From Grace to Hell

LUCY GRANT

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, 2019.

How acquired: Via NetGalley.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: This book is horrible. I rarely write bad reviews, especially for newly published books or debuting authors. But all the other reviews on Amazon - all five of them - are five star reviews. I can only assume the reviewers are either friends of the author, or pseudo reviewers who trade glowing reviews for free books. So I feel honor bound to warn others.

Since I got my copy via NetGalley it may be an ARC, and you have to make allowances for some editing errors in those. But even an uncorrected proof should not be this bad. On one page, in the space of three short paragraphs, the word “walked” appeared five times. She walked to the table...she walked outside...he walked out, then walked back in, then walked out again. Too much! And that’s just one example.

The premise is interesting, if a little far fetched. It’s what made me want to read the book. Grace has worked in her grandfather’s feedlot since she was a teenager, and supervises his ranch hands. (Though I find it hard to believe her claim that her name was on more contracts than her grandfather’s when she was fifteen. In what state can a fifteen year old sign contracts?) Grandpa dies and leaves her money, but leaves the ranch and all his business to her brothers, because she needs to get off the ranch, go to college and get married. So she contests his will on the grounds that she was excluded because she's a woman. Except throughout the book it’s referred to as “protesting” the will. Well, maybe in the state she lives that is the legal term but when I googled “protest will” everything came up as “contest”. But what do I know.

I pretty much hated Grace. I get that she was terribly upset at the way her grandfather (who I also hated) screwed her out of his will, but good god, that's no reason to act like a spoiled child. I hated the way she used Mason. She admits to herself over and over that she is using him and expresses guilt, but then she just continues to use him. And I'm not a prude, I have no problem with characters cussing, but the nasty things Grace and  her brother yelled at each really turned me off. Again, there's no reason to act like a spoiled child. 

There are sooooo many other things I could point out but suffice it to say the book obviously has not met an editor, and desperately needs to. It’s only 99 cents for Kindle, but the paperback is $10, and if I had paid $10 for this drivel I would be demanding my money back. Plus punitive damages.

And that interesting premise? At the end of the book is a twist in grandpa’s will, that just ruined the whole premise and made everything pointless. And then there's another twist, that was also pointless.

Goodreads synopsis: Lawsuits, rivalry, revenge... Welcome to the family.Grace has always been a fighter. As single woman running one of the most successful cattle ranches in the country, she's had to deal with surly ranch hands, crooked lawyers, jealous siblings... It's a full time job, but that hasn't stopped Grace from enjoying some no-strings-attached fun with a smoking hot country boy who's madly in love with her...Then tragedy strikes. Grace's grandfather passes away, and her entire life is turned upside down. Adam, her power-hungry brother, inherits the ranch, and kicks Grace off the property. The young woman soon finds herself in the fight of her life, as she struggles preserve what she's built, and maintain her grandfather's legacy.As the ranch suffers from Adam's corrupt mismanagement, their legal battle takes a dark turn into threats and violence. Grace refuses to back down, and she's willing to use every dirty trick in the book to protect what's hers...But when she pushes her conniving brother too far, will another tragedy rock her family?Get ready for a romantic thriller packed with shocking twists, edge- of-your-seat suspense, steamy sex, and a surprise ending you'll never see coming.

Sleepers

LORENZO CARCATERRA

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Arrow Books, 1996.

How acquired: Via BookCrossing.

First line: I sat across the table from the man who had battered and tortured and brutalized me nearly thirty years ago.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts: The kind of book where you don't really want to say you enjoyed it, given the subject matter and the fact that it's nonfiction (although I've read some dissenting views regarding that, but more on that later), but it was definitely captivating. And during the part of the book set at the Wilkinson School for Boys, a nice way of saying juvenile detention center or reform school, there were times when I felt anxious and dreaded the next few pages. I don't think a book has ever done that to me before.

We meet Lorenzo “Shakes” and his three best friends when they are all around 11-14 years old (if I'm remembering correctly). The author tells us how the four became fast friends while living in Hell's Kitchen, and takes us through a lot of their escapades, up until the fateful practical joke that lands a passerby in the hospital. Up until then it's almost a warm amusing memoir of schoolboy antics. But it definitely takes a very dark turn when the four boys are sent to Wilkinson. From there we follow the boys as they are abused by the guards, physically, emotionally and sexually. Those are some of the scenes that gutted me, and were hard to read at times.

Once the boys are released, we jump into the future, and follow the boys, now men, as two of them kill one of the former guards, and the other two devise an elaborate plan to tilt the trial in their favor and convince a jury to find the killers not guilty. I understand the deep friendship that led to this, but considering the two who killed the guards have killed others before that, and probably went on to kill others after that...well, it's a shaky moral line to be straddling.

Usually after I read a book that's also a movie, I like to watch the movie. This one, I'm not so sure I want to see these events played out in front of me. Although, Brad Pitt and Jeffrey Donovan! 

Shakes grows up to become a journalist, and his writing is superb, with the words flowing across the page. He has quite a few other books in his backlist, fiction and nonfiction, and I plan to keep an eye out for them.

After the book's release, there was a lot of debate about whether or not it was in fact a true story, with naysayers claiming there was no record of any court case/trial like the one in the book. True or not, the book is worth reading. You can find a New York Times article here.

Goodreads synopsis: Sleeper (colloq.): 1. out-of-town hit man who spends the night after a local contract is completed. 2. A juvenile sentenced to serve any period longer than nine months in a state-managed facility.

This is the story of four young boys. Four lifelong friends. Intelligent, fun-loving, wise beyond their years, they are inseparable. Their potential is unlimited, but they are content to live within the closed world of New York City's Hell's Kitchen. And to play as many pranks as they can on the denizens of the street. They never get caught. And they know they never will. Until one disastrous summer afternoon. On that day, what begins as a harmless scheme goes horribly wrong. And the four find themselves facing a year's imprisonment in the Wilkinson Home for Boys. The oldest of them is fifteen, the youngest twelve. What happens to them over the course of that year -- brutal beatings, unimaginable humiliation -- will change their lives forever. Years later, one becomes a lawyer. One a reporter. And two have grown up to be murderers, professional hit men. For all of them, the pain and fear of Wilkinson still rages within. Only one thing can erase it. Revenge. To exact it, they will twist the legal system. Commandeer the courtroom for their agenda. Use the wiles they observed on the streets, the violence they learned at Wilkinson. If they get caught this time, they only have one thing left to lose: their lives.

SLEEPERS is the extraordinary true story of four men who take the law into their own hands. It is a searing portrait of a system gone awry and of the people -- some innocent, some not so innocent -- who must suffer the consequences. At the heart of SLEEPERS is a sensational murder trial that ultimately gives devastating, yet exhilarating, proof of street justice and truly defines the meaning of loyalty and love between friends. Told with great humor and compassion, even at its most harrowing, SLEEPERS is an unforgettable reading experience. 

Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four

JOSH VENKATARAMAN AND BARBARA VENKATARAMAN

Stats for my copy: PDF, 2019.

How acquired: Gifted to me by Barbara Venkataraman

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

My thoughts:  I had never heard of the Groveland Four until this book. Of course, I don't live in Florida or even very near Florida, so maybe that isn't too surprising. Actually, there are a lot of things I've never heard of, especially since I cut the cable cord and no longer have CNN. But that's not really relevant here.

The Groveland Four were four young black men falsely accused of rape by a white girl in 1949. Two were convicted and imprisoned, two were murdered before they could be convicted – one by a lynch mob, one by a crooked sheriff. After reading “Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America”, by Gilbert King, for a class, Josh Venkataraman was inspired to step up and try to help seek justice for the Groveland Four and their families. After reading his book, I admire Josh very much!

The book is only about 80 pages long (at least the PDF version I read anyway), but covers a lot of ground. Josh takes us step by step through the ever changing process of setting up a petition, getting signatures, gaining support, all in hopes of clearing the names of the four boys and providing their families with some peace of mind. Along the way he inspired others to join the fight. This was an interesting read, and while justice eventually prevails, it still saddens me that this incident in Florida's history happened in the first place. And unfortunately I'm sure there were similar incidents happening all around the country, where justice did not and never will prevail.

The writing flows easily, and I loved the friendship that developed between Josh and Carol, the daughter of one of the four. She was just a baby when her sixteen-year-old father was incarcerated, though she didn't find out what actually happened until much later in life. But how horrible to have to grow up with your father taken away, and then learning he never should have been taken away in the first place.

An inspiring and ultimately heartwarming account of what can be accomplished with a lot of hard work and perseverance.

Goodreads synopsis: This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we?

***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent. 

Deadly Deceit (Harbored Secrets, Book Two)

NATALIE WALTERS

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2019.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

First line: In the face of small-town news, all creativity left Vivian DeMarco.

My thoughts: I loved the first book in this series so much, I was very excited to get this second book, and I think I may love it even more. Though if I went back and read the first book again, I might love it more. Maybe. I love both of them! And such beautiful covers!

We met Vivian, a hard hitting investigative journalist, in the first book. I don't remember her being the most likable person in that book, but at the end she showed she was a decent person by killing a story that could have hurt Lane, the heroine. Now we learn that that decision cost Vivian her job, and she is back in Walton, working for the local paper. She's not thrilled to be there, but it's just a stepping stone to a job at a larger paper down the road. We also met Deputy Ryan Frost in the first book. A computer hacker genius, he's being headhunted by practically every agency out there – FBI, CIA, along with private security firms. But he's finding it hard to make a decision when it means leaving Walton – and his mother and sister, who he's taken care of ever since his father abandoned their family.

The mystery was very interesting and quite different than I've come across before, involving cyber crimes, blackmail, and murder. Vivian's boss, Harold, who had become a friend and mentor, dies in the first chapter, seemingly from an allergic reaction but later determined to be murder. With his last words he tells Vivian to find Lauren, and that becomes her mission. She doesn't know who Lauren is or what Harold's interest in Lauren is, but she is determined to track her down, and to figure out who killed Harold, as are Ryan and the rest of the police force, and of course they bump heads.

Vivian and Ryan are both wonderfully written characters, both of whom come with a lot of baggage. There's a lot of internalizing, which I love. Ryan is being pulled in different directions, and feels that if he takes a job somewhere else he will be abandoning his mom and sister, just like his dad did. Vivian has her own father/abandonment issues, and feels unworthy of, well, anything that can bring happiness. She's resisted putting down roots, resisted the friendships offered her in Walton, and resists the idea of falling in love with Ryan. It was quite heart warming to watch them each grow as their values change (or at least Vivian's do), and even though the story takes place over a relatively short period of time there was nothing rushed about their relationship and the way it progressed.

I love Ms. Walter's writing, and as with the first book I was completely drawn in from the first few pages and very invested in the outcome. This book can be read as a standalone but I would urge readers to not skip the first book. And I will be eagerly awaiting the next book!

Goodreads synopsis: Independent and tenacious journalist Vivian DeMarco is back in Walton, Georgia, for one reason -- to do her job and get out. When her boss suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, Vivian's only hope for finding the truth -- and the next big story -- is small-town law enforcement's lanky poster boy, Deputy Ryan Frost. But the deeper they dig, the more twisted the truth becomes. False leads, incriminating emails, and someone called the Watcher force Vivian to fight for answers -- and her life.

A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram, Book 1)

DARYNDA JONES

Stats for my copy: Kindle edition, St. Martin's Press, expected publication date 4/7/20.

How acquired: NetGalley.

(For the Goodreads synopsis, scroll to the bottom of this post.) 

My thoughts:  While I hadn't read Ms. Jones before, I am very aware of her popular Charley Davidson series, and even have books one and twelve of that series in my TBR. So when an email showed up from Netgalley about this book, the first in a new series, being available, I jumped on it.

It's one of those books that is filled with quirky characters and outlandish situations. Starting with Sunshine becoming the sheriff of her home town after winning an election that she had not even entered. Her friend and coworker, Quincy, tells her she killed it at a the debate. How...? Sunshine never does find out how her parents managed to get her elected behind her back, but she is still glad of the opportunity to move back to her home town, if only to investigate her own abduction when she was seventeen, of which she has very little memory, and the perpetrator was never caught.

Much of the dialogue was quite amusing, with quips being tossed back and forth between the characters like a volleyball, while Sunshine and her deputies race against the clock to find a missing teenager who had premonitions of her own abduction and murder for years. I sometimes got a little confused as something would come up from Sun's past. For instance, one minute her childhood rival and bully Hailey is snarling insults at her, and the next they're hugging in a coffee shop storeroom, followed by a short info dump to explain their situation, although I'm still not completely clear on why the two women have to pretend to hate each other when anyone else is around. Plus there was just soooo much going on, like dozens of tiny little side plots. Despite that, I like the author's writing and the story was engaging for the most part. And when Sunshine and her daughter finally had a heart to heart, no more secrets, talk about what happened to Sunshine when she was seventeen, I cried right along with them.

While Sunshine is apparently surrounded by handsome burly men, Levi of course stood out from the others. An enigma, who I'm sure we'll learn more about as the series progresses. I have some theories about him, and I loved the conversation between them when she went to his house to thank him for something and ended up standing beside his bed interrupting his nap to talk to him.

If this review comes across as my feeling a bit ambivalent about the book, I guess I am a little, but the bottom line is I did get quite caught up and raced through the last quarter or so, and I look forward to the next book. And definitely need to get a start on the Charley Davidson books.

Goodreads synopsis: Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, its strong cups of coffee—and a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—an election her adorably meddlesome parents entered her in—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of it's reminding Sunny why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that trouble at her daughter’s new school and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and Sunshine has her hands full.

Enter sexy almost-old-flame Levi Ravinder and a hunky US Marshall, both elevens on a scale of one to blazing inferno, and the normally savvy sheriff is quickly in over her head. Now it’s up to Sunshine to juggle a few good hunky men, a not-so-nice kidnapping miscreant, and Doug the ever-pesky flasher. And they said coming home would be drama-free. 

Always Look Twice (Uncommon Justice, Book Two)

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2019.

How acquired: Via the Revell Reads Blogger Program

First line: Harper Reynolds inched forward, hoping she hadn't made a mistake in coming there.

My thoughts: I loved the first book in this series, so much, that I was excited to see this book on offer from Revell, and thrilled to learn I was getting a copy. And the book did not disappoint!

Once again most of the action takes place in Grayback, Wyoming, and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Harper is a crime scene photographer who has taken a sabbatical from photographing crime scenes to photograph nature instead. But while photographing a bear, she inadvertently witnessed a murder – a man shooting a woman. That first chapter brought the action on quick, and the pace continued throughout the book. When the shooter turns his sights on Harper, Heath McKade comes to the rescue. Harper and Heath were best friends as kids, but haven't seen each other since Harper's father was murdered and her mother moved her and her sister, Emily, away.

We met Heath in the first book, which was about his brother, Austin. Austin ticked a lot of boxes for me – former FBI agent, cowboy, a secretive tortured hero – and Heath ticked those same boxes, except instead of former FBI agent he's a part-time deputy, which works just as well. He's also a cowboy, running a guest ranch, and while not particularly secretive he's still a tortured hero, with emotional wounds that run deep.

Ms. Goddard is very good at keeping tensions high! There is a harrowing ride in a camper, and every time Harper was out anywhere I was constantly on edge waiting for a rifle shot to occur. As in the first book, the characterizations are very well done, as is the narrative descriptions. Not to mention the descriptions of Harper taking photos and some of the process she uses for documenting crime scenes. We also meet Liam, another brother, partway through the book, and I'm very excited to know that his book is coming next.

I know it sounds cliché to say, but this book is truly a thrill ride from beginning to satisfying end.

Goodreads synopsis: While photographing the Grand Tetons, Harper Reynolds unwittingly captures a murder on film. But when she loses the camera fleeing the scene, can she and rancher Heath McKade find the camera and solve the murder before the killer makes her his next victim? 

It's Always the Husband

MICHELE CAMPBELL

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, St. Martin's Press, 2017.

How acquired: Bought.

First line: She stumbled through the dark woods, the trees dripping raindrops onto her hair and her party dress.

My thoughts: Despite the fact that there is murder involved and “whodunit” and some twists at the end, this book didn't really feel like a suspense/mystery. While the narrative occasionally goes back and forth between past and present, the first half of the book is more focused on past, where the three girls meet when they are assigned as college roommates their freshman year. From there it's more of a character study about the three girls, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. They are all so very different from each other, and yet they become fast friends.

Then the second half is focused on the present, where the girls are still friends but have drifted apart a bit. More time is spent with Jenny and Aubrey than with Kate, and frankly, I didn't really care for the grownup adult versions of Jenny and Kate. Neither girl is particularly likable, especially Jenny who is now the controlling, power hungry mayor of their small town. I did like Owen, the new chief of police investigating the present time murder, but towards the end of the book Jenny is determined to get rid of him because he won't answer to her, and then suddenly he's just gone with no explanation and not heard from again, which really disappointed me.

As far as whodunit, I was kept guessing, thinking I knew and then being proven wrong. Although the method used to get the victim to the spot where the death occurred seemed very contrived and unrealistic.

Regardless, the book definitely kept my interest and overall I enjoyed it. 

Goodreads synopsis: Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny. They first met as college roommates and soon became inseparable, even though they are as different as three women can be. Twenty years later, one of them is standing at the edge of a bridge . . and someone else is urging her to jump.

How did things come to this?

As the novel cuts back and forth between their college years and their adult years, you see the exact reasons why these women love and hate each other—but can feelings that strong lead to murder? Or will everyone assume, as is often the case, that it’s always the husband? 

Christmas Cow Bells (Buttermilk Creek Mystery, Book 1)

MOLLIE COX BRYAN

Stats for my copy: Paperback, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 9/24/19.

How acquired: Cozy Mystery Review Crew

First line: Sometimes a place reaches deep inside of you, flows through you with light and warmth, and fills you with a sense of belonging, a sense of home.

My thoughts: This was a slow read for me, though it shouldn't have been. I think I might have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been entirely told from Brynn's point of view. She's likable enough, but I never really connected with her, and didn't really get to know any of the other characters. I had trouble sometimes just keeping up with the other characters. Brynn's friends, Willow and Schuyler, seemed quite similar and I mixed them up several times, and I did the same with the police chief and the fire chief. Brynn's investigation into the fire that killed her neighbor was a bit perfunctory. She spent more time thinking and agonizing over it than actually doing anything. I was actually more interested in the cows and the cheese-making process, which I knew nothing about. And the dog of course! Although it was annoying that Freckles was alternately referred to as “he” and “she”. Overall, the story was a pleasant enough way to while away some time, if not especially memorable.

Goodreads synopsis: Christmas is a time for new beginnings, so after her big breakup, Brynn MacAlister takes the gouda with the bad. With her three Red Devon cows, she settles in bucolic Shenandoah Springs, eager for a new life as an organic micro-dairy farmer and cheese-maker. Then her dear cow Petunia's bellows set the whole town on edge. But it isn't until Brynn's neighbor, Nancy, dies in a mysterious fire that her feelings about small town life begin to curdle . . .

It seems some folks were not happy with Nancy's plan to renovate the Old Glebe Church. But is a fear of change a motivation for murder? As a newcomer, Brynn can't ignore the strange events happening just on the other side of her frosty pasture--and soon on her very own farm. Suddenly Christmas doesn't feel so festive as everyone demands she muzzle sweet Petunia, and Brynn is wondering if someone wants to silence her--for good . . . 

One More River to Cross

JANE KIRKPATRICK

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 9/3/19.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blog Tour Program.

First line: Mary Sullivan stood outside the circle of men, watched through the triangle of elbows as they nodded and commented about the markings the Paiute drew in the dirt.

My thoughts: There are many, many characters in this story, but with one exception the focus is on the women, with the narrative constantly shifting from the point of view of one character to another. Unfortunately I struggled to keep track of the characters, men and women alike. There were a few who stood out, such as Maolisa and Moses, a young man who was the exception I mentioned above. I particularly enjoyed his sections of the book. I would say the main characters are Ellen, Beth, Mary and Sarah. Beth stood out, and I never confused her with someone else. But the other three I was constantly getting mixed up.

The plot meanders and is slow paced, not that I was bothered by that, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the landscape and the hardships. I can't imagine making the journey these characters undertook, and I seriously don't know that I would have survived! For the young ladies, life is frustrating when you're constantly overlooked or left behind, or your opinion is unimportant because of your gender, and there was a lot of internal dialoguing from the girls mentioned above about the unfairness of that.

It was what women did. Waited for the right husband. Waited to begin a family. Waited for a life to begin.

Boy, if that doesn't sum up why it's so great to live in the time we live in!

The book read more like a young adult book than I was expecting, and I think I would've liked it much more if that weren't the case. But overall it was a good read and aside from having to pause occasionally to sort out the characters I stayed pretty invested in their story.

Goodreads synopsis: In 1844, two years before the Donner Party, the Stevens-Murphy company left Missouri to be the first wagons into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Mostly Irish Catholics, the party sought religious freedom and education in the mission-dominated land and enjoyed a safe journey--until October, when a heavy snowstorm forced difficult decisions. The first of many for young Mary Sullivan, newlywed Sarah Montgomery, the widow Ellen Murphy, and her pregnant sister-in-law Maolisa.

When the party separates in three directions, each risks losing those they loved and faces the prospect of learning that adversity can destroy or redefine. Two women and four men go overland around Lake Tahoe, three men stay to guard the heaviest wagons--and the rest of the party, including eight women and seventeen children, huddle in a makeshift cabin at the headwaters of the Yuba River waiting for rescue . . . or their deaths.

Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick plunges you deep into a landscape of challenge where fear and courage go hand in hand for a story of friendship, family, and hope that will remind you of what truly matters in times of trial. 

Christmas in Winter Hill

MELODY CARLSON 

Stats for my copy: Hardback, Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 9/3/19.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program.

First line: Krista Galloway didn't usually second-guess herself, but as she slowed down the U-Haul truck on the outskirts of Winter Hill, she was assaulted with some serious doubts.

My thoughts: Definitely Hallmark movie material, and that's a good thing! This slim hardback (164 pages) is a sweet feel good story. Krista and her young daughter move from Phoenix to Winter Hill, Washington, where Krista is starting a new job as the city manager. Krista is a realistic portrayal of a single mother trying to provide a better life for her daughter. She's not a fan of Christmas, which I often feel quite bah humbug about myself. Her reasons are much different than anything I could come up with though. Emily, on the other hand, loves the holiday season and is so excited to live in a town that goes all out to celebrate Christmas. I loved the relationship between the two, and how wide eyed and earnest little Emily is. And I enjoyed seeing Emily strike up such a friendship with teenage Anna. And of course, watching the friendship blossom between Krista and Anna's father.

I thought this was going to be a romance, and while there is some romance, it's definitely more about Krista and Emily starting this new life. Which was fine, it was quite enjoyable and I breezed through it in a couple of days. And the ending, oh gosh, I was literally crying. It almost makes me want to live in Winter Hill, except that I hate snow and cold weather. But it might be worth it to be a part of such a wonderful community!


Goodreads synopsis: Krista Galloway is not a fan of Christmas. After her rough childhood in multiple foster homes, the holiday season just brings too many bad memories to the surface. But when she accepts a job as a city manager in the mountain town of Winter Hill, Washington, Christmas is part of the deal. The small town is famous for its Christmasville celebration, something that the city manager . . . well, manages.

As she tries to make her tiny new apartment feel like home for her and her eight-year-old daughter, Emily, Krista begins to wonder if this move was a mistake. She doesn't always feel welcomed in the close-knit town, and Emily continually wonders, "Where's the snow?" Can a friendly stranger and his family help restore Krista's Christmas spirit before the big day?

Bestselling author Melody Carlson invites you to spend this holiday season in a town you'll never forget--and never want to leave. 

Versions of Her

ANDREA LOCHEN

Stats for my copy: ebook, Red Adept Publishing, LLC, 7/23/19.

How acquired: Gifted to me from the author.

First line: Kelsey was running late, of course.

My thoughts: What a lovely story! You know how you start reading a book, and it's enjoyable, and you're thinking it'll be at least three stars, probably four. And then somewhere, you're not sure exactly where, it becomes a five star book, and you're not even half finished. The writing started out solid and flowing rather effortlessly and then became enveloping as time passed unnoticed.

Sometimes she wanted to physically shake the hope out of him until he was as empty and barren as she was.

It's a wonderful character study. Two sisters, complete opposites, with distance, both physical and metaphorical, between them, who seem to have little in common yet are united in grief as they both still mourn the loss of their mother four years earlier. They have fond memories of summers spent at the family lake house, which their mother bequeathed to them. But the recent tenants have moved out and the house stands empty, and Melanie has decided it's time to sell, and while Kelsey doesn't really agree, she grudgingly goes along with the plan.

Their discovery of the hidden closet, and how it leads them to glimpses from their mother's past, came a little bit out of left field, and I absolutely loved it. While I realize other reviewers may have already given it away (I did not read any reviews before I picked up the book), I don't want to say anything more about that aspect of the story, as I'd like other readers to have that plot twist take them unawares the way it did me. Believe me, it's worth it.

And of course I have to mention Sprocket, Kelsey's dog, who is a supporting character in his own right. What would life be without a dog?

She watched Sprocket rolling in the grass on his back with joyful abandon. That was why people loved dogs. Dogs embraced life and savored every second of it, no matter if it meant looking like a total dork.

I cried a couple of times on this journey with Melanie and Kelsey, and when I finished the last page I sighed with happiness and contentment. I'm planning a trip to Barnes & Noble this weekend, and I'll be looking for Ms. Lochen's other books while I'm there.


Goodreads synopsis: On the surface, Melanie Kingstad-Keyes’s life is the picture of success. She’s a tenure track professor at a prestigious university and has a perfect husband. But a recent miscarriage has left her reeling and her marriage tenuous. Selling her family’s Lake Indigo summer home, which she hasn’t visited in fifteen years, feels like the perfect distraction from her problems. Now, she only needs to persuade her younger sister, Kelsey, to go along with her plan.

Stuck in a dead-end job, Kelsey Kingstad bounces from one doomed relationship to the next as she struggles to jumpstart her adult life. Carrying the guilt of her mother’s untimely death, Kelsey is reluctant to let go of the Victorian house filled with memories of her mom and their childhood.

When the sisters find a mysterious hidden door, Melanie and Kelsey discover that they can directly view their mother’s younger years and learn all the secrets she never shared with them. Delving into her memories is fun at first, but Melanie and Kelsey quickly uncover difficult truths, throwing their own life choices into question and making them wonder if they ever truly knew their mother. Visiting the past may help them find closure, but the cost could be steeper than they realize. 

Smooth (A Love Story, Book 11)

TRACY EWENS

Stats for my copy: ebook, published January 23, 2018.

How acquired: The Hidden Gems ARC Program.

My thoughts: I've previously read two of Ms. Ewens' books, TASTE, which was just so-so for me, and RESERVED, which I loved loved so much. So when I saw this book offered through Hidden Gems I immediately requested it. And I'm so glad I did.

The story opens with Patrick, co-owner of Foghorn Brewery with his brothers, and Aspen, the brewery's business manager, flying to a conference together. Patrick and Aspen have known each other since they were kids, but Aspen is unaware that Patrick has been silently crushing on her all these years. Aspen is all business, and as far as Patrick knows she has no interest in dating or relationships, so he's pushed his feelings to the side and been satisfied to work side by side. But at the conference they run into her college boyfriend, and seeing Aspen flirt with Lucas awakens those pushed aside feelings and stirs up some jealousy.

Back home at the brewery (literally for Patrick, who lives upstairs), Patrick's mouth keeps saying things without his permission. Things that mortify him, and crack up his brothers. And I cracked up right along with them. I mean I was literally laughing out loud, and even paused more than once to go back and reread a passage. I thought adding some quotes here, but there are just too many to pick from. Suffice it to say he blurts things out that make his feelings a little too evident, and Aspen definitely begins to take notice of him as a man, not just a friend and coworker.
 
I loved both Patrick and Aspen, not to mention Aspen's matchmaking grandmother, though I did occasionally want to shake some sense into Aspen. Her childhood was a bit fraught, with a mother who had a very skewed relationship with relationships, which is now Aspen's excuse for not trusting men and avoiding relationships. She even rains on her brother's parade when he tells her he's asking his girlfriend to marry him. I seriously thought she was going to seriously try to talk him out of it! Fortunately, Patrick grew up with parents who loved each other, and fortunately he had the patience to put up with Aspen's bordering on ridiculous fear of love.

Ms. Ewens has a real talent for writing dialogue, and as with RESERVED, she created a hero I fell for very quickly. I definitely want to read Patricks' brothers' stories now!

Note - while this book is part of a series, and some of the characters from her books are connected, the three I've read so far can all definitely be read as standalones, thankfully since I've been reading out of order which I rarely do. 

The Survivors Club

LISA HARRIS

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, Bantam Dell, 2002.

How acquired: From my mom.

First line: It started as a conversation.

My thoughts: My first time reading this author (I've been reading a lot of great new-to-me authors lately!) and I'm not even sure at what point of the book I was totally sucked in, but sucked in I was. I noticed a lot of reviewers mentioning the slow start, and yeah, it did take a little bit to get interested. I found the prologue to be a bit confusing, and once I started the first chapter the prologue went completely out of my head. It wasn't until I sat down to write this review that I suddenly remembered the prologue and thought “oh, that's what it was about!” The epilogue, on the other hand, was very welcome and left me feeling a little warm and fuzzy, despite the harsh subject matter in the main body of the book.

I'm very character driven – if I had to choose between plot and characterization I'd go with the latter every time. This book has a lot of characters, but they were easy to keep track of. I very much liked Detective Griffin. I mentioned in the last review I posted that I'm partial to emotionally wounded heroes and law enforcement, and I was drawn to Griffin pretty much right off the bat. And I loved the interplay between Griffin and Detective Fitzpatrick. I know Griffin and Waters were long time friends, but he and Fitz made a great duo, and some of their comments to each other made me smile, and occasionally even laugh a little.

While there's lots of other dialogue between different characters, there's also a good bit of internal dialogue, which I like, and plenty of action. I don't know that I was ever on the edge of my seat, but I was certainly immersed in the story, in all the stories as the narrative focus shifted from character to character. By the end of the book I was reading late into the night, unable to even think about sleeping until I finished the last page.

Goodreads synopsis: They survived what no woman should ever have to endure. Now these three women have the means, the opportunity, and the perfect motive. Are they trying to get away with murder--or is someone trying to make sure that this time they don't get away at all? The Survivors Club... that's what Jillian Hayes, Carol Rosen, and Meg Pesaturo call it. They won't consider themselves victims. They are survivors. They faced the blazing headlines and helped lead the investigation that caught the man who changed their lives forever.
And now that Eddie Como, the College Hill rapist, has been murdered, shot down outside a packed courthouse moments before his trial was about to begin, all three women are openly ecstatic that he's dead. They are also the prime suspects in his murder. Detective Sergeant Roan Griffin knows all too well what can drive even the best people to cross the line. But he has never seen a case quite like this one. No one doubts that the murder of Eddie Como was a professional job, especially when the gunman is killed only blocks away from the shooting.
But questions taunt Griffin: Who ordered the deaths of Eddie Como and his killer? Could three ordinary women have been driven to do the unthinkable? Had someone in the Survivors Club become a killer? Griffin seeks the truth--and finds himself confronted with the leader of the Survivors Club. Jillian Hayes is beautiful, successful, cool as ice, and she harbors a pain that mirrors Griffin's own. Did the horror of what happened to her push her over the thin and desperate line that separates survival and revenge? And if it did, could he blame her--or anyone in the Survivors Club? Then another woman is brutally attacked.

Suddenly, with the city on the ragged edge of panic, gripped in a media and political firestorm of controversy, cover-up, and conspiracy, the hunt is on for a ruthless and cunning killer. For Griffin, this may well be the case that shatters his career. For Jillian, the harrowing nightmare is beginning all over again. Someone is out there. Someone who wants to finish what was started. Someone who wants to make sure that no one survives the Survivors Club. 

Deadly Intentions

LISA HARRIS

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell Books, 2019.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blog Tour Program

First line: Josh Solomon had barely slept in thirty-six hours.

My thoughts: I’m learning that Revell consistently publishes really good romantic suspense. I was caught up in this book from the prologue. Of course I’m partial to emotionally wounded heroes, and to law enforcement, and Detective Josh Solomon, still grieving a year after his wife’s death, fit the bill. Caitlyn works at the lab where Josh’s wife worked, and through her friendship with Olivia she and Josh know one another, but mostly on an acquaintance level. Since Olivia’s death, two other employees have died, and after being run off the road one night, Caitlyn is convinced that those deaths are suspicious. So remembering that Josh is with the police, she takes her suspicions to him.

The plot revolves around a virus developed in the lab, and there is a lot of sciency talk as Caitlyn explains it to Josh and as they learn more about the potential hazards associated with this particular virus. And not being I honestly couldn’t tell you much more than that even if I wanted to. But there is also quite a bit of action, and I never found the storyline to be predictable. Josh takes a little convincing at first, but once he’s in he’s all in, and not about to leave Caitlyn on her own. Caitlyn spends most of the book frightened, which I would be also, but she is also brave and determined and pretty resourceful.

The author did a great job with the growing attraction between Josh and Caitlyn. Despite the fact that the events of the book take place over a short span of time, their relationship still seemed to build slowly, which I appreciated. It can be tricky when one character is still grieving over the death of a loved one, and Josh and Cailtyn’s relationship felt realistic.

Another very enjoyable read from Revell, and another new to me author whose backlist I’m going to have to check out now!


Goodreads synopsis: Research scientist Caitlyn Lindsey is convinced that someone is taking out her team one by one. First, a friend and research partner was killed in a home invasion. Three months ago, her boss died in a suspicious car accident. Four days ago, another partner supposedly committed suicide. And now Caitlyn herself has miraculously survived a hit-and-run. Afraid for her life with nowhere to turn, she reaches out to one of the victim's husbands, Detective Josh Solomon.

Though initially skeptical about Caitlyn's theory, Josh soon realizes that the attack that took his wife's life was anything but random. Now the two of them must discover the truth about who is after Caitlyn's team--and what their end game is--before it's too late.