Dead in the Water
WOWZA!!!! This is how you do it!!!! John Mars has knocked off my socks, left me with my mouth handing open and completely thrilled by Dead in the Water!!!! Have you read The Good Samaritan??????? If not, I highly recommend reading that addictive thriller before taking a deep dive into Dead in the Water!!!! Woohoo!!!! I love this book. It is addictive, thrilling, shocking, and off the hook! I did not want to put this book down. John Marrs always delivers with his unique and well thought out plots. He hit it out of the ballpark with this book. I was instantly drawn in by Damon and how he survived a near drowning. That is scary enough – I mean, can you even image what that must have been like????? But the dead boy he sees can’t shake that image. He can’t let it go and won’t stop trying to get to the bottom of the identity of the dead boy…… Holy Moly! I loved how the tension and suspense built as the book progressed. There are many layers to this book and the characters. Don’t get me started on the twists!!!!!! Talk about reading induced whiplash!!!! I’m serious, this book took me on quite a wild ride that had me experience several emotions and then WHAMO John Marrs brought back a blast from the past!!!!!!!! Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, thrilling, riveting, pulse pounding, and hard to put down! Highly Recommend! Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
His Next Wife
Gripping, thrilling shocking, mysterious and hard to put down! D.K. Hood wowed me once again with His Next Wife! This book proved to be a captivating and fast read which had me turning the pages and trying my best to figure out what was happening currently and what happened in the past. D.K. Hood always manages to keep me on my toes with her wonderful writing, addictive plots, intriguing characters, twists and turns and shocking reveals. Willow and Jack have a whirlwind relationship and fall over heels in love. They marry fast and when Willow moves into Jack’s massive home, she not only learns quite a bit about his late wife but learns that Jack has quite a few secrets. As Willow begins to look high and low for the truth about what happened to Jack’s previous wife, she finds that strange things are beginning to happen. D.K. Hood always delights, and I enjoyed this book and the intriguing plot. I began to suspect whodunit toward the 60% of the book but enjoyed how everything unfolded and enjoyed the reveal. D.K. Hood has proved that she can write stand-alone novels in addition to her addictive and riveting series. I can’t wait to read what she writes next! Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
We Burned So Bright
I’m not crying, you are! No, it’s me, I’m totally crying right now. Once again T.J. Klune has caused my heart to swell before breaking it with his beautiful yet flawed characters and earth-shattering prose. In just 176 pages, T.J. Klune took me and his characters on a journey as a long-time married couple go on a journey as the world is about to end. This book is achingly beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking, raw, powerful, and emotion evoking. Don and Rodney are a married couple who have been together for 40 years. They have been through a lot during their life together. But now as a blackhole is about to swallow the Earth, they make one last journey together as they attempt to make it from Maine to Washington State. Along the way, they encountered many people. What would you do if you knew the end of the world was coming? How would you behave? What choices would you make. Living is a journey, loving is a journey, being a parent is a journey, being a friend is a journey, growing old is a journey. In short, we are all on a journey as we live and grow and in We Burned So Bright, T. J. Klune took me on a journey, and I savored every page! If you have not read a book by T.J. Klune before, what are you waiting for? I love how he depicts human nature – the good, the bad, the in-between. Plus, his insight into relationships, friendships, and found family is a joy to read. Not to mention that T.J. Klune is such a gifted and talented writer/author. I savor every word, every page, and as the tears began to fall, I once again marveled at his storytelling. Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
She Made Me Do It
WOWZA! Talk about a thrilling, gripping, shocking, page turner!!!!! She Made Me Do It had my attention from the very first page and never let go! I was completely immersed in the plot, finger crossed and doing my best to figure out what was going next! This book was like being on a wild, adrenaline filled roller coaster ride! This is the ninth book in the Dan Riley series but will work perfectly as a stand-alone novel. Whew! What a book. I loved the mystery, the tension, the suspense, the not knowing when the other shoe was going to drop! Imagine meeting someone who you become fast friends with. Someone who is fun, engaging, and makes you feel good. Imagine that you would do anything to help your friend when she is in need. That someone is Samantha Valentine! Erin and Samantha become close friends, and Erin does something to save her friend and her friend vanishes, leaving Erin in a heap of trouble! Detective Dan Riley is a great character. He is intelligent, diligent, hardworking, and open-minded. When he takes on a case, he is like a dog with a bone, unwilling to let go until he figures things out. This book was beyond addictive. It is my favorite one in the series! I loved the pacing, the tension, the twists, the reveals, the suspense, and the HOLY CRAP twist that had me picking my jaw up off the floor. Holy Moly! If you have not read this series before, you are seriously missing out! As I mentioned earlier, this book works perfectly as a stand-alone. It’s wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and hard to put down! Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
More Than Enough
Polly Goodman is an English teacher who belongs to a book club that does not discuss books! How unique and just what the book club members need. It is a place where the women share about what is going on in their lives. Polly and her husband desperately want a baby, and Polly is struggling with IVF. When she is given an ancestry test kit as a joke, it becomes no laughing matter when she is paired with a stranger! Anna Quindlen has always impressed me with her writing and her insight into human nature and relationships. While More Than Enough was not my favorite book by this author, I still enjoyed it and the themes in the book. The themes consist of marriage, friendship, mother-daughter relationships, secrets, motherhood, disappointment, dreams, hope, love, and family secrets. The characters are likeable, flawed, relatable, and easy to root for. In More Than Enough, Anna Quindlen gives readers insight into Polly’s life. It is well written and well thought out. Again, not my favorite by this author, but still a worthwhile read. 3.5 stars Thank you to Random House and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Righteous
Well written, well thought out, moving, and informative historical work of fiction about Hungarian Jews and their plight during the holocaust. So many were killed, so many were lost, so many lives cut short, so many tales to tell. The Righteous is set during World War II in Budapest. It tells the tale of loss, of survival, of betrayal, of hope, of heroism. This book is about efforts made to save as many lives as possible. While this is a moving story, it also felt like a history lesson. The author used his characters to tell the history of what happened in Hungary during the war. I felt for the characters, rooted for them, learned some history, and was moved. I enjoy books that not only teach me things but also cause me to feel strong emotions. This book did just that. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dead in the Water
WOWZA!!!! This is how you do it!!!! John Mars has knocked off my socks, left me with my mouth handing open and completely thrilled by Dead in the Water!!!! Have you read The Good Samaritan??????? If not, I highly recommend reading that addictive thriller before taking a deep dive into Dead in the Water!!!! Woohoo!!!! I love this book. It is addictive, thrilling, shocking, and off the hook! I did not want to put this book down. John Marrs always delivers with his unique and well thought out plots. He hit it out of the ballpark with this book. I was instantly drawn in by Damon and how he survived a near drowning. That is scary enough – I mean, can you even image what that must have been like????? But the dead boy he sees can’t shake that image. He can’t let it go and won’t stop trying to get to the bottom of the identity of the dead boy…… Holy Moly! I loved how the tension and suspense built as the book progressed. There are many layers to this book and the characters. Don’t get me started on the twists!!!!!! Talk about reading induced whiplash!!!! I’m serious, this book took me on quite a wild ride that had me experience several emotions and then WHAMO John Marrs brought back a blast from the past!!!!!!!! Wonderfully written, well thought out, dark, thrilling, riveting, pulse pounding, and hard to put down! Highly Recommend! Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK | Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
His Next Wife
Gripping, thrilling shocking, mysterious and hard to put down! D.K. Hood wowed me once again with His Next Wife! This book proved to be a captivating and fast read which had me turning the pages and trying my best to figure out what was happening currently and what happened in the past. D.K. Hood always manages to keep me on my toes with her wonderful writing, addictive plots, intriguing characters, twists and turns and shocking reveals. Willow and Jack have a whirlwind relationship and fall over heels in love. They marry fast and when Willow moves into Jack’s massive home, she not only learns quite a bit about his late wife but learns that Jack has quite a few secrets. As Willow begins to look high and low for the truth about what happened to Jack’s previous wife, she finds that strange things are beginning to happen. D.K. Hood always delights, and I enjoyed this book and the intriguing plot. I began to suspect whodunit toward the 60% of the book but enjoyed how everything unfolded and enjoyed the reveal. D.K. Hood has proved that she can write stand-alone novels in addition to her addictive and riveting series. I can’t wait to read what she writes next! Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
We Burned So Bright
I’m not crying, you are! No, it’s me, I’m totally crying right now. Once again T.J. Klune has caused my heart to swell before breaking it with his beautiful yet flawed characters and earth-shattering prose. In just 176 pages, T.J. Klune took me and his characters on a journey as a long-time married couple go on a journey as the world is about to end. This book is achingly beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking, raw, powerful, and emotion evoking. Don and Rodney are a married couple who have been together for 40 years. They have been through a lot during their life together. But now as a blackhole is about to swallow the Earth, they make one last journey together as they attempt to make it from Maine to Washington State. Along the way, they encountered many people. What would you do if you knew the end of the world was coming? How would you behave? What choices would you make. Living is a journey, loving is a journey, being a parent is a journey, being a friend is a journey, growing old is a journey. In short, we are all on a journey as we live and grow and in We Burned So Bright, T. J. Klune took me on a journey, and I savored every page! If you have not read a book by T.J. Klune before, what are you waiting for? I love how he depicts human nature – the good, the bad, the in-between. Plus, his insight into relationships, friendships, and found family is a joy to read. Not to mention that T.J. Klune is such a gifted and talented writer/author. I savor every word, every page, and as the tears began to fall, I once again marveled at his storytelling. Thank you to Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
She Made Me Do It
WOWZA! Talk about a thrilling, gripping, shocking, page turner!!!!! She Made Me Do It had my attention from the very first page and never let go! I was completely immersed in the plot, finger crossed and doing my best to figure out what was going next! This book was like being on a wild, adrenaline filled roller coaster ride! This is the ninth book in the Dan Riley series but will work perfectly as a stand-alone novel. Whew! What a book. I loved the mystery, the tension, the suspense, the not knowing when the other shoe was going to drop! Imagine meeting someone who you become fast friends with. Someone who is fun, engaging, and makes you feel good. Imagine that you would do anything to help your friend when she is in need. That someone is Samantha Valentine! Erin and Samantha become close friends, and Erin does something to save her friend and her friend vanishes, leaving Erin in a heap of trouble! Detective Dan Riley is a great character. He is intelligent, diligent, hardworking, and open-minded. When he takes on a case, he is like a dog with a bone, unwilling to let go until he figures things out. This book was beyond addictive. It is my favorite one in the series! I loved the pacing, the tension, the twists, the reveals, the suspense, and the HOLY CRAP twist that had me picking my jaw up off the floor. Holy Moly! If you have not read this series before, you are seriously missing out! As I mentioned earlier, this book works perfectly as a stand-alone. It’s wonderfully written, well thought out, gripping, and hard to put down! Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
More Than Enough
Polly Goodman is an English teacher who belongs to a book club that does not discuss books! How unique and just what the book club members need. It is a place where the women share about what is going on in their lives. Polly and her husband desperately want a baby, and Polly is struggling with IVF. When she is given an ancestry test kit as a joke, it becomes no laughing matter when she is paired with a stranger! Anna Quindlen has always impressed me with her writing and her insight into human nature and relationships. While More Than Enough was not my favorite book by this author, I still enjoyed it and the themes in the book. The themes consist of marriage, friendship, mother-daughter relationships, secrets, motherhood, disappointment, dreams, hope, love, and family secrets. The characters are likeable, flawed, relatable, and easy to root for. In More Than Enough, Anna Quindlen gives readers insight into Polly’s life. It is well written and well thought out. Again, not my favorite by this author, but still a worthwhile read. 3.5 stars Thank you to Random House and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Righteous
Well written, well thought out, moving, and informative historical work of fiction about Hungarian Jews and their plight during the holocaust. So many were killed, so many were lost, so many lives cut short, so many tales to tell. The Righteous is set during World War II in Budapest. It tells the tale of loss, of survival, of betrayal, of hope, of heroism. This book is about efforts made to save as many lives as possible. While this is a moving story, it also felt like a history lesson. The author used his characters to tell the history of what happened in Hungary during the war. I felt for the characters, rooted for them, learned some history, and was moved. I enjoy books that not only teach me things but also cause me to feel strong emotions. This book did just that. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
