Month: July 2018

Against the Claw (Lobster Shack Mystery #2) by Shari Randall

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claw

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: July 31, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I’m in love with this series. Allie is moving right up there in the top five of my favorite amateur sleuths. I love her sweetness, spunkiness and doggedness to find the killer. Even a bum ankle does not slow her down.

In book two of the Lobster Shack Mystery series we join Allie, Aunt Gully, and friends as they prepare for the Fourth of July. The Lazy Mermaid has more customers than ever and Lorel, Allie’s sister, agrees for the Mermaid to cater “THE” Fourth of the July party for Stellene Lupo. Before that can happen a Jane Doe is found by Allie as she lobsters with a family friend. Can Allie find out who she is and what happened before she ends up sleeping with the fishes?

The Lobster Shack series is a pure joy to read. The description of Mystic Bay, CT is so real that you feel like you are right there with Allie. You can taste the lobster rolls, smell the salt from the ocean and feel the sand under your toes. This is a place I wish I could visit and meet Allie. She seems like a great person to have in your corner.

Her sister, Lorel, was not so frustrating this book. In the first book, Curses, Boiled Again, I did not like Lorel and was hoping she was going to be a minor character with little interaction. She was needed and added a lot to the second book.

If you are a new fan of cozies and like the beach, you should grab the first two books in the series and block out a weekend (preferably on the beach) and read, read, read. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed n the review are entirely my own.

A Love for Leah (Amish of Pontotoc #2) by Amy Lillard

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leah

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: Kensington Books

Published: July 31, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amish born but a practicing Mennonite, Leah has returned to her hometown of Pontotoc, MS to help raise her sister Hannah’s son and open her second hand store to help English and Amish alike. She does not expect to fall for newcomer Jamie, who is very set in his Amish ways. While he learns how to raise his nephew and help him overcome the effects of a devastating fire, he finds himself being frustrated and intrigued by Leah. Can they find a way to meet in the middle and follow their hearts?

A Love for Leah can be read as a stand alone novel in the series but my suggestion is to read the first novel, A Home for Hannah, first. I found myself re-reading pages to completely understand what was happening and the dynamic between Leah, Hannah and Hannah’s teenage son.

Leah is a great strong female main character. She is not afraid to voice her opinions and stand her ground. The bad side of her being so strong is she is a bit stubborn at times and cuts her nose off in spite her face. Maybe some thinking before spouting off would help her have a little more tact.

This is my first Amish book set in Mississippi and I am ready to visit again. The first book in the series has already been put on my TBR list and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Kensington Books through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

She Was the Quiet One by Michele Campbell

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quiet one

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: July 31, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

We all know the saying: you always have to watch out for the quiet ones. Twins Bel and Rose lost their dad when they were very young and their mom recently their freshman year of high school. Rose is the quiet, studious twin who follows all rules and Bel is the wild and adventurous one who thinks rules are meant to be broken. With no one left to take them in, the move to New Hampshire to live with their father’s mother, their grandmother. Their grandmother enrolls them in Odell, a boarding school all Enrights’ have attended for generations. On the outside, the school looks like a dream come true for anyone but on the inside bullying, sexual escapades and drugs run rampant. Bel and Rose find themselves fighting constantly and not talking to one another.

Rose and Heath are teachers at Odell who were once students themselves. They have recently been promoted to house monitors of the Enright twins dorm. Rose is uncomfortable with this new position but will support her husband in his dream to rise to the top. Weird things start occurring that Rose cannot account for and make her question how well does she know her husband and does she truly mean the vows of sticking with your husband through good time and bad.

She Was the Quiet One was a thriller that made me want to keep turning the pages even though I pinned the killer very early on. There were a few times the red herrings made me rethink my decision on who the killer was but I was not deterred. I found myself shaking my head in despair at how blind people with authority can be to what truly is happening. Thank goodness for one female cop who went with her instincts.

Rose was my least favorite main character of the book. She seemed very weak and dependent on her husband, Heath. I felt she truly believed she could not survive without him. I am not a fan of weak female characters.

The novel while predictable does make you think how sad it is what people will do to find satisfaction and be at the top of their profession. Those people do not care who they hurt in the process and see themselves above the rules, laws and morals.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Every Time You Go Away by Beth Harbison

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every time

Pages: 304 (eBook)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: July 24, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is the first Beth Harbison book I have read and I was pleased with the book. I am not a huge fan of ghosts or spirits but she did it very tastefully. By the end of the book I was almost wishing my Papaw would come visit me so I could tell him I love him one more time.

Willa’s husband died three years ago of a heart attack while working at their Ocean City, Maryland beach house. This summer she has decided it is time to put the beach house up for sale. She gets there and realizes a lot of work needs to be done on the inside and outside before she can put it up for sale. Not long after she arrives her husband’s spirit visits her. At first she thinks she is cracking up but the more she visits the more she realizes he is there for a reason. As the summer progresses her son, best friend and best friend’s daughter come to help her get the house in order and help her finally deal with her husband’s death. It is a summer of change for everyone.

I am not 100% sure that Willa’s husband’s spirit actually came to visit or her. I think in her grief she wished for a connection to him and conjured him up in her subconscious when she needed the connection to him. I believe there is a bit of Willa in all of us when we lose someone close to us. We want that person to be here with us and look for any sign to show is that they are here with us.

They relationship between Willa and her son Jamie is very believable. I was impressed with how much he grew in a few weeks at the shore with his mom especially when he got rid of the psycho girlfriend. The scary idea is the psycho girlfriend was so real. Sad to say my own son had one of those for a while. I was glad to read a story where the someone was strong enough to break it off and not keep dragging the relationship out continuously.

Every Time You Go Away is a tender, heart wrenching book that will make you think about how short life is and how quickly it can change.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Her Fear (The Amish of Hart County #5) by Shelley Shepard Gray

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her fear

Pages: 288 (eBook)

Publisher: Avon Inspire

Published: July 24, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I could not put this book down which was perfect for a rainy, lazy Sunday. Shelley Shepard Gray has done it again. A five star read in her The Amish of Hart County series.

Sadie finds herself in Kentucky with relatives she has never met. On top of that she is pregnant. When her aunt falls ill and the EMTs are called she meets Noah, an Amish EMT. Sparks fly instantly but he doesn’t know she is pregnant and she doesn’t know he thinks something sinister is going on at the home. Will Sadie and Noah be able to overcome all the odds against them to pursue a relationship?

Sadie’s strength and strong, unwavering belief in God is amazing. If I ever found myself in a similar situation I hope I can have comfort that God has me. I hope I can be as forgiving as Noah if the time ever presented itself.

This series is a favorite of mine as it is set in my home state so a lot of places mentioned I either know of them or have been there. Shelley does a great job in making sure each book is connected but at the same time letting them read as a stand alone novel.

I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author and the publisher, Avon Inspire. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaimen

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ocean

Pages: 181 (Library Book)

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2013

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First, let me say I had to read this for my library’s summer quest program. I am not a big reader of the Fantasy genre. I can count on one hand how many Fantasy books I have read in my lifetime.

Second, why three stars? It did not keep my interest (probably because it was fantasy). The first half I soared through but trudged through the last half. I could not wrap my head around what was happening. People that have been around for thousands of years but never age, creepy people who want to harm you entering through a hole in your foot, and all kinds of weird things that happen.

All I can say it is reading time I will never get back to read another book. Neil Gaimen may be a fantastic writer but he is not for me.

Cottage by the Sea by Debbie MaComber

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cottage

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: Random House Publishing

Published: July 17, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Annie is learning to adjust to life without her entire family. After eighteen months she has decided to go to one the place that she remembers from her childhood as a time of love and happiness. Will this place be the healing Annie needs?

A beautiful story or healing and love. You not only have healing from a personal tragedy, you have healing of a past that has frozen one to life of agoraphobia, and healing of animals that bring comfort and joy to all they touch.

I appreciate how Debbie Macomber can write about love without smutting it up. She keeps it clean and respectful. Her characters can argue nd get their point across without throwing out curse words every other word. You can rest assured that an impressionable young woman can read this book and walk away without being shocked.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

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baby teeth

Pages: 320 (eBook)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: July 17, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Let me start off saying this book scared the beejeebies out of me. I still have not figured out who was more disturbed the mom, Suzette, or the daughter, Hanna. Alex, the dad, should run very far away from the both of them.

Hanna appears all sweet and angelic to everyone on the surface especially to her never-can-do wrong daddy. When she is alone with her mom she turns into the devil child. What makes this even harder is Hanna is mute. Her form of expressing herself is with screams, grunts and the occasional bark.

Suzette has lived a life of exclusion and loneliness due to her severe Crohn’s disease. She never felt complete until she met Alex. She loved the time when it was just the two of them loving and being each other’s whole world. She loves her daughter but the more her daughter becomes “unnormal” in her eyes the more she longs for it just to be her and Alex again.

This book was totally out of my norm. I like the occasional thriller that makes you think but one with a child who is seriously disturbed had me disturbed. Can a child so young really be as bad Hanna was portrayed? I pray I never meet that child.

If you are a puppy and rainbows kind of reader then I would say this book is not for you. If you want to try something new and want something that makes you think then grab this book when it comes out on July 17, 2018 in the USA.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Christmas in Evergreen by Nancy Naigle

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evergreen

Pages: 189 (eBook)

Publisher: Hallmark Publishing

Published: July 10, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

You cannot go wrong with a Hallmark Publishing book especially a Christmas book. You will find yourself full of smiles and happiness. Currently this is probably my second favorite Christmas book/movie from Hallmark (the first being Journey Back to Christmas).

Allie is leaving Evergreen, VT, her hometown, to try and make her relationship with her boyfriend in Washington, DC. When it comes time to leave to spend Christmas with him in DC anything and everything that can go wrong does. In the process of trying to leave she meets Ryan and Zoe, a father and daughter on their way to Florida to spend Christmas. Sparks are flying. Is it just the Christmas spirit or something more?

A clean romance with no foul language and no steamy sex scenes ( a chaste kiss or two). I would feel very comfortable giving this to a 13 year old reader who is wanting to move up to grown up books.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hallmark Publishing through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed above are entirely my own.

Amish Celebrations by Beth Wiseman

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celebrations

Pages: 370 (eBook)

Publisher: Zondervan Fiction

Published: July 10, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Four stories that will change you for the better. Beth Wiseman does not hesitate to discuss depression, jealously, drugs, and abuse and how all those affect friendships, relationships and marriages. I admired how she tackled the subjects that everyone across every race, religion and social class experiences.

Whether you are a fan of Amish fiction/romance, Christian fiction/romance or are just looking for a book with some meat to it this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Zondervan Fiction through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.