingham Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Jeffrey Allan is a forensic accountant who works for the EOUST, or the Executive Office of United States Trustees. In short, he is sent out to review the accounting systems of different individuals and/or businesses to be sure their recordkeeping is on the up-and-up, so to speak. In this quite entertaining story, you would never believe the trouble he finds himself in. Who knew forensic accounting could be so dangerous at times? He also finds himself reunited with one of his old friends, Eddie Cruise (lovingly known as “Fast Eddie”), who helps him solve a pretty big case, uncovering many of the bad guys and saving a situation that could have had deadly consequences. Jeffrey also relies heavily on his now wife, Rebecca, and his faith in God which is all tied together in the end.

While I in no way understand accounting on such a grand level, I did find this story to be quite entertaining. The one thing I really enjoyed is Mr. VanLandingham’s writing style. It is as if he is in the room telling you a story. The reader can certainly tell that this story came from his heart. If you are looking for a quick read and have often found yourself thinking how “boring” accounting is, give this book a shot. I think you’ll find that accounting isn’t that “boring” after all.