Thursday, September 29, 2016

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

 

Summary from Goodreads:

How well do you know the couple next door? Or your husband? Or even—yourself?  

People are capable of almost anything. . . 
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
 

My Thoughts:

     When Marco suggests that the cancellation of their babysitter shouldn’t end their plans with neighbors, Anne is hesitant.  She really doesn’t feel comfortable leaving their six-month old home alone while they are next door eating dinner.  But with promises of baby monitors and thirty minute check-ins, Marco convinces her that everything will be fine.
     After a few to many glasses of wine and too much flirting with the hostess by Marco, Anne is done.  She heads home for one last check on her baby girl only to find the front door open and baby Cora gone.  Fear and guilt consume the parents instantly-who would do this?
     The Couple Next Door is full of twist and turns and will keep you reading! I read it all in one day because I just had to know what was going on.  The deeper you delve into the lives of those around little Cora the more secrets come out and the more you realize that you cannot trust anyone. Detective Rasbach definitely has his hands full with this group!
     Most of the characters are unlikeable for one reason or another so it was hard for me to root for anyone in this story.  Baby Cora was the only one whom I was really concerned about.  I also felt that somethings were put in to help the story along and then just…forgotten.  I don’t like that but it was more an annoyance than it was a story ruin-er.  This was, for the most part, a good thriller that will keep you guessing and reading!
3.5/5
 
*This was my September Book of the Month Club selection.
 

Monday, September 26, 2016

12 Steps to Mr. Right by Cindi Madsen

Summary from GoodReads:

12 steps to finding Mr. Right, composed by dating coach extraordinaire Savannah Gamble

1: Admit to being powerless over your attraction to the wrong type of guy. (Like Lincoln Wells, who broke your heart after an unforgettable one-night stand.)
2: Believe Mr. Right is out there.
3: Take inventory of past mistakes. (See step #1.)
4: Make a list of qualities you want in a man. (Avoid charming baseball players/reason you made these rules in the first place)
5: Take charge of your own life.
6: Learn to love yourself.
7: Sort the hookup guys from the relationship guys. (Avoid a painful brushoff after an amazing night together.)
8: Never, ever settle. (Even if the chemistry is off-the-charts.)
9: Don’t believe you can change a guy. (Once a commitment-phobe, always a commitment-phobe)
10: Communicate your needs.
11: Open your heart & love fully. (Still working on this one…)
12: Don’t ever, ever stray from the steps.
                                                                            

My Thoughts:

     Savannah Gamble has taken her sociology degree turned it first into a successful dating blog and now into a profitable business giving seminars and real life advice and dating practice runs to woman all over Atlanta.  Her professional life is going great. Dating life? Not so much.  First, her long term boyfriend takes off to Washington D.C. for a new job and doesn’t ask her to go with him or to even continue the relationship.  Next, Lincoln, the guy who broke her heart in college, is back…and wanting to be friends again!  Can she still give great dating tips when her own love life is such a mess????
     Linc has missed Savannah’s friendship since he has been gone pursuing his baseball career.  He really wants to reconnect with her and try to get back to where they were before now that his career is over due to an injury…he may even want more.  Has he really changes from Mr. No Commitment into Mr. Relationship?
     Savannah is a great female character with a great head on her shoulders and she can definitely hold her own around men.  She is smart and funny! I loved it when she confronted some of the smarmy guys some of her clients were dealing with during the dating seminar’s practice runs in the bar, Azure.  And Savannah’s best friend, Ivy, (who is also Linc’s cousin) is hilarious and a great counterbalance to Savannah’s follow-the-rules personality. 
     This is a fun book to read and would make a great start to a new series.  The characters are relatable and fun while still being real.  I wish that we had gotten into Linc’s head a bit more during his chapters in the book as I would have liked to get a better feel of him and his life.  There were occasions when all the dating advice got to be a little “too much” for me.  Although it seemed like great advice, I’m married so it wasn’t something I needed so it was overkill at times-maybe if I was single I wouldn’t feel this way.  Overall though this was a good romantic read with great potential for the start of a series!
3.5/5 stars

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Stroked Long by Meghan Quinn


Summary from Goodreads:


From his dirty-blond hair and breathtaking smile, to the abs from heaven and the irresistible V in his waistline, everything about Bodi Olympic-gold-medalist Banks screams hot piece of @$$.

Yet there’s more.

Dark shadows lurk behind his soulful, serious eyes.

I’m enamored. He’s captured me.

How can running an art foundation with Bodi Banks turns into a slow-burning, epic romance, even though he tries to push me away at every chance? How can I stay away from a broken, routine-driven man whose soul cries to be forgiven for a crime only he believes he committed? Or is that a lie?



 

My Thoughts:


     Ruby is a fun loving, optimistic, sassy, no filtered artist whose life may not be perfect but she feels that it is pretty great. Bodi Banks appears to be a standoffish, introverted Olympic gold medalist that she has always had a crush on.  Now they are working on a new project together that Bodi’s sister, Eva, started as a charity using their loves of sports and art.  Can Ruby work through her tongue tied crush and get to be friends with Bodi? Will he loosen up and let her in?

     Oh, Ms. Quinn, what have you done to me? Seriously? Giggles, tears, gut wrenching angst? WHY? Why don’t you like me? I’m a big fan…why must you hurt me so? Ugh.

     Ok, dramatic response over…..

     Ruby is such a great female character. She is funny, awkward at times, and just sassy and adorable.  I want to be friends with her! But Bodi? Oy, Bodi.  He’s broken, lonely and in need of a hug…and maybe some Double Stuff Oreos (they’re manly!).  This love story is so amazing that as I was reading it I already wanted more.  The chapters switch back and forth between view points and as I was reading I instantly wanted the same scene again but from the other side of it. 

      I don’t like to give spoilers so I don’t want to get into the storyline anymore but I just have to say that I flove this couple.  Just looking at the cover you might think this is just another sexy romance but it is so much more! This is a gut wrenching love story!  I was loving this story and their journey and was even a little sad to see it end.  If you want a great love story with LOTS of feels, read Stroked Long!

4.5/5
 
About the author:
Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!
 
















































 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Tuesday, September 20, 2016


We're so excited about the release of STROKED LONG by Meghan Quinn! 
STROKED LONG by Meghan Quinn
Scheduled to release: September 20, 2016

Sports Romance
Cover Designed by: Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae
BLURB:
From his dirty-blond hair and breathtaking smile, to the abs from heaven and the irresistible V in his waistline, everything about Bodi Olympic-gold-medalist Banks screams hot piece of @$$.

Yet there’s more.

Dark shadows lurk behind his soulful, serious eyes.

I’m enamored. He’s captured me.

How can running an art foundation with Bodi Banks turns into a slow-burning, epic romance, even though he tries to push me away at every chance? How can I stay away from a broken, routine-driven man whose soul cries to be forgiven for a crime only he believes he committed? Or is that a lie?

**STROKED LONG can be read as a stand alone.

GIVEAWAY:
$25 Gift Card


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4a501259574/?


ALSO AVAILABLE!

STROKED by Meghan Quinn
Released: July 19, 2016
Cover Designer: Murphy Rae

BLURB:
Reese King: Olympic medalist, underwear model, Greek god.

His body is chiseled from rock, sculpted by the weight room, and refined by water.

On a daily basis his skin is completely bare for everyone to see, tan and defined, only covered up by a minuscule piece of spandex. There is no denying his sex appeal.

I hate to admit it, but I’m head over heels infatuated with him.

There is one HUGE problem though. His achingly gorgeous abs, inked up arm, and cocky swagger belong to my boss, the high-profile, reality star bitch from hell and certified heinous human being, Bellini Chambers.

What I think is going to be an easy job assisting a glorified wench turns into a cluster f*ck of epic proportions.


About the Author:

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Meghan has grown into a sassy, peanut butter eating, blonde haired swearing, animal hoarding lady. She is known to bust out and dance if "It's Raining Men" starts beating through the air and heaven forbid you get a margarita in her, protect your legs because they may be humped.

Once she started commuting for an hour and twenty minutes every day to work for three years, she began to have conversations play in her head, real life, deep male voices and dainty lady coos kind of conversations. Perturbed and confused, she decided to either see a therapist about the hot and steamy voices running through her head or start writing them down. She decided to go with the cheaper option and started writing... enter her first novel, Caught Looking.

Now you can find the spicy, most definitely on the border of lunacy, kind of crazy lady residing in Colorado with the love of her life and her five, furry four legged children, hiking a trail or hiding behind shelves at grocery stores, wondering what kind of lube the nervous stranger will bring home to his wife. Oh and she loves a good boob squeeze!


Find me on Goodreads:

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Buy a Whisker by Sofie Ryan

Summary from Amazon:


     Things have been quiet in the coastal town of North Harbor, Maine, since Sarah Grayson and her rescue cat, Elvis, solved their first murder. Sarah is happy running Second Chance, the shop where she sells lovingly refurbished and repurposed items. But then she gets dragged into a controversy over developing the waterfront. Most of the residents—including Sarah—are for it, but there is one holdout—baker Lily Carter.

     So when Lily is found murdered in her bakery, it looks like somebody wanted to remove the only obstacle to the development. But Sarah soon discovers that nothing is as simple as it seems. Now, with the help of her cat’s uncanny ability to detect a lie, Sarah is narrowing down the suspects. But can she collar the culprit before the ruthless killer pounces again?

 

My Thoughts:


     Sarah runs her second hand shop, Second Chance, in the small town in Maine where she used to spend her summers with her grandparents.  Now she lives there full time and has help with around the store from all of her grandmother’s dearest friends.  Needless to say, she doesn’t need anyone else to mother her or nose in her personal business!

     The lovely little seaside town is in the midst of a controversy over a new waterfront development that is trying to revitalize their village.  Most everyone is for the development as it will be very financially beneficial to the town but there is one hold out, Lily and her bakery that is right smack dab in the middle of the future construction site.  Someone desperately wants both Lily and her building gone!

     There is quite a cast of characters in North Harbor, Maine! At the beginning of the book I was a bit confused when trying to keep everyone straight but after a few chapters I had it pretty much straight.  I liked Sarah, the main character, and loved the talk of her shop and of her redoing old furniture and other household items. 

     Also, all of the older grandma-like ladies in her life (Charlotte, Rose, Liz, etc.) were quite spunky and funny! The only thing that bothered me was I thought some of the Elvis the cat stuff was a bit hokey but I don’t mind allowing for a bit of the unbelievable when reading a good story. A cat that can detect when someone is lying? I’ve read a lot more unbelievable stuff!

     I used to read a lot of cozy mystery books but I haven’t in quite a while because a lot of them became immature and just too cheesy for my liking.  Buy a Whisker is definitely back in that genre but I enjoyed it quite a bit more than I thought I would!  The characters are fun and have just enough mystery still in some of their backgrounds that I would like to read more in this series and get to know them better.

     The mystery was not something I saw coming from the beginning which is always a plus for me.  I wasn’t necessarily surprised at the end but I was kept moving right along in the investigation with “Charlotte’s Angels” so it kept me reading and wondering-always important! If you like a good, cozy and light mystery with some fun background characters you will enjoy Buy a Whisker.
 

3.5/5 stars
 
 
*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Monday, September 12, 2016

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover


Summary from Amazon:


Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up—she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan—her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. Combining a captivating romance with a cast of all-too-human characters, It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.
 



My Thoughts:

     It Ends With Us is a very emotional, angst filled love story of Lily and Ryle and how love isn’t always enough to make a relationship work.  It is so hard to figure out how to explain and review this book without giving away anything that might spoil the story for future readers but I’ll try.

     Lily is 23 years old at the beginning of the story but through her looking back through her old journals we get to see her at 16 also and what she lived with at home that shaped her and her future relationships.  Trusting others, especially men, is not something that comes easy to Lily so when she meets Ryle at twenty-three and feels something instantly for him, she is surprised.  Ryle also has issues with getting close to others outside of his family and has never been in a relationship before, can they make it work with all of the dysfunction?

     I have to say that I liked Lily and hoped the best for her right from the beginning of the story but Ryle was another story.  We first meet him in the midst of a large, violent temper tantrum and considering he is in his late twenties this bothered me a bit.  It didn’t deter Lily from an attraction to him but it is many months later before they find each other again. 

     I must warn you that this is a very emotional story and although I couldn’t stop reading and wanting to know what would happen, it was sometimes hard to read.  I find Colleen Hoover’s books very well written but often VERY emotional and I know that some cannot handle that so, you’ve been warned.  I don’t think that I can tell you much else for fear of giving things away but if you are in for a wonderfully written but emotional read this is an amazing story from the side of things we don’t often hear or even want to listen to. 

4/5 stars
 
P.S. This book was the first selection in The Beaulitful Reads monthly online book club and also where I got the Brave & Bold watercolor picture above. Check out the group on Facebook
 
 
Author's site:
https://colleenhoover.com/

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by Helen Fielding


Summary from Amazon:


Move over, Bridget Jones’s diary:  She’s back, and this time she’s texting and tweeting. . . 

   Fourteen years after landing Mark Darcy, Bridget’s life has taken her places she never expected. But despite the new challenges of single parenting, online dating, wildly morphing dress sizes, and bafflingly complex remote controls, she is the same irrepressible and endearing soul we all remember—though her talent for embarrassing herself in hilarious ways has become dangerously amplified now that she has 752 Twitter followers. As Bridget navigates head lice epidemics, school-picnic humiliations, and cross-generational sex, she learns that life isn’t over when you start needing reading glasses—and why one should never, ever text while drunk.
       Studded with witty observations about the perils and absurdities of our times, Mad About the Boy is both outrageously comic and genuinely moving. As we watch her dealing with heartbreaking loss and rediscovering love and joy, Bridget invites us to fall for her all over again.

 

My Thoughts:


     I have always loved Bridget so I cannot believe it took me this long to read book #3 in the series!?! She is back and just as hilarious as ever…also just as unorganized and confused as ever! Most of the old clan is still here as well; Tom, Jude, Mrs. Jones, Cosmo & Woney, Jeremy & Magda, etc.  Shazzer is off living in Silicon Valley with her dot com millionaire husband! 

     I think we can all relate to some part of Bridget’s personality and I think that is why she is so loved.  Whether it is her fear of dying alone and being eaten by wild dogs, her worries about her career, her amazing abilities to procrastinate and then panic or her fear of being the worst mother in the history of parenting you’ve been there…at least once! Bridget cannot figure out the multitude of remotes, how to rewrite her screenplay, find something decent to wear, or ever get anywhere on time…who hasn’t had that problem?  Bridget is funny, pathetic, and triumphant and we all hope that we can scramble and bumble through life as she does and still come out happy in the end. 

     If the drunken tweets (twunks!) and the desire to have more Twitter followers don’t stress her out enough there is always something else.  Children to feed and screenplays to rewrite to include yachts and Sweden, plus a possible boy toy are added into the mix just to make things interesting.  I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read this one yet but Bridg is also dealing with grief and loneliness and many times I was brought to tears. 

Reading these books has always been a bit like talking to a good friend-suffering and laughing right along with her through all the mess that is life!  4/5 stars
 
 
 

Monday, September 5, 2016

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Amazon:
     In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

     In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

     Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with two new, unusual allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

 
 
My Thoughts:
     It has been 20+ years since I have read any Stephen King (yep, I’m that old) and I didn’t think that I would ever go back to reading his stuff as horror is not my thing. Then I heard about Mr. Mercedes’ trilogy.  Yes, the first book came out over two years ago but at least now the whole trilogy is out and I don’t have to wait!
     I am not much for gore or horror, in books or movies, but this is more thriller/mystery with a bit of police procedural thrown in.  I definitely enjoy those types of books and Mr. M did not disappoint.  I really enjoy all of the characters; Hodges, Jerome, Holly.  They all have such great personalities and depth-flaws and a sense of humor make some of the horrible and stressful situations bearable.
      Even Mr. Mercedes himself, who is completely unlikeable and a totally horrible person has moments of humor but OY, is her repulsive.  Frighteningly, you can see how Mr. King pulls from real life and really gets into the head of such sociopathic people.
     I really enjoyed the story, characters but was still slightly horrified (but not grossed out) by the mind of the criminal and his actions. I think this is exactly what Mr. King wants!  Mr. King, you are a sick and twisted man-I like you! J

Thursday, September 1, 2016

My August 2016 Reads

 
     For some reason I feel like August just went by in a total blur! I was busy but I don't know what I was doing and I also don't feel like I read much but I did read 7 books-that's not bad!!! 
     It was just an average month reading-wise with mostly 3-4 star reads but I did find some great thrillers and one was a 5/5! Woo Hoo! :)
 
 
            Valley of the Moon by Melanie Gideon: a strange historical Sci-Fi-ish read that missed the mark for me-see my review here. 2/5
 
Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich: I haven't always been a great fan of her "other" books (re: not Plums) but this was a fun little caper. See the full review here. 4/5



The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney: This one was being raved about but I just didn't like any of the characters-this is a big No-No for me! See my thoughts here.  3/5







Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner: Really great British police procedural mystery/thriller! See my full review here.  4/5





The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware: LOVED this! Best thriller I have read in a very long time-read it! Full review here. 5/5

P.S. Ms. Ware retweeted my tweet of the review and said it made her day-I may have squealed...



Booty Camp Dating Service by Debra Anastasia: A new romance series that has potential but needs some tweaks, IMO.  See full review here. 3.5/5





Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: my banned book pick for MMD 2016 Reading Challenge...wanted to like it as the writing is excellent but it is just so darn depressing.  Please don't hate me.  The full review is here.  3/5





Finally, coming soon....

 
It's been over 20 years since I've read Stephen King....stay tuned!