Hardback

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.

Minding the Light (Nantucket Legacy #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher

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minding

Pages: 336 (eBook)

Publisher: Revell

Published: July 10, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Once again we visit the Quaker Island of Nantucket and the world of whaling. Captain “Ren” Macy has been away whaling for six years when he returns to Nantucket to an ailing wife and six year old twins. He is extremely grateful for his wife’s sister, Daphne, when it comes to acclimating back in to the world of family. It is an unspoken agreement that Daphne will marry Tristam, Ren’s cousin and business partner but as she spends time with Ren she finds her feelings changing.

I have been anticipating my return to early Nantucket since reading the first book in the series, Phoebe’s Light. One of my favorite aspects of both novels is the 17 century diary each generation reads and learns from. Mary’s story is one of compassion and love. Daphne finds comfort and understanding in reading the diary.

Minding the Light is a book for all historical fiction lovers and clean Christian romance readers. It is written in the language of “thee” and “thy” but it does not take long to get into the rhythm of the book.

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

The House at Saltwater Point (Lavender Tides #2) by Colleen Coble

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saltwater

Pages: 352 (eBook)

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: July 3, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

As far as Christian Suspense goes, Colleen Coble is the best.

Ellie has never forgiven herself for her part in the death of her youngest sister and subsequently her mother so she has always “mothered and babied” her other sister Mac. When her sister goes missing and is accused of stealing cocaine Ellie takes it upon herself to prove the Coast Guard wrong. Can Ellie save her sister and her sister’s reputation as her heart falls for the man trying to find and arrest Mac?

The Lavender Tides series is the Christian suspense series to be devoured. I thought The View from Rainshadow Bay was as edge of your seat reading as you could get but The House at Saltwater Point proved me wrong. My heart was racing through most of the book as Ellie was racing to find her sister. I enjoy learning as I read and appreciated how terrorism was handled in the book.

I adore how Colleen Coble can write stories within the story and not lose the importance of any of the stories. My interest has been piqued for the Hope Beach series. I see more books being added to my TBR pile.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Spook in the Stacks (Lighthouse Library Mystery #4) by Eva Gates

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spook stacks

Pages: 309 (Hardback)

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publisher: June 12, 2018

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Loved!

Lucy loves working as a librarian in Outer Banks, NC but is not a fan of Halloween. She knows she must suck it up and roll with the flow until she finds the body of Jay Ruddle during one of the library’s Halloween celebrations. Jay had narrowed it down to the library and a local college to leave his extension collection of historical documents pertaining to NC. Can Lucy find the killer and save the donation before the spirits of the holiday take over?

This is book four in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series but the first for me. I enjoyed reading about Lucy and all the library staff. I have already downloaded that first book in the series to my kindle so I may get caught up. I was able to pick right up with who was who even though I came in the middle of the series. Eva Gates does a great job in giving background info on important characters.

I had no idea who the killer was until it was revealed and that I appreciate as it means the author did a great job in keeping the info under wraps until it was time. She also does a great job in not having too many characters.

A series I am definitely going to catch up on. If you love libraries, librarians and books this is the series for you. It is clean with no foul language. Being that it is Halloween themed there are mention of ghosts and it is questionable if the marsh ghosts make an appearance. You will need to read to find out.

I received a complimentary copy from the author. Any and all opinions expressed in the review are entirely my own.

Murder at the Mansion (Victorian Village Mystery #1) by Sheila Connolly

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murder at the mansion

Pages: 328 (eBook)

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Published: June 26, 2018

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Kate left her hometown of Asheford, MD after high school graduation and never really looked back until she received a call from her high school best friend asking her to help save the town. The only thing the town has going for it is the Victorian mansion owed by Henry Barton. One town council member, Cordelia “Cordy” Walker wants to rip everything out and turn it into an upscale hotel and run it herself. As Kate tours the mansion and starts putting together a plan, she finds Cordy dead on the mansion’s front steps. Who would want Cordy dead or maybe the question should be who doesn’t want Cordy dead? Can Kate solve the murder and save the town?

An excellent first book in a new series by Shelia Connolly. I am very excited to see how the series progesses. The premise of building the town into a Victorian Village is very interesting. Normally I am not a huge fan of American Victorian literature, classic or modern, but this series may just change my mind. The history that is woven in throughout the book is given to the reader in a knowledgeable way but so filled with boring facts that you get lost. I learned a lot about Clara Barton and her work outside of the Red Cross that I had no clue about. I want to read more about it but at the same time I don’t want to ruin any future plot lines of the series.

There is a little bit of a romance but it plays very lightly in the background. It in no way distracts from the murder mystery. I hope it stays that way for a couple more books in the series so we can continue to build up the characters.

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